THE HESPERIAN.
pcr's voice is heard, "Urncc the mirrcn!" immediately followed
by "Main topsail haul!" If cveiything is executed promptly
the wind does nil the work: nil the men hnve to do is to haul
in the slack nnd belay. The last older is Fore-bowline!"
nt which order the lee foie-braccs me let go, the yards swing
around, the head-sails nre braced to the wind, and the ship is
safely on her course again, only ten points in the other
direction.
After having tacked, the watch went below. The wind
blew a perfect hurricane and the captain decided to heave to
under goose wing topsail and jib. This again took a great
deal of manocuvreing. One half the topsail was f tilled, the jib
close reefed, and the wheel lashed half hatd down. The
night had become so daik that we could not see two feet
ahead. The thunder loaied like cannon around nut cars, and
when the lightning flashed it would expose the most beautiful
sight imaginable. The ship, diving into the mountainous,
crested waves, the tottered sails hanging fioni the yatds, and
the great seas washing over our decks. The ship laboicd
heavily. She would toll almost upon her beam ends, then
right again, and every time she went over we thought was
the last. T asked the captain if it was probable that the gale
would subside. He shook his head, and said that the barom
eter had fnllcn to twenty-nine and that it it did not lull at
midnight there would be no hope for us. I went down to the
main deck, and as 1 was going T was almost blinded by a
flash of lightning. It was several seconds before 1 could ee
anything. Then I looked aloft and saw that the main top
gallant mast had been can ied away. The mate gave owlets
to tighten up the braces of the top-gallant nnd royal yards, so
that the broken spar could not fall down on deck. Hy this
time we were shipping large bodies of water, and the foice of
the waves made it almost impossible to move along the decks.
Suddenly the clew line of the mam-sail blew adrift. Tlnccof
us jumped to tighten it again. Just as we caught hold of the
rope an enoimous sea struck the ship, coming over our decks
and taking everything before it. The next minute I found
that I had been washed overboard. I thought the end had
come, nnd was about to give up hope, when the ship tinned
again on hei beam ends and 1 was washed aboard catching
hold of the main rigging I clung to it with a giip of death. I
waited until she righted, then made my way aft where 1 found
the crew in the act of throwing the hen-coop i vcboard for my
preservation, incase I could not get aboard again. Fortwomoic
hours the storm raged. We did not know what moment might
be our last. The suspense of those few houis was terrible. 1
swore that if ever 1 should set foot on dry land again, this
should be my last voyage.
Finally, however, a faint gleam wns seen in the sky, and a
few stars appenred. What a welcome sight! It told us of
fairer weather. The moon shone brightly, and the wind began
to lull. Hut the sea behaved worse than before. The ship
rolled her beam ends under, and it scented to us that if the
wind could not sweep us out, the sea would roll us under.
The sight aloft was dismal. Our broken log-gallant mast was
hanging by the stays and braces. Our main top sail was
carried away. The main-sail was blown into shreds nnd the
foretopsail yard was blown off at the haulyards. Hut this
scene of desolation was relieved by a beautiful sight. Sparks
of fire were seen chasing each other around the masts. The
spars were illuminated by this strange light. This light is
called "Jack o Lantern." It is seen very often after a storm,
especially in the Gulf stream.
In the morning, about 8 a. tr.. the wind had died out con
siderably, but the sea wns still very heavy. All hands were
o work to clear up the wreck of the main mast and fore
mast, and to teplace the sails carried away. This took us
until 6 p. m., by which time our ship looked pretty snug with
the exception of a main topgallant nnd fotc top sail yawl.
The sea had almost died down to a dead calm.
About the close of the second dog-watch, 8 p. m., the
wind struck on our beam. This was just what we wanted. It
gave us time to get clear of the tocky coast on both sides of
us. We were going along at about six knots an hour. Our
watch had just gone below when 1 he.it d the ciy from the
look-out: "A wieck on the port bow!" Springing on deck J
took the glass and could plainlj sec a bark on her beam ends,
with seveial human beings clinging to her rigging - a pitiful
sight. We had not yet so far forgotten our own experience as
to be unable to sympathi7c with those poor cteaturcs. We
could sec them waving their hands and making all .kinds of
signals for us not to forsake them. Hy this time the wind had
risen, and the sea inci cased so much that it was dangerous
for an open boat to be out on such a sea. The captain would
not order anyone to go to the rescue but called for volunteers.
At that time the captain called to me and asked if I would not
act ns coxswain. Vciy soon we had a good stout, brave boat's
crew ready to sacrifice life to save their fellows. With diffi
culty we got the cutter ovcrboatd. The crew then jumped in,
and 1 took my plncc at the helm which I put haul down, and
ordctcd them to shove off. Her head obeyed the helm and
swung around putting the ship's head abeam. Out came the
oars and in a very few minutes we were fighting the waves.
At first we made very little headway, but very soon the ship
steered to windwnid of us, so that we might hnve her lee
water. Then the seas wctc not quite so heavy and we did not
get the full force of the wind. When we were about a hun
dred yards ahead of the wreck, we could plainly see about
thirteen men with outstretched arms imploting assistance.
This was a ctitical situation. To get alongside of a wreck
without breaking a boat on a big si a is n difficult matter.
Steeling nhead of the wieck about thirty yards and finding it
impossible to get alongside in such a sen, it wns necessary for
us to haul them aboard with a line. One of them threw us a
line with which we made fast to her stem. Then securing
another line from the wreck, one man at a time attached him
self to the rope and we pulled until we had him safely aboard.
This was done until we got them all off safely, except the dog,
which we weie obliged to leave on board. It was a much
more difficult task to get back aboard of otu own ship than it
was to drop astern of tnc wreck. Aftei an hour's woik, how
ever, we succeeded in getting these unfoitunatcs alongside our
ship. The name of the wieck was the "Mt. Pleasant," bound
fiom New York to Helfast, with oil. When she had been out
o sea two weeks she spuing a leak, but, as the weather was
fine, they had managed to keep her afloat by constant pump
ing. The last gale, however, hnd been too much for them,
and the ship was settling fast. The storm had turned herovei
on he beam ends so that it was impossible to work the pumps,
1and it was only a matter of a few hours until she would have
oundered. nnd the crew would have perished had it not been
for the "Minnie Swift" coming to her aid.
( To be concluded in next issue. )
'Sweet maid," said t,
"I ask of thee
To fly, to fly, to fly, with me,"
Young man," said she,
"Now dont you be
Too fly, too fly, to fly with me." Ex.
"Where nre you going, my pretty maid?"
"Just to the library, sir," she said,
"I'll go with you, my pretty maid;"
"Hut we can't talk there, sir," she said, Ex,
