Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1867-11-23
Food for the Sharks; or, the Murder
at sea.

49, -
ship. So far as luxury went, certain
ly found our ship very inferior to our
regular Indiamen; but, as sailor, she
was far superior, and in point Of dlsci
pline, her crew was as wei! regulated
; and as strictly commanded as the crew
of a man-of war. In fact such order,
, regularity, and implicit obedience, |
could never have believed to exist on
board merchantmen.
The chief mate was one of the finest
!, young men | ever saw. lie had just
been promoted to his present post-not
from the mere fact OF his being the
owners son, but really from sterling
merit He was beloved by the crew,
amongst whom he had served, as usual,
J in the Danish service, FIVE years, and
was equally popular with his brother
officers and the passengers returning to
Europe.
The only bad character we had on
board was the cook. swarthy, ill-look-
ing Portuguese, who managed, somehow
or other, daily to cause some disturb
ance amongst the seamen. For tits he
had often been reprimanded and the
evening when this sketch opens, he had
just been released from irons, into which
ne had been ordered for four aud TWEEN
ty hours by the chief mate, for having
ttempted to poison a sailor who had
often led him. In return for having
punished him thus severely, the irrita-
TED Portuguese swore to ayenge himself
on the first officer.
, The mate, who was called Charles,
was walking in the waist with beauti-
full young English girl, to whom he
was engaged 10 be married, stopping
occasionally to admire the flying fish as
they skinned over the surface of the
water pursued by their cruel destroyer,
talking over the anticipated bliss their
union would confer, their hopes and
fears, the approval OF their parents,
their bright prospects, indulging in fu-
ture scenes of life, as steady as the trade
wind before which they were quietly
running, when suddenly, ere soul
could interposa, or even suspect his de-
sign, the cook rushed forward and bur
ried his knife, with one plunge, into
the heart of the unfortunate young
man, who fell without cry, as the ex-
uIting Portuguese burst forth into a
demoniac laugh of triumph.
Unconscious of the full extent of her
bereavment, the poor girl hung over
him, and as friend, who had rushed
forward to support him, drew the knife
from bis bosom, her whole dress, which
was white, was stained with his blood
" it'll an effort, Charles turned toward
her, gave her one last look of fervent
affection, and as the blade was drawn
from the wound, fell corpse into the
arms Of him who held him
BY this time the captain had come
on deck. He shed tears like a child,
for be loved poor Charles as his own
son. The exasperated crew would in
stantly have fallen on the assassin, and
taken summary vengance-so truly had
they been attached to the chief mate
aud were only kept within bounds by
their commander presence. The cook,
who appeared to glory in his deed, was
instantly seized and couined The
corpse was taken below, while the
wretched betrothed was carried, in
state of insensibility, to her cabin.
Eight bells had struck on the follow
ing evening, when | received sum
nous to appear on deck. I, therefore,
instantly assembled, and found the whole
Of the crew dressed in their Sunday
clothes, together with all the officers Of
the ship, and the male passengers
assemble d. The men on duty were
lining either side of the deck the cap
tain surrounded by his officers, was
standing Immediately in front of the
poop; and the unfortunate victim lay
stretched on a grating over which the
nationa flag of Denmark had been
thrown, imm diatcly in the centre. In
an instant | saw that was present at
the funeral of the chief-mate, and my
heart beat strong with grief, as | IN
covered my head and stepped on the
quarter deck.
1t was nearly dead calm we had
passed the trades, and were fast ap-
preaching the Line the sun had be-
gun to decline, but still burnt with a
fervent heat; the sails hung listlessly
against the masts, and the mainsail
brailed Up in order to allow the breeze.
should any rise, to 90 forward. l had
observed all the morning still more
sure indication of our approach to the
torrid zone. Through the clear blue
water, l had remarked couple of
sharks following the vessel, accompanied
by their usual ompanions, the pilot
fish This the sailors had expected as
a matter of eourse-as they supersti-
tiousiy believe that these monsters al
ways attach themselves to ship in
which dead body lies. In their ap-
pearance, however, l only saw the an
nouncement Of our vicinity to the
Line.
In such weather, placed in a ship,
which seems to represent the whole
world-shut out from all save the little
band which encircles us-with the wide
and fathomless element around US, and
the ethereal throne from which God
seems to look down upon US at one
moment our voices rising in solemn
PRAYER for one we have loved, and the
next, the plash of the divided waters,
az they receive in their bosom the crea-