صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

away. Even here it seemed doubtful if there was a oertainty of finding any people as late on in the year as December, as the natives only reside in the fishing villages on the coast during the summer months, and retreat to winter quarters inland.

Consequently the chances of finding food and shelter on shore seemed very remote, and the men were entirely unequipped for a long journey exposed to the bitter cold winds which were blowing so persistently. The Captain decided that abandoning the ship must be a very last resort, and naturally the idea of leaving the ship was repugnant to every one.

During the forenoon of the eleventh day out the mate went up to the cross-trees armed with his glasses, and after a few minutes careful scrutiny he hailed the Captain, who was pacing up and down the bridge, to say he could plainly make out a large steamer close in under the land. There was the very greatest excitement on board at this news, and every one who had a pair of glasses or a telescope was soon busily engaged in trying to make her out. She was visible from the deck, once she had been sighted, though very difficult to pick out with the snowcovered land as a background. There were many surmises as to what her name was, what line she belonged to, and how long out she was from Arkhangel, and quite a number of wagers were laid and taken

as to her size, line, &c. Every one was agreed on one point, and that was that she was not making any way through the ice, and that she had no smoke coming out of her funnels. She had all the appearances of being an ordinary good-sized British tramp, heading about north-east, and was not more than eight or nine miles away.

The Captain ordered the largest ensign on board to be hoisted, and the distant signal for a vessel in distress was flown at the mast-head, but no signs of a reply could be distinguished. The whistle was blown in the hopes that the steam would be visible, even though the sound could not be heard, and the firemen produced some

gorgeous black smoke at the expense of a little coal, but no notice was taken. By three o'clock in the afternoon it was dusk and the ship was lost sight of; a couple of hours later several rockets were fired, but still no notice of any sort was taken, and to all appearances the ship seemed to be deserted.

The Captain was confident that she was a Russian ship, and stated that he believed Russian sailors bebaved in the same way that bears behave during the winter months, and remained in their bunks for weeks together, which would account for no look-out being kept. The Chief Officer thought that probably they Russians and that the crew were all below, but thought this was more likely due to a plentiful supply of vodka on board than to any imitation

were

of the habits of the national Captain summoned all hands animal. The Chief Engineer and proceeded to put the was confident that she was a British ship; in fact he was sure she was a Tyne-built ship, but he could not explain why she took no notice of any signals.

The whole of the next day was spent in endeavouring to attract the stranger's attention, and the boatswain rigged up a magnificent canvas ball to use as a distant signal, but no reply could be distinguished. Unfortunately there was no powerful telescope on board, and the Captain's night glasses were not sufficiently powerful to make out anything on board with any degree of accuracy, but several of of the more sanguine among the members of the crew were prepared to swear that a ball had been hoisted at the foremast-head just before dark.

One fact, however, was patent to all: the stranger was not moving at the same rate as the Sappho, and if the present rate of drift continued the two ships would be as close as they were ever likely to be on the following day, and after that they would commence to separate. The explanation for this was not very difficult; the strange vessel was close into the land, out of the main tidal stream, and not nearly so exposed to the drift caused by the wind, which was still blowing freshly, and the sailing directions and oharts gave the rate of the tidal stream in the offing as anything up to four knots.

After dark that evening the

matter before them. He explained that the food supply would last little over a week, and that consequently things were very serious; on the other hand, there was nothing to be gained by getting in a panic. He pointed out that they would have to abandon the ship very shortly; it seemed quite feasible to make their way over the ice to the strange ship, and in the event of their finding she was as badly off for food as they were themselves, they would just have to go on ashore and try and make the nearest Lap settlement. He was of opinion that the next day would be the best day to choose, as the ships would be as close to each other as they were ever likely to be, and delay only aggravated the food problem. He called for a vote as to whether they should decide to abandon the ship next day or not. Nearly every one present voted that this was the best thing to do, and the necessary preparations were accordingly decided upon.

Every one was busy until well on in the night, and there was little sleep for any one. Large staves of wood were out for each man to use as sort of alpenstocks, the whole of the available food supplies were collected and divided into equal portions, and all the available blankets, canvas, &c., was made into improvised arotio clothing. The Captain was busy collecting a few valuable papers he

away. Even here it seemed doubtful if there was & oertainty of finding any people as late on in the year as December, as the natives only reside in the fishing villages on the coast during the summer months, and retreat to winter quarters inland.

Consequently the chances of finding food and shelter on shore seemed very remote, and the men were entirely unequipped for a long journey exposed to the bitter cold winds which were blowing so persistently. The Captain decided that abandoning the ship must be a very last resort, and naturally the idea of leaving the ship was repugnant to every one.

