The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-04-13
Our Special Contributors==-ISo5.
WRECKED IN THE SUEZ CANAL.
A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea-
By JUSTIN MCCARTHY Leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party

group did not seem to care much
about it. We had no faith in the
steady purpose of Suez Caral
steamer, and did not know whether
it might not be the harmless, hum
orous way of such boats to stop half
dozen times for nothing whatever in
mid stream each trip. Soon, how
ever, we became aware that there
was wild commotion among the crew
and the passengers, and that the
boat was foundering helplessly over
toward the Arabian side of the canal.
A Levantine Greek with whom we
had exchanged few words at Is
malta came rushing past us. We
asked him what was the matter. He
answered in rapid French, which was
quite good enough for us, that sun
petit clou"-a little nail had fallen
out somewhere, and that we were
driving on our doom
A little nall Our first impulse
was to burst into irreverent laughter.
To be shipwrecked because little
nail had fallen out somewhere! To
be shipwrecked in a little steamer,
on little canal, and, by the falling
out of little nail! This would sure
ly be the very pleonasm of littleness.
But we presently reflected that our
laughter was unphilosophical- per-
haps, indeed, laughter usually is un-
philosophical. The most stately YES
sci on the ocean might possibly be
wrecked for the lack of little nail
in some critical place if the want of
the little nail could not be supplied
soon enough. There we were with
the steamer rolling, and plunging
and foundering towards the Arabian
sands. "Let us get out and walk
ashore" said one of our party. "Im-
possible, we should be swallowed up
in the sands" another one of us ad-
monished. "Let us die bravely,"
said third, shifting his manly chest.
"Troy, in whose cause we fell, will
mourn our fall" he added, making
use Of one of the few lines of Pope's
Had remembered by him, and undis-
mayed by its total lack of application
to us and our condition. LET us all
die together" exclaimed the girl of
the party. Il will not go ashore in
the first boat with the women and
children
She did not in fact. There was no
other woman on board, and there
were no children. Anyhow relief soon
came. We heard man speaking in
tone of authority, and we naturally
assumed him to be an unspeakable
Turk or Egyptian, or some such
creature. But he was not. He came
up and introduced himself to us as
an Englishman high in the service
of the Khedive, and who had especial
authority as regarded the postal and
telegraphic service; and in the kind
est way announced that we should
have boat at our disposal at once to
take us ashore-the rest of the pas
sengers, he explained, would all be
got off in good time-and it would
not really be quite safe for any of us
to remain on board the little steamer
all night. She might heel over or do
something of that kind. She could
not sink very far down, but she
might immerse herself deeply enough
to make it rather inconvenient and
disgreeable for inexperienced travel
ers. So we were to be put ashore on
the Arabian side, and what were we
to do when we got there7 That our
kind and prompt friend had thought
about already. There was only one
building of any kind within attain
dOlC uI5buACC, anu Oudb was d llLtlo
shanty containing two rooms which
was used as telegraph station. One
man lived on the premises. and him
our rescuer proposed to displace for
the night, in order that we should find
a roof to cover our heads. But what
will the poor man do with himself3
Oh he will be all right; he will camp
on the sand or he will walk up and
down until morning, and he will warn
us of the coming of the early steamer
which is to take us to Pert Said.
There really is nothing else for you
to do" our new friend said with gen.
erous insistence. We somehow agreed
with him that under the conditions
there really was nothing else for us to
do. Therefore, with our usual self
sacrificing readiness, we complied,
and we entered into temporary pos
session of the telegraph shantY.
There were two rooms, one a bed
room with an attempt at bed in it.
This of course WAS assigned tn INV