and Mr. Rothmeyer's. "She is not looking well," he said; "and he is tenacious, as I said." He entered the choir while a duet was sung, and the singers made way for him. He came like one with authority, they said.

Rachel Sprague acknowledged the authority, for when she recognized Dr. Vredenburgh she gave him a seat by her side, and waited with the surprised and startled look her face had worn when he had suggested her departure from Shelby.

Dr. Vredenburgh did not keep her waiting long. He had sought her with intent to speak his mind, and he was not a prudent man to study time and place.

Leaning on his arm to shield her from the gaze of the singers, he said, "I once told you I would rather die than say to a woman what she might not wish to hear. I run the risk of saying unwelcome words to you."

The surprise went out of Rachel Sprague's face, and left it white, and grave, and full of womanly tenderness. "Your words are not unwelcome," she said.

"Wife comprehends them all," he said. The singers came and went, but Rachel Sprague sat like one who heard not, her face profoundly thoughtful, and her eyes full of the light of love and happiness. Dr. Vredenburgh, catching the look, was answered before the reply came, low and sweet, "Husband comprehends my answer."

while shortening sail the third mate, Rufus S. Tyler, was lost overboard. This ill omen was followed by good weather, which took us in sixty-eight days to the Cape of Good Hope.

Bad weather vexed us thence to Melbourne, which we reached on the 13th of March, 1866.

Our

Weremained in Melbourne about eight weeks, loading for London. By one of those coincidences which sailors dread we took aboard part of a cargo that had been intended for the steamer London. This ill-fated vessel had sunk in the Bay of Biscay on her voyage out, and there were many gloomy prophecies that no freight of hers would reach London in any ship. The rats are also said to have left our vessel. cargo consisted chiefly of wool and hides, with about four thousand ounces of gold. We sailed on Friday the 4th of May, 1866, with sixty passengers, among whom were six women and about twenty children. The men were nearly all miners, returning home with their families and what property they had acquired at the diggings. The crew numbered twenty-three -four officers and nineteen men.

The Auckland Isles are a group of black basaltic rocks, lying about 1500 miles southeast of Melbourne, and 199 south of New Zealand. They are barren and uninhabited. Whalers and sealers occasionally visit them, and have left a stock of pigs and a few crazy huts. Many vessels have been cast away there, and an abundance of wreck-wood may be found Agnes De Ruyter saw Rachel Sprague and on the shores. Captain Musgrave, of the Dr. Vredenburgh passing out of the church. schooner Grafton, was wrecked there in 1864, There was no mistaking the man's right or the and remained eighteen months. He left a subwoman's proud acknowledgment of it. She stantial hut, and at his instance the Governcomprehended the business that had brought ment of New Zealand put goats, sheep, and Dr. Vredenburgh to the city, and said, "With- domestic fowls ashore there, and planted Enout doubt the blotted initials were R. S. He glish elms, oaks, and ash-trees. Nothing throve has staked all and won. He was sure to." but the goats. Papers were also left giving the Agnes de Ruyter made a new classification bearings of New Zealand and other useful inof friends about this time. She put Rachel formation; but these seem never to have been Sprague and Dr. Vredenburgh among married found. people, uninteresting and incomprehensible; For five days the General Grant made good and Mr. Rothmeyer she placed among her eli-progress with a fair wind. The Captain had gible friends. originally intended running to the northward of the Aucklands; but on the seventh day a southeasterly breeze sprang up, obliging him to beat to windward.

Years after she changed his place again, and wrote him husband. "To think that after all I should marry a summer importation who came down to Shelby for his health," she said, with a smile that was more than half dissatisfied.

Dr. Vredenburgh, over the news of that marriage, exclaimed, "Poor Rothmeyer! When I took Rachel there was left to him only Laban's second daughter."

Heavy fog closed in, and a sharp look-out was kept for land. The last observation was taken that morning. Throughout the next two days the weather was so thick that we could scarcely see the end of the jib-boom from the deck. At 10 o'clock at night of the ninth day the lookout forward cried, "Land on the port bow." This was Disappointment Island, the most westerly of the Auckland group. The Captain immediately tacked ship and ran to the northward of Disappointment. When fairly clear of the land, which he supposed to be the most northerly of the Aucklands, instead of the most westerly, the wind shifted from southeast to northwest.

All danger seemed past. The yards were squared and the doomed ship put on the straight

course for Cape Horn. An hour later the look-out reported "Land dead ahead," but after inspection with the glass the officers declared it only a fog-bank.

