. Harper's young people . y, that a small glass might be served out toeach person in the morning, according to the Dutch fash-ion, and a spark from the wick had fallen into the bung-hole. The flames blew out the ends of the cask, and setfire to some coal underneath it, the smoke from whichwas unendurable. Upon this the Captain ordered thepowder to be thrown overboard, to which the supercargo,who was answerable to the owner of the ship, would not 261 HARPERS YOUNG PEOPLE. VOLUME IV. consent. The launch and cutter were lowered to clearthe decks, and into these many of the crew quietly slippedby
. Harper's young people . y, that a small glass might be served out toeach person in the morning, according to the Dutch fash-ion, and a spark from the wick had fallen into the bung-hole. The flames blew out the ends of the cask, and setfire to some coal underneath it, the smoke from whichwas unendurable. Upon this the Captain ordered thepowder to be thrown overboard, to which the supercargo,who was answerable to the owner of the ship, would not 261 HARPERS YOUNG PEOPLE. VOLUME IV. consent. The launch and cutter were lowered to clearthe decks, and into these many of the crew quietly slippedby the chain-wale, or swam to them, having- dropped intothe sea. Presently, while the poor Captain was battlingwith the smoke and flame, one of the sailors runs up tohim, and exclaims, Dear Captain, what are we to donow? the launch and cutter have deserted us. Whichindeed they had. For the moment he was transportedwith rage, and hoisted all sail in hopes of running- themdown, which, in truth, they richly deserved; but within. THE FIRE BEACHES THE POWDER. about three ships lengths they got the weather-gauge,andescaped. What a dramatic scene! The burning- ship, with itstenants, within a few minutes of a horrible death, yet fill-ed with the desire of revenge, and the miserable desert-ers, full of shame and fear, only escaping them by a hairs-breadth. Yet a few weeks before these people Irad beenthe best of friends, and fancied themselves in Eden. Though little hope was left—for the oil with which theship was laden had taken fire—the crew now betook them-selves, too late, to casting out the powder. Sixty barrelshad been got overboard, but three hundred still fire at length reached them, and the vessel blew up inthe air with one hundred and nineteen souls. A mo-ment afterward not a human being was to be seen. Andbelieving myself to be launched into eternity, writes Bon-tekoe, I cried, Lord, have mercy upon my soul! On reaching the water, like a spent rocket, he fetches
Size: 1297px × 1925px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1879
