The daily gazette., 1880-05-05
The Phantom in the Air
BY SHELL.

We passed through Behring',
Straits with everything humming.-
Our ship was the Warren, Captain
Blake. We were bound far north OF
a surveying expedition.
was aloft serving the footrope Oh
the main topsail-yard, where it had be-
come jammed againsG the mast, when
far ahead of me, looming up from the
centre of an ice flow, | saw something
huge and black.
at once notified the captain, who,
with spyglass in hand, mounted
aloft.
''It is some kind of craft. which
has been stove in and capsized in the
ice," said lie.
Then he gave orders to lower the
quarter boat, which, soon after, with a
good crew, was speeding along toward
the object.
| was one of the crew, having been
called down to take my thwart and /
at once proclaimed my opinion that
the craft was the bark Winchester, a
vessel which we had spoken during a
gale few days before.
Having expressed my opinion to one
of the boats crew, an old tar, he said
that he, too, thought as did, although
no trace of the vessels name could be
discovered, her stern-board having
been ripped off by wave and ice.
The mainyard was braced forward
on our return, and we proceeded on
our course.
Next morning we were obliged to
tack. There was a thick fog bank,
and the same huge flow of ice we had
seen on the day before, ahead of us,as
we came round.
was looking toward it earnestly,
endeavoring to make out the capsized
wreck, when, far up in the air, far
above the ice, beheld the figure of a
women, family discernible through
light mist. There it was, apparently
floating along through the air, waited
by the breeze.
| was about pointing it out to my
messmate, when, to my chagrin, fog
cloud rolled over the mirage and con-
cealed it. Soon our knight-heads,
spiritsailyard, forerigging, foretopsail-
yard, every available part of the ship,
in fact, was crowded with blue Jackets
all anxiously gazing toward the spot
had pointed out.
We were now running two points
free, under whole topsails and topgal-
lant-salls so that we made good pro-
gress. In a quarter'of an hour the fog
cleared, when there again, sure enough,
was my mirage--the form of the girl,
still apparently floating along through |
the air.
1t now bore about point off our lee |
bow, wherefore orders were given to |
the quartermaster to keep off. He
obeyed, and we went booming swiftly
along, with the cold spray and little
splintels, of ice flying around our
bows like showers OF diamonds. Away
we weni, In chase, as it were, of the
mirage, which seemed slowly to recede
Fl ON us as we bowled along.
One old tar sheet-anchorman-
rolled his quid, and shook his head
solemnly.
"That ere's a sprite," he grow,ed.
ITve heard of them things afore, and |
know that no good will come of our
chasing it,"
Just as he spoke, the gir's form,
fainter and fainter every mo-
ment, suddenly vanished.
The sheet-anchorman shook his head.
as much as to say, "You see l was in
the right" then went about his buiness.
Meanwhile the ship had approach ed
within a quarter of mile of the foe,
wnen, the fog again clearing, we saw
the mystical figure, still seeming to
maintain its position in the air.
The captain ordered the main yard
backed aud the cutter lowered.
"Lads," said he, addressing his men,
when they were mustered aft, 'ihere's
woman in distress-probably floating
on cake of ice. Well have a hard
pull, | doubt no., to get.her, but what is
if il be the means of our
saving a human lifel Who'll voun-
teer ?'
A dozen men, myself among them.
at once stepped forward, touching their
caps. The cutter was manned, and
away she we.t, cracking along through
,he ice.
The pull was hard one, sure
enough. The men tugged at their oars