Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-08-22

ike a row of great blaiders as it blew
out from the yard. | glanced to wind
ward, and saw the rapidly advancing
baak of cloud was edged with white, where
the coming blast ploug' e up the sea in
its course.
Send another hand to the wheel, Mr.
Blow" shouted the captain.
Q The words had scarcely left his lips
when the gale struck Us, and the shin
4 heeled over till the water rushed in at the
ports, and everything loose on the decks
/ flew into the lee scuppers. The lIalliards
Of the upper topsail> yards wer3 let 90,
. but while the yards were coming down
the foresail tore adrift, spit into long
streamers, which luttered out, tapping
and cracking like gigantic stOckwhips, till
I they were borne off by the gale The
ship righted and gained way at the same
moment, and we flew through the water
with the wind on our quarter.
For eleven days and nights the weather
never moderated, and we ran before the
wind at terrific rate of speed, crossing
the North Pacific in rs short time as it
had ever been done by a sailing vessel
There was but little chance Of hearing
Jake's yarn during this time, but kept
the matter in my mind and when at last
( LHb 4tilc CedScu, anu we we're no longer
rushing through the Dreaming foam pur-
sued by great green mountains with
threatening crests, but calmly gliding to-
wards the golden land, | got the old sail
or to unburden his mind to me, and shall
now try 10 give an accurate version Of his
story, though | cannot follow his exact
words
lis eight years, sir, said he, "since
| shipped aboard the brig Mermaid
bound from Liverpool to the west coast of
Africa on palm oil voyage She was a
poor craft, and we had bad set on board
OF her. The skipper spent most Of the
time he was sober IN tormenting the cab
in boy, but, after the poor lad was lost
overboard-most Of US thought he iump-
ed over to escape his tyrant-the captain
was seldom off his sofa. where he law
Swigging rum and swearing at the stew
a.d. phe mate had to navigate the brig.
and he was such a stupid, thick headed
fellow, that it was little wonder we ran
off CGr course, and made the African
coast a little below Cape BIanco, and far
10 the nOrthward OF where we ought to
have been. Our water had fallen very
short, and the mate coasted along for some
miles till we found a small bay. and after
considerable search, discovered a stream
from which we could fill our casks He
brought the brig to an anchor about
mile from the coast-the breeze was very
light and sea almost calm.
THE next day we were busy getting
water, but we made 5 ow work of it, as
the small stream was nearly dry The
mate didn't much like stopping where we
were, so close to the shore. but he bad no
choice for i fGIl T.. .'. a. ti,r sm' AcPf 50
OF the third day after anchoring tnat the
captain came on deck and sat down on
the break of the poop, smoking his pipe.
He was almost sober, and had Il quieter
way with hm than usual but suddenly
he dropped his pipe. and gave two or
three wild shrieks like u frighted woman.
The mate ran to him, and asked what was
tle matter.
Look there, look there" he said,
pointing to the water, about a boats
length from the brig.
" looked Mt the place, and saw q
queer swirl on the surface, and the stain
of blood, Just as if whale had been
lanccl and sounded.
There was a biz shark there, said
the skipper, his eyes staring, and tremb~
ling all over" there was big shark
there, lying quiet on the surface and sud-
denly a great pair of jaws opened and
seemed to swallow him rs you might swal~
low a shrimp
"Onlv another shark falling foul Of him,
captain, says the mate, I've often seen
them bite each other.
The skipper called out for rum, and
lay down on the deck, shaking as il he
had the anue The mate looked at me-
shook his head and sand, Gone mad at
last" T" and | certainly thought that liquor
had turned the captains brain. We soon
learned what good reason he had for his
terror.
1t was not more than an hour after
wards that he rose alongside, and with
his head rs high as our mainyard, looked
down on the deck, opening and shutting
that horrible mouth the skipper had first
seen"
What rose alongside, Jake, said I.
The Sea-Serpent,' said Jake, in the
solemn, earnest tones he had nsed when
speaking to me first on the subject
I | had the conviction that the man was
+ in earnest. "WcH," said /, tell me all
about it, and first, what length and thick
( ness might he have been
Judging by the length Of our brig, sir,
4 | think he must have been good two hum
drcd feet and he looked more like a mon
i strous couger-eel than anything else | can
think of His body was a thick as a
cart horse, and his head was fat like an
ecls, and couple of fathoms long. lie
/ had great eills, too, ike an eel His eyes
were very big and bright: and when he
lifted his head, opening and shuttin. those
fri-htful Jaws. as he had a habit of doing
+ every ferp-secouds, he was the most awful
sight YOU can fancy. Some of the men
said they saw bis teeth, and that he had
+ a double row like shark, but | cant say
taat saw them myself it was his ewes
sir-his eyes | was always looking at, and
always with a fear that | should find them
Ioekin. right at me His skin was darl
and glossy. like the s6in OF a whale
didn sec any hair anywhere about him
ami when we afterwards saw him swim
ming about, he wri--lcd through the wa
ter eel fashion; and YOU could see that tht
dark color of the back got gradually
lighter on the sides. and the belly wa
nearly white. But chose matters [ no
riced afterv ards, for at the time I speal
of, when he rose alongside, and stare'
down on our decks, as lre told you,
was sitting on the deck cleaning som,
brass work, and when l looked up an,
saw that dreadful head, just sat wher
| was. aud stared at him with my moutl
, open, until he sank down gently cut O
sight.
:. Nv head felt dizzy and my eyes dir
for half minute, and then | heard th