The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-24

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 III question, about noon, he
heard from his hut n frightful crash on
tho 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 no had seen the
beach covered with driftwood and
corpses, left there by the waves. Insane
with fear, he had fled to his boat to 20
to Bonifacio for holp.
Tired with having said so much, the
shepherd sat down, aud the captain
went OH 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 tho 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 Semillnntei
The sea had crushed hor into crumbs
with one blow. Palombo with difficulty
got enough wood to build fence around
his hut AS for the men, nearly all
were horribly disfigured and mutilated.
1t was pitiful to see them olinging to-
gether in punches We found the cap
tain in gala uniform, the chaplain
with his stole In corner between two
rocks there was 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 Nardi." said he; "the fire
is going out"
Nardl threw two or three tarred logs
on the embers. which quickly blNed
again
Lionetti continued: 'The saddest
part of tho story Is yet to como. Three
weeks before the disaster little cutter
which was going to the Crimea, like the
Sem1llAnte. was wrecked in the same
way IN nearly tho same place. only this
time wo managed to save the crew aud
20 soldiers who wcro on board We
took them to Bonifacio and kept them
there Mt the station with us for two
days
"Onoe thoroughly dry and on foot
again. 1t was goodby, good luck. They
returned to Toulon, from which port
they embarked again several days later
for the Crimea And Imagine OH what
shipl On the Semillanto We found
them al-all 20-lying among tho dead
just where we arc now. I picked up
myself handsome brigadior, with a
long blond mustache, STRIPPING from
Paris, whom I had taken to my own
house, and who made us laugh all the
time with his stories. TO SEQ him there
crushed me. o holy mother!"
Thcrcupon tho good Lionotti much
moved. shook the cinders from his pipe
and rolling himself III his oape wished
mo good night
For somo tino longer tho sailors
Whispered among themselves Then.
one after tho other, tho pipes went out
No one spoke The old shepherd hob
bled away. and was left alone to dream
away the hours in tho middle OF tho
sleeping crew.
Still under the influence of tho lugu-
brious tale which had heard. tried to
rebuild i'll my fancy tho poor departed
ship aud the story of this agony of
which the sea gulls were the only wit
pesses. Several details which had STRUCK
motto captain in gala dress, the chap
1ain's stole, the 20 soldiers helped me
to imagine oil tho scenes of tho drama
saw the frigate leaving Toulon In the
night She loses sight Of tho port. The
sea Is bad, tho wind high. The captain
L. valiant officer. and every one OIL
board is undisturbed In the morning
! a mist rises from tho seq. They com
menco to be uneasy. All tho crew arc
on deck The captain docs not leave the
bridge Between decks, where the SOL
d1ers are shut up, it is dark; the air is
close Some are i'll, lying ON their KNAPP
sacks. The ship pitches horribly. 1t is
impossible to stand up. Sitting on the
floor, talking i'll groups they cling to
the benches 1t is necessary to shout
20 BIO heard. Some begin to be fright
enod Listen, then Wrecks are frequent
i'll tho waters. Tho sailors arc there to
say SO, and what they say is not roas-
Surfing Their brigadier, too, Partisan
who always talks wildly, makes their
flesh creep with his jokes "a wreck!
Oh. wreck is amusing, very. We will
DO we'll out of it after our iced bath.
Thon they will take us to Bonifacio to
cot blackbirds with old Lionetti. {"
Suddenly crash. What is it? What
can it be?
"Tho holm is gone" cries dripping
sailor who goes running between decks
bon voyage! shouts that madman
tho brigadicr. But no one laughs now
a great tumult on the bridge. The fog
prevents their seeing one another. The
sailors 80 and come, cropping along
frightened The helm is gone. It is i'm
possible to guide the ship. The Semil-
lanto ndrift Hins hoforo tl,a .4.;.,a /.