148 THE CAST- A WAY. 



It seemed but as yesterday that we had left Talcu- 

 huano for a cruise on the coast of Chili, and we 

 were only a few days from port when our cooper 

 fell violently ill. We were within a day's sail of 

 Valparaiso, so the old man steered for that port 

 and went on shore for medical advice. He 

 returned with some medicine, but it proved of 

 no avail. Next day the cooper died. We kept 

 him till the following afternoon, and then we 

 buried him. 



At four o'clock the ship's headway was stopped, 

 the stars and stripes flung out at half-mast, and all 

 hands called to bury the dead. Wrapped in his 

 blanket and sewed in strong canvas, with a bag of 

 sand ballast at his feet, the dead man's body was 

 brought to the waist and laid gently on the gang- 

 way board. As the captain read the solemn 

 service, the men uncovered and bowed their heads. 

 At the words " We commit his body to the deep," 

 the pall-bearers lifted the body slowly at the head ; 

 and then — all that remained to us of our ship- 

 mate was the pleasant memory he left behind him, 

 for he had always been a favorite among our crew. 

 So we left him to his peaceful, dreamless sleep, 

 " there to await the general resurrection in the 

 last day." That night I read with a better 

 understanding the cheering words of the Apostle, 



