Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-10-13
CHAPTER XII.
THE z STORM.


THE GREAT STORM.
1! was now late in the year, and the winter
storms were beginning. There were inter
vals or calm, cool weather, when the wind
came from the east or southeast, and still.
frosty days, when a breath as cold as steel
crept from the red sunrise OF the north; but
ever and again the trumpet OF the tempest
sounded westward and southwark, and the
ocean rose up before it in mountains of furi-
GUS storm.
To stand on the seashore, or on the wealth
er-worn cliffs, at such moments. was an ex-
perience not TO be forgotten. With a sound
OF crashing thunder, with sheet-llke flashes
OF flying foam, the mighty pillows came roll
ing in; while far away, In the eye of the
wind, the clouds gathered and baleful rays
came and went, as IL from the under world.
Again and again, during these storms, tho
men forsook their work IN the mine and clus-
tered on the wind-swept crags; for the sound
beneath was too terrible, and at each crash
of the waters over head the solid roofs OF
rock seemed about 10 tOpplc in.
A new life-boat had come round from Fall
mouth during the summer; il was manned
chiefly by workers In tue mine, and / was
their captain. We had tried the boat again
and again In light weather, and were proud
of her as life boatsnen could be: so that,
when need came, we were ready TO do az
that human hands could DO for the succor Of
shipwrecked souls. Fortunately, few vessels
came that way to need our aid in time Of
peril, for the great ships gave that lonely
shore a wide berth. knowing its many perils.
Sometimes, however. a cOasting-yessel,
heavily laden, came ashore on the outlying
reefs, but, thanks 10 our sturdy boat, with
out much loss of life.
On the afternoon of the 22d day OF Novem-
Der, 49,, there occurred such a phenomenon
asl have seen only once in my life, and
scarcely expect to see again. The ocean was
dead calm and black as ink: the sOpty clouds,
with sheets of MINDLESS yapor trailing right
down to the earth and water, kept stationary
in a sort of sinister twilight; and the air was
full OF an extraordinary stiffness, in which
the conclusion of the slightest sound-a cock
Growing, a goat bleating, a human voice cry
ing-was heard for miles away.
/ had just been down the mine, where j
found the men had ceased working, and had
gathered IN knots, whispering together. Fol
nil through the dark galleries and passages
there came, from time to time, a curious
trem0r, like the shock OF an earthquake-sul.
len, sinister, terrible, making the heart, for
some unknown reason, stand still with fear.
Nor was this sound 10 be accounted for by
the dashing Of waves above that subaqueOu:
darkness, since there was not a breath OF
wind, and the sea lay in sullen, moyeless
folds. scarcely vibrating.
"What Is it, my ladss.' I had asked, accost-
ing the first group OF men, who Were cluS
tering on the central platform.
AS l spoke, the tremOr came again, so thai
] "a t.aIty anapanI ttpakIfnr quar- thu har -
groand rocking under me, with a vibration
which seemed TO send a nameless terror into
my very blood.
My uncle, who was there with the others
shook his head ominously.
ave dawn't rightly knaw," he sad; but
we ha' hard an again and again. sounding
like that. Seems threatening like, and / ma
hidden the gang knock OFF wark for to-day"
/ knew that il was useless TO demonstrate,
for the men were evidently full OF superst!-
tious dread, which, IL the truth must be told,
l could not help sharing. They threw down,
their pickaxes and shovels, and followed me
up the shaft.
We found johnson there, who seemed as
tonished at our appearance, and, when l told
him what had taken place, looked savage.
you're spelling the men, Trelawney," he
said. "Guess such nervous fancies are only
fit for an old woman. Why. the seas ike a
milLpond, and there amt a breath Of wind"
III you think it's only fancy" l replied,
"cone down with me and try. I'll give you
a %tiye-pound note IL you stop down there
half an hour"
He shrunk back and shook his head angri-
ly. while the men, clustering round US, greet
ed my speech with a laugh.
II shall report this" he cried, ~viciously.
"A pack Of cowards.'
And he walked of, amid an angry murmul
from the men, who detested him cordially.
As the afternoon passed, and the dull lead
en- twilight increased, we saw, looking sea
ward, the phenomenon TO which l have al
luded; tiro suns, one round and purple, thu
other pink and ghostly, floating in the va
pors 10 the west. Both were quite rayless
and they hung as II We're some fifty yards
from each other. Both seemed so near to rs
that one would have thought il possible tc
reach them with a bullet from a gun.
l cannot express In words the strangely
depressing and vaguely alarming effect al
this phenomenon on myse.s anu al who wit
messed it. Nor was the effect lessened wher
the DINNER Of the two suns suddenly disap
peared, and the other changed ia a moment
AAths Pti PAo y = "A ltt bAAtA VAA
In the midst OF q waste Of lead9n gray.
"Lawd save usr' cried Martin T~reruddock
an old fisherman. and one OF our life boat.
crew. "Lawd save us! Ii looks like judg
ment mates-like the Last Dayv
This indeed. was the thought which wa.
passing through all our minds. We stood
looking in suspense till the black sun disap
peared, and total darkness came; and then
with no little f~oreboding, we scattered to on
homes.
But In the night as we lay sleeping In oul
beds, we learned that what we had witness
ed betokened, not any supernatural disturb
ance. but the gathering of such q tempest al
has seldom been seen, before or since 81
those shores. 1t came with fearful lightnina
and close following thunder, followed by
drops Of black and hideous hail; aud then
with a crash and a scream and cry, the WIND
rushed from the sea- Elay In my bed In the
cottage, thinking every moment that the
house would come down, shaking ms II did Il
its foundations, or the roof be blown away,
and every minute the blasts-grew more terri
dc, not coming In broken gusts rs, during or
binary storms, but In conclusions Of solid air
which struck the walls with blows a. OF
battering RAM, and made every stone In the
structure CHATTER like u loose tooth.
Presently. I saw my uncle. partially dress
ed and holding a light, enter my chamber.
sHugh, my lad, be You asleep?"
AS II any one could sleep on such q might
/ thought Yesterdays pcrtent meant some-
thing. The storm has comerr
Mother be frighted badly" he returned.
s6hc be praying, lad. dawn I the kitchen.
Lawd save US; bark 10 that!' he added. as q
dash Of derry lightning tlIed tie ROOM, and