The mizzen-mast remained unhurt outside the cavern, and all hands gathered on the after-cabin out of danger from the shower of stones and broken spars to await the dawn. Not many minutes later the wind died com- It was useless to attempt launching the boats in pletely away, leaving a heavy sea. At the same the dark; and we prayed that the good craft time dawned upon us the terrible danger we might hold together till morning. The Capwere in. The sea and the current were carry-tain all the while was encouraging the timid ing us toward a rock-bound, precipitous coast. and exhorting the idle. Hour after hour passed The main island of Auckland lay directly ahead, in anxious suspense-the masts chafing restlessand every swash of the sea was pushing us to-ly ward destruction.

A breeze, though ever so slight, might save the ship and enable her to run between the two islands. All the passengers were called aft, all the crew on deck. In vain was every sail set, every yard braced to meet a breath of air. The tide took us at one time so far to the south that it seemed we might go clear. Then an eddy carried us to the northward again, nearer and nearer to the overhanging rock.

above, the seams opening below with every sea, and the hull gradually settling.

At last the first streaks of daylight warned us to set about launching the boats. A spar and tackle were rigged over the stern, and one of the quarter-boats launched with infinite care. A crew of three was put in her, and ordered to pull outside the cave and seek a landing-place on the coast. The heavy sea forbade this attempt, and the boat, by some misunderstanding, anchored with a kedge a short distance outside of the cave. In about twenty minutes a second boat was got into the water with eight men, under charge of the mate.

It was intended to put the women and children aboard of her; but only one, the stewardess, could be induced to make the attempt.

The scene on deck and in the cabins struck terror to the stoutest hearts. Miners were seen tying up their gold in blankets, women were wailing and children shrieking. All hands were pulling at the braces as long as a spark of hope remained. Cruel fate urged us pitilessly on, yet so slow-She was thrown overboard with a rope about ly that it was a relief when the end came, and her waist, and kept on the surface till the boat that long agony of hopeless waiting ceased. As picked her up. This boat then joined the first we neared the land the lead was heaved to find outside. anchorage, but no bottom could be found.

At half past one at night the jib-boom struck the rock at the foot of a cliff many hundred feet high, and with the bowsprit was carried away. This shock caused the ship to spin around and strike her stern, carrying away the spanker-boom and rudder, and Breaking the ribs of the man at the wheel. We now found ourselves drifting helplessly into a narrow cove inclosed by precipices of unknown height. The ship's sides were striking heavily against the rock, and there were thirty fathoms of water under her. All hope was gone; yet the Captain stood nobly at his post, and the crew remained subordinate.

Meanwhile the ship was sinking, and the longboat was made ready to float off the deck. The scene at this moment was one of such utter misery as few men ever see, and fewer still survive to tell of. Every sea washed over the stern and swept the deck.

The long-boat was crammed with all who could gain a foothold. It was partly filled with water, and several poor creatures lying in the bilge were crowded down and drowned before she was clear of the ship. Women clinging to their children, and crazy men to their gold, were seen washing to and fro as the water invaded the upper deck.

One wretch saw his wife and two children driven by him in this way without making an effort to save them, while the last man who got aboard nearly lost his life trying to persuade the mother to be saved without her children.

At about seven o'clock the long-boat floated

Lanterns were held over the side and carried up the rigging. Not a foothold for a bird could be discovered. The masts were not cut away, as they could not fall clear of the deck. There was too much water for anchoring. So we drifted on, and the cove grew narrow-clear of the deck, and before we had got fifty er. Suddenly the fore-royal mast struck the yards away from her the General Grant sank. rock above and came tumbling down, followed All left on board were lost. The last we saw by the other spars. As the main-royal mast was the Captain in the mizzen-topmast crossand top-hamper succeeded we realized the ap-trees waving his handkerchief. From the first palling fact that we were being sucked into a moment of danger to the last of his life he had cave of unknown depth.

The rock above was tearing the masts out of the ship and in detached masses, breaking holes through the deck and forward houses. After losing all the fore-mast, the stump of the main-mast caught against the solid roof, and stopped farther progress. But for this circumstance the General Grant would have sunk that night and none lived to tell the story.

devoted himself to the task of saving his passengers and crew. He made no effort to leave the ship, and his last act, with death staring him in the face, was to make a sign of encouragement and adieu to those who seemed to have a chance for life.

Not more than five minutes after the longboat suddenly capsized, and I found myself struggling in the water for my life. Diving

underneath the struggling crowd I swam as far
as I could under water, and on coming to the
surface found myself free to make my way to
the other boats. Only three out of forty odd
were able to reach them.
a few moments and all was over.
The rest struggled
found ourselves fifteen in number in two boats,
We now
three in one and twelve in the other.

We first equalized the crews.
We then held
a council as to our future course, and decided
to pull under the lee of Disappointment Island,
which lay about six miles off, and wait for the
weather to moderate. Our provisions were a
few tins of preserved meats and some salt beef
and pork in the mate's boat.

