New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-02-22
A strange Story.

IL WAS on miserable cold day in February that
the good bark Emerald, IN which was second mate,
weighed her anchor from the mud opposite Graves
end. and commenced her voyage for the Maurltlus
had sailed with the captain (WhaFt0n) TO the West
Indies on former voyage, and had been asked ny
him to take the second mates place this trip, al
though was only twenty-one years old at the time
thought il good berth. and accepted i. although
disliked the man. He was good sailor, there was
no denying, but bit Of a bully, and, always sus-
pected drank good deal when qniet IN his cabin.
He had been married just before voyage and his
honeymoon was rather curtaied by the hurry of our
departure. I saw his wife several times before We
left England for she staying at Gravesend, and
also on board while we were lying In the docks.
She was very pretty young girl, and seemed to be
too quiet and good for the skipper who, | thought,
did not treat her as be ought TO have done.
She told me that she going to take cottage at
GospoFt while her husband was away, and asked me,
If had time, TO write her few words to say how
the ship got on in met any of the homeward-
bound or stopped at any port. [ believe, when she
shook hands with me, and said, Good bye, sir
happy voyage to you,H felt much inclined to do her
any service and ptied her lonely situation more than
her husband did She had told me that her only
relation was an aged aunt. Well, we foundered
across the Bay Of Bseay, and ran down the trades,
and in twenty seven days from leaving England with
freezing north wind we were baking under the line
with 95 degrees in the shade shown on our hermome-
ter The skipper had showed couple of our men in
irons for very slight offences during run, and
seemed TO be greater brute than ever. He was one
OF those fellows who acted like angel on Shore so
pleasant and kind, but when he got aoat in the blue
water, he wasn't angel exactly, at least not the
right sort Of an angel. &
We logged on however till we passed round the
Cape; we gave it wide berth, and kept well on the
bank to avoid the current that runs from the east all
down that coast for seventy miles distance We were
about of Cape LAgulhas, when the northwest wind
that we had carried with us from near South Amer
ica turned round and blew right in our teeth we
had plenty OF wind in our jb then, it blew great
.Ior ~. IL.
week. One night was on the watch, and finding
that it blowing harder than ever, and the ship
was making very bad weather Of it, Thought would
90 down and ask the shippers leave to lay to. ]
captains ca5indoor before received an answer at
last heard his come i'm | opened the door, and
was about to report the gale increased, but was
stopped by the appearance Of the captain.
He was as white as sheet. and his eyes were
staring like maniac's Before could speak word,
he said, " Have you seen her?n did not know what
he meant, but said, /" Beg pardon, sir the ship is
making very bad weather OF it, He cursed the
weather, and repeated, Did you see my wife as you
came in ~ said, See your wife, mol" He stared
at me for an instant, and then dropped on his couch
and said, " God have mercy on me!n II was the
first time had heard him use that sacred name
although the evil ones pretty often in his mouth
then asked him about the ship, when be told me to
go and do what had thought best. went up and
took all the canvas of, with the exception Of the
mizen trysail. got the peak lowered down to the
deck, and showed but q pocket handkerchief sort of
a sail this kept her head to the wind had a guy
made fast to the BOOM which kept it firm, and dashed
the helm we then rode like duck on the water
turned In as usual after being relieved and said
nothing to any one about what had heard
In the morning the Captain sent for me, told me
not to speak about what he had said last night but
that he had been told that his days were numbered
He pointed to the log-book, in which he had put
down shat he had seen his wife come into the cabin
and that she spoke to him, and told him something
about himself. He then requested me to sign his
statement in the book, and ordered me not 10 say
word to any Of the men as long as he lived. told
him not TO think anything about it, as such things
were only imaginations, and were caused by the
stomach being little out Of order. did not think
1t at the time, although thought it would quiet him
by telling him We layto all that day the cap
tain came deck once, but spoke to no one In the
afternoon went down to him to ask about getting
little sail up again ! found him reading his Bible
a thing / had never heard of his doing before He
put it down andeame on deck; ordered me to get up
the fore-topsai went forward to about it, and
the skipper walked on to the poop; the helm was
still dashed, and no one was there but him.
was giving the men orders to go aloft, when
heard crack astefn, and felt jar through the
whole ship. | turned round and found the pitching
had caused the heavy boom Of the trysail to break
the guy that fastened it, and it was swinging from
side to side with every lurch of the ship. ran aft
with all the men, and with great difficulty made it
fast again; II took time to SETTLE and then
went down TO tell the captain. His cabin was Just
had left II before, and no in it came out and
asked for him on deck, but no one had seen him
there The men said that he was on the poop when
the guy gave way there was general call through
out the ship, but the captain was not found The
first mate and then went on the poop and looked
well round. On the bulwarks near the stern there
was slight dent, and close beside it streak OF
blood there doubt but that the boom in its
first swing had knocked the skipper clean overheard
and the chances were had smashed some of his limbs
too.
We never saw him more. The first mate took the
command, and told him about the captains vision
be laughed at me, and told me was fool to believe
in such rubbish, and recommended me not to talk
about it. Iquietly tore the leaf out of the log book
and have got II now. will show it to you. Saying
this, he went down to bis cabin, and brought me up
the sheet OF paper, which read, and found it as he
had described) We went on to the Mauritius, load
ed, and returned to England. | had no opportunity
OF fulfilling my promise Of writing to the captain
wife, 80 immediately could leave the ship started
| Tor Gosport TO tell her about his loss / found her
house from the address she had given me- and walked
once or twice up and down to consider all | should
say 70 her, 1t was any way difficult thing, and one
did not much like doing having to relate the death
Of her husband and, besides, women are inclined Ia
think there is always neglect in others if an &C
| cdent happens to those they love.
AT last pucked up courage and knocked at the
| door, decentlooking servant came, and upon my
asking II Mrs. Wharton were at home, she replied
! +" Mrs. Wharton don't live here. Mrs. Somebody OF
other lives here, and she amt at home,n | asked il
| she could tell me where to find Mrs Wharton and
| was informed by the maid that she was a stranger
and knew nothing but the baker over the way, she
thought, could tell me. | went over and asked the
bakers wife, and she informed me that Mrs Wharton
had been dead nearly five months, and her aunt haC
moved away. / was thunderstruck at this intelli
| gence, and Immediately inquired the date Of hel
death she looked over day-book in the drawer
and told me. | put ii down in my memorandum
! book, and when got back TO the ship found the
| date the same that noted on the leaf of the log
book as the one that the captain had seen her of thu
! Cape. Now, never was superstitious before this
nor am alarmed now at the idea Of seeing ghosts
but still there is queer sort of feeling comes over mt
when think Of that night.