Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-10-08
THE DERELICT.
BY CHARLES Il. LEWIS.

By CHAItLES u. LEWIS.
/ was second mate of the American
brig Ruby, bound from Java to New
York, and all had gone well with us
for a fortnight, when accident brought
about a curious adventure. Just as
night was closing down, with the brig
sailing along OF all even keel and the
breeze steady, I swung myself upon the
rail to get a look at what seemed to be
a raft floating past us. I may have been
overcareless or a rope may have given
way, but of a sudden l found myself in
the water. The man at the wheel wit
messed my mishap and gave the alarm
and threw me the life preserver always
ready for such an emergency, and l
had no doubt of being picked up with
in ten minutes. l had seized the float,
when down thundered a black squall
from out of the west, and next moment
it was as dark as midnight and the sea
all in a chop. I felt that it was all over
with me then. The men would be lucky
to bring the brig through the fierce
squall without thinking of me. Indeed,
if she had had 100 men on board instead
of IL, they would not have dared to
lower a boat. / got just one glimpse of
the craft as she shot away into the dark
ness and then began to work to get the
life preserver under my arms. / was
buffeted and knocked about in the most
confusing manner, and had the squall
lasted five minutes longer l should have
been drowned OH the surface. 1t passed
away as suddenly as it came, and ten
minutes later the sea had Gained down,
and I was floating with my head we'll
out of the water.
] had gone overheard at about T
o'clock in the evening. For the first
three hours my hopes and fears made
me alert, but by and by l felt a dull
languor and was only half conscious Of
what was going IN. An hour after mid
night was suddenly aroused from what
seemed to be a troubled dream. I was
humping against something hard, and
my first idea was that l had been cast
ashore. 1t took me several minutes to
shake myself together and make out that
l was alongside the hull Of a vessel. It
was hard to credit the fact, but fact it
was, and when I realized it I had scarce
ly more to do than lift up my hands and
seize the low rail and draw myself in
board. I had found q derelict brig.
Both masts were gone close to the deck,
much Of her bulwarks swept away, and
I knew by the feel of her that she was
waterlogged. I took one glance over her
and no more, but dumped myself down
on the deck and was asleep in five Sec
onds. When I opened my eyes, the sun
was an hour high, and a big albatross
was poised directly above me and not
80 feet high. 1t did not take me long
to master the details Of the wreck.
In the first place, she was loaded with
Australian redwood aid could not sink
beyond a certain poin next, she had
been floating about for months and
months. There was some wreckage on
her decks, but masts and yards and
boats and booms had gone clear off her
as they fell. She had settled down I'M
til her scupper holes were only a few
inches above water, but owing to the
huoyant cargo she could not sink deeper.
As a sailor I made her out to be a
French craft, and later Oh I discovered
that she was the Marie of Brest. She
was a small craft. carrying q crew Of
eight or nine men, and was a forecastle
ship instead of having a deckhouse for
the men. The caboose OF cooks galley
had gone overheard with the rest, but
the doors Of the cabin and the scuttle to
the forecastle were tightly closed. The
brig had been wrecked aloft in squall or
gale and had at the same time sprung
q leak. Whether her crew had been
washed overheard or taken to the boats
there was no means of telling until I
had made an investigation below.
The first thing was to get something
to eat and drink. After a few minutes
work I broke open the cabin doors and
got into the pantry. There was wine in
plenty, as might have been expected,
and ] o o came across some meat and
biscuit in tins. I wanted water, but
there was lone to be had, and SO, TAX
ing what ! could lay hands on, I went
on deck and made a fair meal. When
this had been concluded, I returned to
the cabin for an overhaul. All the
charts and nautical instruments were
there, nor had any Of the spare clothing
Of captain or mates been taken away. I
found the logbook, and though I could
not read French ! made out the latitude
and longitude last recorded. AS near as
I could figure 1t out the brig was then
midway between Australia and the
Caps, and the date was nearly seven
months old. She had drifted to every
point Of the compass, but must have
drifted nearly z, 900 miles to the north
to reach the spot where I found her. 1t
was noon before I began an examina.
tion Of the lazarette to zee how I should
fare for provisions. I found four, wines,
table waters, preserves, boxes q biscuit,
choice bacon, Goldfish and other articles
in liberal quantity-enough to last one
man for months. Forward Of the cabin
I found a storehouse, In which were
several barrels Of beef and pork, with