But we had no water. We had a hard pull of it. The wind was ahead with a heavy sea. We lost sight of each other many times, and it took us more than twelve hours to row the distance. We lay off Disappointment all night, and next morning in trying to land capsized the mate's boat; but all succeeded in reaching the shore. There we found water, and caught two albatross, which we could not cook or eat. We had lost all our provisions but one piece of pork and nine tins of meat. On opening the tins we found it impossible to retain the contents on our stomachs. We then decided to pull over to the main island again; but after several hours of useless labor had to put back and lie under the lee of Disappointment again all night.

537

on the grass, with feet to the fire, gave us longneeded rest. wood of the island was so moistened by the wet We afterward found that the climate that the Maoris of New Zealand who come here sealing always bring their own lightbing two sticks together is of no avail. Thus wood with them. The Indian process of rubon this one match depended the lives of the whole party.

found an old whaler's hut about three miles off. Next day a party rowed along the coast and Our fire was then carefully moved to the hut, and all hands went to gathering food and fuel. Two seals were caught and baked. Seal meat was ever after our staple article of food.

bag, which one of the men appropriated for a The only thing of use in the hut was a jute coat. Tier during all this time had alone roused us The example and encouragement of from despair. We now settled down to the work of making ourselves as comfortable as possible, though without tools or proper material. There were only two knives among us. visited the wreck of the Grafton, but she had been stripped of every thing useful by Musgrave. and we luckily discovered before eating them A few fish were caught in her hold, that they were poisonous from the copper which they had got at in the schooner.

This diet soon restored us.

We

and we all knew that he had left a hut, and we Most of us had heard of Musgrave's wreck, Our sufferings from cold, hunger, and thirst On the 23d of May a picked crew of six was believed a stock of provisions and implements. during these two days and two nights were in- sent in search of this hut. describable. M'Clellan's despair became so successful after ten days, and found us so emaThey returned undiscouraging to his crew that he was shifted to ciated by dysentery that they did not know us the mate's boat. By pulling all the next day one from the other. They recommended eatwe succeeded in reaching a safe haven in a baying the blubber as well as the flesh of the seal. we afterward called North Harbor, on the main island of Auckland. We found no landingplace that night; but the next morning we pulled to the northeast part of the harbor and discovered one at a place called Sarah's Bosom. Our first care was to build a fire. six matches. Brush-wood and fuel were gathTier had ered, and the result watched with anxious eyes. The first match ignited, but went out immediately. Of the next four the heads fell off useless. This was the most critical moment of our lives. If that last match failed starvation and perhaps cannibalism were to be our lot. The men were already talking of the probability of having to cast lots for a victim. Being the smallest of the party, I determined to keep out of the way until the question had been decided.

I stole unperceived away and hid among the rocks, with a trembling heart, until the welcome sight of smoke relieved me of anxiety. The last match had been nursed with the most desperate care, and the fire was started. This fire was never allowed to go out during the eighteen months of our stay.

Comparative comfort was Clothes were dried, the two albatross cooked, now dawning. and a few shell-fish gathered. A long sleep

for food or utensils left by former visitors. We While this party was gone we made search found a tree with the name of the steamer Victoria carved on it, and a bottle with a paper in left on the island. No mention was made of it stating that fowls, goats, and rabbits had been the course for New Zealand.

and after a month of wandering in snow and
Not long after a party of eight started anew,
cold found Musgrave's hut.
ever, only a few rude articles of furniture, and a
It contained, how-
large iron boiler. The walls were lined with
canvas.
the other hut.
It was about twenty-five miles from
great disappointment had been spared us.
On our return we found that a
vessel had been sighted and chase given in the
A
men aboard, but no device succeeded in at-
boat. The boat got near enough to see the
tracting attention. Tier expressed a wish that
she might "break her back," which she actually
did four days after on the coast of New Zealand.

grounds we separated into two parties, one re-
In order to have two look-outs and sealing
maining in the whaler's, and the other going to
ter, barely existing on seal, which by this time
Musgrave's hut. Seven of us went to the lat-
we had learned to salt.

We remained here till October, and then made a visit to the other party, thinking they might be in want. We found that by the ingenuity of Tier they had been taught to make clothing, blankets, moccasins, needles, and salt, and had found plenty of birds' eggs. They had caught many rabbits, two goats, and two kids. The goats, which they had kept alive, were marked A. S. (Acclimatization Society) on the horns.

The project was now started of fitting up the best boat, and sending it in search of New Zealand.

We returned to Musgrave's and busied ourselves in rigging the boat, while the other party prepared provisions. We made the canvas lining of the hut into sails, tinder, and clothing. We picked the ropes which held the beams of the hut together into oakum, and remade it into smaller rope.

