UNKNOWN.

•11 ki what a 'Freezer' is? Tt's one o'them vessels 'WtMog! home frozen meat from and other places. ■WU was left on one o' them in ■tan all alone, to find my way ■."■tea best I could, once. I'll tell ■Jβ not about two year ago, but, i S^lot the owners, the story didn't JBf'ki The fact is, I was rescued mpiliip as belonged to the same β^and,o . Course, I got a tip, an' nothin' about Wnfl till now. And now it don't 'cos the company has made f eC success, they don't care ia been told how the 1 fflf B picked down below, and that carry special machinery for cold air into the 3 flttfi ce P' D g the temperature IK *g way below freezing point. , jl**, this ere machinery has -■>;-780«»' from the time the Kili, to the time it's all I WmJh'T tbe cargo would be EL ! Wldtfttake lon S t 0 rot jj,pNle, not even in a cold G 'HES "e'sa break-down in HLff fS'fies when the ship is ■2?N the Equator, why, rr Wk£ ffian J ack is over ' HCK mind the sha *s, the ■Ml 'J "»<!«»> death in a shark's ••■W in a shi P full of But it very ' * eSr* Zealand in the , Wr,' with a full ■fe ton r June i4th ' s»Jie«» and not one of us i Wfe? We * ou!dhavc a good ? bout two w ? eks enife^toi* was wrong. examined every '°e&> 3and of course, »»|M** constant supervision. j9l, lß^t2? ostcareful P^^ * 1 mSZI when *m*m? "• and so il 0 -'«iNfe but ra y du 'ies were 'i'lV*®. not the freezing^ 6 ,eSSjjrttthetime,orl , '.!, -■" ln m v bunk

noise never would ha' woke me, an' it wasn't the smell of oil

I felt kind of suffocated, and at first I thought of fire. I jumped out of my bunk quick enough, and my nose was quite sufficient to tell me it -wasn't fire. I shouted for Jim Barker, one o' my mates, but I didn't get any reply, and then, 'cos the stench was too thick to let me remain any longer below, I made my way on deck. But I tell you I nearlyrfell back in a faint more than once before I got there. I was astonished too, because I didn't see any of the men as I went, and I supposed they also had gone on deck for a spell to get away from the per foom. Well, perhaps you may be able to imagine some o' my feelin's when I had dragged myself with difficulty to the deck, at seem' not a single soul, man or boy, and at receivin' no answer to my calls. It was fearfully hot on deck, for we were well in the tropics, but there was a sail stretched over part of it, and the little breath of fresh air I got, on reach ing the open, revived me a bit. But as I looked up and down the deck, I noticed that all the ship's boats were gone! And when I went to the side of the vessel, there, three mile away, long out of hailin , distance, I could see the boats all well together, makin for I didn't know where. Just then the terrible smell again reached me, and the fearful thought oc curred to me that the freezin , engines had broke down, the meat was all goin bad, and the ship had been deserted. And so had I.

I had been forgotten. I was left to die a terrible death from blood poisoning, fever, and star vation. ~ , Even the fresh water would be tainted. , There was no chance of escape, tor every boat the ship carried had been taken, and all the fresh provisions they had been able to lay hands on. I he captain andall the crew were gone, sothe escape had been careafully organised. It s s wonderful how necessity snarpens the wits. I very soon began to think of how to set about my self-preserva tion for as long a time as possible. To have remained near the stern of of the vessel would have meant to get the full force of the foul smell, so I determined to go as far forward as possible. There were plenty of ropes about the deck, and lots of canvas j so I gathered enough of both in my arms, i-nd made for the ship's bows Fortu nately for me, it was fair weathei. My iJii.w-ewrigup'a hammock on the

bowsprit, and I succeeded in doing so. And to that I believe I oive ray life, for, of course, there I was more free of the fearful atmosphere than any where else.

Bus how long would it be before I got and help? Another fortunate cir cumstance was, that being in the direct line of traffic, I might be sighted by a passing vessel within the next twenty four hours. But, again, it might be a week first. However. I did not give myself time to think of that, and I had to be quick if I did'nt want to be suffocated.

