The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-12-23

est was conferred,
1t was about three feet long, by fool
and half wide and deep. made of COM
mon deal. roughly put together, and
with narrow iron band round each end.
The name of some dealer at Beyrout was
stamped on it In black letters, but so
much defaced as to be almost illegible.
Underneath that was printed, ssWard-
room Officers, q. NJ. s Aster." Out
wardly, it was n thing. What could it
contain?
"Now," said the Captain, when the
two men were beside him, "give it
good swing, and launch it overheard.
One, two, three, and over r.
A dull splash-the mysterious case
was gone
Down, down through many fathoms
OF blue water it sank, and with it carried
q secret of such dread import that it
had blanched the cheek and palsied the
hand of man accustomed to the perils
OF the sea from his youth, and who, in
the most critical moments of danger, had
never before shown TO those around him
that the sensation of fear was known to
him.
Down, down it sank. the waters closed
over it, the mighty sea took it to her
self, forever ksding it from the sight of
men. The clear, bright moon shone on
the place; the bubbles that marked the
spot burst and melted away. The rest
less ocean showed no trace of the place
where the mysterious box was ingulfed,
but the ripples danced to and fro in the
moonbeams, as they had danced before,
and the ship glided silently and swiftly
away.
Twas sorely disappointed. I thought
of course when the case was ordered tc
be brought on deck, that it would be
opened before the Captains eyes, and |
should be made acquainted with the rea-
son of his unusual excitement.
The old carpenter stared aghast.
GOOD Lord |" he calculated, "what
has come over him? Depend upon it,
he's seen ghost.
And he wiped the perspiration from
his brow, for he was superstitious old
man.
"Ghost! What's ghost got to do
with box of pickles ?" snet old Tom
Rallies, the boat5wain's mate-a priv.
legged oddity. cts my opinion he's
gone stark, staring mad"
"Them things in that ere box weren't
hisn to chuck overheard. He'll be a
chuckin' my bag over next" grumbled
another mana discont tented and insub-
ordinate character.
moved away. The conversation was
not meant for my ears, aud I had no
wish to play the eavesdropper.
Fully an hour did Capt. Montague
pace up and down the deck with the Of
ficer Of the watch; and for that space OF
time I had to curb my Impotence to
hear the story which I knew he would
have TO tell me; and for the same length
of time had the thirsty Lieutenant to
wait for his grog; put when at last the
Captain did again seek his cabin I lost
no time in bringing up the long delayed
refreshment, and, while drinking it, he
detailed to me the following particulars.
Capt. Montague had turned in as usu.
oil after giving his orders for the night to
the officer of the first watch, and, having
nothing to disturb him and bei-.g in
good health, he was soon fast asleep.
How long he slept he did not know, but
suddenly he heard loud cry of "Fire r.
Only half awakened, and not sure wheth-
er the voice was in the cabin or outside.
he started up and involuntarily said
"Where %
70 which question he distinctly heard
a voice in his cabin answer
6 A case of infammables in the fore
most locker, starboard side of the car
penter's storeroom, marked 'Ward-room
Officers, has ignited."
just then the bells struck four times.
He sprung out of bed and searched for
the owner of the voice, but no one was
there. Then he rang his bell and sum-
moned the sentry outside, and ques-
toned him as to who had come into his
cabin, but the sentry-a reliable man
was certain that nobody had passed his
post. The time, too, was close on eight
bells. So, satisfied that he must have
been dreaming, and rather ashamed of
having agitated himself about nothing.
he dismissed the sentry and proceeded
to turn in once more but he could not
succeed in quite dismissing the subject
from his mind, and, when he at last fell
asleep again, he was visited with this
fearful dream:
The vessel was the victim of that most
awful catastrophe that can happen to
ship at sea-she was in flames. He was
on deck, amid scene of confusion and
horror perfectly indescribable, envel-
oped in hot and choking smoke, through
which the lurid glare Of the angry flames
cast dingy red light on the forms of
dead and choking men while on all
sides the shrieks of anguish and despair,
wrung from the scorched. and drowning
sailors, mingled with che roar Of the
flames and the splashing and kissing of
the burning fragments of the vessel, as
they separated themselves from her
hull, and fell into the water.
He woke. Everything was quiet and
peaceful. The moon was shining
brightly through the port, and the
steady stamp Of the sentry keeping time
to the ticking Of his clock was the only
sound to be heard.
Having steadicd his nerves with
glass of brandy and water, and trying
to dismiss the terrible recollection of his
hideous dream from his mind, he again
fell asleep but only to suffer rope
titicn of the horrible nightmare.
This time he sent for me on waking,
and excited my curiosity and appre-
hension, as have related, by his agi-
tated manner but still my assurance of
the safety of the vessel was insufficient
to Danish the vision.
A third time he imagined himself in
the burning ship /; again he was spec
tator of all the horrors of the confiagra-
ton; again was he standing amid that
fearful scene of confusion and death,
with all its dread reality intensified |;
again he saw hundreds of his
own men dying fearful deaths around
him, without being able to render
the least assistance, while the hot
flames darted their forked tongues at
him; and, again, as the dense suffocat-
ing smoke closed around him, did he
find himself the victim of mad despair.
Again, too, he woke to find it but
dream, and all still and quiet as before.
He could bear it no longer the vision
was too palpable-too awful. He thought
of the mysterious voice. Gould it be
supernatural warning? He did not be-
lieve in such things; but then he dared