Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-08-21
Ggaiff Mistfllmp.
The Corpus Santo.
BY HAwsER MARTIYGALE.

A few nights after Ned Spanker spun his
long and tedious yarn about the water spout,
which was nevertheless listened to with
much attention by his brother tars on board
the Conch Shell, he was called upon IN the
dog watch to redeem his promise Of nara
ting the circumstance attending the loss of
the ship Hope. The old weather-beaten
sailor, who seldom required TO be twice ask
ed to tell story, drew his hand twice or
thrice across his brows, as if to refresh his
memory, and after thrusting between his
jaws huge lump of tobacco, commenced
bis narr ative as follows:
"a few nights after our adventure with
the water spout, which told you about the
other evening, we were overhauied by a
pretty severe gale of wind. While lying-tO
under a reefed foresail and mizen-stay- sail,
the second mate sent me alolt 10 make fast
the main-top- which was getting loose
on the weather yard arm. secured the sail
with spare gasket, and fingered few min
utes on the cap to enjoy all the beauty oil
;he storm. The waves stirred up by the fu-
riCus gale, were ronbipg around US in ma
jestic style, and seme of them even took
great fancy to come On board; the ship was
rocking to and fro, and every now and then
took lee lurch, which made every timber
in her bott, m culver. Nevertheless as our
ship was good ses-boat. and we had plenty
of sea-room, !, OF course, felt not the slight
est apprehension of danger.
Il had concluded nv survey of the wind
and the weather, and after making some
philosophical reflections, such as would nat
u ally occur to a young sailor, while wit
Messing the strife ofthe elements, was abou t
to come down on deck, when | careless ly
cast my eyes aloft, and there, on the fore-top
gaiant-mast head, | saw sight which
struck terror to my soul. On the very snm-
nit of the mast, on the truck itself, was a
huge ball of fire! 1t seems to be mass OF
unearthly light, Of livid hue, which shed a
dismal radiance around. The rain fell in
torrents at times, but quenched it not; and
the heaviest gusts Of wind served neither to
extineuish it, or te increase its brillisncy.-
II kept its alton, unmoved, sh ming terribly
through the storm, as if it was messenger
sent by some supe rior power, to warn the
crew of the iil-iated ship of some dreadful
disaster. which was impending over their
heads
IL was bu; boy at the time, as you al
ready know, and had not the slightest doubt
that this light, which appeared thus sudden.
ly at the dead of night, in the midst of a
furious storm. and on a spot where it could
never have been placed by the hand of man
was OF supernatural origin. My feelings
accordingly. were not Of the most comfort.
able description. Ishuddered in every limb
cold sweat stood upon my brow; a strange
giddrness, sickness came over me, and
had hardly strength to hold on TO the futto j
shrouds. as ! slowly descended to the deck
"Why, suppose it was nothing but
corposont," said old Sour-iaced Jack.
$50 the mate told me-" continued Me-
Spanker. "ai,er ] came down and pointed j
out to him. He laughed at me for green
horn, who was frightened at nothing. Ant
felt much relieved when found that thes
balls offre at the masthead OF ship, wer'
by no means o. unfrequent occurrence. Tn,
captain accounted for them by supposln,
that they were formed ofparticles of jelly
blown out OF the water during the storm
and which clung to the rigging, but gradu
ally sscended unit: they reached the truck
where they held on for time. and then dis
appeared. But how such mass of fire cOul
be blown out of the water, l must confess
could not very well understand But be tina
as it may, the sight of one of these sam
corpossnts in dark night, il the midst {
the ocean, with the wind bowling round yol
and the waves breaking over you, is not I
character calculated to enliyen ones spi
its and chase away gloomy thoughts.
"When the watch v as called, the corpt
SAINT was still there, and old Jack Katlini
who bad been nine voyages round the CaE