National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-02-21

"Ay, do, skipper, added young Bob
Frost, persuasively.
"Well," said the Captain, slowly, as
il persuaded against his will. "TI try,
then"
"A real mysterious one, father9"
GAY, lass"
Something about Che Flying
"Well, no, not exactly but some
thing not far removed from il"
"A-h that will he capital"
The old man drew o long satisfied
Whit at his pipe, and then commenced.
But it will be best to tell the story in
other words than his.
On the oath of December, 1860, the
bark osprey, ON her passage to the
East Indies, was some three hundred
miles off the Cape of Good Ii pc. She
had met with terrible weather, and by
stress Of it had been driven out Of her
course, and cut Of the track Of other
vessels. The captain Of the osprey
was also her part owner, and had on
board with him (he was a widower) his
only child, a beautiful girl Of some two
and-twenty Captain Grayling, it is
needless to say, was extremely attached
to his daughter, the last survivor of a
numerous family. The Ospreys cargo
was valuable one, being iron, tin, and
cutlery goods, for the Indian Market
and Of course in the heavy weather
she had encountered, the danger she
had incurred was doubled by the nature
Of the goods with which she was laden.
We have said she was three hundred
miles off the Cape; but, in fact, she
might have been double the distance,
/ for both the captain and the first mate,
Josiah Matson, were uncertain as to
their reckoning and IS on this parti-
cular Christmas eve, the weather, so far
from improving, had grown wilder,
both men paced the deck with anxious
faces and knit brows, engaged in con-
versation OF that stern brief sort, where
only few words are used, because life
or death hangs ON the decision arrived
at.
81 confess I do not know where we
are, Mr.. Matson," the captain at last
owned.
"Nor 7, sir; wish did"
"In all my experience / have never
known such continuously dirty weather,
or been so much out of my reckoning
before" said the captain.
II think | would put her head about,
sir, and beat up ! take it we are nearer
to the Cape than we think"
The captain reflected anxiously, and
was about to speak, when the mate
uttered loud exclamation of surprise
1--WE are hailed, sir
"We are ,chat, Mr.. Matson?"
"Hailed, sir.
"Pho, pho," said the captain. "You
are dreaming There is no vessel with
in hundred miles of us, if so near"
And he began to PROFOUND his plans.
But in less than two minutes the mate
again interrupted him, with white
face.
"Do you hear nothing, sir?
"Yes, / hear the whistling Of the
wind, and the screaming of the sea-
birds"
"But no human voice, sir ?"
Human voice Who, where could
it be, except on board here? HUI
mani"
"A-h !" said Matson, shuddering
"not human, perhaps"
"Why, Matson you don't mean to say
you believe in the Flying Dutchman 2"
No, no.
"We must take in another reef Mr..
Matson,' said the skipper. "Give the
order, please"
The mate went forward to obey, but |
the reef was no sooner taken in than he |
again came to the captains side.
"Sir-Captain Grayling," said he in
a voice of intense earnestness and |
anxiety, 1--WE are hailed"
"Nonsense! You have taken drop
too much grog this cold night, Matson."
at might be stray boat from ship |
that has foundered, sir" suggested the
mate, passing .over his superior's sar-
casm.
"Boat, fiddlesticks! Now, could any
boat live in Hatr' asked the captain.
pointing to the mountainous, seas, which
were running mast-high.
The mate looked at the angry waves,
and was fain to admit that any boat
would be swallowed up by them in an
instant. "Yet listen, sir; for Gods
sake, listen!' he said.
The captain listened, and then sud
denly exclaimed, "Good heavens, re-
ally do think hear somethingr'
By this time two or three sailors had |.
advanced towards where the captain and
mate were in conference.
"Boat hailing us, sir y cried tho old
boatswain, touching his hat, and speak
ing with an air of great bewilderment.
The captain stared amazedly at the
mate; then placing his hands to his
mouth, he roared with all the power of
his stentorian lungs, "What boat is
that ?"
"Ship ahoy ship ahoy ~ was now
distinctly audible to all on board the
Osprey.
at must be some boat from derelict
or foundered ship !" said the captain,
half to the mate and half aloud. But
his face looked troubled.
The mate and the old boatswain shook
their heads. cit is boat from the
Flying Dutchn,dn," said one of the
boldest of the Osprey's crew; "and a
boat from that cursed vessel means a
message of death to all of us, mates ~
Too true, too true" assented his
comrades.
BY this time the boat had got good
alongside the osprey, for she escaped
the waves in most marvellous manner.
Although apparently buried each mo-
ment in one huge mountainous billow,
she appeared the following instant riding
safely on the crest of the next. 1t was
a sublime yet awful sight, to see this
superhuman cockle-shell defying the
wrath of the vast seas, which threatened
each moment to swallow up the osprey
herself.
The little craft was a long, narrow,
coffin-llks boat, painted entirely black,
without so much as white stripe to re-
lieve her sombre hue. She was manned