The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1898-08-18
Hshsens Escape.

!.
! tirs. time ve get the soeoun. from the lip
of the modest young hero himself ~ b
relates bis Adventures TO . smsll party G
frisnds. We copy II from The Eveninl
San Of July Goth;
/, uss dark when We started In iowsr'
the Strait, said Lie utensut Hobson 10 81
Ing his narrative. and IL was darker wbe'
ve got the ship In position. We all kne'
tbs, ve we're taking desperate chances
aud 10 order 10 be unenoumbered uhel
ve got into the water. We stripped dow
10 our underclothins. The ship gave
hesye when the charges exploded, and .
sbe sank with . lunch ri the bow We so
over her sides. That We got into th'
vster 10 nearly oil We know OF what hsI
pened in that rather brief period. Som'
sprsng over the ships aides, but mor'
that one OF us was thrown over the rail b,
the shock and the lurching Of the ship.
i II wss our plan TO escape on . cstsmsrat
fost which lay on the roof Of the midshif
house. One Of the greatest dangers o.
the thing wss that Of being csusht In sh'
suction made by the ship Is she wen'
down, so We tied the fl,st to the tsflrsil
giving II slsck line enough, - We thought
10 let II fiost loose after the ship had SCI
tied into her resting place. l swan away
from the ship Is soon as l struck th'
water, but / could feel the eddies draw
ing me backward In spite OF oil could
do. That did not last very long, however,
and, ~ / soon felt the tugging ease.
turned and struck out for the fost, which
could see dimly bobbing up and down
over the sunken hull.
| The Merrimso's mssts we're plainly vitl
Bile. and could see the heads OF my seven
men ss they followed my example and
made for the float also. We bad expected
of course, that the Spsniards weuld inves
tieste the wreck, but we had no idea that
they would be At ii % quickly rs they
we're, Before We could get to the float
several rowbosts and launches came 3
round the bluff from inside the bsrbor,
They had officers on board and armed
m,rines % we'll, and they searched that
pssssge, rowing backward and forward,
until the next morning. II WAS only ny
good luck that We got TO the fost at oil,
for they were upon Us so quickly that We
had barely conossled ourselves when
bost with quite large party on board wss
right beside Us.
Unfortunately, We thought then. but it
turDed out sfterwsrd that nothing more
fortunate than that could have happened
10 ~, the rope with which we had secured
the float to the ship was too short to allow
1t to swing free. and when we reached it
We found that one Of the pontoons was on
tirely out OF the water, and the other was
submerged. Had the raft lain fiat on the
water We could not hsve got under it and
would have had TO climb up on it TO be sn
excellent target for the fret party OF
marines that arrived. As it was, We could
get under tbs raft and by putting our
bands through the crevices between the
Stats which formed its deck We could hold
our beads ont OF water and still be unseen
That is what We did. and oil night long we
stayed there With our noses and mouths
barely out Of water.
None OF Us expected to get out OF the
.ffair alive, but luckily the Spanisrds did
not think Of the apparently damaged bali
sunken raft floating about beside the
wreck. They came to within . cables
length OF Us at intervals OF only few
min utes oil night. We could hear their
words distinctly. and even in the dark
ness could distinguish an occasional CLINT
Of light on the rife barrels Of the marines
snd On the lace OF the officers uniforms.
We we're afraid to speak above whisper,
and for . good while, 10 fact whenever
they we're near rs. We bresthed ss essily
as we could. ! ordered my men not TO
spesk unless 20 address me, and with one
exception they obeyed.
After We had been there an hour or two,
the water began to get cold, and my fn
gers sched where the wood was pressing
into them. The clouds. which we're run
ming before . pretty stiff breeze when W.
vent IN, blew over and then by the star
light We could see the bosts when they
csme ont OF the shadows OF the cliffs on
either side, snd even when We could not
see them We knew thst they we're still
near, because We could hear very plainly
the splash Of the oars and the grinding OF
the oarlooks.
Our testn began to chatter before very
long, and wsG 10 constant fear thst the
Spanisrds would hear rs when they came
close. II wss so still then that the chatter
ing sound seemed to rs ss loud as ham
mer, bat the Spsnisrds' ears we're not
sharp enough to hear il. We could hear
sounds from the shore almost ~ distinctly
- II We bad been there We we're 90 close
to the surisce OF the water, which Is On eI
cellent conductor. snd the voices Of the
men 10 the boats sounded - clesr a.
bell. My men tried TO keep their teeth
still, bat it vas hard work, and not attend
Cd With any great sutcsss st the best.
We oil knew tbst We would ba shot II
BY an ordinary sesmsn or
marine. and ordered my men not TO stir,
o. the boats having officers on board kept
we'll 10 the distance. Ooe Of my men dis
obeyed my orders snd started 10 swim .
shore. and had TO call him back. He
obeysd st once, bat my voice seemed 10
crests some commo,ion smong the boats,
and several OF them appeared close beside
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