The Old Lady and the Sea

4.9

In October 1829, the schooner “Mermaid” with 18 men on board left Sydney, Australia. Between Australia and New Guinea the ship struck a coral reef and sank. The crew climbed a rock and spent three days there until they were taken aboard by the bark “Swiftsure” which passed close by.

Two days later, the “Swiftsure” ran ashore and was wrecked. All the 18 men of the “Mermaid” and the 14 men of the “Swiftsure” swam ashore. They stayed there till the schooner “Governor Ready” with 32 men on board appeared. The men from the “Mermaid” and the “Swiftsure” were taken aboard the “Governor Ready”.

In a few days the “Governor Ready” caught fire and sank. The 64 men of the three ships all took to the longboats and drifted in the open Pacific.

A new ship came to their rescue. It was the cutter “Comet” which took all the men aboard. But not for long. The “Comet’s” end came in a sudden storm, and 85 men, including 21 men of the “Comet”, found themselves adrift again. They were drifting in the Pacific for 18 hours until they were seen by the ship “Jupiter” with a crew of 38 men. The men from the four ships were taken aboard the “Jupiter”.

A few hours later, the “Jupiter” ran on a reef and sank. The 123 men of the five ships with their five captains climbed a rock in the ocean until a sixth and final ship took them aboard. This time it was the “City of Leeds,” a passenger schooner with 100 passengers on board.

The passengers and crew of the ship were greatly astonished when they heard the story of these 123 men.

Thomas Sparks, the doctor of the “City of Leeds”, listening to the details of the story, suddenly said:

“Are there any men from Yorkshire among you?”

There was no answer, and the doctor continued:

“I need a man from Yorkshire about 35 years of age. I need him to prolong the life of a very sick old lady. She is unconscious and calls for her son whom she has not seen for 10 years. If we can’t find someone to impersonate her son, we may soon have to bury her at sea.”

“What part of Yorkshire does the old lady come from?” asked one of the men from the “Mermaid”.

“She is from Whitby.”

“Then I think I can impersonate the old lady’s son. I am from Whitby myself.”

“How old are you, son?”

“I am 34, sir.”

“Come with me now.”

“What name shall I take, sir?”

“Peter Richardson. Repeat the name a few times so that you will not forget it.”

“No need of that. I am Peter Richardson.”

Peter Richardson saw his mother and her joy was so great that she recovered and lived 18 years longer.

It seems as if five shipwrecks had been arranged without the loss of a single human life, so that a son could see his dying mother and save her from death.

A wonderful story, isn’t it?