Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-12-06
No. AS
went forward myself to the forecastle

went forward myself to the forecastle
| head
The galley was plunging desperately.
ripping up the seas with her keen
| beak. dipping her stem into the green
bulk and sending great masses Of
foaming water curling over the fore
castle deck. All our bulwarks had for
tunately been torn away-else we
must have foundered with thasheer
weight of water they held-and found
1t no easy work TO keep my post. Stand
ing was impossible so | sat down on
the streaming planks. holding on to the
preaching Of gun, and. straining my
eyes into the bowling darkness ahead
| whenever the interval between tho
| waves left my poll uncovered. Now 1
could feel that we were rushing up a
liquid hill, now tearing down into
| raging valley; now the galley, bad sea
| boat that she was, would rip through a
crest and settle down sluggishly, now
she would shake herself clear and race
forward afreSh, but not a fathom in
front could l see. We sped out of inky
night astern into inky night ahead.
must trust to my ears alone
But it was a very Babel of sounds
that filled the spume sown air-the
groaning of timbers like to part with
their straining, the fury Of the wind
| among the rigging, the roar of the seas
as they ground against one another
| like liquid millstones, the terror shrieks
| of the Spaniards, the duty bawls of
the seamen, made up din indescriba-
BILE. 1 might just as well have been aft
for all the good l could do, but while
Alec stuck to his post at the tiller l
would stick to mine at the bows.
Heavens, what a turmoil there was!
The spirits of the storm were out and
busy, taking vengeance on us for dis
regarding the old mans words when
| he bade us surrender the Spaniards to
their grasp, and in their heavy anger
| they tossed our crazy bark about among
| the waves like q chip of wood in a
sluice run. 1 feared much that Alec's
| chivalrous generosity would cost the
lives of more than one of those under
him.
But avast moodingl What is that?
Surf? Breakers? A reef? A sea
| broke over me, and its crash drowned
| all more distant sounds. 1t cleared
| away. Yes, the shore is close aboard
US!
had just opened my mouth to hail
when down plunged the galley's head
again, and souse I went under In full
| cry.
The next minute, when that wave set
me free, yelled as had never yelled
before. Down went the helm as far
as Alec dare press 1t, and over heeled
| the galley's lee gunwale till the wave
heads came pouring in among the ter
rified slaves.
Breakers still ahead! My God, they
are all round us"
All hands could hear them now. We
saw their white. curling crests beckon-
ing to us, and in a moment we were
rolling among them.
| There is one clear spot on the lee
bow.
"Hard-a-larboard. Keep her way,
Alec, for your lifew
| Now we are through the channel and
| heading to the next line Of surf. The
water is smoother. Can we round to
for an anchor? No; she would only
drift into the rocks broadside on. At
them, then, straight, and, please God,
we may be carried over somehow!
Crash! She struck upon the reef,
and then crash again and crash!
Every timber shivered, and the fore
mast came down within an inch Of my
arm.
The terrified soldiers below burst up
the fore hatch and streamed on to the
deck The waist was full Of foaming
water and struggling men. The heavy
seas were making clean breach over
the poop.
Crash, crash, crash!
We ground and bumped upon the
cruel rocks, and, for aught we could
see In the gloom, the reef might be a
flood washed rock In the midst of
desert ocean.
| r-, rrr r,o,yurrrYrrn