"Now, Raynor," said I, "we've had nothing out of you, yet. Since Venus has given us a wrecking song, suppose you give us a wrecking story-a true one. Tell us about your saving the life of Captain Nathan Holdredge."

"No, no," protested Raynor; it's late now, and soon as the moon gets up. we've got to go into the surf;—and you know all about it."

"Tell it.

Go ahead; or I'll summon a court of Dover and have you fined."

"Don't do that. Here goes then for THE WAY THE OLD MAN SAVED CAPTAIN HOLDREDGE;" and the intrepid veterán went on as follows; I took it from his own mouth, and the whole story is his without embellishment, or addition. could only give his voice-his eye-his hand-his attitudeI should be happy

:

If I

"It was eighteen years ago. The lighthouse war'nt built. I was fishing off agin Bellport, twenty miles east of here. I got up on the 17th day of October, early. The first thing I see, was a ship on the beach. I went over to her, and it appeared as if they wanted no assistance; the wind was blowing at the east, and it was stormy-rain storm-it was between break of day and sunrise. I was going to return back again to the hut where we staid, and they beckoned, and hollowed to us to stay ;-then they let down their jolly boat under the stern ;—the captain, second mate, and one sailor came ashore in her. When they came ashore, I knew the captain. It was Captain Holdredge.-After being there a little while, the captain invited me to go on board with him and take something to drink with him-some brandy;-and he would send a demijohn on shore for the rest of the crew, -my crew. 1 discovered that there was much agin difficulty in goin to the ship, as there was coming from her. The

wind was off shore, and sea breaking on ;-then I told him, if you will let me and one of my men and him go aboard, I would go he wanted to take the two sailors, and they insisted upon going, and he was a' mind they should too,—but if them two sailors is a going to go, I sha'nt go. These sailors seemed to be rather affronted at my opinion, and seemed to think that they could go as well and long as me or any other man.

"Then I told him I choosed not to go. Then Holdredge said, stay where we was, and he and the men would go and get a demijohn of brandy, and bring it ashore. They then started for the ship. She lay in the surf. The surf was pretty big. The vessel lay about one hundred yards from the dry land. It was this same Raccoon beach. The wind was east. The ship's name was the "Savannah." She was a packet ship. She had five passengers. She was from Savannah,

loaded with cotton- four hundred bales, as I was told.

"When they got off against the ship, they was about twenty yards to the west of her. The current carried them there; -then, heading up east to the ship, brought them right broadside to the sea;—the second sea capsized them-turned the two sailors out, and pitched the captain underneath. The two sailors came immediately ashore by the help of the sea; -and the jolly boat kept, to all appearance, about the same distance from the beach, and worked westward. I endeavored to try to get to her, for I knew the captain was under her. I endeavored to get to her all I could. The sea broke over my head and knocked me down two or three times I still endeavored to assist him at some rate or other-I got so that I touched the jolly boat-I just put my hand on her, and whether it was my touching of her or not, she took a pretty rank heave of the sea, and she turned down on one

sea.

side pretty smartly, and the captain came out on the side opposite from me. I discovered that he was alive and apparently made some effort to help himself-but the current of the sea carried him along faster than I could travel, and in one moment he appeared to give up all, and roll along the Then I thought to myself it was no way to get him. So I then thought to myself there was no way to save him, but to return to the beach, and run about one hundred yards of the west of him. All the while I was running, I kept my eye on him. I kept watch of him-when I came to a sea pooseI went in to the east of it-went out into the ocean as far as he was standing and bracing against the sea-breaking over my head and just afore he got to me, there come a large sea and seemed to hide him-buried him all up-and as he about come abreast of me, I discovered him, and catched him by the collar of his coat-I then sung out for assistance to some of the rest of my crew who was on the beach-It was about forty yards from the dry sand. One man run in. I gave him left hand-I had hold of Holdredge with my right hand. More of the crew came in and took hold of hands, and it made a smart and long trail of it. I should think there was as much as eight of us—and so we drawed him up on the beach. Some of the crew said he was stone dead, when we got him out. I discovered that he was not dead by his stirring one of his arms. I turned him round on the beach where it shelved, and got his head the lowest, and then rolled him backwards and forwards on his face, till he discharged considerable water out of his mouth, and some blood out of his nose. I suppose this blood from his nose, was from the jams he got under the jolly boat. All the time I discovered he was coming to. I told the crew, that owing to the cold storm, he never would come to, unless we got him

by the fire. Myself and three others took him in our arms, and carried him about a quarter of a mile to our fishing hut― blowen and rainen all the time from the east-got him to the hut-built on a good fire-and prepared a little warm chocolate, and got a little of it down him, and he come to fast. In about three quarters of an hour he spoke. The first word he spoke, he asked, "where's the ship?" I told him the ship was safe on shore.

Well, I don't know how-he recreuted and began to talk. He had a mind to go to her. It was'nt worth while to go to her. The passengers and crew had all come away, They come away in my fish boat-after I got Holdredge to the hut, the men all went to the surf. I staid with Holdredge watching till next morning, when his natʼral senses seemed to come again. Next morning he took full charge of the ship, as much as ever, and would employ no commissioners.-He employed about twenty hands himself, at two dollars per day, and took charge of the vessel himself. Unloaded-got all cargo out-sent it down by lighters-would'nt employ any wreckmasters-vessel went to pieces-his crew worked upon the rigging, and took it off.

"Got ashore. He was in sight of the highlands at sundown, going then S. E. I was by and heard him make his protest -he turned in about twelve o'clock, and gave up to the mate, and told him to keep that course till two o'clook, and then tack ship, and stand in for the land, until they got into thirteen fathom water-and then call him, if he wa'nt up before. He waked, and found the ship had a different motion, and jumped out of his berth, and looked out of the companion-way, and saw the breakers under her lee—he giv orders to tack ship immediately, but before she got about, she struck!-she paid

off contrary, and got on to the beach-spread and tacked every sail to get her off, but to no purpose.

Menia, was the first mate.

Walford, second mate-Walford was one of the men who came ashore, and was upset, and was rolled ashore by the

waves.

"About the second day, word came on from Patchogue. that his wife was there, and wanted him to come ashore very much, if he was alive. He then went ashore to see her. When he come there, she said she was very glad to see him, looking as he was; for she had understood, at New York, that he was cast away, and that Raynor Smith had fell afoul of him, and beat him almost to death, and he told herso he telled me himself,-to cast that off, for it was all false, for Raynor Smith was his protector, and the only one that saved his life, and said to her, if it hadn't been for him, you wouldn't never seen me more."