The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-07-21

ing my chance, gained the deck again
FINDING no difference in the weather
and the Lansdown lying in the sam
situation In which she had first how
to, l returned to the deckhouse an,
sat in the shelter of it.
The afternoon passed. II contir
ued to blow hard with a mountain
Gus e "a. The blackness of the long
bowling night hat stretched befor,
me was a thing frightful to contem
plate, alone as 1 was.
l shall never forget the horrors o.
those hours of darkness. l believe
should have fallen crazy but for the
thought of the Lansdown living near
The main deck was so full of waite,
that dared not venture to leave the
aeckhouse lest l should be drowned
In coming or going.
You will suppose I had no rest, ]
could not find the means to kindle a
light and sat in utter darkness listen.
ing to the shrill edged thunder of the
gale In the mutilated fabric aloft and
feeling the leaps and falls of the vessel
as the sea swept her on high, leaving
her to rush giddily into the valleys
between, with blows of the seetbino
brine that sent shocks as from heavy
artillery through her laboring frame.
The gale broke on a sudden before
dawn. lwent on deck at the hazard
OF my life, and in the dim greenness
OF daybreak in the east spied the
black blotch Of a ship about four
miles distant.
before the sun rose the wind shift
ed n a brief squat, and then blew a
pleasant sailing wind out of east
northeast. The sea went down as if
by magic, though for some while a
large, troubled swell continued to
roll athwart the path of the breeze.
l presently knew the distant shin
to be the Lansdown by her making
sail and heading for the wreck
clothed from truck to waterway,
Within an hour she ran bv me TO
windward.
Captain Wilkins fourished his
hand from the stern and hailed to
know if all was right with me. | n
swered, Yes" The Lansdown hove
to, a boat was then lowered in charge
OF the chief mate and four men
pulled across to the wreck.
BY this hour the decks were fast
drying. l took notice that the hull.
spite the furious straining of the past
hours, continued to lift very light
and buoyant with the heave of the
swell. l made my clothes into a bun
die, and still wearing those l had
found in the captains cabin | en-
tered the boat and was at once pull,
aboard the Lansdown.
Captain Wilkins, breaking through
cold conventions of the quarter
1eck, grasped me by the hand and
congratulated me with the warmth
II a brother seaman on my marvel
escape. He then spoke of the
wreck and was about to give orders
trim sail and proceed on u course.
Il beg pardon, sir" said 1. Eyes
erday afternoon l overhauled that
PARKS papers. She's up to the matches
With rum, tobacco and valuable tim
consigned to Bristol. I allow
he's a tight ship. She seems brand
1t will be a pity to leave all
hat first rate stuff washing about
lown here to founder presently, if
ONE skipper don't carry it home. If
'ou should think proper, sir, and the
we took off will work her. Ill
ngage to navigate her to Bristol,
roviding you'H help us with a spare
.retopmast and allow the carpenter
0 make certain repairs"
He prlcked up his ears at this and {
'oked earnestly at the bark, and aft
r asking a number of questions as b.
, her condition he said: I
Take a boat and the carpenter I
long with you and let him report t
barks condition to me-" ]
This was done. We sounded the
ell and found but a foot and a half
water in the hold. We then tried
pumps and found them in good q
der. We opened the matches and v
scovered that the cargo was as e
ated in the manifest. Q
After thoroughly overhauling the t
reck we returned to the Lansdown. II
ID Captain Wilkins on receiving the p
.rpenter's report determined on jury t.
sg1ng the craft and sending her Il
under my care, himself keep e
g me company in his own ship. G
he told me that, according to a n
atement made by the survivors of G.
Q crew, the captain and mate of u
Q Chocolate Girl had been washed u u
erboard during the gale. The car :"
inter-, who acted as second mate, -
d four seamen got into one of the =,
ats, which blew away and was lost =,
h smother, and no doubt all five ~
them speedily persisted. w
. second boat was lowered and 81
we'd. The long boat had been ~,
ocked to pieces. The eight re- =,
timing hands of the crew were co
erefore helpless. Much was done a1
day toward equipping the bark &c
the homeward passage. The men
Inc Lansdown's crew, in charge of
bos'n and carpenter and myself. W,
MT on board, and, the weather ay- or
wonderfully favored us, before SD
ldown we had towed some spare ia,
ms To tho w,ock o,l ~ ii.