The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1899-10-21


seen that wouIdn't be able to keep the
poer fellows from drinking the sea
water many days longer. liz their lit
full sleep they would dream of coming
upon SPARKLING rills and cool fountains
shaded by far-reaching boughs, heavy
with dark green foliage, and when
about to plunge their red and swollen
lips into the cool and limpid pool ii
would move away from them like
painted curtain drawn slowly aside only
to9uneover darkness, blaclinoAs. moth
ingncssl Their screams and prayers rs
they awolsc were pitiful. Sitting bolt
upright, their huggard faces lsalf ilnyad
byttc action of tlie scorehing Hualieht
and brine, would be turned upon me,
and hard though they st.oyc to control
themselves, could hear the low, dali
whisper: Water! Water! Watcrn
''Wescott, strange to Say, bore his
su1ferings more patiently than / had
anticipated. / YVES touched by what
seemed to me his devotion, his Ole.
"a dience, and spoke kindly to him. Bat
he paid no attention to anyone. or any.
thing, lying like a huge beast curling
up in the bow of the boat.
~ .sAh, Sir, those were terrible hours. ]
shuddcr as call them to mind, and the
recollection of them makes me more
grateful than ever to old Uncle Robert
for making it possible for me to quit the
sea forever.
I'VE had now been four days knock.
ing about in this terrible fashion, when
ono morning was aroused by q Shrek
and cries of 'Captainl captainp The
buckle of my belt had booa drawn uE
to its hole in order to Keep my poor,
collapsed stomach from grindiag Itself
to pieces and had loft tic steward on
watch and was catching q few winlSs Of
sleep, when That fearful Shrek causcd
me to start up with jerk
1.-THE beast was loosel Yes, these
words describe the situation exactly. |
While bad been sleeping the giant |
mulatto had walked up in a frenzy,
which the others had made futile CT |
forts to control, had filed q t2rpaulin /
hat with sea water and taken long and I
deep draughts of it. In few moments /
he was q raving mailman, frothina at
the mouth and tearing his own flesh
with his glistening teeth. IL was
sight to strike terror to the stoutcst
heart. What feared at first thought
was that he would swamp the boat, for
he threatened every moment to rise
from his lSneGing position 70 turn the !.
boat over meant quick and sure death
for us all, for not one of us had STRENGTH
enough to swim stroke. Hut no. the
maniac had other ends in view. With
deep, prolonged. growl he threw him
self upon thc poor steward, and scizing
the terror-striclzen man with his hugo
hands he drew him into his lap US If he
weighed no more than four stone.
"Then | felt my hair stiffen and my
heart struggle TO keep up its beat, for
horror of horrors, what did / see? That
huge beast in human form with rapid
motion bent The stewards head back
and Then set those terrible teeth of his
into the poor mans throat. In an in
slant was upon him. MyOwn. strength
and vigOr astounded me, but although I
rained blow after blow upon the mulat-
los head with the butt OF my pistol, it
1ad no more effect than the tapping of
/ lady's gloved hand
Meantime, the stewards face grew
1lacker and blacxer. There was not an :
Instant to be lost, and setting the barrel
II my revolver at the mulatto's ear. | /
'ressed the trigger.
at seemed an age before l heard the {
harp crack of that pistol. l suppose :
ny hand was paralyzed, but it came at I
asst, and the big black monster dropped a
rs prey, and rolled into q Leap in the 5
ottcm of the boat. For few mo- /
lents saw nothing more, but gradu- a
lly 4 pulled myself together and maxi v
ng motion to the others to help me. @
re laid hold of the huge corpse and n
nmbled it into the water. a
''Ah5 that was fearful deed, but
ever regretted it, sir, never!' b
Here Mr. Robert Ridley, retired mar.
Ter, paused, drew long breath and
hen continued as follows: j
Edwards nightfall we fell in with a
essei We sighted her at shutdown 4
ad she was then mere spot upon the a
slant sea, and we Thought no more of S;
en- when darkness came; but next o
forming she was showing within an
lsy pull, and we then saw that she a
as wreck, all three masts gone, and a
or thick shrouds trailing over the Il
de-, as though her hole was full of fl
'rpents crawling away from her. AS Ia
e passed under her stern we read the nj
anne: Grace Tucker, Boston She sat I'll
Ugh upon the water, and seemed a now te
nip; anyway, her copper was new. and hi
e wetetlash of it to the sun might
ave been seen for miles. -
I'VE sprang aboard, all mad for wat
'tand then for food. Figure our low
hen tell yo1, we found a seuttle-butst
u Of cold water. with a dinner ready
hand 70 drink from. There was n
'ad man lying in the galley; hc was a
llt-caste, and the atmosphere was so
I'd with him that two of us tumblei him
'er the side without ado Aft was a
pg lighthouses ! entered Il to num-
age for food, and the first thing snyv
8 the body Of a man lying upon the
els stone dead, with a living dog Sit
ag alongside of him. When the doc
y me, he erawled like dying croa-
Re onto the. mans breast, and feshlv
! :, - -