The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-20

umbcrninn rrrortcl ii worry thick outside
thicker thnn anything he remembered Mt that
time 81 year. lie hal narrowly escaped run
ming on to the Clnmshcll. II wcil-knuwn rock in
The shelter o. Pumpkin I-lurd. twenty miles
out 4. hc shccrcd of hr had perceived u
small sloop apparently fast hung ON the ledge
To his hailng there hal come the answer in n
voice Ms thick. IL not thicker ;han the fog and
murh more unsteady. ihnt the stranded sloop
WIS thc Toad q Mackcrcl Cove bound for the
Paris Exposition with cargo Of rum. Tho
Captain " tho Toad confidently expected TO get
N ut the ncvt flood tide. Offers Of assistance
wcr' received NY the Toad's crew with dcrisive
howls. and with somc insulting reference to
lIcc2'bub which the lumbcrman could not dis
tinctly understand
AS I had no cnll 10 stand thar and be
snrscd." concluded the lumbrrmans captain.
pm, round npn and LEFT the criticr on the
Clumshcn It's my private opinion that all
hands on board had boon SPLEEN the main
brace good many times too often"
For the next fhrcc wonks the anxious populn-
ton ~ Nla'kcrcl Cove heard nothing further Of
tho fortunes " their adventurous townsmcn.
The fog c.ung 20 the const rclcntlcssly Tor oil
that time. AZ last northwest wind drove it OF
the shore. and on tho second clear day the little
steamer Moonbeam. engaged in the porgy fish
! cry. came up the cove with n small sloop in tow
and three detected exhausted. and thoroughly
! disgustod navigators on board. This sloop was
tho Toad
The master ~ the porgy bont reported that
he had found the Toad aground on the Clam
shell. At first he hail seen no signs OF lifo on
/ board, hut upon running rs near To tho rock
as the drausht Of his steamer would allow. he
discovered three human beings lying uncon-
srlous in the cud1y. together with several
/ hat atfU ap,ol1.I al ~
/ He took III the mon. and hy attaching rope to
thosloor succeeded in dragging her into deep
water. The rescued sailors partially recovered
| their sonscs under the influence Of hdt coffee.
dry clothing and kind treatment hut they still
appeared 10 b. in Il state OF semi stupeiaction.
and the story they told was so deliriously inco-
| hcrent that he could make neither head nor
| tail Of It.
OF course the frat inference drawn by the
people " tho Markcrcl Cove was that the Toad.
seen aground on the Clumshcll. June 10. by the
/ HalifaN lumhcrman. and found aground on the
/ snmc ledge. July II. by the porgy steamer had
remained aground unintcrruptediy between
/ those two dates the crew. meanwhile consum-
/ ing the four kegs u rum This theory implied
/ 81 inslorous n termination TO an adventure be-
/ gun with SO much hravado. that for several
/ weeks Capt. Crum. Deacon Silshcc. and Tobias
/ Jackson wcro subject 10 a great deal OF rdicule
onthc pnri OF their ncishh)rs and friends and
oven the Toad itself became an object OF doris
( ION in the Cove.
The returned voyagors lore all this with OK
traordnnry mcekness for awhile, At last how
/ eyer. they began 10 hint that the rcproAch was
I unmerltni thNi there was marvellous and
/ mysterious history behind their apparent fail
IRE; and that II tho whole truth were known
/ they would figure for an time ns the heroes OF
I e 4 10,
tors with dabohcll agencies in this or any
other age.
Little hy ltlc the story came out; partly in
/ conversations az Deacon Silshce's store. partly
in Tohins Jackson's communications 10 boon
| companions in ronviyial hours and partly in
illusions made by tho Deacon himself In prayer
and cNhortnton in the vestry III tho Baptist
meeting house when thn whole story became
known. 1t Was so consistent and conclusive that
itcarried conviction at tho first recital.
Tho hostility Of malign power had con-
| fronted The voyagers at the outset and driven
I them upon the Clamshrll. in spite Of Capt.
Crums positive knowledge that he was at least
seventeen miles to the southwark OF that rock at
the moment when the Toad struck it. Once
aground and waiting for tho tide to how 1t be-
came necessary. as prccaution against the
chilling fog. 10 use N good deal Of the rum mo-
dicnnlly. The voyRgcrs did not remember
being hailed 10y any Halifax lumberman They
did remember. however. that n huge black
craft sailing without sails in the very teeth u
the wind. vet not propelled 10y steam. and
manned by no earthly crew. loomed up in the
fog close 10 the Camshell. There came 10 tho
rail OF this apparitional vessel a monster with
u head four times rs big as a rum seg. and eyes
that shone like Goals Of green fire. who de-
manded. in supernally awful voice. who 1t
was tha; proposed - cross tho sea in spite Of
Bronobuh. Upon thcir shouting back defiance
ANA the Draeon'- repeating t'N from Hob
the phantom Oor paofol thcy h'iry- 1t 10
boz vanished as suddenly Is it hnd appeared.
That. however. was only an unimportant cpl
sole. and ono that had almost escaped their
memories in the press Of later and moro terri
bic experiences. II was Tobias Jackson who
when they found that the Toad did not float al
Hood tide suggested that the only way 10 get OF
was to Tighten the cargo. They therefore went
10 work industriousy on the contents OF one Of
the rum kegs. and 10y nlghtial. to their un-
spcakable satisfaction. felt the Toad rising and
falling beneath them with the motion OF thu
water. Capt. Crum then laid course fol
Ilavrr, rs straight rs he could, allowing always
for the hitch round Cape Sable.
From tho moment when the Toad got fairly
anoat the voyage was like n continuous success
fox the atmosphere became hot and heavy ant
mysterious!y oppressive to the lungs, though
the sun was shining brightly and there Was, I,
; all Appearances. n fine fresh breeze. Some
= times even ut MONDAY the heavens would sud
denly turn dark rs pitch while strange phos
phorcsccnt lights played around the mast o
; the Toad and the bungholes Of the rum kegs
I The air seemed to be charged with electricity
; one day the compass acted as II possessed Will
e the devil. As mn aid 10 navigation ii was yer,
. much worse than useless. The needle swunl
1 round and round without any obvious cause
e with n rapidly which no one could contcmplat
without becoming dizzy aud bewildercd Capt
! Crum AT last w'dged the needle SO that it cou
. not move IN the hoN. hut az soou ne the compas
4 stood still thu Toad hsoll began to spin roun
: So yioiousy that they hnstcned t. release tn
needle.
I On tho fourth or nth day ont the wind fresh
v oncd. and the sloop went bounding over tn
pillows. Tho Deacon and Tobias Jackson wnr
!. seriously affected by the motion, and retired {
n the cuddy. Even tho Captain himself an ole
8 sailor who had wcathered many storms. wa