The Opelousas courier., 1898-10-22
The SaIabapd's Skipper.

The last half-hour Of the steamship
Saraband had come. All day she had
lain in the pitiless bay, crouching I'M
der the fierce blast Of the northeast
gale, the seas sweeping her decks, and
now all on board knew that she had
but a short time to live.
She had had her day. Built to carry
one hundred and twenty passengers,
she had once been one of the popular
boats going through the newly opened
canal to the east, and her long, flush
deck had been the scene Of many a
gay gathering when her passengers
had assembled under the awnings to
laugh, firt and talk after dinner. But
larger and faster boats had come and
her glory had departed, SO that after
many vicissitudes here she lay, her
passenger accommodations taken out
and the space filed with grain from
the Black Sea ports, sinking.
Her decks were slanting at an angle
Of forty-fve degrees, for the wheat
had shifted, and she lay nearly on her
beam ends; every movable thing had
long been washed away, and n
structure which should have been i'm
movable-the engine hatch-had also
been smashed in.
That was the immediate reason why
she was going to founder; the engine
room plates were awash and the fires
in the stokehole were out, and for the
last two hours she had only been kept
head to sea by can Of a sea anchor
made of the derricks and spars. A
portion Of every sea that came on
board found Its way through the
makeshift contrivance of spars and
tarpaulins nailed over the gaping
chasm in her deck that marked the
former position Of the engine-hatch,
and each found her a little lower in
the water.
In the shelter of the b~ridge-deck-
the only structure which had been
strong enough to resist the remorseless
violence of the s~eas-clustereu her crew
some thirty hands, hard faced sailors
and grimy firemen; the former quiet,
apathetic, almost careless; the others,
save for q few, dead white with fear,
spending their last moments in ours
ing with foolish, meaningless repeti-
tons Of the same words, the ship,
their luck in coming in her, and the
skipper, for not making use Of the two
remaining boats which hung FROM
their davits at the lee side of the
bridge deck, and which, from their ell
evated position, had not gone when
the other boats had been swept away.
On the bridge stood the skipper and
the mate, bearded, elderly men both,
straining their despairing eyes into tie
wall of mist and spray which relent-
lessly rushed down upon them, in the
faint hope that some passing vessel
might appear through the gloom of
the gale.
At length the skipper turned and
scrambled down the sloping bridge to
where the mate crouched on the lee
rail. eve shall have to try the boats,
Mr.. Smith; she'll not last much long
er!" he shouted, the wind picking up
each word as he uttered it and sweep
ing them away to leeward, as If jeal-
u of the mate hearing them.
"1t's a very poor chance" said the
mate; "but l suppose it's our only one.
How long do you give her?"
"Half an hour at the outside. Are
the boats all ready"
They've been ready since morning"
said the mate; "but can we get them
in the water unsmashed, and won't
the firemen rush themY'
Il don't think So" replied the skin.
per; there's time enough and room
enough for all to get away"
But his face took a grimmer look as
he led the way down the bridge to the
%chartheuse, the mate following him.
Inside they could hear each other with
greater ease, and the skipper, while
taking his revolver from a drawer.
gave h mate his final instructions.
We'll lower the forward lifeboat
FIRST, as she's the biggest; you will
take charge Of her, get your crew
aboard, and have every one in his
place before we start to lower, so that
you can shove off as soon as she
touches the water. If those patents
act you ought to be all right (The
boats were fitted with a patent contr:-
vance, by which the tackles holding
them are automatically released the
moment the boat is w~ater-borne. so
that there is no unlocking of blocks
to be done while the boat is getting
dashed to pieces against the ships
side.)
Il shall be all right said the mate,
but what about you?s Who's going
to lower the falls of the after boat?
You can't manage it from the boat it,
self, with all the crowd you will have
ON board"
'11l lower her from the deck" said
the skipper. eff they have a long
painter made fast to the ship they can
easily pull up again under the counter,
and I'll make a jump for it."
Mind you don't jump short; you'd
have a poor chance with those boots
and oilskins on" said the mate.
"Oh. I'll manage" replied the skip
per. Gall the men up"
The men came up in a BODY. and
The skipper came mt on deck. revnL
ser in hand,