Part 17 (1/2)
The young chief sprang froazed a e of his tribe to his party, ere now at the place of enca his to it at Mary, when the yells of the war-party and the ringing discharges of fire-arms arrested his steel when brandished in the air The white , flowing hair--again prepared to strike the fatal blohen she turned her face upward, and he again hesitated Discharges in quick succession, and nearer than before, still rang in his ears Mary strove not to escape Nor did the Indian strike The whites were heard rushi+ng through the bushes--the chief seized the treirl in his arer, he vanished aone! she's gone!” exclaihast at the vacated pit under the fallen trunk
”But ill have her yet,” said Boone, as he heard Glenn discharge a pistol a few paces apart in the bushes The report was followed by a yell, not from the chief, but Sneak, and the next moment the rifle of the latter was likewise heard Still the Indian was not dispatched, for the instant afterward his to over the bushes, and penetrated a tree hard by, some fifteen or twenty feet above the earth, where it entered the ith such a force that it rele--a violent bloas heard--the fall of the Indian, and all was still AMary in his arms, and followed by Glenn
”Is she dead? Oh, she's dead!” cried Roughgrove, snatching her from the arms of Sneak
”She has only fainted!” exclai no wounds
”She's recovering!” said Boone, feeling her pulse
”God be praised!” exclai animation was manifest
”Oh, I know you won't kill me! for pity's sake, spare me!” said Mary
”It is your father, irl to his heart
”It is! it is!” cried the happy girl, clinging rapturously to the oldthe hands of the rest, she seeht
shi+PWRECK OF THE MEDUSA
On the 17th of June, 1816, the Medusa, French frigate, commanded by Captain Chaumareys, and accompanied by three smaller vessels, sailed from the island of Aix, for the coast of Africa, in order to take possession of some colonies On the 1st of July, they entered the tropics; and there, with a childish disregard to danger, and knowing that she was surrounded by all the unseen perils of the ocean, her crew performed the cere headlong on destruction The captain, presided over the disgraceful scene ofthe shi+p to the command of an M
Richefort, who had passed the ten preceding years of his life in an English prison--a few persons on board reh it was ascertained that they were on the banks of Arguise, she continued her course, and heaved the lead, without slackening the sail Every thing denoted shalloater, but M Richefort persisted in saying that they were in one hundred fathoms At that very moment only six fatho in about sixteen feet water, and the tide full flood At ebb-tide, there rethe shi+p off was abandoned
When the frigate struck, she had on board six boats, of various capacities, all of which could not contain the crew and passengers; and a raft was constructed A dreadful scene ensued All scrambled out of the wreck without order or precaution The first who reached the boats refused to adh there was a that a plot had been formed to abandon them in the vessel, flew to arms No one assisted his companions; and Captain Chaureat part of the crew to shi+ft for the to steer for the sandy coast of the desert, there to land, and thence to proceed with a caravan to the island of St Louis
The raft had been constructed without foresight or intelligence It was about sixty-five feet long and twenty-five broad, but the only part which could be depended upon was the middle; and that was so small, that fifteen persons could not lie down upon it Those who stood on the floor were in constant danger of slipping through between the planks; the sea flowed in on all its sides When one hundred and fifty passengers ere destined to be its burden, were on board, they stood like a solid parallelogra; and they were up to their waists in water
The desperate squadron had only proceeded three leagues, when a faulty, if not treacherous manoeuvre, broke the tow-line which fastened the captain's boat to the raft; and this becanal to all to let loose their cables The weather was calues distant; and the land was in fact discovered by the boats on the very sa on which they abandoned the raft
They were not therefore driven to this measure by any new perils; and the cry of ”_Nous les abandonons_!” which resounded throughout the line, was the yell of a spontaneous and instinctive impulse of cowardice, perfidy, and cruelty; and the impulse was as unanimous as it was diabolical The raft was left to the mercy of the waves; one after another, the boats disappeared, and despair becaeneral Not one of the promised articles, no provisions, except a very few casks of wine, and sole meal was found A small pocket couide in a trackless ocean, fell between the beams into the sea As the crew had taken no nourish, some wine and biscuit were distributed; and this day, the first of thirteen on the raft, was the last on which they tasted any solid food--except such as hu which kept thee on those who had treacherously betrayed theht was stormy; and the waves, which had free access, coes, and threatened worse When day appeared, twelve miserable wretches were found crushed to death between the openings of the raft, and several ; but the number could not be ascertained, as several soldiers had taken the billets of the dead, in order to obtain two, or even three rations The second night was still h the crew had so crowded together, that some were smothered by the mere pressure To soothe their last moments, the soldiers drank immoderately; and one, who affected to rest hi the ropes, was thrown into the sea Another, whom M Correard had snatched from the waves, turned traitor a second time, as soon as he recovered his senses; but he too was killed At length the revolted, ere chiefly soldiers, threw themselves upon their knees, and abjectly iain
Those who had no arht with their teeth, and thus many severe wounds were inflicted One was most wantonly and dreadfully bitten above the heel, while his co hi him into the sea The raft was streith dead bodies, after innumerable instances of treachery and cruelty; and froht The force and courage of the strongest began to yield to their misfortunes; and even the ement In the conflict, the revolted had throo casks of wine, and all the re water, into the sea; and it became necessary to diminish each man's share
A day of comparative tranquillity succeeded The survivors erected their ain, which had been wantonly cut down in the battle of the night; and endeavored to catch some fish, but in vain They were reduced to feed on the dead bodies of their coht followed, broken by the plaintive cries of wretches, exposed to every kind of suffering, ten or twelve of whom died of want, and awfully foretold the fate of the re fish were caught in the raft; which, mixed up with human flesh, afforded one scanty meal
[Illustration]
A new insurrection to destroy the raft, broke out on the fourth night; this too, was marked by perfidy, and ended in blood Most of the rebels were thrown into the sea The fifthmustered but thirty men alive; and these sick and wounded, with the skin of their lower extremities corroded by the salt water Two soldiers were detected drinking the wine of the only re cask; they were instantly thrown into the sea One boy died, and there remained only twenty-seven; of whom fifteen only seemed likely to live A council of war, preceded by the most horrid despair, was held; as the weak consumed a part of the common store, they determined to throw them into the sea This sentence was put into immediate execution! and all the arms on board, which now filled their le sabre, committed to the deep Distress and misery increased with an accelerated ratio; and even after the desperatethefifteen could not hope for hted on their sail the ninth day, and though it was held to be a reedy eye was cast upon it
Three days uish, when they constructed a s it to the shore; but on trial it was found insufficient On the seventeenth day, a brig was seen; which, after exciting the vicissitude of hope and fear, proved to be the Argus, sent out in quest of the Medusa The inhabitants of the raft were all received on board, and were again very nearly perishi+ng, by a fire which broke out in the night The six boats which had so cruelly cast them adrift, reached the coast of Africa in safety; and afterthe Moors, the survivors arrived at St Louis