Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-10-07

hhO" ohoU Uu0r0 was d Sl1OPoAN OAA ohO
island, approached us timidly. 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
at noon, he heard from his hut
frightfGl 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 open
ing 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 to go to
Bonifacio for help.
Tired with having said so much, the
shepherd sat down and the captain
went his story
eyes, 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 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 difficult
| ty got enough wood to build fence
around his hut. AS for the men, near
ly all of them were horribly disfigured
and mutilated. 1t was pitiful to see
them clinging together in punches.
We found the captain in gala uniform;
the chaplain with his stole. In corn
er, 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 no
one should escape" Here he stopped.
Careful Nardi," said he, "the fire
is going out"
Nardi threw two tarred logs on the
embers, which quickly blazed again.
Lionetti continued: "The saddest
part Of the story is yet to come. Three
weeks before the disaster little cut
ter, 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
dry and on foot again, it was good-by
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 Semil-
lante. We found them all-twenty, ly-
ing among the dead just where we are
now. picked up myself handsome
brigadier, with a long mustache, a
strapling from Paris, whom had tax
en- to my own house, and who made
us laugh all the time with his stories. |
To see him there crushed me. Oh, Ho-
ly Mother!"
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 lug !
ubrious tale which had heard, tried |
to rebuild in my fancy the poor, de-
ony of which the seagulls were the on
w witnesses. saw the frigate leav-
ing Toulon in the night. She loses
sight of the port. The sea is bad, the
wind high. The captain is valiant
officer, and everyone on board is un-
disturbed. In the morning mist ris-
es from the sea. They commence to
be uneasy. All the crew are on deck.
The captain does not leave the bridge
Between decks, where the soldiers are
shut up, it is dark, the air close. Some
are i'll, lying on their knapsacks. The
snip pitches horribly. IL is impossible
to stand up Sitting on the floor, talk
ing in groups, they cling to the bench
es. It is necessary to shout to be
heard. Some begin to be frightened.
Listen then: wrecks are frequent in
these waters; the sailors are there to
say so, and what they say is not reas-
surfing. Their brigadier, too, Paris
ian 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 Boni-
facio, to eat blackbirds with old Lion
etti.'
Suddenly crash! What is it? What
can it be?
''The helm is gone,' cries drip
ping sailor, who goes running between
decks. "Bon voyage!" shouts that
mailman, the brigadier-but no one
laughs now. A great tumult on the
bridge. The fog prevents their seeing