The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-11-20
A SHIPWRECKED CREW.
BY GEORGE IL. COOMER.

nav DOS "Ai' '-AN
bat said the new master, indicating
young lad in the center of the play
ground, lis one of my best pupils. He is
English, and was brought here year
ago, after being taken from a wreck"
Ah, l replied, you like him, then. L
am glad of that. As to his studies, here
is certainly one in which he Will be like
ly to excel, and that is geography"
Geography" exclaimed the master.
''It is really pleasure to hear the little
fellow recite il. He fairly devours it. L
think he would be able to floor the COM
mittee in that branch of study.
The new master was grave, elderly
man, who, whenever l met him, seemed
to take pleasure in talking to me, though
our acquaintance had been only FOR a
week or two.
But now Arthur, the English boy,
catching sight of my calico shirt and
blue jacket, came eagerly to the spot
where we stood; and then. for the first
time, the teacher knew that his young
pupil and myself were fast friends.
You must tell me the story. from first
to last" he said after listening to the
greeting between Arthur and me, in
which we had dropped some remarks
that aroused his curiosity. Il must hear
it, for | feel a great interest in both of
YOU
We seated ourselves on the school
house steps-the master, Arthur and |.
But how difficult it seemed to realize the
past and feel that this happy schoolboy
had ever looked upon terrors so dreadful
As those amid which had once seen him,
fa Z ha
How his bright eyes sparklcd or mois-
tened, as l related the circumstances
which had, a year before, brought us
acquainted, and which l will repeat in
substance for the reader:
L had sailed in the ship Altai, bound
for Maranham, in Brazil, and on the
equator we We're becalmed for 23 days.
There was from the first, sail in
sight. which after time was brought
quite near us by those momentary puffs
of air which will occasionally ripple the
water in such a calm; and we at |, ngth
found her to be the whaling brig Cath
erwGod, of London, Capt. Dore.
Her officers were several times on
board of us, while the vessels lazily
drifted within half mile of ach @ her.
and it seemed very pleasaE. 10 meet
such ncighborly people upon the ocean.
They laughed. however, when we com
planned of the tediousness of our pas
sage. which had up to that time occu-
pied five or six weeks, and sail they had
not seen land for seven months,
1t was then that l first saw young
Arthur, whom | found to be the cap
tain's son. Mrs. Dore, the lads mother,
was also making the voyage; and com
ing on board with the others fairly
charmed our crew with her sweet face
and manner.
Seven months out from port, the cap
tain's wife and son were hungry for
books and papers, and we were happy
in being able to supply them. in ex-
change for the well-thumbed reading
matter which they brought us from
their brig.
Can't. Dore told us that as soon as the
calm should be over, n would go north
wartlly, toward the West Indies, to give
everybody a good run ashore; but that
he did not wish to enter MardHham, near
which we then were, a vessel he had
spoken had reported the yellow fever
there, and he feared for his wife and
boy.
When the wind again sprang up, we
stood for the Brazilian coast, while the
Catherwood bore away to the ncrth,
carrying away with her more domestic
happiness than | had ever before asso-
ciated with the idea of whdler.
Arthur waved his handkerchief TO us
from the maintop, and then DINNER and
DINNER grew the white sails of the
English brig, till even her main royaI
disappeared-a demonstration il any
were needed, that the world is a mere
ball.
We lay at Maranhan for a number OF
weeks, then started on the return pas
sage. Once more at sea ! speculated
on the chances of again falling in with
the Catherwood; but the old. proverl
of "a needle in a haystack," naturally
recurred To me. as | felt how improb
able il was that we would meet with her
In the meantime, had been much inter
ested in the whaler's books, and won
dered how Mrs. Dore and her boy .ikeC
those which they had obtained from
the big merchant ship.
But we were fast sweeping to tn
northward The West India island
were passed, and l ceased to think o
| the English brig as lowering anywher
| near our path
One night, however, when we wer
almost up with Bermuda, dreamed o
going on board the Catherwood, AM
| seeing her crew in the most terribl
! distress have little faith in dreams
| vet 50 vivid was the impression con
veyed by the one in question, tnat dur
| ing all the following watch | felt IN.
spirits oppressed by melancholy whicl
would permit me to think only of ship
| wreck starvation and death.
| 1t was early that forenoon, when on
| Of our men, at work aloft. reported al
unusual object off the iee-bow- UpoI
standing in its direction, we discovere'
| it TO be a portion of a vessels deck, ol