Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-22
DAILY SHORT STORY
Overheard at Sea.
opyright. 1903. by c. &. Lewis. ]

40 nothing IONdTu Il TtSCuc- VI int
first three hours my hopes and fears
made me alert. but after that felt
dull IanguOr and was only half con-
scious of what was going on.
An hour after midnight l was arous-
ed from what seemed TO be Il troubled
dream. l was humping against some
thing hard, aud my first idea was that
l had been east ashore. 1t took me sew
eral minutes to shake myself together
and make out that 1 was alongside the
hull of Il vessel l had scarcely more to
do than lift up my hands and seize
the low rail and draw myself aboard.
had found derelict bark. Her masts
were gone close TO the deck, much of
her buiwarks swept away. and l knew
by the feel of her that she was water
logged / took one glance over her
and then dumped myself down on deck
and was asleep in five seconds. When
l again opened my eyes the sun was
three hours high.
| was surely aboard of derelict, and
it did not take me long TO master the
details of the wreck. In the first place,
she was loaded with Australian red
wood and could not sink beyond a GER
l. 1.
about for months and months. There
was some wreckage on her decks, but
masts and yards and boomS had gone
clear of her as they fell. She had set
tied down until her scupper holes We're
only few inches above water.
| was sorely in need of food and
drink, and after a few minutes work l
broke open the cabin doors, which had
become swelled and damned, and got
into the pantry There was wine in
plenty, as might have been expected.
and found meat and biscuit.
When my meal had been finished 1
began overhauling the main cabin. All
the charts and nautical instruments
were there. nor had any of the spare
clothing of the officers been taken
away l found the log book. and, though
| could not read French, l made out
the latitude and longitude last recorded.
l was so tired and exhausted that 1
slept the greater portion Of the first
day, but on the second l made Il more
thorough overhaul. In the rear of the
captains stateroom | CHANGED upon a
closet which had escaped me tile day
before, and here l made Il great find.
SIS. 1000. together with jewelry worth
81 900 more. The plumber was in two
tin boxes. but whether it belonged to
the captain. the ship or to other people
| found nothing to signify. 1t was a
grand fortune to poor sailor. and
remember that l acted very fooIishly
over the find. | counted it over and
over again, and when l at last realized
that l was rich l rushed on deck with
wild hope OF seeing Il sail close at
hand But for the money / believe that
the long days and dreary nights which
followed would have driven me insane.
There was plenty to eat and drink, no
danger of the wreck going down, and
the weather was fine for five days out
|, of seven, but l felt my isolation more
keenIy than | can describe. l was out
of the track of ships. moving with
wind. wave or current. and the same
empty horizon greeted my view day
after day and week after week.
While | became listless and discour
aged and almost lost hope, still kept Il
record of the days as they passed. Ac-
corGing to my record. l had been on the
wreck forty nine days when l sighted
my first sail. Very likely ships had
passed and repassed without my see
ing them, as | could set no signal by
day and always slept straight through
the night This sail was discovered
early one morning coming from the
south. and her course was such that
she must pass close by. When l noted
this put the plumber into bags and the
bags into clothing and after that had
do, I,r,+
fast and wait.
The breeze was very Scant, and it
was above three hours after being
sighted that the strange sail drew near.
She proved TO he an English merchant
man bound for India, but having been
blown far off her course by a gale
which had not felt at all.
She was within half mile of me
and had set signal to gladden. my
heart when n big whale suddenly broke
water close to the wreck. Half min
ute later he was followed by n second,
which attacked him with great fury.
The monsters put up n terrific battle,
flashing and biting each other and kick
ing up n sea like gale of wind. They
at first drew away from me. but after
few minutes made a circle which
brought them back again.
What l had feared from the first
came to pass after quarter of an
hour Half blinded by pain and fury
or feeling himself Overmatched and de-
sirous of getting away. one of the
whales suddenly whirled about and
came for the wreck head on. He was
fully eighty feet long. and he came like
a moving mountain | made sure of
my hold when l saw him coming. but
he struck the wreck on her port side
with such force that l was thrown
across the deck and into the sea be-
yOnd. heard the crash of planks and
timbers. was tossed about by the
waves. rubbed against the whale as he
sounded and reached the surface TO