The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-05-28


4 eve arc what, Mr.. Mataon I"
| ell lied, sir"
"pho, rh, ~ Sail aLe captain
"You arc dreaming. There is no
vessel within Il huudCcd miles of Us
4 if 50 Lear" And he began to p,o,
pound bis plans Bat in less tn III
two minutes the mate again Interrupt
e'l him, With whi,c face. 30 you
hear nothing, sir =
! "N $, | hear tho whistling Of the
wind, and the screaming of the sea
bids"
"Dut no huNiian voice Z"
"Ilumau Voice Why. whcre could
it be, except Oil board holc 7 ell u.
| Han-'
."Ah-h y said Matson, shuddering /:
'Lot huma,, perl'aps."
"Why, Ma,,on, yun don't mean to
/ say you boi.cve ~ the 'Flylug Dutch.
man 90
IN o, nP,"
"Wc 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 iii than
he again came 10 tho captain 's
side, s., :;
"asir-Csapta!n Grsyl>ng," said he
in u voice Of Intense eari,ostnh'cSs aud
anxiety, eve are hoileI."
"Nopsensyl Nvu have taken 4
lrop toe mich grog this cid night,
Ma,sou.
"lt might te stray boat from
ship tAa! has foundercd, sir" sug.
ges'cd the matc, passing over Lis
superior's sarcasm.
"Roat, lidilcst,cks NV, could
any boat live in that !'' asked the
cAptair, pointing to the mountainous
seas, which were ruuning almost
high.
The mate looked at The ansry
waves, and was faiut to admit that
any boat would bo swallowed up by
them in an instant. "Yet listen,
sir /; for Gods sake, listen J" he
said.
The captain listepnd, and hen sud
denly exclaimed, "Good heavens,
really do think hear something y
by this time two or three sailors
had advanced toward the spot where
the captain and mate were in confer
cncc.
"Boat hailing us, sir !" cried tho
old boatswain, touching his hat, and
speaking with an air Of great be-
wildcrmcnt.
The capita in stared cmazcdly at the
mate :; then placing his hands to his
mouth, he roared With all tho power
of his stentorian lungs. "What boat
is that %
"Ship ahoy ship ahoy !" was now
dist lnetly audible to all on board the
Osprey.
"It must be some boat from d,erc-
lict or foundered shipp' said the
captain, half to the inato aid half
aloud. But bis .faco looked trou-
bled.
The mate ind The old bo:atswatu
shook their head. "It's is boat
from the .'Flying Ductchman,' " said
one of the boldcst of the Osprcy's
crew "and boat from the cursed
vessel rlehns q message of death to
all of u0 mates
"Foo true, too true," assented his
comrades.
BY this time tho boat had got
alongside the Osprey, for she escaped
tho waves in a most marvellous man.
nor. Although app.rcutly buried
each moment in one huge mountai inous
billow Shc appeared tho following iu-
slant riding safcly on the crest Of tho
next. 1t was a sublime yet awful
sight, to sec this supcrhuman cookie
she'll defying tho wrath of the vast
seas, which threatened each momont to
swallow up, the Osprey herself.
Ihe little craft was long, narrow,
cohin.like boat, painted entirely black,
without so much as a white stripe to
relieve her sombre hue. She was
manned by four tall, ,gaunt, bony.look-
ing soamen, with staring oyes and
hollow checks, WHO appeared to be in
the last stage Of fa. mine. The captain,
who sat in the steru-shects, with tho
tillcr-ropcs in his hand, was taller by
many degrees than any Of hi, crew;
lie was arraSSd III sailors suit
made of jet black cloth, Instead Of The
usual blue. His black cap was sur.
rounded by gold band, and large
cloak of sables was thrown o cross ,hiA
shoulders. Ills features rcre rigid
as those Of a corpse, so that tho eyes
were bright and piercing, and shono
In tho ohasms of his skull like luni
Gus globes Of fire. Tho noso was
high and aquiline, curved like the
bchk Of II bird thc, lips chin and
b'uc, and dra@n back over set Of
gloaming white teeth. Altogether,
the man looked like a partly ANNA
ted corpse and tho captain and crow
of tho Osprey shuddcrcd in cold per-
spiratiop of awe, as tho now. como OF
rose in his boat and saluted thom. de-