In Sight of Home.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 247, 20 October 1886, Page 4

In Sight of Home.

One of the most striking " personal preservations " ever recorded took placo on tho familiar coast botween Dartmouth and Tor. bay, and it did not happen tc a "bold smugglor," as it ought to have done, but quite the contrary, that is to say, a coastguaidsman. Ho was firat lioutonant of tho Dart, tho revenue cruiser on that station, and on now 3 being brought him ono evening of a projected "run," U3 the smuggling traffic was called, it waa tho socond lioutenant's duty to go with an armod galley to prevent it.

"As my buothor officer, however, was going ashoro that night," he says, "I took his place." Tno lieutenant started with six sailors and a marino. Their oars woro muilled, and they soon lost sight of tho Dart. " The lights ot the noar and overhanging houses shone for a minuto or two botweon her masta and yards ; then tho lofty black land and tho glittering lights of the elevatod town, novor to bo beheld again by mo3t of us."

It was on the Ist of March ; tho night was cold and Bhowory, and as they pulled toward Borry Head a heavy ground-swell seemod to foretell a gale. In rounding the Hoad, thoy shippod sevoral seas, which made them chill and cheerlots enough. At half-past ono, on roaching the ontranco of the sound that soparatos tho Mawstono from tho mainland, the lieutenant determined to pas* through it, ordoring tho bow man " to keap a very careful look out, and bo vory careful myself." In this manner thoy had half threaded the dangorous passage, tho " Ay, ay, sir," of tho man at the bow repeatedly roplying to tho lieutenant's directions to " look out," when, to their grout surpriso, tho boat struck on something forward. " Thoru'a a mcl; undoi- tho bow, sir. Back oil all-nil," • Before tho niou could do so, however, tho retiring swell loft tho galley uuapondod, and being of that class jmtly called " Deaths," sho almost instantly fo'l on hor broadside. Whilo tho words "Throw the ballast bags ovorboard !" wore passing tho lioutonant'a lips sho sank under him. For a second or two tho mon forward appoarod high and dry out of wator ; thon she slipped oil'tho rock, disappeared, and not asplintor of her was ovor soon again."

Tho lioutonant could swim bettor than most mon, and had groat contidonco in his powers, but bonumbed as ho was with cold, on an iron-bound coast, and with such a sea it vppearod littlo short of a miraclo that could .savo mo.

As to saving othors, all such thoughts wore quito out of tho quostion. 11 is first oLjoet, indood, was to oscapo tho grasp of his drowning crow, moro particularly of tho poor marino clo.so bohind him, whom 1 had scon comfortably Bottled, and apparently fast asloop, a fow seconds ago. Ho accordingly soizod tho strokosman's oar, as it floated past him, and giving mysotf what little impetus my sinking footing would admit of, ho struck out in tho opposite diroetion to tho rock, which ho forosaw tho rest would mako for.

Aftor n few strokes ho looked behind, and this id what ho saw—and hoard :—The galley was gone) But as I rode on tho crest of tho wavo, tho sparkling of the sea bonoath mo and tho wild shrieks that roso from tho watery hollow, too plainly pointod out the fatal spot whoro tho poor follows were sinking in each othor'a embrace. For aftor somo seconds a sea aroso and hid tho place from my viow : and on again getting a glimpse of it tho sparkling of tho water was scarcely discorniblo, and a faint murmur only crept along tho surface of the waves. Another soa followod. As it roso botweon mo and hoavon I wiv on its black outline a hand clutching at the clouds above it. A faint gurglo followed, the sea rollod euUonly by, and all waa dark and silont around mo. A eight, aa our lieutenant truly observes, which many must have witnopsod, but few have lived to doHCribo.

As fqr himself, his ciso seomod desperate onjugh; for if ho should rcaph tho slioro tho eurf would dash him to pioocu, and oven if ho should land, tho cliffs woro ho stoop that it would only bo to dio a moro lingering death.

Tho lieutenant, howovor, was one of those men who " never cay die," and elutcli hope by its last skirt. Jie had n suit of honvy " Fluahiugg " over his jacket and troupor?, and a largo boat cloak, which, howovor comfortable for sitting in, wero much too clumsy to Hwim in. 15y help of his supporting oar he got. rid of hid cloak and hid two jackets, but ho did not ilaro attempt to rid himself of the two pair of trousera, lost thoy should clinii round his ankles and hamper his movomonts ; nor did ho cast oil' his shoos, sinco ho rollected thoy would save hia feet from boing cut against tho rocks.

Tho coolness and common sense of this L'onUcimin, considering tho circumstancoa in which ho found himself, wero such, in short, as it would be dillicult to surpass. Thus lightened, and with the our hold fore-and-aft-wise undor my left arm, I struck out boldly for tho shore, and having been, lloavon only knows how long in tho writer —to me it seemed an ago—l got into the waeh of tho breakers, and after receiving several blows I secured a footing, and scrambled up above tho bicak of tho wavea.

Hero ono would think his utory ought to have ended, but as a milter of fact, tho poor lieutenant was now us badly off na over.

As I lay panting, breathless, ami nearly insensible, the words "Save mo, mvo me ; lam sinking," appenrcd to ri?o with tho epray that How over mo. At first he thought it was fancy, but on hearing tho cry repeated ho rousod himeolf, and beheld a man struggling to roach (ho Bhoro. "Eovcr shall I forget the sensation of that moment; I could not stir a lingor to savo him. At this crisis the oar that had saved my own lifo floated within reach of his hard." Ho saw it, grasped it, lost it, was swept away, and eventually clung to tho shore. Presently ho ro»o, scrambled up slowly to his comtnondor'a side, embracod him, and murmured, " They aro all drowned, Bir,"

It must have boon a most pathotic mooting.—From "In Peril and Privation," by Jamca Payn.