Extracts from the Journal of an American Naval Officer [pp. 767-782]

1842.] The Rain-Drop.-Extractsfrom the Journal of an Amtrican Naval Officeir.
THE FATE OF A RAIN-DROP. manners having long estranged his messmates.
His paroxysms were so frequent and so violent,
Its homne was the breast of a beautifill cloud,
That brilliantly curtained the sky,
That brilliantly curtained the sky, that he required unceasing and vigilant superin And caught from the sun the rich color that glowed, tendance. We had no hospital whither to send
In the light of his glorious eye. him, and the persons usually employed as nurses
in the town, absolutely refused to take charge of
The rain-drop was gazing on all that was spread
Beneath, like a rmagical scene; him. He was therefore solely dependant on the
Till it pined to repose on a canopied bed, humanity of others.
Of lovely and delicate green. Hearing, one afternoon, how much he was una A zehyr came roving in idleness b, voidably neglected, and how he had, the night be A zephyr came roving in idleness by,
And down on its gossamer wing, fore, seriously injured himself, I volunteered to sit
AThe tremulous rgindrop sprang, eager to try up with him that night. I knew not the hazard I
A flight on so viewless a thing. encountered, and those who were better informed
were too interested to enlighten me.
The zephyr careered through the mid-slummer air.
TeA justy ateeth f the eventidem cloe -About 8 P. M., I entered his room and found
And just at the eventide close,
Laid gently the delicate burden it bare, him sitting on the side of his bed, furiously biting
Laid gently the delicate burden it bare, 1
In the innermost cell of a rose. his nails, which, as well as his mouth, were stained
with blood. His beard was long and clotted, and
The wanderer gazed in a transport of bliss, **
The wanderer gazel in a transport of bi' s, his hair matted and dangling over his red and
At the crimson-wrought tapestries hu[g
swollen eyes. An old negro woman was in vain
So gorgeously round it;-and fragrance like this swollen eyes. An old negro woman was n van
O'er its bosom hadever been flun. endeavoring to persuade him to partake of food
which she held before him. When hlie saw me, he
'Twas the joy of a moment. A beautiful girl became outrageous; and, gnashing his teeth, strove
While straying through garden and bower,
While straying through garden and bower, to rise from the bed, while the woman resisted him.
Paused lighltly to show her companion the pearl, A severe fit followed, after which he was mpara That ay o the reas of te flwer.A severe fit followed, after which he wvas compara That lay on the breast of the flower.
tively calm.
'Tis a chalice containing an exquisite draught, Inquiring of the woman how long hlie had been
Which Emily only shall sip," without food, stIe told me nearly two days, and
He said as he gathered the rose-lbud-she quaffed, that e refused to eat, because he thouht that
And he parlW~wSdisolve onheron!that he refutsed to eat, because he thought that
And the pearl was dissolved on her lip!
M. J. every thing was poisoned. At the last word lihe
became again excited, and said that they were all
trying to poison him. I had heard, that when prac ticable, it was better to humor than oppose the fain cies of a maniac. "You are right," I said to him;
EXTRACTS "the cook did try to poison you, but the doctor found
FROM THE JOURNAL OF AN AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICER. her out and sent her to jail, and this food I know
to be good."
[Conztinued. ]
" You don't say so!" he exclaimed. "Is she
Returning to the United States after two years Ithough? Can't she get out "
service in the West Indies, the vessel was laid up I told him that she could never get out.
for repairs-the men were discharged, and the offi- " Give me! give me!" hlie cried, pointing to the
cers detached. food, which he clutched eagerly and devoured with
Homeless, and, beyond the sphere of my pro- voraciousness. After his meal, he slept for upfession, nearly friendless, I soon tired of the shore, wards of an hour. When he awoke, the first thing
and my heart yearned for the sea, its associations, which caught his eye, was a fly sleeping on the
and its sympathies. Long before the expiration of wall above him
my leave of absence, I was an applicant for ser- " See that fly!" he called out. " Look at him,
vice, and my application met with immediate sue- how he swells! He is as big as an elephant. 0,
cess. my God! my God! he will crush me!" and he
I was detailed for the Hornet-the symmetrica
I was detailed for the Hornet,vtle symmetrical, struggled desperately, as if to free himself from an
the beautiful Hornet! endeared by the achieve- overwhelming pressure.
ment of two glorious victories. Again he became quiet; and I supposed he was
We fitted out at Norfolk, and before we were sleeping; but after sometime he started up, and I
ready for sea, one of our oldest Midshipmen,* who sprung
' X sprung ~~~~~forward to hold him. Ileckoningr to me to
was, in fact, a man of mature years, was ta ken se- Ieep quiet, with a mischievous glance, he pointed
riously ill. At length, his life was despaired of; to the old woman. She was fast asleep, nodding
but he lingered long, a perfect maniac. He had in her chair. Perceiving from his countenance
no friends; his dissipated habits and his rude that he iad nothing malicious in view, I suffered
* Reference is here made to date of warrant. He was him to proceed. Stealthily as a cat, he slowly apunquestionably the most advanced in years. proached her. When he gained her side, he sud
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