Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-22

l ""o S1'AnS oo"O uiAoOViVuo Iva oVLAOAuS
sail, voice suddenly came from the
main-top, "Stand from underm look
ed aloft, but the night was SO dark, that
could not see the top Of the mast.
Suddenly flash of lightning lit up the
rigging from the bowsprit to the mizzen
peak. saw that there was no one on
the mast, but to make sure, l put my
trumpet to my mouth and shouted,
'sHello, aloftw
"Stand from underr came the an
swer in a hollow, sepulchral tone. Just
then the lightning flashed again, and l
spw by its light Leon, the Spaniard,
crouching in abject terror by the gal
ley door. "What is That's I" said to
him.
'My God do not ask me-" he replied,
and swoonsd away. ! had him carried
to his bunk, and, strange to say, though
the weather continued rough, heard no
more Of the voice in the main-top. The
next night Leon reported for duty.
l was willing to excuse him. His mates
avoided him as much as possible, and
saw that they were afraid to be near
him. Toward eleven o'clock the sky
clouded again, and by midnight it was
raining sit only can rain in the tropics.
Just at midnight came the voice from
the main-top, "Stand FROM underw
This time | suspected trick, and Or
dered two men to the top sail. Hello,
aloft," said l.
Aye, aye, sir" came the reply.
"What do you sect"
Nothing amiss," was the reply.
Then, come below"
Scarcely had they leaped to the deck
from the shrouds, when the voice came
from above: "Stand from under!'
'Let CO." said l. There Was no reply,
and, as | stood listening, with the rain
beating in nay face, the lightning Blazed
again, until every line of the rigging
stood out in bold relief like lines of fire.
Perched in the main-top thought saw
human form, and as | turned to the
sailors who had been aloft, / again saw
Leon crouching in terror, his face hidden
in his hands. "What is that said l
to him. He fell over in faint as Ispoke,
and did not revive until daylight. Then
he was put on the sick-list, and it was
nearly week before he was again able
to do, duty. Meanwhile, the weather
had cleared up, and, as "the trades"
were In our favor, we were bowling
along three hundred miles day, and l
had become convinced in my mind that
the voice from the main-top belonged to
some mischievous ventriloquistic sailor,
and determined to make him sweat
for his clark" when / caught him. That
night kept my eyes on Leon, and l saw
that his mind was i'll at ease. About
ten o'clock, l noticed that the barome-
ter was falling rapidly, sure indication
of stolm, and l began immediate pre-
parations for it. Scarcely had all been
made snug, when the storm broke with
terrible fury. For awhile, it looked as
if the good ship would roll every stick
out of her, and it was with difficulty that
a footing was maintained on her decks.
The first blow over she steadied some
what, and set the stormjib to keep her
before the wind. Then the sky grew
dark as pail, and the wind came in
gusts that moaned through the rigging
like the wailing of lost souls As
passed the pinnacle light, l saw by the
ships chronometer that it was almost
midnight. l had scarcely reached the
poop-deck, when FROM the man-top,
again came the warning: "Stand from
underw
"Let gow I commanded; but my
order produced no effect.
Where is Leon9" asked.
Here, sir" came from dozen
mouths.
looked toward the COMPLIMENTARY,
and there stood, or rather tottered, the
Spaniard, the most miserable looking
object l had ever seen in human form.
His sickness had left his cheeks gaunt
while his eyes were hollow and filed
with q strange light. As 1 looked at
him the voice again called:
"Stand from underw
"Speak to it," said I.
He made an effort to respond, but his
lips merely moved without utterance.
care you man, or what are you ~
l Numbered.
My sheer tainted him into speech.
Grasning the hulwarl with bis r,rb+