The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1894-09-22

went on with his story: III
'Yes, monsieur, IL was this poor old
fellow who came to warn us He was
crazy with fright, and ever since his
brain has been off the track To tell
the truth, there was cause enough for
10. Imagine six hundred corpses in
heaps on the sand, mixed with great
timbers and strips Of sail. Poor Sem
illantel The sea had crushed her into
crumbs with one blow. Palombo with
difficulty got enough wood TO build a
fence around his hut AS for the men,
nearly all OF them were horribly dis
figured and mutilated. 1t was pitiful
10 see them clinging together in
lunches. We found the captain in
gala uniform; the chaplain with his
stole. In a corner, between two rocks,
there was little cabin boy. with his
eyes open. One might have thought
him alive; but, no. IL had been decreed
that not one should escape" Here he
stopped.
Careful Nardi," said he, "the fire is
going out"
Nardi threw two or three tarred logs
on the embers, which quickly blazcd
again.
Lionetti continued: "The saddest
part of the story is yet to come. Three
weeks before the disaster little cut
ter. which was going to the Crimea
like the Semillante, was wrecked In
the same way, nearly in the same
place, only this time we managed 20
save the crew and twenty soldiers who
were on board. We took them to Boni-
facio, and kept them there at the sta
tion with MS for two days. Once
thoroughly dry and on foot again, IL
was good-by, good luck. They re-
turned TO Toulon, from which port
they embarked again several days later
for the Crimea. And imagine on what
shipl On the Semillante. We found
them all-twenty, lying among the
dead just whore we are now. lpicked
up myself handsome brigadier, with
n long mustache, a strapling from
Paris, whom had taken 10 my own
house, and who made US laugh oil the
timo with his stories. To sec him there
crushed me. oh, Holy MotherW
Thereupon the good Lionetti, much
moved, shook the cinders from his
pipe, and rolling himself In his cape,
wished me goodnight
Still under the influence of the lugu-
brious tale which had heard, tried
20 rebuild In my fancy the poor, de-
parted ship, and the story OF this agony
of which the seagulls were the only
witnesses Several details which had
struck me, the captain In gala dress,
the chaplain's stole, the twenty sol
diers, helped me 20 imagine all the
scenes OF the drama. / saw the frigate
leaving Toulon In the night. She
loses sight OF the port The sea il bad.
the wind high. The captain Is n val
liant officer, and everyone on board Is
undisturbed. In the morning n mist
rises from the sea. They commence TO
be uneasy. All the crew are on deck.
The captain docs not leave the bridge.
Between decks, where the soldiers are
shut up, IL Is dark, the air Is close.
Some are i'll, lying on their lSnapsaoks.
The ship pitches horribly. 1t isimpos-
siblc To stand up. Sitting on the floor,
talking In groups, they cling TO the
benches. IL Is necessary to shout to
be heard. Some begin TO be fright
ened Listen then: wrecks are fire.
quent In these waters; the sailors are
there 20 say so, and what they say Ia
not reassuring. Their brigadier, too,
Partisan who always talks wildly,
makes their flesh creep with his jokes.
"A wrecl Oh, wreck Is amusing,
very. We will be we'll out OF IL after
our iced bath. Then they will take us
TO Bonifacio, to eat blackbirds will. old
Lionetti."
Suddenly a crashl What is it2 What
can IL be?
1.-THE helm is gone" cries dripping
sailor, who goes running between
decks. "Bon voyagc~ shouts that
mailman, the brigadicr-but no ono
laughs now. A great tumult on the
bridge The fog prevents their seeing
one another. The sailors go and come,
cropping along frightened. The helm
Is gone. IL Is impossible 20 guide the
ship. The Semillante adrift, flies be-
fore the wind.
IL IL at this moment that the douanier
sees her pass. 1t Is half-after eleven.
Just ahead, they hear, like the roar OF
n cannon, the breakersl The breakersi
IL "a finished. There il no hope. They
are going straight on the rocks Tho
captain goes down 10 his cabin. He
comes up In a moment 10 take his place
on the bridge In his full uniform. Ho
wishes 10 meet death In brave attire.
Between decks, tho soldiers, In NOR
tai terror, gaze at one another without
n word. The sick try 10 sit up, the lit
tie brigadier laughs no longer. Then
the door opens and the chaplain with
his stole appears on the threshold.
ITO your knees, my childrenr All
obey. In n ringing voice the priest
begins the prayer for the dying.
Suddenly a fearful shock, a great
cry. upstrctched arms, clinging hands.
Wild eyes, before which the vision of
death has flashed. Misererel
IL was thus that passed the night
dreaming, bringing back through ten
years tho souls who had povished In
the poor ship whose debris surrounded