LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1835, 9 January 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE FATE OF THE SOHELDB. [Abridged from the German of Rosenthal Bonin. ] { Concluded.) The water swept over us again and again, as if it would engulf the ship, and lashed and beat upon my body with blow after blow. A wind was raging that threatened to tear one to pieces. There was howling, bellowing, and roaring in total darkness, for all the lamps had been shattered, as both the boats. The hurricane shifted from east to west, and drove us towards the Holstein coast. We sighted the Sylt light; but with the certainty that the vessel would strand there came a faint hope of saving our lives. The worst of our misfortune was that we could do nothing. As to running np a sail, it wasn’t to bo thought of. The furnace fires were all out of course. We fired three signals of distress—four—five—six. The captain was wild—he seemed trying to shoot out the very bottom of the sea. The report, however, could hardly be heard, and whether the flash conld be seen on shore was uncertain; and if it were, who would venture out to us in saoh weather 7

Instinctively wo of the crow came together on the after deck. Four of us were missing. The captain was below, tying a cork on a tin box in which he had packed the ship’s papers and the log that he had with difficulty written np. The cause of all our trouble—our lovely passenger—was, the cabin-boy told me, on her knees crying aloud to the God of her fathers that he might soon take her to himself.

We said a quiet prayer for onr comrades swept overboard by wind or wave, and then with deep concern awaited onr fate. We hadn’t long to wait. Abont three in the morning the sky cleared a little, and in the uncertain light of a pale moonshine we saw, as far as the eye could reach, the seas worked and beaten into a mass of foam. We were in the shoal waters that surrounded for a great distance the Holstein Islands, which no large ship can approach without foundering. The wind had gone down a great deal, but our rigging was a ragged and confused mass, and onr yards pretty thoroughly smashed up; so making sail was imposslbe. Besides, the foaming waters drew us on irresistibly. We felt the seething of the breakers, we saw the boiling flood glimmering abont ns threateningly, when crash —a heavy shoek, a keen grating, and we were fast aground. Something gargled up from below, and we saw that we must have sprung a leak, through which the water poured in floods. There was only one hope of escape. We went to work with hatchets and axes and rope’s ends, we emptied casks, and took four of the medium size for a foundation, and in mortal haste nailed, screwed, and tied upon them, as best we could, planks, spars and laths. I worked so that in spite of the fierce ccld I was streaming at every pore; yet I never lost sight of the young woman, who lay in the ghastly moonlight, clinging to the stump of the foremast, The violence of the water had loosened her hair, her clothes hung down straight and wet, and her deathly white, upturned face looked so strangely weird, so raviahingly fair, that the picture will remain in my memory for ever. About five in the morning onr raft was done. In the east there was already a faint yellow streak; It grew bolder and bolder and cast strange and dismal lights on the waste of seething waters. The vessel was parting amidships, and could hold together only a few minutes longer. We lowered the raft into the hissing breakers, and began the dangerous work of springing down upon It. In this way the cook lost his life. He jumped short, and was instantly crashed between the ship and the raft, which was thumping heavily against it. I stayed last on the wreck. We now missed the captain. We had seen him shortly before, lashing the fainting woman to the stnmp of the foremast, and then he had gone into the charthonse to bundle np the instruments, I harried after him. There he stood, motionless, rigid, a dark despair in his face, his eyes turned on the kneeling figure at the mast. As I approached him he pointed his revolver at me. All I could say was useless ; be didn’t listen to me ; he was not to be moved from that spot. My comrades wouldn’t hold the raft any longer, and called me impatiently. I sprang to the woman. Up to this time I had left her in the captain’s care. She still lay clinging to the mast, her face still upturned to Heaven, the dying moonlight shining peacefully upon it. I looked in her eyes. Horror-struck, I drew back. They were staring wide open, fixed and dead, A deep wound showed in the upper part of her beautiful forehead. The poor child had been struck by the iron of a falling spar, and shuddering I turned away from the picture of death that was life in its ravishing loveliness.

The men on the raft threatened to push off if I didn’t come. My head was swimming and my knees were giving way under me. Almost mechanically I reached the raft; mechanically I clung closer to the rooking timbers when the waves dashed over me.

We tossed about; how long I don’t know. I heard not a word spoken. With weird monotony the waves splashed and roared. The weaker I felt myself the faster I clung to the raft. Why, I can’t tell, unless it was by instinct. I was altogether in a strange condition of mind. As in a dream I heard a distant call, then an answering cry of joy from the raft. Then I saw one of those long Sylt lifeboats labouring through the breakers to get into the current that drove us. After a five-hours’ hard struggle against the tide and breakers, the lifeboat reached the island safe.

