The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1897-01-08
A SHIPWRECKED CREW
by GEORGE II CooMER-

"That fine-looking boy who holds the
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 q year
ago. after being taken from wreck"
"Ah," replied, you like him, then. L
am glad of that. AS to his stufiies, there
is certainly one in which he will be like
1y to excel, and that is geography"
Geography" exclaimed the master.
'''It is really pleasure to hear the little
fellow recite it. He fairly devours it. l
think he would be able to floor the COM
mittee in that branch of study
The new master wos grave, elderly
man, who, whenever 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 1ast 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. II must hear
it, for feel great interest in both of
you"
We seated ourselves on the school
house steps-the master, Arthur and L.
Nut how difficult it seemed to realize the
past and feel that this happy schoolboy
Mad ever looked upon terrors so dreadful
as those amid which had once seen him,
far out upon the great deep.
How his bright eyes sparklcd or mois-
tened, us / related the circumstances
which had, year before, brought us
acquainted. and which 1 will repeat in
substance for the reader:
l had sailed in the ship Altai, bound
for Maranham, in Brazil, and on the
equator we were becalmed for % days.
There WAS from the first, Il 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 calm; and we. at length
found her to be the whaling brig Cath
,erwood, of London, Capt. Dore.
Her officers were several times on
board OF us, while the vessels lazily
drifted within half mile of ach O her.
and it seemed very pleasan' 10 meet
such neighborly 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 1 first saw young
Arthur, whom 1 found to lie 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.
Capt. Dore told us that as soon as the
calm should be over, he would go north
wnrdly, toward the West Indies, to give
everybody good run ashore; but that
he did not wish to enter Mardnham. near
which we then were, as vessel he had
spoken had reported the yellow fever
there, and he feared for his wife and
boy.
When the wind again spraug up, we
stood for the Brazilian coast, while the
Catherwood bore away to the north
carrying away with her more domestic
happiness than I had ever before dsso-
cinted with the idea of whaler.
Arthur waved his handkerchief 20 us
from the maintop, and then DINNER and
DINNER grew the white sails of the
English brig, till even her main royal
disappeared- demonstration, if any
were needed, that the world is mere
ball
We lay at Maranhan for a number of
weeks, then started on the return pas
sage. Once more at sea 1 spcculated
on the chances of again falling in with
the Catherwood; but the old provcrb
of "a needle in a haystack." naturally
REQUIRED to me. as I felt how imrrob-
able il was that we would meet with her. |
In the meantime, had been much inter-