Then I dragged and rolled a small keg of fresh water I found on deck to my haven of refuge, and making it securely fast with rope, slung it over as near my hammock as I could. I was very hungry, but I didn't know where to get any food. So I just made one more journey to the captain's cabin (which was on deck), and there by good luck found a small tin of hard biscuits. These I took back with me. Then I got out into my hammock, and prepared for the worst that mjght come. It was about the worst I ever expeir enced.

When the excitement which was kept me going up to this time over, t had began to feel a terrible pain in my head, and a heavy dizzy feeling all over me. My flesh burned, and I knew I was in a high fever. However, I still had sufficient strength and sense left to tie myself into my hammock in case I should become de lirious, and throw myself out. Then I seemed to forget any regular rotation of what occurred.

The horrible stench of the rotting meat seemed to fill my nostrils and per vade every pore of my body. I tried to stuff my mouth and nose up with my neck-scarf, but the smell came through. I cut a bit of tobacco, and tried by chewing it to kill the smell, but it bad penetrated the tobacco. I remember taking a bit o' tarred rope and chewin' it. an' that seemed the sweetest thing ofall. , „ For two days and nights I endured those torments, and I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to undergo the same. I don't remember when the ship's engines stopped workin', but it must ha , been soon after I got into the ham mock

All I know is, that by might and by day, I tossed about, sometimes in my senses, sometimes quite out of them, and no relief came. The heat all the time was intense, and I had no means of protecting myself. On the morning of the third day 1 was about yivin , up in despair for the

thousandth time, when I thought I heard a shout, ' Ship ahoy !' And you may wager I didn't wait to make sure, but, with a strength born of hope, I shouted back as loud as I could, 4 Ahoy ! Help ! Abandoned !' And then I think I must have fainted.

When I came to myself again, I saw a boat just rowing towards me, and I shouted again, tellin' them not to try to board the ship, as she was fever stricken and deserted. Then they rowed up under me, and I dropped into the water, dead beat, alongside o' them.

They picked me up and carried me aboard their ship, the Princess Helena, and I can't tell you any more until we reached Liverpool, except that I lay in a berth the whole voyage, near to death with fever.

But I recovered, thank goodness, and the owners made things square for me in a very handsome manner.

I don't think the Prince Regent was ever recovered, and, unless she got caught in a gale and came to further grief, I daresay she is still one of the flotsam of the great ocean.

THE APCKIAND EVENING STAR, WEDNESDAY, QCTOBEB W. 1887.

7



fXORS. OF THE LATE THOMAS SHORT, QUEEN STREET, AUCKLAND, & OWEN STREET, THAMES. ' " " ■"■' ' "■ M ■iiini __»^—..__—-————»—.————______________.__—_____■■_»_•__________. J,, , ~ , , . t _ I 11. . n i.- 1 ., The STAR Safety Razor. Lawn Mowers! Garden Rollers. Cricket! Lawn Tennis! .m which renders shaving an easy and convenient luxury, THTESSRS. E. PORTER & CO. have just unpacked their season's shipment of. !_■«._ obviates all clanger of cutting the face. Warranted to shave clean. . Cricket and Lawn Tennis Goods, all of which are of the latest and most . Jmnnev saved. Delays in barber shops avoided. It is specially adapted A splendid assortment just received, inoluding the OIMILE - .- - rrjjie and mont.y = . approved patterns. Having been purcl as3d direct from the manufacturers, they d and the young ; and is iv dispensable to travellers by land and by sea ; \ b i _v i r> r— r-N/"\ 06 f b arsons camping out jto the indolent and the luxurious ;to the UTA QV " CYLINDERS Can ° ffer them at the ver y loWest P rices ' Ins invited. (a miners »" v b _r, £_a h , AVan t S a quick shave, and him whose skin is too tender to admit of the %MmiW*J I gig ~ r B r f' nof the ordinary razor. Once used you will never be without it. In SEVERAL SIZES, 8 Rpnoires No Practice. Every Man his Own Barber. nr-Kt M O \/1 \/ asui a » S I' I I' i I" 8 """ <P °E. PORTER AND CO., -a.i<tid i_E^o__NTiwro__Nra-_E]_R/e I QUEEN AND HIGH STREETS, "' I ALSO, ItTIErWTOICT, ____TT_D STREET. < __■ ■ . ...'..■.'"..■'■■■ :'- ■'■■■■*■,!!.:■ ''i



