Year: 1875

when the paddle-wheels are only in the
way, every bit of sail set is blown clean
out of the bolt-ropes, and at last the
ship begins to drift fast for lee shore


There was our case, and every hour
the sea seemed to get higher, and the
wind more fierce, while heard from
more than one man how fast the water
was gaining below.


| My mate and didn't want any telling
though. We'd been driven up out of
the stoke-hole Ii ikea pair of drowned rats,
and came on deck to find the bulwarks
ripped away, and the sea every now and
lumber about in all directions.


The skipper was behaving very we'll,
and he kept us all at the pumps, turn
and turn in spells, but we might as we'll
have tried to pump the sea dry and
when, with the water gaining fast. we
told him what we thought, he owned as
it was no use, and we gave up.
We'd all been ut it, crew and passen-
gers, about forty of us altogether, in
Guiding the women-fve of them they
were, and they were all on deck, lashed
In a sheltered place, close to the poop.
And very pitiful it was to see them fight
ing hard at first and clinging to the side,
but only to grow weaker, half-drowned
as they were and I saw two sink down
at last, and hang drooping-like from
their lashings, dead, for not q soul could
do them turn.


was holding on by the shrouds when
the mate got to the shippers side, and L
saw In his blank face what he was telling
him. Of course we couldn't hear his
| words in such storm, but we didn't
want to, for his lips said plainly enough:


"Shes sinking r.


Next moment there was q rush made
for the boats, and two of the passen-
gers cut loose a couple of the women
place was made for them before the first
boat was too full, and she was lowered
down, cast off, and big wave carried
her clear of the steamer. saw her for
a moment on the top of the ridge, and
then she plunged down the other side
body else for how long she lived, who
can say2 She was never picked up or
heard of again.


Giving bit of cheer, our chaps
turned to the next, and were getting in
when there came wave like mountain,
ripped her from the davits, and when I
shook the water from my eyes, there
she was hanging by one end, stove in,
and the men who had tried to launch
her gone-skipper and mate as well.


There were only seven of us now, and
I could see beside the three women
lashed to the side. and only Ole os them
was alive; and for a bit no one moved,
everybody being stunned-ike with hor-
ror but there came lull, and feeling
that the steamer was sinking, 1 shouted
out to the boys to come on, and we ran
to the last boat, climbed in, and were
casting of, when happened to catch
sight of the women lashed under the
bulwarks there.


Hold hard !" roars, for saw one
of them wave her hand.


"Come OH, you fool |" shouts my
mate, "she's going down."
I pray I may never be put to it again
like that, with ali mans selfish desire
for life fighting against him. For
moment shut my eyes, and then began
to lower but L was obliged to open
them again, and as 1 did so I saw a wild,
scared face, with long wet hair clinging
round it, and pair Of little white hands
| were stretched out to me as if for help.


Hold hard !" shouts.


"No, no - roared out two or three
"there isn't moment! p and as the
boat was being lowered from the davits,
I made a jump, caught the bulwarks
with my hands, and climbed back on
board, just as the boat kissed the water,
was unlocked, and fioated away.


Then rs I crept, hand overland, to
the girls side, whipped out my knife
and was cutting her loose, while her
weak arms clung to me, felt horrible
feeling of despair come over me, for the
boat was leaving us, and / knew what a
coward / was at heart, as had to fight
with myself so as not to leave the girl to
her fate, and leap overheard to swim for
my life. I got the better of it, though
went down on my knees so as not to see
the boat, and got the poor, trembling,
! clinging creature loose.


"Now, my lass,"I says, "quick -
and raised her up "hold on by the
side while I make fast rope round
YOU"


And then I stood up to hail the boat
the boat as warn't there, for in those
brief moments she must have capsized,
and We were alone on the sinking steam
er, which now lay in the trough of the
sea. q. g. :


AS sson as I got over the horror of the
feeling, sort of stony despair came over
me, but when saw that little pale, ap-
pealing face at my side, looking to me
for help, that brought the manhood
back, and in saying encouraging things
to her L did myself good.


My first idea was to make something
4 that would float us, but gave that up
directly, for could feel that was help
less, and getting the poor girl more into
shelter, took bit of tobacco in sort
of stolid way, and sat down with cork
life-buoy over my arm-one which had
cut Loose from whele it had hung forgot
| Ton babin1 tho xvbael