Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-09-10

are required by good workman to skin al
ordinary seal. The hides are salted, and, af
ter week or two, bundled aud packed. The
otter, most timid of the animals of the sea, i,
caught in nets spread upon swaying beds Of
weed, or is shot while lying with head
buried in kelp to shut out the sound of q
storm. 1t is very sensitive TO noise, and sc
shy that it takes alarm at every unusual sight
| The loose hide is taken from the body with
one cut, turned wrong side out, stretched and
dried
Before the schooner left the vicinity of San
| Nicolas, terrible storm arose, lasting for
eight days carrying away a mast and dragging
the anchor, so that another had to be impro-
vised Of bag filled with stone. During the
tempest n sailor fanced he saw a human fig
ure on the headland Of the island Through
the washes of spray it seemed to be running
up and down the edge of the plateau, beck
oning and shouting. The captain was called,
| but the apparition had vanished. On the
| eighth day the schooner was enabled to run
over to San Miguel, and from there to Santa
Barbara where the sailors story of the beck
oning ghost of San Nicolas haunted for a
long time the dreams of the superstitious on
| shore.
A second cruise of the otter-hunters failed
| to bring any additional news Of the phantom
! of the sea. Everything on land was Just as
before not leaf had been disturbed, not a
| track was found.
In July, 1853, the otter-men made third
| trip to San Nicolas, anchored of the north
| east side, and established camp on shore
| The party consisted Of Captain Nidiver, a
fisherman named Carl Detman, who went
among sailors by the s0Jriguet of Charlie
| Brown, an Irish cook, and a crew of Mission
| Indians
The evening after their arrival, Nidiver and
A. ~ 1
enjoying their pipes and discussing plans for
work. 1t was one Of those limpid nights
such as California knows-a night when the
stars shine large and warm from the low sky,
when the moon burns with an amber blaze
and fragrance is in the air.
As the comrades were about to retrace their
steps, Nidiver stopped, looked quickly about
him, then stopped and closely examined some
thing on the ground. In the weird moonlight,
plainly outlined on the lonely shore, was the
print of a slender naked foot.
"The woman of San Nicolas My God,
she is living -
lie lifted his voice, and shouted in Spanish.
that friends were coming to rescue her Over
come by the conviction that the lost woman
must have been near when he was in camp
two years before, that it was not a creation
of fancy, but living being, they had seen in
the storm, the captain ran to and fro. call
ing, looking and swearing by turns. Hours
were spent by the two men in search, but in
vain.
The next day Nidvor found basket of
rushes hanging in tree. 1t contained bone
needless thread made of sinews shell fish
hooks, ornaments, and partially completed
robe of birds plumage, made of small squares
neatly matched and sewed together. Nidver
proposed replacing the things, but Brown
scattered them about, saying that, if they
were picked up, it would be proof that the
owner Lad visited the spot. Inland they dis
covered several circular, roohess Enclosures,
made Of woven brush. Near these shelters
were poles, with dried meat hanging from ell
evated cross-pieces. The grass was growing
in the pens, and nothing indicated their re-
cent habitation. In tissures of perpendicular
rocks near the springs were wedged dried
fish aud seal, blubber; but no sign Of the
near presence of the hermtess.
After several days the men abandoned the
chase. There was no doubt that some one
had been on the island very lately. Either
the woman or the child grown to woman
hood, had lived there, or, perhaps, both
mother aud child had survived until recently.
But they must have been dead months at
least The footprint was older than at first
supposed. The robe had not been replaced
in the tree. The captive perchance died of
d 'spair after they left her beckoning in the
storm
After that, the fishing went on for weeks,
aud they were about returning home, when
Nidivcr said he believed person was hiding
on the island. If she was living he was
bound to find her. If she was dead he would
find her body il he had to scrape the island
inch by inch. This provoked laugh of de-
rision. OF course the wild dogs had devoured
her remains. But Nidiver was convinced
tbat ba W. afraid bal CONCEALED
herself, possibly on the opposite side of the
island, where the shore was precipitous diff
ficult of access, containing perhaps gulches
and caves unknown to them. The men muir
INJURED at the delay, were incredulous as to
the success of the trail, rebelled at the long
tramps over a wild country.
The old captain was firm; suitable prepar-
ations were made, and the entire force of
otter men started on their final hunt for a
ghost Near the head of the island they
came across the bone house Jeffres had de-
scribed. Rushes were skillfully interlaced in
the rib framework an ola and old basket
were near the door. It stood amidst un-
trampled weeds After several days march,
a dangerous climb over slippery rocks
brought Brown to spot where there
were fresh footprints. He followed them up
the cliffs until they were lost in the thick moss
that covered the ground. Walking further
he found piece of drift-wood, from which
he concluded the person had been to the
beach for trewood, and dropped the faggot
ON her way home. From high point on the
ridge he saw the men moving about below.
Then his eye caught small object long way
off on the hills 1t appeared like crow at
first glance, but it moved about in a singular
manner. Advancing toward it stealthily, he
was dumbfounded to find that it was the
head of a woman barely visible above the
low woven brush sides of her roohess retreat
in the bushes
As Brown drew nearer, pack of dogs re-
clining close to the woman growled; but
without looking around the woman uttered
peculiar cry which silenced them, and they
ran away to the hills. Brown halted within
few yards of her, and, himself unseen,
watched every movement within the hut. In
side the inclosure was a mound of grass,
woven baskets full of things, and a rude
knife made Of piece of iron hoop, thrust
into a wooden handle. fire smouldered
near, and pile of bones lay in the ashes.
The complexion of the woman was much
fairer than the ordinary Indian, her personal
appearance pleasing, features regular, her
hair, thick and brown, falling about her
shoulders in a tangled mat. From the time
Brown arrived within hearing she kept up a
continual talking to herself. She was leaning
forward, shading her eyes with her hand,
watching thetmen crossing the flat below her
dwelling After looking at them with an
anxiety impossible to be depicted, she crouch
ed in terror but Immediately started up as if
to run The men on the fiat had not seen
her, and Brown, putting his hat on the ram
rod of his gun, alternately lifted and lowered
it to attract attention. then by signs he init
mated that the woman was found, and they
should spread out so as to catch her if she
tried to escape. Before the men reached the
knoll Brown stepped around in sight and
spoke. She gave frightened look into his
face, ran few steps, but, instantly control
ling herself, stood still, aud addressed him in
an unknown tongue. She seemed to be be-
tween forty and fifty years of age, in fine
physcal condition, erect, with well-formed
neck and arms and unwriukled face. She
Iyas drasea1 in n tunic Sbapa1 Barmant made