Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1861-06-05

A BOUT two years ago / left the SER
n vice. | was tired of it, and as |
wanted some exciting employment, l
joined a whaler. We were unlucky-
somehow, bring no luck anywhere
and we were nearly empty. We were
cruising up here to the north, and think.
ing of making for home, as the weather
had changed : and the ice forms precious
quick in those Attitudes when it once
begins. The captain naturally wanted
to hang on to the last for the chance OF
another haul.
One bright afternoon, just after eight
bells, I made up the log, and took it to
the captains cabin. l knocked at the
door, and as nobody answered l walked
in. | thought it odd the captain hadn't
answered me, for there ho was, sitting
at bis desk, with his back to me, writing,
Seeing he was employed, l told him I
had brought the log, laid it down on
the table behind him, and as he made
no answer, l walked ont. I went on
deck, and the first person l met was the
captain. | was puzzled could not
make out how he had got there before
me.
"How did you get up Lers?" I said
81 just left you wiring in your cabin"
81 have not been in ny cabin fol
the last half hour" the captain answered
but thought he WAS chatting and !
didn't like it.
There was some one writing at your
desk just now," said "if it wasn't you,
you had better 60 and see who it is
The log is made Up. | have left it in
your cabin, sir" and with that I walked
sulkily away. 1 had no idea of being
chaffed by the captain, to whom l had
taken q dislike. .
''Mr. Brown" said the captain who
saw 1 was nettled, ''you must have beer
mistaken, my desk is locked. But como
we'll go down and see about it,"
1 followed the captain into the cabin
The log was on the table, the desk was
closed, and the cabin was empty, The
captain tried the desk-it was locked
"You sec, Mr.. Brown" he said, laugh.
ing, "you must have been mistaken, the
desk is locked.
was positive. SOMEBODY may have
picked the lock-" 1 said.
"But they couldn't have closed il
again." tho captain suggested; "but to
satisfy you. l will open it and see il
the contents are safe, though there is moi
much here to tempt q thief"
He opened the desk, and there
stretched right across twas q sheet Of
paper, with the words, "Steer N. W.
written in an odd, cramped hand.
The captain looked at the paper, and
then handed it TO me.
"You are right, Mr.. Brown; some.
body has been here. This is some no.
AK" -.
We sat there some time talking, and
trying to guess what could be the object
ofsuch a joke,-if joke it was meant to
be. I tried to identify tho back of the
man had seen at the desk with that of
any of the crew. I could not do it. II
is true had Mt first taken the man for the
captain, but now points of difference sug.
gested themselves. l had not looked
very attentiyely at the figure, but still
was under the impression that the coal
it had on was brown, aud the hail, which
appeared under the cap, seemed, as l re.
membered it, to have been longer and
whittier than the captains. There wa.
only one man on board who resembled
in the least the figure I had seen.
suggested to the captain that it nigh
have been old Shiel, the boatswain. HI
did not like to suspect the old man, who
was a great favorite: besides, what mo
tive could he, or indeed any one else
have had in trying to change the course
of the vessel. a9t 30 p r."
Not to appear to suspect any one ir
particular, the captain determined to have
up all the crew. We had them up, one
by one. We examined them, and made
all those who could write, write "Steel
N. W." but we gained no clue. One
thing was very clear-it. could not have
been old Shell, who was proved to have
been forward at the time was in the
captains cabin. The mystery remained
unsolved.