Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1854 Excerpt: ... by land and sea, by fire and water. The first remarkable event of my life was a sudden recovery from illness when about five years of age, after I had been given over by my father to die. But a more striking providence followed. Soon after my almost miraculous restoration as from the grave, I accompanied my parents, during the French war, on a visit to England. Our vessel was a light barque, carrying a few guns, and but ill furnished for severe conflict with the enemy. On entering the Channel, and midway between the English and French coasts, a ship of war hove in sight. It was towards night, and as she appeared to bear down upon us, our captain prepared for action. My mother and I were hurried from the cabin to what was thought a place of greater safety below. My father remained on deck. All was confusion above us, while I was astonished at being thus suddenly removed from my comfortable berth to the dismal quarters beneath the decks. We had not been long there, when I observed a boy come occasionally to the place of our imprisonment, and, with a large horn in his hand, take something from out of a barrel, having first fixed a lighted candle upon its edge and leaving it there. Observing, as I sat upon my mother's lap--who was too absorbed in anxiety to notice the circumstance--that the piece of candle was nearly burnt to the edge, I got down, put out my hand and took it away, saying, 'Mamma, this will burn the barrel.' It was a cask of gunpowder 1 Had I not removed it at that moment, or, in removing it, had a spark fallen from the lengthened wick, the vessel and all on board must instantly have been blown to atoms. What a wonderful preservation from instantaneous and eternal destruction; for it is not supposed that there was a single person on board who kn...