Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXII No. 4, April 1848Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXII No. 4, April 1848
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
After a moment's hesitation, the second mate and Jack Reeves started
on this mission of mercy, and were soon followed by nearly all the
crew. Upon reaching the forecastle we found the body of a man lying
across the heel of the bowsprit, jammed against the windlass pawl. The
insensible form was lifted from its resting place, and, by the
captain's order, finally deposited in the cabin on the transom. The
skipper, steward, and myself, remained below to try and resuscitate
the apparently lifeless body. The means we used were effectual; and
the wrecked seaman opened his eyes, and finally sat up.
"I must go on deck now," said the captain. "Stay below, Frank, and
help the steward undress him, and put him into a berth."
Our benevolent darky had by this time concocted a glass of brandy
grog, very stiff, but, alas! not hot, which I handed to the object of
our care, who, after drinking it, seemed much better; and we then
proceeded to help him strip. I noticed that his clothes were very
coarse, and parti-colored; there were also marks of fetters on his
ancles, and his back was scarred by the lash. I conjectured from these
circumstances that our new shipmate was not of the most immaculate
purity of character, and after I had got him into a berth, between two
warm woollen blankets, I made free to ask him a few questions, not
only about himself, but also about his vessel. I could get no reply
but in Spanish, as I took his lingo to be, though, from his hailing
for help in English, I knew that he must understand that language.
When I went upon deck I reported myself to the officers, who concluded
to defer any examination until morning. The gale began to abate about
midnight, and at nine o'clock in the morning it had so far subsided
that the cabin mess, leaving Mr. Brewster in charge of the deck, went
below to get breakfast.
"The swell is tremendous," said the skipper, as we were endeavoring to
get seated around the table. "I think I never saw a much heavier sea
in any part of the world. Look out, there!"
But the caution was given too late; the ship had risen on an enormous
wave as the skipper had spoken, and when she plunged, the steward
pitched headlong over the cabin table, closely followed by the third
mate, who had grasped his camp-stool for support, and still clung
pertinaciously to it. The ship righted, leaving Langley's corpus
extended at full length among a wreck of broken crockery.
"Well, Mr. Langley," said the skipper, "I hope you enjoy your
breakfast."
"Bill," added the mate, as Langley gathered himself up, "as you've got
through your breakfast so expeditiously, hadn't you better go on deck
and let Mr. Brewster come down?"
"Beg your pardon, sir; but don't you see I'm laid on the table--there
can be no action about me at present."
"Well, sit down and try to preserve your gravity. I hope to see no
more such flights of nonsense at this table."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account