On the 26th of December, 1866, the two parties again united at the cove, and joined forces to put the finishing touches to the boat. At last, when all that our ingenuity and means could furnish was gathered, we called for volunteers. The mate, Bartholomew Brown, M'Nevin, Morrison, and Scott were the ones who offered for the perilous enterprise. The boat was twenty-two feet long by four feet six inches beam -a sound Whitehall boat. A jib and main-sail. were her sails. The supply of water was about thirty gallons, in gullets of seals. For provisions, two live goats, a baked seal, some salted seal, seven tins of preserved meats, and thirty dozen boiled eggs were put aboard. It was calculated that this supply would last three weeks.

helpless the next. One man would accuse the unhappy crew of deserting us, and curse their selfishness. Another would, sobbing, deplore their cruel fate, and praise the noble men who ventured on a hopeless task.

Six weeks we watched and prayed for their return, and then we mourned them as dead. Not until after our rescue did we discover the appalling fact that the course they took must have carried them far to the eastward of New Zealand, with no prospect of sighting land for thousands of miles. Let us hope that some merciful storm spared them the pangs of starvation and its attendant crimes.

One circumstance that added greatly to our anxiety for the boat was the relation of a dream by Caughey. Some days before the boat started he had nearly given way to despair, and had prayed God for a dream which should show him whether he was ever to get off the island. That night in his sleep his mother appeared to him, bearing a branch of laurel, and said: "My son, you shall get away from this island in January, and the vessel shall be sighted during your cooking week." She went on to state that the lookout should not discover her, but that Caughey should. She also pointed out the island from behind which the vessel should appear, and described her as being a brig with Maoris aboard. The month of January, 1867, passed by with no signs of rescue, and the dream was almost forgotten. It was, however, realized in the next year.

On the 8th of March, 1867, all but Jewell and his wife and M‘Clellan moved over to Enderby's Island, as it promised to be a better place for look-out and sealing ground. As soon as we had got comfortable quarters under way the The others joined us. We built here rude huts of brush-wood thatched with grass, closed only on three sides, with a fire in front. These are called by the New Zealanders mai-mis. They kept the cold out very well, but caught fire very often.

This devoted crew hoped, without chart or compass, to reach some part of New Zealand, whence a rescuing party might be sent. nearest point lies about two hundred miles from the Aucklands. The question was to us in what direction. The islands were searched in vain for papers giving the true bearings. Those who had read Musgrave's account racked their brains to recollect the course he steered when he escaped, and finally convinced themselves that it was east-northeast. Others were in favor of due north. The former unhappily prevailed. On the 22d of January, 1867, our ill-fated companions left us, and we never saw them

We then passed many days collecting wood along the shore to build more substantial shelters with. We also got logs from the main island, and by good luck found some bricks and tiles for a chimney. These were the relics of a Maori settlement which had been abandoned many years before. They had been overgrown with grass, but we accidentally built a fire over the spot, which disclosed the edges of the tiles.

An

We built one house twenty feet by eleven, with a chimney, in which lived six of us. other one, a little larger, was occupied by Jewell and wife and three others. We then established a systematic look-out, at which each man took his turn all day long. For this man's shelter we built another mai-mi on the highest

Both parties appreciated the danger and the mutual dependence of their fates. Tears trickled down the faces of all, and a silent handshaking was all their adieu. We rowed out to sea a few miles with them, and on our return climbed to the highest peak to catch one more glimpse, but the fresh breeze had already carried them out of sight. That night blew a heavy northeast gale, but next day a south-summit of the island, and made enormous piles west wind arose and continued eight days.

The anxious waiting which ensued told more severely on us than all the privation. The feverish excitement of hope caused a cessation of labor one day, and blank despair rendered us

of wood for bonfires in case of need.

Tier was our leader in all plans for improving our condition. No scrap of iron ever escaped his eye, and he could always find a use for the most trifling article.

At this time we were as comfortable as the resources of the island would allow. Our huts were tolerably weather-proof, and what with seal, albatross, pig, rabbit, and fish, fresh and salted, Scott, who was lost in the boat, was with good water, we were not badly off for food. allowed two weeks off duty to make a pack of Seal soup at every meal was monotonous, but cards, during which time we did his work. He bearable. Tier invented needles from the wing- took the tin lining of a bread-locker, cut it into bones of the albatross, thread from flax, and fifty-two pieces, and scratched the emblems of cloth from the skin of the seal. After care- the cards on them with a nail. At first there fully paring, pounding, and stretching the skins was great competition for the use of these, and they became soft as chamois, and were easily the sound of merriment was heard till midnight fashioned into garments. Shoes and hats were for many weeks. Afterward dominoes, checkmade in the same way; buttons of wood anders, tip-cat, and foot-ball were added to our list bone, and mufflers of rabbit skins.