A CURIOUS RELIC.

Inangahua Times, 19 January 1880, Page 2

A CURIOUS RELIC.

A curious relic of one of the expeditions which sailed to the West Indies under the command of Columbus has (the Pall Mall Gazette "says, quoting a Martinique journal) been recently discovered. On the 4th of August, 1498, a small, squadron of three vessels uuder the orders of Christopher Columbus was anchored off tbe south-westeren extremity of the Island of Trinidad. Late at night Columbus, it is related by Washington Irving, suddenly saw a wall of water approaching towards the fleet from the' south, His own vessel was lifted up so high by tbe on coming wave that he feared it would be either submerged or dashed on shore; while the cable of one of the other ships parted under the strain to which it was subjected. The crews of tne vessels gave themselves np for lost ; but after a time tbe wave, which it is surmised must have been caused by an exceptionally large body of water coming suddenly down one of the rivers flawing infc-gheGulf is men* tioned by Columj^jfl^^BUinand, who that thj^^^^^^^^^^B^kto^ thei^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H anch^d^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J stra^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H of 6^^^^^^^^^^^^^B the e<_^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H P^ays co_|^^^^Hs^!^|HH|^^^| notions witn^PWeges), it wasagrlwil that whoever could weather the whole snpper, submitting to all queries, surprises and ingenious question without replying, should be entitled to it gratuitously. Many and frequently were the artifices and subterfuges restored to by the ladies in attendence to trap the unguarded, and one after another stout and discreet men went down before the const ant volley of artful interrogations. At last all fell out and paid tbe dime penalty save one in* j dividual— a queer chap— whom nobody seemed to know. He attended strictly to business and passed unheeded the jokes jibes, and challenges. They quizzed him but all in vain. He wrestled with the turkey and grappled with the goose, He bailed out the cranberry sauce wiih an unswerving hand, and he ate celery as as the scriptural vegetarian ate grass; and finally, when he had finished bis fifth piece of pie, he whipped out a pocket slate, and wrote on it, in a large and legible hand, * 1 am deaf and dumb."