The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-05-29

u VI my AnAbANhos
"Once more, grasped at Il desper-
ately. despairingly. This time caught
the cord fairly IN my hands, but II was
40 small and was running so rapidly
that / could not retain my hold The
/ line was OF cotton. woven hard, and
about the size OF a lead-pencll
II knew that the end Of the line must
be near Casting a glance over my
shoulder, / saw the ripple Of the log
not thirty feet away. II that once
passed by me. all hope was gone.
determined to hold fast, let my fingers
suffer what they might. and with a
sudden effort l closed them once more.
! The cord tautened under my weight.
/ and began to pull me along. But. grip
hard as / could, It slowly slipped
! through my lacerated fingers, cutting
/ them to the bone. / cannot express
to you the mental suffering caused
me by that slowly escaping line. IL
seemed but to prolong the agony Of a
certain death.
my hold loosened. The cord darted
forward again; and then my fingers
closed in a final grip round the brass
fin OF the log! It was my last, my only
chance. 1t was like taking hold Of a
propeller, and my hands were cut
frightfully as the An revolYed for an
instant before 1t stopped. The only
thing that saved my fingers from being
literally sliced to pieces was the thick
mittent I had on. l was ierked ahead
for a few feet, the strain telling fear
fully on my arms and shoulders. Then
the line slackened, as the schooner
came up into the wind.
Just then, with a burst Of smoky
light the torch famed up, revealing
every detail Of the vessel and flashing
in sparkles innumerable across the
foaming black waters. ! shall never
forget how the Never Fear looked to
me in that brief moment. Her sails
were shaking, and every rope stood
sharply out As she rolled her deck
toward me I could see the tubs and
fish-kits, the nests of dories dashed be-
tween the fore and main rigging, and
the anchor on the bow. I could see my
shipmates preparing to do all they
could for my rescue. Half a dozen
were getting a dory over knew that
l had been seen, for fingers were point
ed in my direction, and voices of en-
couragement were family borne to me
above the rush of the waves. Could I
keep afoat in that freezing water until
they could reach me?
Then somebody realized my situa-
ton.
He caught the log-liner l heard
a voice shout Get hold here, every
body, and pull him alongside. Stand
by to haul
Half dozen men formed chain at
the stern, and l knew that they were
going to pull me in. The figures busy
with the dory were lowering her over
the side.
"'Hold tight, Jackson!' came the
hail. Steady, now, mates, pull away
'The slack came in rapidly, and soon
the line was taut Then with shock
that almost broke my hold l was
pulled under water. Both arms were
stretched to their utmost straight over
my head, and my hands clutched the
log in a death-grip. If / let go now,
l should never rise.
81 had been snapped under so sud
denly that had not time to get full
breath, and in a few seconds was on
the verge of strangulation. Should
never come to the top?
81 seemed to be stemming the course
Of furious river. The constant rush
of cold water against the top of my
hspole star turning me into block OF
purposes see nothing. could hear
IT dovb4 .under of the pillows that
eiareasing p,g. And through it all, grow
ing -tboe and more painful every in
slant, was the terrible strain on my
hands and arms
my shipmates were hauling me in
like a cod on the end of line, not
steadily, however, but with a series Of
jerks, as they loosened their holds tt
get fresh ones, And every jerk seemed
to start my arms in their sockets. They
told me afterwards that it was only
a matter of seconds, but to me the
| agony of my strained muscles length.
ened the time indefinitely.
| at was impossible to keep my mouth
= closed any longer. l opened it, and
r experience the sensations Of a drown
: ing man, as the cold water rushed in,
Gradually my senses slipped away.
| forgot where I was why was holding
a on so tight My fingers were just re
o lnvinn thnir grin when with q rush