The inspector of the port at Sylt drew up an official statement of the loss of the ship, but as there was no denying that I had left my post, the statement was sent to Kiel, and we were forwarded there by sailing ship, with orders to report ourselves to the Court of Admiralty. I was taken in custody and put in a cold uncomfortable room, with grated windows. On the fifth day of my imprisonment my gaoler gave me notice to wash myself well and tie my neckerchief neatly. When 1 showed the old fellow the super- ( fluity of such a suggestion, a smile came

over hi. face that ran the furrows into each other IL'to a morning breeze that stirs the oven of a quiet sea. * Yon've to go to Court,’he growled, * that’s wh»v I mean,’ and thereupon we marched through a long dark corridor into the Hall of Sessions.

There sat three ancient gentlemen at a green table. In front of this table was a bench, on which I saw the crew of the Schelde, and between this bench and the table 3 was placed. The gentleman in t&s middle, an old shipI master, looked' at me a moment searchingly, and then put the question— * Did Captain Koltherm neglect his duty 1 7 ‘ Yes, captain, inasmuch as he became soldenly ascertain in his course, and the uncertainty affected the steering of the ship and the behaviour of the crew.’

* What madsthe captain uncertain ? 7 ‘ Tie lady wo had taken on* S»oard. On her account I- think he wanted to go to Norway and keep it a secret from us.’ ‘ Did you oppose him ? 7 * I obeyed hia orders.’ ‘ Promptly V ‘After a moment’s thongbt—promily.’ * Why not immediately V ‘Because I believed he was'carrying us out of our course. ’ ‘ According to the testimony of the witnesses you took' the lady’s part very warmly V ‘I did.’ ‘You began, according to the testimony of the witnesses, to be on bad terms with the captain. Why ?’ ‘ On account of the lady. 7 ‘ Did the disagreement have any effect? on your steering of the ship ? 7 ‘No, I did "my duty, although I was angry.’ ‘ Why did you particularly want to go to Hamburg ?’ ‘ln the first place, because it was our course; in the second, for the lady’s sake; The captain would have had leas power over the poor girl.* ‘ You left your helm in a moment of greatest danger’’ ‘ To save a human life. ’ ‘ Whose ?’ ‘The lady’s,’ ‘ Yon saw_ the danger to the ship ?’ * No ; I didn’t see it.’ ‘ Yon didn’t see it ?’

‘ No ; because I was in fear of the lady’s life. It was the second attempt of the crew to throw her overboard, and the captain lay helpless on the deck. I had lost all thought in a passion of terror and rage ’ * You didn’t notice the compass ?* 1 I had only one thought; I saw her danger ; nothing else.’ * didn’t make the wheel fast when you sprang from it!’ ‘ No. The lashings had not been used for yeara._ and they were good for nothing.’ * Didn’t you know yon brought the ship into great peril ? ’ ‘ No ; that first occurred to me when I heard the cry “ Breakers ahead ; ” then I came near, jumping overboard in depair; from the first good look I got at the lady I was never quite myself.* * Your passion for this person was your only motive ? * * What I would have done if I had seen the life of any one else threatened in that way, to tell the truth, X don’t know ; the beautiful woman took away my presence of mind 5 I acted under the influence of passion.* hearing was over. There came a deep silence. I was led out into the next room. When I was called into the room again, the three judges, as well as the ship’s crew, had risen from their seats, and the old shipmaster began to pronounce my sentence.

* It is highly probable,’ be said, looking at me very gravely, ‘ but it is not proved, that the action of Michael Hillgreen was instrumental in the sinking of the screw-steamer Schelde. We find, therefore, that he is not amenable to the laws of the State as a criminal offender.

b ‘ Inasmuch as the said mate at the risk of his own life restrained the crew of the wrecked ship Schelde from committing a cowardly murder, through abominable superstition, the crew of the said ship are ordered, here in our presence, man by man, to thank the mate for his interference.*

It was done. Each man came up and put out his hand, with shy or sullen looks, and muttered something with bis eyes turned away.

‘lnasmuch as Mate Hillgreen,’continued the judge, ‘left his post—a thing that a seaman should neverdo under any circumstances —the said mate shall receive, according to the unanimous decision of the Admiralty Court of Kiel, a punishment (for discipline) of one month’s imprisonment. As, however, the motive of his action was to save a human life, and it was not through mutiny, drunkenness, or any such thing, and inasmuch as the man was blinded by the strongest of all human passions—love—which, according to the testimony of the crew, we must accept as having been called forth by the most wonderful phenomenon, we decide, therefore, that this sentence shall be considered undergone. The sentence shall, however, be entered upon Mate Hillgreen’s papers along with our remission of punishment, as well as the grounds therefor.’

The Chief Judge then gave me his hand, the other judges followed suite, and in this was I was again honorably received into the brotherhood of seamen.

Six weeks later I was mate on the passenger steamer Hansa, Captain Maier. The moment I spy a beautiful woman on board I stare hard into my binnacle, and fall to on the most difficult reckoning I can think of. If such a thing happens on shore, I pull out my note book and calculate the distance of Sirius from where I stand.