Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-12-18

FOR It Imagine 700 corpses In heapa
on the sand, mi ed with great timber
and strips of sail. Poor Semillante.
The sea had crushed her into crumb
with one blow PalOmbo with din.
Guilty got enough wood to build q
fence around his hut. As for the
men, nearly all of them were horribly
disflgured and mutilated IL was
pitiful to see them clingIng together
in buncheS We found the captain
in gaia uniform. the chapla with
his stole. In 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 eS
cape" Here he stopped.
Careful, Nardi," said he, 'ths
tire is going out"
Nardi threw two or three tarred
logs on the emberS which quickly
blazed again.
Lionctti continued: Tho saddest
part of the story is yet to come.
Three weeks before the disaster a lit
tie cutter, which was going to the
Crimea like the Semillante, was
wrecked in the same way, nearly in
the same place, only this time We
managed to save the crew and twenty
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 goodbye. good
luck. They returned to TOulOn, from
which port they embarked again sew
eral days later for the Crimea And
imagine on what ship! On the Semil.
lante. We found them all twenty
lying among the dead Just where we
are now. l picked up myself a hand
some Brigadier. with a long mustache,
a strapling from Paris. whom had
taken to my own house, and who
made US laugh all the time with his
stories. To see him there crushed
me On, Holy MOtherW
Thereupon the good Lionetti, much
moved, shook the cinders from his
pipe, and rolling himself in his cape
wished me good night
Still under the influence Of the lu,
brious tale which l had heard. I
red to rebuild in my fancy the poor,
departed ship, and the story OF thi;
agony Of which the seagulls were the
only witnesses. Several details which
had struc X me, the Captain in gala
dress, the Chaplain's stole, the
twenty soldiers helped me to imagine
all the scenes OF the drama. l saw
the frigate leaving TOulon in the
night. She loses sight of the Iort.
The sea is high, the wind high. The
Captain is valiant officer, and
every one on board is undisturbe
In the morning mist arises from
the sea. They commence to be un.
easy. All the crew are on de k. The
captain does not leave the bridge
between decks, where the sol
diers are shut up, it is dark, the all
is close. Some are i'll, lying on the!I
-knapSacks The ship pitches hor
rlbly. 1t is impossible to stand up
Sitting on the floor, talking ir
groups, they cling to the benches.
1t Is necessary to shout to be heard.
Ome begin to be frightened. Lis
ten then: Wrecks are frequent in
these waters, the sailors are there to
say so, and what they say is not re-
assuring Their brigadier. too, q
Partisan who ALWAYS talks wildly,
makes his flesh eep with his Jokes.
"A wreck! Oh, a wreck l. amusing.
very We will be well out of iG af
ter our iced bath. Then they will
take US to Bonifacio, 10 eat black
birds with Old Lionetti."
Suddenly crashl What Is IT.:
What can it be?
The helm Is gone" cries drip
ping sailor, who goes running between
decks. "Bon voyage" snouts that
mad man, the brigadier-but no one
laughs Low. The fog prevents theii
seeing one anot er. The sailors &c
and come, cropping along frightened.
The helm is gone. 1t Is in.pOssi bic
IT. guide the ship The SemIllante,
adrIft, fies before the wind.
1t Is at this moment that the
douanier sees her pass. 1t ia hall
after IL. Just ahead, they hear, like
the roar of a cannon, the breakers
1t ia finished. There is no hope
! They are going straight on the rocks
The captain goes down to his cabin.
He comes up in moment to take hi.
place on the bridge in his full uni
form He wishes to meet death IL
! brave attire
Between decks the soldiers IL
mortal terror gaze at one another
without word. The sick try to sit
up: the little brigadier laughs nc
longer. Then the door opens, and
the chaplain with his stole appear
Cn the threshold.
To your knees, my children" Ali
obey. In ringing voice the priest
begins the prayer for the dying.
Suddenly a fearful shock, a grea,
cry, upstretched arms clinging
hands. wild eyes, before which the
vision of death has flashed. Miserere,
1t was thus that passed the night!
dreaming, bringing back through teu
years The souls who had perished In
the poor ship whose debris sur
founded me-. Far away in the strait
the tempest ragged. The fame of TIE
J IRE bent under the blast, and l heard
our bark th. ashing and straining at
her moorings at the foot of the
rocks