The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-25
THE HERMIT OF CAPE MlLEA.
Why he Lived and Died or Ssupendous
CLIFF, Within Sight and Sound OF the

Why he Lived and Died orl Ssupendous
Cliff, Within Sight and Sound OF the
Ocean.
There is one feature Of Cape Malea that
rarely fails to attract the notice OF the
most careless voyager doubling i oy
day, a touch Of human tragedy and
pathos, belonging in point of chronology
to our own time, but in universal inter-
est to all ages. At the extreme pitch OF
the cape a stupendous cliff rises sheer
from the fretting waves for about hun
dred feet. Then comes an irregular
plateau or shelf, Of perhaps two acres
in area, the mountain rising again
abruptly behind it to height of about
1000 feet. This plateau is apparently in
accessible, and yet, perched upon a nuge
bowlder in its centre, mass OF rock de-
tached from the mountain ages ago, Is
house. It is rudely built Of wooden
fragments ingeniously fitted together,
but its outlines convey at once the IDEA
Of its designer having been an Anglo
Saxon. 1t must be firmly built, too. for
it is exposed to the full fury Of wind re,
bounding from the mountain face, and
the observer instinctively wonders why,
Il a house must be built on that SHELF,
so terribly exposed position was Sc,
lected. Then If ne be fortunate ne VIII
London Spectator.
About twenty-five years ago there was
a young sailor who, by dint Of hard work
Integrity Of character and frnness OF
Of his notwithstanding master OF what
would then be called a good-sized steam
ship, some 900 tons register. Upon tHls
accession to good fortune he married the
waited for him since as boy and girl
sweethearts they parted on his first going
to sea. And with rare complaceney his
| owners gave him the inestimable privilege
of carrying his young bride to sea WIN
him. How happy ne was! How deep ano
all embracing his pride, as, steamlng
down the grimy Thames, he explained to
the light of his eyes all the wonders
that she was now witnessing for the hrst
time, but which he had made famlllar 70
during the few bright days between
voyages that he had been able to devote
TO courtship, The ship was bound to
several Mediterranean ports, the time Pc
ing late autumn, and consequently tne
most ideal season for honymoon that
could possibly be imagined. Cadiz, Genoa,
Naples, Venice, a delightful tour with not
one weary moment wherein 10 WISH LOT
something else! Even flying Vislt 10
old Rome from Naples had been possiole,
for the two officers, reloiclag m !. tI that
happy young shippers joy, saw to II snat
no unnecessary cares should trouple MIN,
and bore willing testimony. in order that
he should get as much delight out OF
those halcyon days as possible, that the
entire crew were as docile as could 9e
er and his beautiful wife.
Then at Venice came orders to proceed
TO Galatz and load wheat for nome.
Great was the glee Of the M gtri-Wb!de. WIZ nsns sne
| ube. Life would hardly be long enough
10 recount all the wonders Of this most
wonderful Of wedding trips ana tney
sailed with hearts overbrlmmlns WIZ
Yelling over with sunlight; Wind and
| weather favored them; nothing occurE'a
m cast a shadow over their happinei 5
until, nearing Cape Malea at that tata1
hour of the morning. just BEFORE dawn,
when more collisions occur than az any
other, time, they were run into py q
Numbering Greek steamer coming the
other way, and cut down amidships to
the waters edge. To their peace[ul s!eep
or quiet appreciation OF the nights sil-
vern splendors succeeded the over"nein.- aa-
ing flood. the hiss and roar OF esc@apths @
steam, the suffocating embrace Of death;
In that dread fight for life al perlsheo
but one-he so lately the happiest OF
men-the skipper. Instinctively ehnging
to a piece of wreckage, ne had been
washed ashore under Cape Malea at the
ebbing Of the scanty tide, and ms seIohs
| 1hysiGue, reasserting itself, enabled MIN
to climb those rugged battlements an9
| reach the plateau. Here he was founo
gazing seaward by some goatherds, Who'
IN search of their nimble-footed focks,
had wandered down the precipitous side
of the mountain. They endea"oreo 10
| persuade him to come with them PACK
70 the world, but in vain. He Woulc hVe,
pratefully accepting some OF their poor
5rovision, but from that watching pace
| he would not go. And those rude peas
ants, understanding something OF MS
woe. sympathized with him so deeply
that without payment or hope OF any
they helped him TO build his hut ana
kent him supplied with such poor NOR
| sells of food and drink as suffced tor ms
Ind And there, with his gaze fixed during
ali his waking hours upon that lnscru-
table depth wherein ali his. bright hopes
| had suddenly been quenched, ne 4lveo
until quite recent years, the World Ior-
getting, by the world forgot. llVlns
monument Of constancy and patient, un-
complaining grief. By his humble frienos.
whose language he never learned, ne was
| regarded as a saint, and when one day
| they came upon his .tfeless oocy, IalIen
| forward upon its ices a little g!azed
window through which he was won't 10
| look upon the sea where his, dear one lay,
| thew felt confirmed in their opinion OF the
sanctity of the hermit of Cape Malea.
,,~1nrr,S yRTHpIdCE