LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7432, 29 November 1892, Page 1

LITERATURE.

A TERRIBLE TALE OF THE SEA. ADVENTURE WITH ALBATROSSES. A SAILOR'S STORY. Captain Hart it was, of the steamship Mariposa, sailing between San Francisco and Australia, formerly a wealthy young man, who went to sea because he loved lite on the water, that told this story to a passenger on one of the Mariposa's trips. i "I was twenty-four years old when I left Harvard, having graduated well up in my class. I had come into possession of the property left to me by my father in that year, and as my mother had also died and my sisters had married, I determined to spend a few years in travel. " I went to Europe and to South America, Teturnirig to London the same year. Clark Eussell's sea stories had always interested me greatly, and I made up my mind to rough it on a trip to Australia on a clipper ship. "I tried to engage a cabin passage in the Josephine, then one of the largest sailing ships afloat, but old Captain Hardy, whom everybody -called ' the bear," because he was so rough and . brusque, refused with many an oath,' saying he didn't keep any blankety blank hotel, and no man -could sail on his ship without signing articles and doing his proper amount of work. "Of course I knew a ship as well as I knew a honse, and I decided to go on the Josephine before the mast, just for the fun of it. "I saw a twinkle in the old captain's eye as I signed the usual articles for the voyage to Sydney, JS.S.W. " I procured a regular outGt, sent my kit on board, and took my place among the crew. I found friends in the forecastle at once, for I assumed no airs, acted just as everybody else did, and studiously minded my own business. " In spite of my discretion, though, I made some -enemies. One of them was in the same watch -with me. His name was Norris, and he claimed to be an Englishman, but he spoke with a slightly foreign accent, and was dark enough to be taken for a Portuguese or a Spaniard. "He insulted me one day in the forecastle -during our watch below, and I struck him a blow under the ear that put him to sleep very ■effectually. He was unconscious for two hours, and I was really afraid that he was done for. , "After that time he did not in any way interfere -with me. When we were aloft, sometimes, however, I could see him eyeing toe sharply, and was •satisfied that he was contemplating some sort of treachery. ""We had a fairly good voyage, until wo struck some extremely rough weather off Cape Horn. On the fourth day of the, storm the wind moderated and Captain Hardy ordered us aloft to shake out the lower reefs. We had resumed our course and were booming along at about ten knots. " Morris and T were on the main royal yard when a heavy puff of wind struck the ship and threw her almost upon her beam. ends. As I stood on the foot rope with my arms over the yard, the heavy piece of timber was almost perpendicular, and I" had to cling hard with hands and feet to keep from going over. " Another lurch came when I was resting my whole weight on the foot rope. The rope suddenly parted, and I fait myself falling. Instinctively I 'flung out my arms to grasp something, but my head struck the to'gallant yard, and over I went into the sea. " I remember hearing a cry of ' Man overboard * from the deck, and must then have become unconscious for a time. I next found myself struggling among the tremendous wavcß. ! . "As I rose upon the crest of each big sea I' > caught a glimpse of the ship, and as she was still standing on her course I knew that I was left to my fate. I was not excited in the least by my position. I fully expected to drown, but I made up my mind to fight as long as I could. I was and am a strong swimmer, and I hoped to be able to keep afloat until I could find some spar or bits of wreckage to sustain me. " The water was very cold, and I knew that no man's powers of endurance, however great they -might be, could be equal to any prolonged struggle .with such elements. " I expeoted no relief from the Josephine. A small boat could not have been launched in such a sea, and I calculated correctly ' that Captain Hardy did not put the ship about because ho did _ot believe that any • man could live for five minutes among such waTea as had been breaking -over fbeship. '.'"', "I must have been in the water an hour, and it was then about noon, when I espied a piece of a vessel's hatch about twenty yards away in the same trough of the waves in which I was then ■-swimming. "I was quickly becoming exhausted, but I made for that little raft with all of my remaining strength. Scores of times great seas broke over me and sent me down far ' below the surface. I managed to struggle to the surface many times "just soon enough to keep from drowning. "At last I reached the hatch, grasped a protruding spike, and rested a while before 1 had strength to raise myself upon the half submerged raft. There was a bit of. rope trailing in the water, with which I lashed myself fast to the hatch to keep from being washed off into the sea. " I think I must have slept for a time, in spite •of the cold. At any rate, I remember that the sea became suddenly much calmer, the wind having died away to a simple breeze. "As night came en a feeling of indescribable loneliness took possession of me, which was intensified when I saw that the albatrosses had •sighted me. The night was a very long one. When I was not dozing I was looking out over the waves in search of a vessel's lights. " KoDe came into view, and the day broke cold •and cheerless. When the sun came up I thought "I descried land off to the north-west. It was only a faint line, and I was not sure whether it was land or a bank of clouds. " I prayed that it might be land, and I felt more cheerful when I saw that a current was carrying me to the northward. I was very hungry, and I knew that if I did not reach land, or was not picked up, that I would be at liberty to choose death from either starvation oi "drowning. "I didn't count on another danger, which, turned out to be greater even than tho othen — the birds. Soon after sunrise I saw s number of great albatrosses sailing through the air far overhead. One by one they came lowei and I watched them with intense admiration. " Not once did I see an albatross flap a wing They rose h : gh into the air and swooped dowi low, turning their immense wings from side t< side to direct their course, but never appearing t( _se the slightest exertion. They were like sbipi -of the air, using their wings as sails, and wit! „ perfect knowledge of tacking, jibing, and th like. "In my admiration for the great creatures lost sight of the fact, even if I had realised it, tha they were a more serious source of danger thai the waves. "Nearer and nearer they came, and I coul see their cold, staring eyes regarding me wit something in their expression that mado m shiver. Even, then I did not appreciate m danger. It was not until one , had made vicious jab at me -with his beak OS he SWOOpt hy that I began to understand the horrors of m •' position; •- •''• : '•':'■ •';',"''.''';' - : t " I had ho weapon but^ a jack-knife," which - opened, and with Tvhich I prepared to defendm;

