The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-11-08
Ths Deasa.Trsp.

Roberts, was loved and rasuscfsd 81
every man in the vessel. with the exczz,. /.
| uon OF Harry Thompson--a tall. dirk
proved youth, of an evil. onafrelaoue
aisposltlon. Thompson I,nd taker, die
Ike 20 the mate from the momers he ais-
covered the latter was q man caIcs.1afed
e WIN the esteem Of his crew. Re
tIhompsonl had hoped to excite the
men TO mutiny; but when he pefeeiVed
how kindly they were treated by the }Irst
oincer, he knew to accomplish his pf,r-
pose he must first remove Warren from,
his path. Night and day. therefore. hs
watched Tor an opportunity to take tie
life OF the mate to strike tie murdorcne
blow IN such q way as to avoid detection.
Days, weeks and months glidei on the
ship rounded the stormy Cane Horn
bowling along toward the spern-uhaIe
cruising ground of the Galapagos. and
still the dark k-browed villain waited for {
chance to accomplish his hellish syork.
One evening, just after sundown. while
the hands were eating their supper. the
well-known cry of There she blows.''
came down from the masthead. causing &
every man to spring to his feet Whales
were discovered about league of the
lee bow; and the captain, having ordered
the main-yard hauled back, darted aloft
with his glass slung over his shoulder.
Soon after he was ordering his mates to
lower their boats.
With glad shout the men sprung TO
the davits, the ropes slid through the
tackle blocks, and the boats, dropping
into the water, were soon manned.
Give way, ladsI'' cried the mate. seiz-
ing his steering oar. Give way with
willl''
Ay, ay, responded the crew, and the
voice OF Thompson, who pulled the bow
oar, was the loudest
A strange light shona in his evil eyes:
his teeth were compressed, he seemed to
think the moment for which he had
waited so long was at hand.
The four boats glided swiftly over the
long, heavy sHells SO common in the
Pacific, the mate taking the lead, and IN
a short time the spouting Of whale was
heard few fathoms ahead
Your paddles men your paddles!''
gritted the first officer through his
clenched teeth. Stand up, Hal
Hal was the boatsteerer or harpooner
He sprang lightly 10 his feet, his iron
ready in his hand But just as the mate
was on the point Of giving the familiar
order, Give it to himl the monster Of
the deep turned fiukes and disappeared.
Warren fairly turned pale with dis
appointment.
There, we've lost himl he cried
Il think You re mistaken, sir, ? said the
harpooner. Yonder," pointing to the
mast, lis the top of the moons disc Just
rising above the sea. Well have light
enough, reckon, to see that humpbacke1
chap when he comes up again.
tAy, ay, you are right, Hal. answered
the mate, rubbing his hands. never
before whaled it by moonlight: bat wen
have chance to do SO now, for III keep
on that fellows track until We get
chance to plant an iron In his hump. If it
takes me all night, This Is cur first
| lowering since we sailed. and blow me #
don't mean that it shall be lucky one.
Pull aheadr'
The crew obeyed, and in the course Of
half an hour the spout OF the whale was
seen rising like Jet Of liquid silver about
q quarter of mile ahead OF the boat.
| The moon had by this time risen high
above the horizon, sprinkling water-stars
all over the surface of the sea-
Pull ahead tistretch yourselves. ny
ladsr cried the mate We'll soon have
an iron in that chap ahead.
The men pulled with viii, and IN
short time the boat was within six faith
oms Of the monster.
Stand up, Hal.
And the boatsteerer fIprang to his feet.
Give il to hin!s
The harpoon Glove the sir with rush
| ing sound, and was buried to the socket
| in the hump. Then came the order to
stern and as the whale sounded, the
mate and boatsteerer changed places.
The boat was now rushing through the
water with the speed of lightning, the
/ spray foaming and boiling around her
bow, and her gunwales forward almost
on q level with the water.
/ With a triumphant fash lighting his
snake-like eyes, Thompson stopped side
| ways from his thwart to snlash one Of
the lances secured to the side of the boat.
eQuicki Quick, my mani Hurry up
! with that lance" exclaimed the mate,
stretching out his hand to receive the
! weapon
cay, ay, sir, answered Thompson in
! hoarse voice; and suddenly rising up
with the deadly steel in his hand. he
| he contrived to stumble in such man-
/ uer aswould, he hoped, cause the blade
to pierce the bosom of the mate.
The latter, however, avoided the stroke
by stepping nimbly TO one side, when
with pretended anxiety Thompson quick
" rose, declaring that he never eould
/ have forgiven his own awkwardness If
the mate had suffered from it.
i Don't mention It, !" exclaimed Warren,
accidents viii sometimes happen. 1ou
we're not to blame for stumbling, and
he took the lance from the others hand.
Il Fooled in this attempt upon the life Of
the man he hated, Thompson quickly re-
solved to make another. The slackening
of the line soon afforded him the oppor-
tunify he craved While the men were
; hauling upon the rope, he contr1ved,
, unobserved, to twist into several kinks,
, the part which was nearest the mate.
inst as the whale came looming up from
the ocean, within darting distance Of the
boat
: ssEow, then, Thompson mentally ex-
! claimed. s.the moment the whale sounds
: one of the kinks / have prepared win be-
: come entangled about the mates leg. or
his neck, and drag MIN overheard. There
: goes the lancet he continued aloud, as
Warren hurled the weapon, with unerr-
ing aim. into the monsters body.
Up went the fakes Of the whale, aud
the next moment be disappeared sec.
: ond time beneath the green chambers oi
the sea.
Then, as the line ran whipping through
the checks Of the boat, the kinks which
I had been arranged by Thompson 10 en-
: snare the life of the mate, few upward
; like wreathing serpents. forming 4
sbight, which, glancing past the first Of
fcer as ie lodged TO avoid It, canehl
!, tightly around the neck of the villain wll6
: had prepared the internal trap, AMI
} pulled him overheard with the velocity
: OF cannon ball The mate instantly
severed the line with blow Of his hatch
N ct, but Thompson was never seen aRaif
{ by the crew OF the Roberts.
sl A few days afterwards the whale va.
recaptured, killed and toEed to the ship
! GRAHAM BnEAD IN H1sTonT. TIL
) Phrenoz0gical Journal for 0ctober j
/; the authority for the historical featur'
q Of Graham bread. It says Dnrinl
{ the administration Of William Pitt. b
: ENGLAND fifars was 3 fcareftV Of wheat