The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-08-07
The Strange Prophecy.

They were two stalwart whaling cap.
talns- Barker and Stephens. l should
say that the former was six feet six in>
ches in height, while the latter lacked
no more than two inches of reaching
the same altitude. AS those tall skip.
pers stepped on board of our ship, when
we were trying. out blubber on the coast
of Japan, they reminded me of Cooper
and Conway on the boards of the old
Park Theatre, the former as Brutus, and
the latter as Marc Antony, In the play
of Julius Cesar
These two captains were slender and
straight and moved as IL they were
rather proud of overlapping our Cap
tain, who, though man of medium
size, looked quite diminutive when con-
trasted with his lofty visitors.
1t has been said that large and power
full men are good natured. Such is not
always the case. We had q man on
board the frigate Guerriere named John
Macauley, who was nearly seven feet
in height, and who would never attack
but one man ON board the ship-whose
name 1t is not necessary to mention
who was nearly as tall and much
stouter than himself while on the other
hand, this man would fly at little fel.
lows and give them a drubbling when
they offended him.
The two gigantic whaling captains
resembled the latter more that they did
Macanley. On previous voyage they
had ill'treated poor, friendless boy
nearly killing him, for which they had
| to pay heavy expenses on their ships
return to port. AT that time Stephens
was captain and Barker was his mate.
But ole would hardly have suspected
them of being such cruel fellows when
they came on board of US. They were
very smiling and pleasant, and joked
with our captain and mates, and even
looked kindly upon our crew.
Their two ships sailed in company
with ours few days, when we parted
from them in gale that ilattened the
| seas like marble floor. We saw no
more OF them till we we're on the way
home. We had not yet broken up aud
thrown our try works overheard, as we
still had room for few barrels of oil.
We were running down the coast,
d,
when the men aloft cried out "Sail
lOl"
We soon raised the hull of the stran-
| ger and the captain, after examining
her through his spy-glass, said she had
hauled her wind to fall in with us.
She proved to be the ship commanded
| by Stephens. We hove aback, and the
latter having dropped boat in the
water, the long whalemen's stroke soon
brought her to our side.
was at the helm while Stephens con-
versed with our captain, and L listened
to queer story told by the former in
which took little interest, as it then
seemed to be of trivial import.
Captain Stephens mentioned that, ly-
ing at Valparaiso, he and a friend paid
visit to the city of Santiago. On their
return his companion, who was an old
resident of Chill, told him they were
hot lar from the abode of an aged Scotch
woman, who had lived forty years in a
deep gorge OF the mountains, and who
was supposed by the natives to be a
witch.
Captain Stephens, being merry vein,
proposed that they should call and see
her. His fellow-traveler told him it
was impossible to find her as her hut
was completely hidden among the rocks
and eXuberant foliage.
Stephens replied no doubt the natives
knew where she lived and finally they
lave a ragged cholar a dollar TO pilot
them to the wltch's eyrie. They found
the place and the witch was at home.
She was very old woman, wrinkled
and shrunken almost like a mummy,
and was nearly deaf. She did not seem
plessed by the enterance of her visitors,
though the tall form OF the whaling cap
tain at once arrested her attention.
Stephens insisted that she should .ell
his fortune. She refused TO do anything
OF the kind, ayerriDg that she was no
fortune-teller, but an honest woman
who minded her own business, though
she knew that many lies had been told
about her.
When, however, the captain pulled
oct gold coin and offered it to her she
exhibited more tractable disposition
out still, she fought shy, and It was not
until the money had been given her
that she fixed her small green ey yes on
the face of Captain Stephens and said
You will bo shorter before you are
longer"
That's no fortune telling" said
Stephens come, tell me- something
more than that"
1T is enough for YOU replied the