Edwin L Woolsey

Unfortunately, another monstrous quake struck six hours later at 8 o'clock in the morning. The aftershock released as much violent terror as the first. But this time, the total effect was visible. "She's coming back on us, Sir " the pilot screeched. "What is, Jack?" "The entire river, Sir " the befuddled fellow pointed. "The current has reversed " "Steer into it, man " Roosevelt barked. "Don't let the leading wave swamp us " Aware of necessity, the engineer jerked the firebox damper open and shoveled more coal. The rapid side wheel responded, and the New Orleans quickened her pace, leaving a plume of ash and glowing cinders in the boat's wake. Bucking like a wild horse, the steamship plowed into the rolling billow. Crashing through the ridge of water, the bow lifted and dropped between each intervening trough and peak. Within four hours, another massive tumult battered the torn earth and roiled the troubled tide. The horrific midday shock whipped a bleak veil of dust and vile gas overhead. The revolting mist obliterated every scrap of blue sky and blotted the beaming sun.

"'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39).' "A mysterious disconnect exists between the amount of biblical material about death and Western theology's scant reliance on that body of Scripture to universally explain what happens when life ends. In a vague way, we assume to understand what occurs after our last breath, but do we really? Can we say with surety what happens next? Where precisely do we go, and when do we get there? Are we able to point to ancient authoritative sources and say, 'See, here it is' Due to the fuzzy nature or our current ideas, the hodgepodge of religious speculations dealing with the afterlife are more likely an outgrowth of popular culture, religious songs, and anecdotal stories instead of solid biblical texts or early Judeo-Christian orthodoxy. "This quandary is probably a modern anomaly since medieval society was more familiar with the certainty of dying than we are. The disassociation with spiritual reality might be a product of advancements in science and medicine that give us a false notion of immortality; however, nothing could be farther from the truth. Unquestionably, we will all die, and guaranteed that fact, a knowledge of what immediately follows the cessation of life is an asset worth having, not only for peace of mind here but also for advanced preparation until we get there, especially regarding faith-based groups like Christianity. If anyone should master the questions and answers dealing with the transition between life and death, it should be the Church. "Maybe the somber nature of death makes us avoid the subject, or possibly the opposite is true. Our illiteracy of God's Word might be the reason death seems so cryptic and foreboding, thus creating our shortsighted ignorance of the topic. Regardless, Jesus admonished us to pull our heads from the sand, search the Scripture, and make sure that our doctrines actually match God's source material... hence the purpose of this book."

Setting a course for the Bosporus Strait at the western end of the Black Sea, the ship skirted the coast of Crimea until the besieged city of Caffa came in view. Immediately, the crew and passengers rushed to the starboard rail to witness the unfolding horror. "My God," Aelfred moaned, "what are they doing?" Wulfgar rested a hand on his son's shoulder, "They are burying the living beneath the dead." Alarmed by the women's cries, the men watched as huge stacks of plague corpses catapulted over the city walls, one dead body after another. Arching through the air, the cadavers' arms and legs flailed lifelessly in flight until they splattered against houses and churches or spilled their putrid contents on the frantic streets. Even from a distance, the seafarers heard the monotonous thud... thud... thud... of war machines relentlessly working to spread the noxious agent of death. The ghastly odor of the decimated Mongol army wafted across the water, filling the noses of passengers and crew with the sick, rancid taint of decay.

Glaring above the open water into the towering maelstrom's gaping black throat, Aodh agreed, "This storm is going to be bad." Several minutes passed as the tattered lightning exploded into waves of resounding thunder that echoed across the choppy sea. Finally satisfied that he had seen enough; the burly Irishman turned to go below, "I'll warn the women to get ready. This monster is coming fast." Within a matter of minutes the weather abruptly worsened as the typhoon slammed into the side of the listing ship, driving the boat and her three companion vessels farther out to sea. The helmsman struggled to turn the bow into the wind, but after endless effort finally let the ship run ahead of the gale. "If we could just find an island," Lochlann bellowed, "where the dromon could sail along the sheltered side." Drenching wet, Aodh adamantly shook his head and shouted, "No good That close to land, the boat might founder on sandbars hidden in the shallows We'll be safer letting her run deep "

Hurrying to rescue his son, Charles quickly lit the lamp, only to find giant grasshoppers invading their home from spaces under the wood shingles and cracks between the logs. Oblivious to Nancy's screams, the writhing hoard peppered the cabin window and scoured the outer walls. "Oh, Lord " Woolsey breathed, "What will become of our crop? God help our corn " But that was only the vanguard's first wave Dingy morning saw a blizzard of new invaders, following hard on the heels of the first assault. Wrapping his face with a rag, the man ventured into the dim daylight. Thousands of feet above his head, gossamer wings glistened against the sun like silver flakes of snow. The bugs swirled in eddies of air, forming bejeweled tornadoes; and as they landed, they relentlessly ate... weeds, tree leaves, garden greens, potatoes, corn, tobacco, shovel handles, fence posts, sheep wool, leather harnesses, paint, curtains, and clothing. In a matter of hours, stubble remained where fields had flourished.