During the forenoon of the eleventh day out the mate went up to the cross-trees armed with his glasses, and after a few minutes careful scrutiny he hailed the Captain, who was pacing up and down the bridge, to say he could plainly make out a large steamer close in under the land. There was the very greatest excitement on board at this news, and every one who had a pair of glasses or a telescope was soon busily engaged in trying to make her out. She was visible from the deck, once she had been sighted, though very difficult to pick out with the snowcovered land as a background. There were many surmises as to what her name was, what line she belonged to, and how long out she was from Arkhangel, and quite a number of wagers were laid and taken

as to her size, line, &c. Every one was agreed on one point, and that was that she was not making any way through the ice, and that she had no smoke coming out of her funnels. She had all the appearances of being an ordinary good-sized British tramp, heading about north-east, and was not more than eight or nine miles away.

The Captain ordered the largest ensign on board to be hoisted, and the distant signal for a vessel in distress was flown at the mast-head, but no signs of a reply could be distinguished. The whistle was blown in the hopes that the steam would be visible, even though the sound could not be heard, and the firemen produced some

gorgeous black smoke at the expense of a little coal, but no notice was taken. By three o'clock in the afternoon it was dusk and the ship was lost sight of; a couple of hours later several rockets were fired, but still no notice of any sort was taken, and to all appearances the ship seemed to be deserted.

The Captain was confident that she was a Russian ship, and stated that he believed Russian sailors behaved in the same way that bears behave during the winter months, and remained in their bunks for weeks together, which would account for no look-out being kept. The Chief Officer thought that probably they Russians and that the crew were all below, but thought this was more likely due to a plentiful supply of vodka on board than to any imitation

were

bare faots suffice, and let way ashore, and by this those who have sufficient time they must have given imagination fill in the missing up all hope of safety, and details. decided to go on till they dropped.

Of the score and more gallant men who left the illfated Sappho, only four reached their destination; and when these four frost-bitten perished men managed by almost superhuman efforts to clamber on board, they found she was a deserted wreck lying hard and fast on shore on an outlying reef of rooks, and that she had been abandoned as a total loss some months before.

One can picture the little group of survivors getting smaller and smaller, as one after another succumbed to the cold; and one can imagine the hopes of the four as they got within hailing distance of their goal, and their bitter disappointment at receiving no answer to their shouts for help as they got close up to the ship. And one share their feelings as they at last managed to climb on board to find everything a wilderness, with no food and no warmth, and hardly any shelter. Nothing but an indomitable British pluck can have saved them from absolute despair, but they never gave in. Coal and wood was found, a fire was lighted, and for a short time they stayed there; but here again we will stick to faots. Only two of these four men managed to make their

But the last act in this tragedy was the most wonderful: that very day the two survivors were picked up by a group of Laplanders, who were making their way south to their winter quarters with their reindeer sleighs. The writer has credited British pluck with having enabled these men to survive the shock of finding their supposed goal of refuge nothing but a deserted wreck; he can only attribute this miraculous salvation to Providence. He believes these Laps were the last group to go south that year; they were unusually late, and travelling by a different route to the one usually taken.

Without a moment's hesitation, with no thought of payment or reward, a party of these good Samaritans retraced their steps to the northward, and conveyed these two sole survivors in their sleighs for for a distance of about 150 miles over one of the most desolate countries in the world, and handed them over to a British man-ofwar which was wintering in Yukanskie harbour. The Sappho was never seen again. H. A. LE F. H.

[blocks in formation]

An

IT is said that there was once a Professor of History at Oxford who, when reminded that the Pilgrim Fathers had "landed on Plymouth Rock," expressed a wish that Plymouth Rock had “landed" on them, Far be it from us to defend the petulance of the professor, yet it may have been in part excusable. excessive and indiscriminating hero-worship-the beatification in sermons and speeches of the Pilgrim Fathers as persecuted saints and champions of religious freedom-may have provoked the outburst which we have recorded; and as, during the present year, it is by no means improbable that similar causes may lead to similar outbursts, it may not be out of place to attempt a brief and impartial estimate of the men who played such an important part, though at the time it seemed but a humble one, in the history of the world three hundred years ago.

In the first place, however, it may be necessary to say a word on the term "Pilgrim Fathers." To whom is this title applied? That it is applied in the first place to those who made the famous voyage in the Mayflower will not be denied, and by some it is confined to them. But there are those who would include other emigrants who went out

a few years later and became the founders of the colony of Massachusetts, and there is so much in common to the two parties that we may feel justified in including both under the title of the "Pilgrim Fathers."

[ocr errors]

To begin, then, with the emigrants of the Mayflower, our great authority is the History of the Plymouth Settlers,' written by William Bradford, who was for many years the Governor of the colony. Bradford's book is one of deep interest. We have in him a man of sincere and fervent piety, with a profound sense of providential guidance, filled with unfailing faith and courage. At the same time he is equally conspicuous for narrow and violent prejudices. To him the Puritans, or more especially the "Separatists," are the true Church of God, and the party who "endeavoured to to uphold the right worship of God and the discipline of Christ in the Church according to the simplicity of the Gospel, and without the mixture of men's inventions; while the other party, the episcopal, endeavoured to maintain the episcopal

dignity after the popish manner, and tried with lordly and tyrannio power to persecute the poor servants of God." This is the description of the reformers at

« السابقةمتابعة »