The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-03-10
articles OF

before | had half concluded my inves-
tigation that every man had persisted
when the brig was wrecked. It was
bled into the captains berth and never
slept more soundly. You may think it
queer that during the day l had scarce
iy glanced around the horizon and given
no thought to rescue, and that l went
to bed with Il contented mind, but sail
ors are prone to take luck as it comes,
good or bad. l had made a miraculous
escape and was fairly safe oil the wreck,
and there was nothing to worry over if
not taken off for weeks. Interested as
was i'll overhauling the stranger. l
would not have tossed up a penny to be
taken Off by a passing vessel. I
When morning came again l made Il
more thorough investigation of the cab.
III. In rear Of the captains stateroom l
CHANGED upon a closet which had es-
capped me the day before, and here I
made a great find. There was about
ST. 600 in French gold and notes, ST.
200 in English goldpieces and exactly
$1,000 in goldpieces just struck off at
the Australian minis. The money was
in two tin boxes, but whether it be-
longed to the ship, her captain or to
other people l could not determine. 1t
was a big fortune to a poor sailor, and I |
remember that I acted very foolishly |
over the find. l counted it over and over |
again, and when I at last realized that
I was rich l rushed on deck, with q
wild hope of seeing a sail close at hand.
But for the money I believe that the
long days and nights which followed
would have been rather contentful for
me, isolated as the situation was. l had
plenty to eat and drink. there was moth
ing to break my sleep, the wreck might
drive where she would, but there was
no danger of her going down. The dis
covery of the money was followed by a
hope of rescue, and this again by worry
and anxiety. l wanted to 90 ashore to
enjoy my wealth. l feared that when
rescue did come I should be robbed. l
conjured up a thousand senseless fears,
and the upshot was anything but bene-
fetal. I have spoken of the general sit
uation in a careless way. AS a matter
of fact, being a navigator, l took obser-
vations regularly when the weather
permitted and pricked off the drift of
the wreck Oh the chart. On the average
the weather was fine, but there were
days and nights when gale and sea tum-
bled the waterlogged craft about until
only a sailor could have lived through
it. Instead IF lifting her the waves ran
01-ar Nov cd Of r,,.l $s~,o, %1,a lool-e
were two feet under water and the cab
in was flooded. The cargo was afloat
with the water in the hold, and as the
wreck rolled and pitched the timbers
rubbed together and produced noises
which would have frightened lardsmen
into fits.
l kept all accurate reckoning, and /
had been Oh the wreck just 40 day {
when l caught sight Of my first sail.
No doubt ships had passed and repassed
me by day and night, but I could set no
signal by day and from the first I slept
all through the night. This sail was
discovered early one morning. coming
up from the south, and her course was
such that she must see me. l had put
the money into bags and the bags into
bundles of clothing in view of a rescue,
and therefore had nothing to do but
wait. The stranger, which proved to be
an English merchantmen bound for In
{ dia, but considerably off her course.
, was within four miles of me and had
set a signal to gladden. my heart when
! a big whale suddenly broke water close
to the wreck. He was followed half a
| minute later by a second, which attack
| ed him with great fury. The monsters
| put up a terrific battle, lashing and bit
| ing each ether and kicking up a sea
like a gale Of wind. They at first drew
away from me, but after a few minutes
made a circle which brought them back.
What had feared trom the first came
TO pas. after q quarter Of an hour. Half
!. blinded Ey pain and fury, or feeling it.
| self oyermatched and DESTROYS of getting
away, II Of the whales suddenly whirl-
{ ed about and came fer the wreck head
Oh. lie was fully 50 feet long, and he
came like a moving mountain. I made
sure Of lily hold as | saw him coming,
but he struck the wreck Oh her port side
with such force that | was thrown
across the deck and into the sea beyond.
/ heard the crash of planks and timbers,
was tossed about by the waves, rubbed
against the whale as he sounded and
reached the surface to find the wreck a
hull no longer. 1t was simply a heap
OF floating debris. The strange ship
drew nearer, lowered a boat, and l was
picked up as l chung to a plank. The
money was gone, all else but the tim
bers which composed the cargo had dis
appeared, and my adventure, surprising
as it had begun, had ended in a manner
strange enough to satisfy even the most
imaginative novelist. l was carried to
India by the rescuing ship, and I know
that the French consul at Calcutta set
inquiries on foot regarding the fate Of
the crew of the Marie. What they
amounted to l never learned, but have
always felt satisfied that all persisted
when their craft was dismasted. But for
the fight between the whales I believe
tho brio cnr11 hava boon pnmpod ont