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Insurance IS" Bw . York Life INSURANCE COMPANY. Cash Assets, Ist January, 18S7 .. £15,518,817 Income for 1886 £3,956,874 Local Director C. C. McMillan, 33 sq. (Messrs \V. McArthur & Co.) Solicitors: Messrs Russell & Campbell, Bankers: Bask ov Australasia. Policies issued guaranteeing the return of all Premiums itt addition to the sum insured if death occur within a twenty-year period. J. HUGO HARROP, Resident Agent. TVTEW ZEALAND INSURANCE COM- PANY (FIRE AND MARINE). Capital £1,000,000. Paid-up and Reserve Funds £435,000 Protection from FIRE or MARINE LOSS Can be Effected in this Gompanv. CLAIMS MET WITH PROMPTITUDE AND LIBERALITY. JAMES BUTTLE, Manager. SUITS, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, with Water bury Watch for Nothing, at J. H. Dalton's, Tailor. Victoria-stroc t_Kasr. WATERBUPvY Watches for Nothing at J. 11. Dalton's. Tailor, Victoria-street East



Public Notices. ~ BRETTS A-UCKLAND A.LMANAC A~SD PROVINCIAL HANDBOOK FOR 1888. The aim of this work is to describe in an inter esting manner the Vast Resources, the Climate, the Scenery of the Auckland Provincial Die, trict; its Mountains, Harbours, Rivers, and Lakes; ita Forests and its Plains; its Cul tivated and Waste Lands, and to show Foreign Capitalist* that our Genial Clime, Rich Lands, and Mineral Products, and Intelligent, Go-a. head People offer inducements to intending investors or settlers superior to those of any other part of the world. Other colonial handbooks hare largely mis represented this naturally rich and beautiful province, while the pages of the above work are devoted entirely to setting forth Auckland's capabilities and its many superior advantages ) in addition to which the fullest information is afforded of all Political, Social, and Religious matters of Provincial or Colonial importance. As each year the contents are re-written, and tho statistical information brought up to the latest date, tho Annual Volume becomes a valu able Work of Reference worthy of a permanent place in every Colonist's library. This valuable publication being designed to urther the prosperity of Auckland, the price charged is merely nominal. As the Book has now become a work of daily reference in thehome of every settler throughout the province, and is in use in a'l public offices in the colony and in many leading places abroad, it may with confidence be described as the best permanent Medium of Advertising of fered to business men. The work will be issued at the old price— ONE SHILLING. SECRETARIES of MASONIC LODGES FRIENDLY SOCIETIES, TRADE, MERCAN TILE, SPORT, MUSICAL, and OTHER SOCIETIES are repuested to forward to THIS OFFICE, addressed "EDITOR BRETT'S ALMANAC." the information necessary for the compilation of the Directory attached to the Almanac. The publisher is desirous of going to press earlier than usual. Tradesmen and other 3 desirous of inserting their business notices will therefore oblige by forwarding their adver tisements withotit dolay; iyj--O"N"U" iN M EN T S ITALIAN AND VERMONT MARBLES, AND ABERDKEN GItANITE. HEAD STONES IN MARBLE AND STONE. Ikon Tomb Railings at Prices. Prices and Designs sent post-free. ? Country orders carefully packed. : TAIT BROTHERS, Monumental Works, Corner of Holland and Lome Btreets (near Queen-street Junction), Auckland. EAVE your Orderwith J. H. Dalfcon, Tailor, for a Suit, and he will give you a pair of Cricketing Trousers made of the best llntiiu-.l V