The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-06-13

HUe anu uTHDh, anu Uueu WdUCu'
ing my chance, gained the deck again.
Finding no difference in the weather,
and the Lansdown lying in the same
situation in which she had first hove
to, l returned to the deckhouse and
sat in the shelter of it.
The afternoon passed. 1t contin-
ued to blow hard with a mountain
Gus sea- The blackness of the long,
bowling night that stretched before
me was a thing frightful to contem-
plate, alone as l was.
shall never forget the horrors of
those hours of darkness. / believe /
should have fallen crazy but for the
thought of the Lansdown lying near.
The main deck was so full of water
that dared not venture to leave the
deckhouse lest should be drowned
in coming or going.
You will suppose I had no rest. /
could not find the means to kindle a
light and sat in utter darkness listen
ing to the shrill edged thunder of the
gale in the mutilated fabric aloft and
feeling the leaps and falls of the vessel
as the sea swept her on high, leaving
her to rush giddily into the valleys
between, with blows of the seething
brine that sent shocks as from heavy
artillery through her laboring frame.
The gale broke on sudden before
dawn. Invent on deck at the hazard
of my life, and in the dim greenness
of daybreak in the east spied the
black blotch of a ship about four
miles distant.
Before the sun rose the wind shift
ed in brief squat, and then blew
pleasant sailing wind out of east
northeast. The sea went down as if
by magic, though for some while a
large, troubled swell continued to
roll athwart the path of the breeze.
l presently knew the distant ship
to be the Lansdown by her making
sail and heading for the wreck,
clothed from truck to waterway.
Within an hour she ran by me to
windward.
Captain Wilkins fourished his
hand from the stern and hailed to
know if all was right with me. an
swered, Yes" The Lansdown hove
to, boat was then lowered in charge
of the chief mate and four men
pulled across to the wreck.
By this hour the decks were fast
drying. l took notice that the hull,
spite the furious straining of the past
hours, continued to lift very light
and buoyant with the heave of the
swell. l made my clothes into bun
die, and still wearing those l had
found in the captains cabin / en-
tered the boat and was at once pull
ed aboard the Lansdown.
Captain Wilkins, breaking through
the cold conventions of the quarter
deck, grasped me by the hand and
congratulated me with the warmth
of brother seaman on my marvel
GUS escape. He then spoke of the
wreck and was about to give orders
to trim sail and proceed on our course.
II beg pardon, sir" said l. Eyes
terday afternoon l overhauled that
bark's papers. She's up to the matches
with rum, tobacco and valuable tim
Der consigned to Bristol. I allow
she's tight ship. She seems brand
new. 1t will be pity to leave all
that first rate stuff washing about
down here to founder presently, if
some skipper don't carry it home. If
you should think proper, sir, and the
men we took off will work her, I'll
engage to navigate her to Bristol
providing you'll help us with a spare
foretopmast and allow the carpenter
to make certain repairs"
He pricked up his ears at this and
looked earnestly at the bark, and aft
er asking number of questions as
to her condition he said:
Take a boat and the carpenter
along with you and let him report
the barks condition to me-"
This was done. We sounded the
well and found but foot and half
of water in the hold. We then tried
the pumps and found them in good
order. We opened the matches and
discovered that the cargo was as
stated in the manifest.
After thoroughly overhauling the
wreck we returned to the Lansdown,
and Captain Wilkins on receiving the
carpenters report determined on jury
rigging the craft and sending her
home under my care, himself keep
ing me company in his own ship.
He told me that, according to a
statement made by the survivors of
:he crew, the captain and mate of
the Chocolate Girl had been washed
overheard during the gale. The car
penter, who acted as second mate,
and four seamen got into one of the
boats, which blew away and was lost
in the smother, and no doubt all five
of them speedily persisted.
A second boat was lowered and
STAYED. The long boat had been
knocked to pieces. The eight re-
manning hands Of the crew were
therefore helpless. Much was done
| that day toward euuipping the bark