The Republican., 1894-08-09
SENILLANTE'S WRECK.
A Thrilling Story of the Sandman
Sea.

night has thrown US on the COrSican
coast, let me tell you a terrible story
OF the sea, of which the fishermen of
the place often speak at eventide, and
about which chance has enabled me
to learn strange particulars
1t was three years ago. | was sail
ing the Sandman sea with seven or
eight sailors of the coast survey. 1t
was a rough voyage for novice; we
did not have one good day through
March. The wind was furious and the
waves never calmel. One evening, as
we were flying before the tempest, our
vessel came for refuge to the mouth
of the Straits of Bonifacio, among some
little islands.
Their aspect was not alluriug. They
were great, bald rocks, covered with
birds, some bushes of lentisk, few
tufts of absinthe, and here and there,
III the slime, decaying pieces of wood.
But, my soul it was better to pass the
night among these sinister rocks than
to be on frail old bark, half declled,
where the blast came in as though it
were quite at home; SO we contented
ourselves.
No sooner had we disembarked than
the sailors lighted fire for the fish
soup, and the captain called me, point
ing to little inclosure surrounded by
a white wall almost lost in the mist at
the end of the island. "Will you come
to the cemetery?" said he.
"a cemetery, captain! where are
we?"
ha 81 yDAnCi1,1,-
The six hundred men of the frigate
Semillante are buried here at the spot
where she was lost ten years ago. Poor
fellows! AS they don't receive many
visits, the least we can do is to go and
say: 'Bonjour to them so long as we
are here"
with all my heart captain"
How sad it was, the cemetery of the
Semillante! Isee it still, with its lit
tie, low wall; it's open door, rusty and
hard to open; it's silent chapel; the hun
dreds of black crosses hidden by the
weeds. Not one wreath of immor-
telles, not one souvenir-nothing! All,
the poor, abandoned dead! How cold
they must be in their chance tombs
We stayed moment kneeling. The
captain prayed aloud. Enormous
gulls, the only guardians of the Gem
etery, circled over our heads, mingling
their hoarse cries with the wailing of
the sea. The prayer finished, we came
sadly back to the corner of the island
where the bark was anchored. No
time had been lost during our absence.
We found great fire flaming in the
shelter of rock, and the soup smok
ing. Sitting down in a circle, with
our feet to the flames, soon each had
on his knees a bowl of red pottery, in
which were two slices of black bread,
covered plentifully with the broth.
The repast was silent one. We were
wet, we were hungry, and then, the
ncarness of the graveyard!
However, when the bowls were emp
tied we lighted our pipes and talked a
Extraordinarily of the Semillante.
Tell me, how did it happen?" l
asked the captain, who, with his head
on his hands, stared at the flames with
thoughtful air.
'How did it happen?" said the good
Lionetti with a heavy sigh. alas, no
human being can tell. All we know is
that the Semillante, laden with troops,
left Toulon the evening before in bad
weather. During the night it grew
worse-wind, rain and a terrible sea,
the like of which was never seen be-
fore. In the morning the wind fell
little, but the sea was worse, if pos
sible, and with it the devils own fog,
so that one could not have distin-
guished n beacon light four feet away.
Those fogs, monsieur! You have no
idea how deceitful they are! But l
also have an idea that the Semillante
must have lost her helm in the morn
ing, for the captain, even in heavy
fog, could hardly have made such
mistake. He was well-tried mariner.
We all knew him. He had commanded
the Corsican station for three years,
and knew the coast as well as l, who
know nothing else"
AT what time do they think that
the Semillante perished?
at must have been at noon-yes,
monsieur, fully noon, but, forsooth,
with that fog, that noon was worth no
more than night as black as the jaws
Ol d WO-l' n lI1S VI tllc COdSI
told me that the same day toward half
past eleven, having gone out of his
cabin to fasten his shutters the wind
whirled away his cap, and at the risk
of being carried off himself by the
blast he commenced to crawl along
the beach on all fours after it. You
see the douaniers aren't rich, and
cap costs. Well, it seems that our
man, lifting his head, saw right near
him, through the fog a great ship
scudding along under bare poles to-
ward the Lavezzi islands
This ship went very fast, 50 fast
that he had hardly time for a good
look Everything points to the belief
that it was the Semillante, because a
half hour later the shepherds of the
islands heard-why here comes the
shepherd himself, he will tell you.
Bonjour, Palombo. Come, warm thy
self. Have no fear"
A mufiled man, whem had seen for
some minutes prowling around our fire,
and whom l had taken for one of the
crew, because / did not know that
there was a shepherd on the island,
approached us timidly. He was an