self. I had been lying down all this time, but now sat up, and made ready for the attack that . felt sure would come. s "It was not long delayed. First one albatros and then another flew at me, pecking at my eye and face. I slashed right and left with my knife screaming the while, in the hope of soaring th vicious things away. "Occasionally, in spite of all that I could do one would fasten his beak into my flesh. My fao became frightfully lacerated, and I was sooi covered with the blood that flowed' from nr wounds. '"I was on the verge of fainting when 'l heart a shout near at hand. Turning, I saw a boa' closely approaching, manned by a crew of roughlooking natives. ' "I had been so absorbed in my fight with the birds that I had not observeJ how closely to the land I had drifted, and that a boat was coming to my rescue. " The natives spoke a Spanish dialect, which I cou'd only slightly understand, but from it I gathered that they were. Terra del Fuefjatis, and that I wasS being taken ashore. , I did not like their looks, and was almost inclined to think that it would have been better to have let myself drown. '' I was now veay weak and ill, and when we landed they had to carry me ashore. I- was taken to a hut, where my wounds were dressed by an old woman, who was not at all a bad surgeon, and, after having eaten a little, I was laid upon a mattress, where: I slept soundly for several hours. " An attack of fever followed, and it was nearly a month before I was able to walk. I must have been well nursed, for there were no medicines there. I had a little money in my belt, all of which 1 gave to my rescuers, making them understand, however, that I wanted then to take me to sea every day in a boat until I could hail a ship. " They did so, and in a week I had caught a vessel bound for Sydney. "Whatever can be said of the Terra del Fuegans by other unfortunate travellers, I must admit that they treated me well. " At Sydney I ran across Norris, who acted as if he had seen a ghost. He shivered and shook with fear, and I taxed him with cutting the rope, FTo arlmikl-oil ifc atirl bpcrcrnrl for merCV."