The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-29
FOUL z.
a N Ov H l. .
rY cuAs. xEADE AND DION BouoloAULr.
CHAPTER NLII,

CHAPTER NLIII.
And now for the strange report that
landed at Juan Fernandez while Cen
eral ROlleStOn was searching Masn
FuerO.
The coaster who brought it ashore had
been in company at Valparaiso, with a
whaler from Nantucket, who told him
he had fallen in with a Dutch whaler
out at sea, and distressed for water: he
had supplied the said DutchmaD, who
had thanked him, and given him n run
let of Hollands, and mad told him in
conversation that he had seen land and
IA river reflected on the sky, in waters
where no land was marked i'll the chart;
namely, somewhere between Juan Fer
nandeZ and Norfolk Island and that,
believing this to be the reelection OF a
part of some island near at hand, and
his water being low, though not at that
time run out, he had gone considerably
out of his course in hopes of finding
this watercd island, but could see moth
ing OF H., Nevertheless, as his grand
father, who had been sixty years at sea,
and logged many wonderful things,
had told him the sky had been known
to reflect both ships and lands at a greet
distance, he fully believed there was an
island somewhere in that longitude,
not down on any chart: an island
| wooded and watered.
This tale soon boarded the Spring
box, and was hotly discussed on the
| fOrecastle. 1t came TO Captain More
lands ears, and he examined the skip
per of the coasting smack. But this
examination elected nothing new, in
asmuch as the skipper had the tale only
at third hand. Captain Morehead,
however, communicated il to General
Rolleston on his arrival, and asked him
| whether he thought it worth while to
deviate from their instructions upon
information of such character. Roll
lesion shook his head. can island re-
Elected in the sky!'
mo, sir; portion of an island con-
| tanning river.
ut is clearly fable" said Rolleston
with sigh.
"What is fable, General?"
"That the sky can reflect terrestrial
| Objects"
20, there can't go with you. The
| phenomenon is rare, but it is we'll es-
tablished. l never saw it myself but I
have come across those that have. Sup
pose we catechise the forecastle. Hyl
Fok'sel"
"Sirm
"Send man aft the oldest seaman
aboard"
Jay, ay, sir"
| There was some little delay and then
a sailor of about sixty slouched aft,
made a scrape, and, removing his cap
entirely, awaited the captains COM
mands.
My man." said the captain, "Iwant
you to answer question. Do you be-
lIeve land and ships have ever been
seen in the sky, reflected ?"
"a many good seaman holds to that,
SIR" said the sailor, cautiously.
ais it the general opinion of seamen
before the mast? Come, tell us. Jacks
as good as his master in these matters.''
| 3f FoN- IVNH
sir. But 1 never met full-grown sea-
man as denied thai there. Sartainly
few has seen it: but all of 'em has seen
them as has seen II; ships, and land,
too: but mostly ships. Hows'ever,
| had messmate once as was sailing
| past rock they call Ailsa Craig, and
| saw regiment of soldiers marching in
the sky. Logged it, did the mate; and
them soldiers was a marching between
| two towns in Ireland at that very time"
"There, you see, General" said Cap
tain MoreIand. ..... ....-
"But this is all second hand" said
General Rolleston, with sigh; land 1
have learned how everything gets dis
torted in passing from one to another. I"
"Ah," said the captain, 1--WE can't
help that; the thing is rare. l never
saw it for one; and suppose yournever
sac phenomenon of the kind, Isaac ?"
Haunt 1 !" said Isaac, grimly. Then,
with sudden, and not very reasonable,
heat, D. my eyes and limbs If 1
ha'n't seen the Peak o. Teneriffe in the
sky topsy-turvy, and as plain as see
that there cloud there" (pointing up
wards).
getting to il. Tell us all about that"
"WelI, sir" said the seaman, 81 don't
care to larn them as laughs at every
thing they ha'n't seen in mabe dozen
voyages a: most; but you know me, and
1 knows you; though you command the
ship, and work before the mast. Now
Aiken was the man to take sugar
loaf, or q cooked hat, for the Peak o.
Teneriffe2 @Ey HEla
GAS likely as am myself, Isaac"
mo commander can say fairer nor
THAT" said Isaac, with dignity. "Well,