The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-26
lect that he addressed another word to

mo than that question
Next forenoon, some time about eight
bells, tho man was sufficiently recover
ell to como aft / stood beside Captain
Huddersficld. seXtant i'll hand, while he
talked to him. Ho said his name was
james Dickens and that he had been an
able seaman aboard tho bark Prairie
Chief. The ship was from London, bound
to Sydney. South of the cape they mot
with very heavy weather from tho north
ward. which hove them to and drove
them south. 1t was so thick tho captain
could not get an observation In the
middle of tho day, when the smother
upon the sea was so thick that the fly
ing Jibboom end was out of sight from
the wheel, a loud and fearful cry of
leo right aheadr rang from tho foro-
castle Tho wheel was revolved-evcry
spoko-with the fury of despair, by the
holmsman, but the ships time was come,
and there was nothing In scamanship to
vancouver her clear of her fato She tel
escopcd into the leo and went to pieces.
"a number Of people, said the man.
got upon the ice Among them were
tho captain, his wife and female pas
senger. Dickens particularly noticed
these peoplo-that is, the commander
and the two women He and thrco 9TH
ers drifted away in boat The bark
went to pieces 0loft when she struck.
He was sure that none others, saving
himself and the thrco men, escaped in
the boats 1t was i'll the middle of the
day when the ship ran into the berg,
and the darkness happened so quickly
after the disaster that he was unable to
companions died whilo they wero ndrift,
and their bodies wero dropped over
board
While Dickens told hts story l
watched tho captain. His features were
knitted into an expression of constcrna-
ton. yet he never once interrupted the
man. When the sailor had made an
end of his story, Huddersfeld said in II
slow, level voice:
Was your commander Captain
Smaley?'
Yes, sir
Was one of the female passengers
Mrs HuddcrSfiold:'
" 1t was her name, sir.
THE captain turned his eyes upon
me and cried, with sudden wild toss
of his hands that somehow gave an cx-
traordinary pathos TO his words and
looks, She is my wife!'
80 I had hoped, he said, speaking III
short breathings and broken sentences.
to find her safe ut Sydney OH my ar
rival Their. She went home last year
ON a visit To her mother. 1t was ar
ranged that Captain Slnallcy, an old
friend, should bring her out. Ten days
ago, he nuttc;sd 70 himself. ten days
ago. He cnvcrrd his eyes with his
hand. then. looking vacaatly Mt his sex
tant, went to the rail and seemed to
stare out To sca into the south
Il was about To question Dickens
afresh when the captain rounded upon
us III Il very fiaSl Of white face and
wild, eager manner.
Try for her in 5O! he cried, look
ing ut me just rs though he saw some
one beyond me.
wheel and brought the schooncr's head
to due southerly course, while he
shouted in tones vibrating with the eX-
element that seemed like mania in the
man then. with the workings of his facs
l say he shouted for sail to he trimmed
for the course he had brought tho schoon-
er to, and the seamcn fled about the
decks to my commands, alert and will
ing, bet as aStoniShcd as I was When
sail had been trimmed, tho captain call
ed TO Mr.. Curzon to keep her steady as
= bn nj e.
him below
Do you now guess the meaning of
that dream which was three times
dreamed by me-
Still l was ut u loss and made no
answer
" Try for her III 50n he exclaimed
:" Come, let 5 work out the latitude.
he said, and We'll find that iccbcrg's
situation. My hearts atirc. Oh, he
cried. but softly i'll tone that thrilled
through me, my wife is dear to me
pray, pray, we may not be too late!
1t Is ut this season, said he, that
the Ice breaks away out of the south
and comes i'll fleets of bcrgs thickly
crOwding north There's been heavy
weather. Wei not allow for larger
drift than u league q day. Try for her
i'll 30! That's it. That will put the berg
when the Prairie Chief struck 1t III
about 81.
II thought now began to understand
him
a" You mean 81 degrees of south lati-
tudo:'
OF course do, no answered
II measured the distance due south
from the place where our ship then
was and made it II few hundred miles
forget the figure