Year: 1876

and Twas lying very still and drowsy, half
asleep like, but was awake enough to hear
him whisper to Polly, sinking fast" and I
heard her give such g heart-broken sob, that
as the next great wave came on the sea where
I was floating, / struck out with. all my might,
rose over it and foated gently down on the
other side.


For the next four days-putting it as a
drowning man striving for his life like true
hearted fellow-it was like great foaming
waves coming to wash over me, but the shore
still in sight, and me trying to reach it. as


And it was, 8 grim, hard fight; q dozen
times could have given up. folded my arms,
and said good-by to the dear old watching face
safe on shore; but look at that always
cheered me, and fought on again and again,
till at last the sea seemed to 60 down, and, in
utter WEAKNESS, I turned on my back to float
restfully with the tide bearing me shoreward,
till I touched the sands, crept up them, and
fell down, worn out, to sleep in the sun-safe


"That's curious way of putting it, you
NAV say j; but it seems natural to me to mix it
up with the things of sea- going life. and the
manner in which Eve seen 80 many light hard
for their lives. 1t was just like striving in
the midst of storm to me, and when at last
did fall into deep sleep, I felt surprised to
6nd myself lying on my own bed, with Folly
watching by me; and when stretched out
my hand and took hers, she let loose that
which she had kept hidden from me before,
and falling on her knees BY my bedside she


aAs much beef tea and brandy as you can
get him to take" the doctor says, that after.
noon and it wasn't long before got from
slops to solids, and then was sent, as | told
you, into the country to get strong, while the
doctor got no end of praise for the cure he
made. ......!
I never said word though, even to Polly,
for he did his best but don't think any med
icine would have cured methen.


was saying little while back that l pulled
my wife regularly out of the hands of death,
and Of course that was when we were both
quite young, though for the matter of that, |
don't feel much different and can't we'll see
the change. That was in one of the cape
steamers when first took to stoking. They
were little ramshackle sort of boats in those
days, and how it was that more weren't lost
puzzles me. It was more due to the weather
than the make or finding of the ships, l can
tell you, that they used to find their way safe
to port and yet the passengers, poor things,
knowing no better, used to take passage, ay'
and make a voyage, too, from which they
never got back. ....s. ...


Well. I was working on board steameras
they used to call the Equator" and heavy
laden and about twenty passengers on board,
we started down channel with all we'll, till we
got right down off the west coast of Africa,
when there came one of the heaviest storms
was ever in. Even for well-found steamer,
such as they can build to-day, it would have
been hard fight; but with our poor, shaky
wooden tub, it was hopeless case from the
first. >.


Our skipper made brave fight Of it though,
andtried hard to make one of the ports but,
bless you, what can aman do when, after ten
days knocking about, the Goals run out, and
the fires that have been kept going with wood
and oil and everything that can be thrust into
ths- hs-&ss-.ssssy.ss-.sss-.s.ss ssv---.-.-t..--s7..
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 for lee shore?


That 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.


NV mate and didn't want any telling,
though. We'd been driven up out of the
stoke-hoie like pair of drowned rats, and
came on deck to find the bulwarks ripped
away, and the sea every now and then leaplng
aboard and washing the lumber about in all
directions. :.


The skipper was behaving very we'll, aud
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 it was no use, and we gave up.


We'd all been at it, crew and passengers
about forty of US altogether, including the wo.
men-6ve of them they were, and they were
all on deck lashed in sheltered place, close
t. the poop. And very pitiful it was to see
them fighting hard at first and clinging to the
side, but only to grow weaker, half'drowned
as they we're; and saw two sink down at last,
and hang drooping-like from their lashings,
dead. for not soul could do them turn.


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


"Shes sinking" "


Next moment there was rush made for
the boats, and two of the passengers cut loose
a couple oft the women place was made for
them before the first boat was too full; she
was lowered down, cast of, and big wave
carried her clear of the steamer. I saw her
for moment on the top Of the ridge, and then
she plunged down the other side out of our
sight, and that of everybody else; for how
long she lived, who can say? She was never
picked up or heard Of again.


Giving bit of cheer our chaps turned to
the next and we're getting in, when there came
a wave like mountain, ripped her from the
davits, and when 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 we'll. =


There were only seven of us now that l
could see, besides the three women lashed to
the side, and only one of them was alive and
for bit no one moved, everybody being
stunned like with horror; but there came
lull, and feeling that the steamer was sinking
under our feet, shouted out to the boys to
come on, and we ran to the last boat, climbed
in, and we're casting off when I happened to
catch sight of the women lashed under the
bulwarks there. , sir


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


-,sCome on, you fool, shouts my mate; "she's
going DOWN.


I pray may never be put to it again like
Ill ..on,, ,olE,h 5os;ro life