Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-09-28

with a beaker of water, was slowed
away in the stern sheets, and, bidding
the lads to give way with viii, we
showed off from the sides of the old
brig. l saw the tall, bent form of Cap
tain Thompson peering down upon me
for moment, but the next instant the
boat rose on the bosom of swell, and
that was the last ever saw of my old
skipper
The brig quickly faded from sight,
hid by a thin mist of haze which had
Suddenly arisen, and, in fact, / was
conscious of a strange change in the
appearance of the weather The stars
had entirely disappeared from the
armament, hid behind the gauzy veil
which had so mysteriously arisen, and
low down on the horizon l noted a dark
bank of Clouds The heat was intense,
the stout seamen wiping the perspira-
ton from their streaming brows as
they toiled at their oars. Not a breath
of air disturbed the CLASSY waves. All
nature appeared to be hushed into a
terrible calm.
/ must confess l felt rather appre
hensive rs / glanced about the horizon
and looked back in the direction where
l knew the old brig must be, rolling
and pitching idly on the long swell,
which every moment was increasing.
But my fears and apprehensions were
soon chased from my head by matters
of more exciting interest.
AS we neared the burning craft
read the name of La Hembrills in let
ters of gold on the huge stern. The
light east by the burning spars and rig
ging aloft afforded ample power for me
to form my conclusions.
The ship was a Spaniard. The empty
davits and dangling falls told their
own story plain enough to seaman's
eye.
x --Eha< burning wreck had been de-
serted
Shooting under the broad, heavy
counter, we caught at the iron works
of the mizzen channels. and, directing
two men to remain in the boat, clam
bered on deck, followed by the other
two seamen.
The ship had evidently been on fire
some time, the flames having full con-
troll of the forward portion. The fore
mast had gone by the board. The top
gallant forecastle was a sea of fire.
The mainmast was already lettering
and | knew there was no time to lose.
The smoke was dense and sitting, but
as yet did not affect the extreme after
portion of the vessel. The decks were
Of eli nc
half open cases and articles of cloth
ing, but no trace Of a human being
could be seen.
Diving down into the main cabin,
which was half filed with black twist
ing smoke / took hasty glance
about The rich hangings, appoint
ments and ornamentaton surprised me,
showing that the unfortunate ship had
been designed to carry passengers. The
sharp shooting CLEANS Of writing
flames from aloft penetrated through
the broad skylight, tingeing every OBJ
ject with ruddy glaze.
From stateroom to stateroom | hur-
ried, but found them all empty until
l came to the after one. There l ex-
perienced some difficulty in opening the
door, the smoke every moment becom-
ing more dense and respiration more
difficult Exerting my strength, the
woodwork gave way, revealing con-
fused mass of white drapery lying on
the stateroom floor. The very sight
made my heart beat quick with APP
prehension, and, STOPPING, | soon ascer-
fa mod that If was q woman
Placing my hand over her heart,
felt it throb, and without further de-
lay 1 rushed on deck with her in my
arms. Through the companionway
staggered, with a strange dizziness in
my head, gasping for breath, but still
retaining my grasp on her had saved
The fresh air revived me, and the
pain left my head, so that | was en-
abled to pay proper attention to the
woman who lay helpless in my arms.
Then, for the first time, l looked at
the face of my burden, and by the
bright light of the wreck I discovered
she was both young and handsome. At
that moment the mainmast went crash
ing over the side, sinking with hiss
in the black water. A shower of Gin
ders and sparks, a column of roaring
flames, shot on high, followed by the
excited shouts of the men, who had
leaped, panic stricken, into the boat,
urging me to follow.
Clasping the lady with my left arm,
used my right in gliding down the
ships side. The mems oars were
poised. l gave the word, and the next
instant we were clear of the vessel,
which was now wrapped in flames
from stem to stern.
Dashing somel water into the ladys
face, 1 began to chafe her hands. The
treatment, though rough, had the de-
sired effect. She opened her eyes,
closed them again as if the awakening
was painful, but in a few moments
was fully herself. In few words !
told her how she had been saved and