The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-07-07

one only did I discover a body, that
OF a child Of three or four years. fax
en-haired and bonny even In death
Upon the deck at the foot of the mast
I discovered the vessels log.book ly
ing wide open, a quill pen beside It
exactly as Il had been dropped. ! did
not take time to decipher the Spanish
inscribed in a scrawling hand, but my
glance caught the date OF that last
entry-"September IL. 1853"
The date rang In my head crafty, al
I stood there staring at them. totally
unable to grasp or apprehend the
truth. One hundred and twenty-siI
years!-Merciful God! And all that
time those men had been there at that
table. all through those days and
nights. those months and years, that
frozen image Of De Nova had beer
smiling. his cold fingers clutching the
glass: all through those decades that
woman had been lying on the couch
that GaXen-haired baby in the bunk!
There, exactly as We found them
during a century OF inky blRckness
tossed about by the sea. Graded in the
pitiless ice, smitten by the awfu
breath Of eternal Winter, those bodies
had remained rigid. motlonless. ever
as The souls left them. for 126 years!
Il was ~unthinkable. inconceivable
miraculous. beyond all my power OF
apprehension. Blessed Mary What
changes the world had witnessed
since these died, What wonders o.
discovery; what growth in faith
what widening Of human knowledge;
what generations OF men and women
had been born, lived. loved. and dice
since the deadly ice locked these into
his floating tomb
Not until after l had explored the
last empty aud returned TO the
group at the door did / regain my
senses and feel myself again a living
responsible being upon whose strength
OF will depended the future OF all or
board. A glance into those horrinec
faces told me instantly that they were
ready for a mad retreat to the boat
that the slightest exhibition OF weak
ness on my part would set them into
a panic. I stiHencd into resistance. al.
memory Of the past hlotted out utter
ly by the demands OF the present.
Men. we've come into a hard jot
here. but IL Is one which must be az
tended to- / said. gravely. However
we'll wait until after breakfast before
tackliug the worst OF a. Day is be
ginning now. and We will need all the
NNmEH O. wNuaH 80 h.An cot aHsH aaHmI
provisions from the boat. start a nre
Ia the galley. and prepare 4 hot meal
Sanchez. go along and help; you vii.
probably have TO cut away some tee
before the IRE will draw. Not a word
TO the women about what you have
seen aft, my lads"
The two started forward willingly
enough. and / Immediately turned &c
the others. marking their uneasy
glances, and fully assured that ! must
keep them also busily employed. OF
else lose control altogether.
we have too much TO accomplish
here 20 waste any time while those
fellows are getting a meal ready"
continued. quickly. Mcknight. yot
NADklt lNtnf llNuN ANANAtIHs h'AAN
| climb up on the poop and dig the ios
/ on the skyllght and out OF the funnel
| We've got TO have daylight and a Gre
Now. De Nova. I want You and John
son 90 help me- Come on, mon, wha.
are you two afraid OF? These are al
dead"
/ fairly drove them to II. but II a.,
them both good, although tho name
In which they advanced down N,
cabin. their faces blanched under thl
torch glare. their bodies shaking "a
with ague, made me nervous and irrI
table / put them at the after ports
Johnson with the cicayer. and DE Nov.
with his aheath-knife, and botweCl
the three OF us we finally succeeded Il
wrenching both ]stern-ports free O
their icy letters, As vi burst ther
open. through the wide apertures W
looked forth into the gray drearinea
Of the dawn. Satisfied with what Ia
thus been accomplished, We rotrucc
our steps back through the cabin, oil
serving that Kelly had made som
progress above. the faint daylight a
ready beginning to unge hat grim II
terror.