Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

68 and the after half plunged into the river and sank. The forward half hung on a ledge ready at any moment to be swept off by another high tide or storm. The ship had struck on the port side, and all the boats on that side were smashed into splinters. Two of the starboard boats were uninjured, and I could hear the loud voice of Pence bawling out orders to the few men he had left to clear them away. Fortunately for Desklit and myself our position before the bore struck us had been on the starboard side. We had been lying there bound, and the shock had hurled us across the deck. Desklit had vanished from my sight, and I feared he had been thrown into the water or dashed to death against the rocks. My own condition was bad enough. I was bruised and half stunned and my face was bleeding from a wound made by a flying piece of wood. I lay on my side in a débris of smashed planking and deckhouse, and in such a position that I could see little of what was going on about me. A spar had fallen across my legs, and pinioned me to the ruined deck. I heard the voices of the men and the rush and scuffle of their feet as they hurried to escape from the doomed wreck. One boat splashed into the water, and then another. Then I heard them passing from the wreck to the boats such articles of food as could be found. ] was very weak, and was rapidly losing what strength I had. I raised my voice and called Pence, but the cap- tain paid no attention to my call. surely, I said to myself, Pence is not so cruel a scoundrel as to leave me in such a condition to starve to death. I could do nothing to extricate myself from my painful and dangerous posi- tion. If the men deserted me, there was nothing left for me to do but to die of starvation, unless by the more mer- ciful method of being swept into the THE ARGOSY. river with the forward part of the ship and drowned. I heard the last commands of the rascal captain, and heard the men clam- bering into the boats. “All away!” came the voice of Pence, and all on the wreck was as still as death. I closed my eyes to ponder upon the horrible situation. I tried to writhe and twist myself free, but to no pur- pose. I called the name of Desklit, but received no answer. “Tam alone!” 1 murmured. “ Alone ta die.” I think I must have swooned, for one could scarcely have gone to sleep under such circumstances. At any rate I lost myself for a time and was roused as from a dream by the sound of my own name. I opened my eyes and beheld the grinning and ugly face of the negro, Pedro Gapo, looking down at me. “T’ank de good Lord, Senor Key- bu’n, you 1s alive,’ he said. “I jest natcherly hoped de good God would presu've de life of a good man like you. Now jes’ hol’ still a minute while I see what kin be done ‘bout dis spar. Hit am a heavy one, an’ hit lay right across your legs.” ‘“ How is tt you are here, Pedro?” I asked him. “TI thought all the men went with Pence.” “ Dem scund’els t’ink not’in’ only of dey own safety,” growled the negro as he fumbled and tugged at the spar. “ But I ’membered how you stood by me, Senor Keybu’n, when dat rascal captin him go fur buse me. I say to myself what fur I go an’ leave Senor Keybu’n an’ take up wid a lot of ras- cals. So I hide an’ let dem t’ink I dead, an’ when dey gone I come to you. But how I goin’ to git dis off I hike fur to know.” “Perhaps, Pedro,” I said, “if you cut these cords and set my arms free I can help you.” “Yas, so I t’ink myse’f. cords away quick now.” I cut dem COM ElOOO eco