The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-07-31
They explained


to him at length what we were talking
about Then, lifting his dreadful lips
with his finger, the old man said that
On the day in question, about noon, he
heard from his hut q frightful crash on
the rocks, but as the island was covered
with water he could not get out to see.
1t was not until the next morning that
ON opening his door he had seen the
beach covered with driftwood and
cOrpses, left there by the waves Insane
with fear, he had fed to his boat t o 60
to Bonifacio for help.
Tired with having said SO much, the
shepherd sat down, and the captain
went OF with his story.
Yes, monsieur, it 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 it
Imagine 600 hundred corpses in heaps
on the sand, mixed with great timbers
and strips of sail. Poor Semillante!
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
were horribly disfgured and mutilated.
1t was pitiful to see them clinging to-
gether in punches. We found the cap
tain III a gala uniform, the chaplain
with his stole. In a corner between two
rocks there was a little cabin boy with
his eyes open. One might have thought
him alive; but, no, it had been decreed
that not one should escape" Here he
stopped.
Careful, Nmd." sail he; 1.-The fire
is going out"
Nardi threw two or three tarred logs
on the embers, which quickly blazed
again.
Lionetti continued: 1.-The saddest
part Of the story is yet to come. Three
weeks before the disaster a little cutter,
which was going to the Crimea, like the
Semillante, wa wrecked in the same
way in nearly the same place, only this
time we managed to save the crew and
20 soldiers who were on board. We
took them to Bonifacio and kept them
there at the station with Us for two
days.
Once thoroughly dry and on foot
again, it was goodby, good luck. They
returned to TOulon, from which port
they embarked again several days later
for the Crimea. And imagine on what
ship! On the Semillante. We found
them all-all 2O-lying among the dead
just where we are now. I picked up
myself a handsome brigadier, with a
long blond mustache, a STRIPPING from
Paris, whom l had taken to my own
house, and who made US laugh all the
4,~,o 18TH L. -4osz IT. 49, Iso xlo-.
crushed me. O holy motherH'
T~hereupon the good Lionetti, much
moved, shook the cinders from his pipe,
and rolling himself in his cape wished
me good night.
For some time longer the sailors
whispered among themselves. Then,
n after the other, the pipes went out.
No ne spoke. The old shepherd hob
bled away, and l was left alone to dream
away the hours in the middle of the
sleeping crew.
Still under the influence Of the lugu-
brious tale which I had heard, I tried to
rebuild In my fancy the poor departed
ship and the story of this agony of
which the sea gulls were the only wit
nesses. Several details which had struck
IS-l14 CdpCd1u Ill Sd1d u4SSS, liz S41IP~
lain's stole, the 20 soldiers-helped me
to imagine all the scenes of the drama.
1 saw the frigate leaving Toulon in the
night. She loses sight Of the port. The
sea is bad, the wind high. The captain
is a valiant officer, and every one on
board is undisturbed- In the morning
a mist rises from the sea. They com
mence to be uneasy. All the crew are
on deck The captain does not leave the
bridge. Between decks, where the sol
diers arc shut up, it is dark; the air is
close. Some are i'll, lying Oh their KNAPP
sacks, The ship pitches horribly. 1t is
impossible to stand up. Sitting on he
floor, talking in groups, they cling to
the benches, 1t is necessary to shout
to be heard Some begin to be fright
ened, Listen, then. Wrecks are frequent
in the waters. The sailors are there to
say so, and what they say is not reas-
surfing. Their b%rigadier, too, a Partisan
who always talks wildly, makes their
flesh creep with his jokes "A wreck!
Oh, a wreck is amusing, very. We will
be we'll out of it after our iced bath.
Then they will take US to Bonifacio to
eat blackbirds with old Lionetti."
Suddenly a crash What is it? What
can it be?
The helm is gone, " cries a dripping
sailor who goes running between decks.
Bon voyage!" shouts that mailman,
the brigadier. But 10 one laughs now.
A great tumult on the bridge. The fog
prevents their seeing one another. The
sailors 60 and come, cropping along
frightened. The helm is gonc 1t is i'm
possible to guide the ship. The SemlI-
lante, adrift, flies before the wind 1t Is
at this that the douanier sees
her pass. 1t is half after II. Just ahead
they hear, like the roar of cannon, the
breakers! The breakers! 1t is finished.
There Is no hope, They are going
straight on the rocks. The captain goes
down to his cabin. He comes up in q
moment to take his place on the bridge