The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-05-10
THE ENCHANTED SHIP.
a Legend from the Persian.

chants who were returning from Mecca
to STEAMBOAT, attended by numerous
escort of guards to protect their trea-
sures and persons from the Arabs, the
predatory descendants of Ishmael. To-
ward noon the heat became insupporta.
BILE, and the advanced guard of tie Ca
yalcade having reached a convenient
hating place made a halt. The prin-
cipal conductor posted sentinels and
awaited the arrival of the rest of the
troop. Thirty camels laden with costly
merchandise, at length appeared with
their leaders, and were followed by the
merchants TO whom the caravan be-
longed, mounted upon Arabian horses.
The tents were pitched, and, reposing
upon cushions embroidered with gold,
the merchants partook of the customary
spiced meats and sherbet, which their
black slaves presented to them.
The repast finished the slaves carried
away the fragments and brought pipes
and coffee. The smokers sat in silence
and appeared to watch, with philosophic
serenity, the fanciful commissions of the
gray vapor which issued in voluminous
clouds from their ho0kahs, At length
Hassan, the youngest of the company,
broke silence and thus addressed the
venerable Achmet. whose locks were
blanched by the SHOWS of seventy win
tiers:
"Three days, 0 Achmet, have passed
thus heavily in the desert and none of
us having suggested any pleasant enter
tainn ent to tighten the tedium of our
Journey. This dreariness affects me the
more sensibly, as | have been accus-
to see dancing or to hear music after my
meals. Can you devise no amusement
to beguile the tine?"
1.-The words OF the wise are the pearls
of Iran," said the merchant khalid.
RELATE to us, if it be agreeable to thee,
Achmet, some of those adventures which
have diversified thy long career, or trans
port us for few moments into the airy
realms of imagination"
MY dear friends" replied Achmet,
"you have during our passage through
these wilds, given me the most crafty
ing proofs of your attachment, and |
will, therefore, communicate to you an
episode in my life, which do not relate
to everybody; it is the history of the
enchanted shipl"
My father was a small shopkeeper at
Balsora. He was neither rich nor poor,
being one of those people who speculate
cautiously, for fear of losing that which
they already possess. He instilled hon
orable principles int my mind, and
soon taught me to assist in his trade.
was eighteen years of age when he made
his first great venture. He shortly
afterward died, probably from regret a
having trusted a thousand pieces Oh golC
to the uncertain risks of the sea. Hi
decease was happily timed for him, asIr
the course of few weeks intelligence
arrived that the vessel in which he had
embarked his property was totally lost
NY courage was not depressed by thi:
misfortune. l converted into money al
that my father had left me, and quilted
my native town in the hope of realizing
81 fortune in foreign countries. My OLE
companion was an old domestic, who's
attachment to me was not weakened b,
my adverse circumstance, and VIII
wished to live and die in my presence.
We sailed with favorable wind from
the port of Balsora, in vessel bound TO
the Indies On the 18th day of our voy
age the captain intimated that a storm
threatened us. His manner was uneas,
and he did not appear to be sufficient.
acquainted with the navigation of tn
ATTITUDES in which we found ourselve
to view with calmness the impendin
tempest. Upon the approach of nigh
the weather became clear and cold, an
the captain already fancied that ha
been deceived in his anticipations of
hurricane, when suddenly vesse
which he had not previously observed
was seen to pass close to ours. All q
once groans and wild outcries issue
from the strange ship, like those whic
are heard in the howlings of a tempes
Our captain, who was standing at m
side on the quarterback, turned fea
fully pale, and exclaimed:
"Our ship is doomed, and deaf
awaits us ALL"
Before | could inquire into the meal
ing of these singular expressions, Il
sailors gathered round US, inquiring wit
terror in their looks:
"Did you see that? Did you he
those horrible sounds-those evil for
bodings?"
The captain aroused himself and orde
ed that verses from the Koran should
read. He then took charge of the hel
himself, but his devotion and his ca
alike availed us nothing A gale arc
which rapidly increased to storm, al
in less than an hour the vessel sprang
leak, which all hands at the pumps cou
not keep under. The long boat was tn
hastily cleared and hoisted out, al
scarcely had the last mariner quilted t
Inflated merchantmen ere she was sw,
lowed up in the deyouring waves, Tn
were we cast adrift on the wild and foal
ing sea, with nothing but what we b:
on us and very little hope eff saving ev
our lives. The hurricane still rag
furiously, and, incapable of assisting
the management of our frail bark, | Ike
my old servants arm linked in mine, a
we vowed not to abandon each 9th
whatever might befsll US.
Day at length dawned, but with
first beams of the sun came the crisis
our fate; onr boat was capsized by
violent squall, and / never afterwa
saw any of our hopeless crew. InguE
in 1.-THE tumbling pillows of the nisiI
! soon became unconscious, and VIII
sensation returned | found myself 81
ported in the arms of my faithful $
want, who had scrambled on to the
of our still floating boat and succeed
in dragging me after him. The temp
gradually abated, but no vestige rema
ed our lost ship. At a short distal
from us, however, to our great JOY,
deserted another vessel, against VIII
the waves, no longer fearful, impoten
broke As she drifted toward us l {
covered that she was the same ship Z
had passed us on the previous event