The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-05-03

"I,lft me up a bit, my lads. and then
shall be able to breathe the easier, ma
and to tell you what best you may
o when / am gone, for I fear that
nanlard's knife did for me-"
"Nousense, man." said I; "why there's
een many worse wound than that
Fhere the man that got it has been on
he fore topsail yard again before a
honth was past"
"EIavbe. Jack, maybe" answered the
Rounded man, Thomas McAlpine.
Tbere. there, that will do. Now don't
Aare more about me, for my glass Is
hearty run out, and there Is no hope for
he TO get out of this mess, though you,
focl and Bob may weather through
ct"
There were three of us In small
nnen boat on the wide Pacific, and
bnly one sail in sight, and she was
leaving US rapidly. Thomas McAlplne,
who was evidently dying. a gray
headed seaman Of about fifty years OF
ge myself, Jack Hawker and Robert
kmftbson. two lads of eighteen. Nc
klnine had been boatswain of the clip
ber ship Vandal, of Liverpool, bound
Prom Swansea to Valparaiso with Goals,
bn board of which was an appren-
tice and Robert Smithson, who had
.been found as a stowaway after leav-
3ng England, had been rated boy.
i Founding Cape Horn we had encoun-
{tered heavy storms, which, however, the
'good ship Vandal had, through the
sknlful handling of her master, easily
weathered; but after getting into fine
Tea ther again, and when we were con-
gratulating ourselves on the prospects
of soon reaching our port and per-
chance having a run ashore, at day.
#light one morning smoke was seen
looming up the main hatchway. De-
spite all that could be done, the fire, for
bur cargo Of Goals had become ignited.
galned the mastery, and after five days
land nights of battling for life the cap
tain decided on taking to the boats.
Unluckily, when this was decided
upon it was too late, and as the crew
were employed hoisting out the long
boat en- explosion took place which
sent The good ship Vandal to the bot
tom. Bob Smithson and myself had
been lowered just before in the gig,
and owing to a sudden heave he had
missed hold with the boat-hook and
the ship had drifted some little dis
lance away from us. We had got out
q couple of oars and were pulling after
her when the ship blew up. Forum
ately for us, though fragments fell into
the sea close by us, none struck the
boat, and Notwithstanding she was
half filed with water by the wave
caused by the ending of the Vandal,
She was uninjured.
without waiting to bale the boat out
we pulled with all our might to the
scene of the wreck to save any Of our
shipmates who might possibly have
survived. McAlpine was the only one
we could find,
So far 1t may seem as II this was
only the story of an ordinary wreck,
such as is too often to be found in the
daily papers under the heading,
wrecks and Casualties" and as my
space Is limited 1 spare you further
remarks about the time we passed in
the gig before we were picked up by a
passing schooner; for though real
enough to ourselves, the sufferlngs we
passed through have been described
time after time under "Shipwreck
Terrible Privations of the Survivors"
The after events, however, I believe
are very much out of common, and I
VIII endeavor to give a short descrip-
uon Of them as they occurred.
When we picked up McAlpine we
found that he had received but few and
shght injuries, and with his aid the
poat was soon baled out and made as
snlpshape as possible. For a fortnight,
however, we drifted about in the boat,
ana now we lived I scarcely know, and
certainly for the last three or four days
= believe neither I nor my companions
nad any real consciousness of what
was occurring.
then there was misty knowledge Of
soices' and Of being lifted out of the
Ooat and being cared for.
Hrst remember clearly what hap
vened about four days after we had
ueeh rescued, when a Kanaka boy
brought into roomy cabin, which was
nshted from above, some soup to give
US and who when I spoke to him,
rushed on deck again, and then heard
eaiklng and presently a gray-headed
s 1h, dressed in a linen suit, came to
cent: >
- Nh' lad, but we've had a sair tussle.
S ~Sn ye tell me where ye came fra, and
"1at mfschance had happened till yer"
answered him with difficulty, for
,"n' "Ss uuii very weak, and while we were
ssa.Nlhg both McAlpine and Smithson
Desan to rouse themselves from the
ss"le OF stupor they were In, and the
former said:
be Donald" ~ ~ ''
me stranger started at hearing this,
Az WI not bother my readers with Scot
An fashion of speech Of either him or
mscAipine He went over to the cot
, "nere the boatswain was, and looking
steadfastly said:
pa VINO are YOU that calls me Donaldf
nc many long year since I have
neaard that name"
MI, must belt must be-" said Meal
VIZ" You are my brother Donaidr
uead long ago "u "o -