The Red Cloud chief., 1881-01-06

genson. n Swedish whalcr belonging 70
the White Wave, californian schooner
employed in seal and other fishing in
the North Pacific. On September Is.
1879. the schooner being within sight
of the Alcutian Islands, q boat was sen,
on shore for water. the crew consisting
of Hans ~Jorgenson and two other sea-
men. Hans, having his rifle with him.
had no sooner landed than he went of
in search OF game. and. As he took no
heed OF the signal Of recall, his mates
returned TO the ship without him. A
furious gale sprang up. and for four
days II wa impossible for the White
wave To come anywhere near the
island. At the end of that time a
landing was effected, AMI J~orgenson
was found to he alive certainly, but
most strangely altered in appearance.
The spare Swede of FIVE feet seven.
with a bald pate and a thin straw-col-
ored mustichc, was transformed into a
man apparently six feet high. 30 stout
that his clothes wonld scarcely contain
him, with his head and face covered
with a crop Of fluffy hair. and seeming.
ly ten years older than the J~orgenson
who a been left behind but four days
before.
His explanation of the mystery did
did not make the matter more inlelli-
gible. Having started some wild ami
mails. he followed the chase. all unsuc-
ccssfully, for miles before thinking of
returning to the boat. When he did
think of 1T, he began TO look about him,
and was nightly surprised with his
surroundings. The country was bleak
and barren, nothing but volcanic rocks,
without a single tree or shrub. Here
and there were rents in the earth. at the
dark bottom of which small but rapid
streamlets sped %tortuously along
through masses of lichen, while heavy
volumes of steam, impregnating the
air with sulphurous odor, rose from
other ravines; giving the Swede the
impression that he was looking upon a
piece of the earth as it must have been
before ever a living creature put foot
thereon.
Finding that his shipmates had de-
parted without him, Jorgenson camped
out for the night. In the morning he
sought for something to breakfast upon;
a fruitless quest taking him to the
top of a hill, when, falling backward.
he rolled down a gulch on the land
side, the stock of his rifle striking
against and breaking one of a number
of pebble-like objects, which examine
ton showed to be a thin shell of lime
or sulphur or something. he could not
tell exactly what, covering a quantity
OF jelly of a light rose-color, composed
of an iniinity OF minute cells, through
which stretched 4 number of ilossy
ligaments. Taking asmall quantity on
his finger, he applied his tongue 10 it
and swallowed some. but was so dis
gusted with the taste that he pitched
the shell away, and went back to his
post, to watch for the White Wave.
After watching for some hours the
hungry fellow fell into "a deep sleep,
from which he was awakened by a sem
sation similar to that he had experienced
years before when pulled, half-drowned,
out of one of his native fiords; but his
hunger had gone, he felt refreshed, and
found he could walk without fatigue,
and naturally gave the nauseous jelly
the credit of it.
Next day he visited the gulch again,
and took another taste of the Jelly;
again came a deep sleep. from which he
awOke, as before, free from hunger or
WEAKNESS; but to his establishment his
clothes had become Sd tight that he
could hardly move in them. his sea-
boots seemed a few sizes too small, and
the sleeves of his knitted Jacket were |
almost up to his elbows. STOPPING to
pick up his rifle, he found that too had
shrrnE nr rafhn- that hn h,pnnlf l,I I
stretched and grown under the inilu-
of the wonderful food, and that
his physical powers had increased with
his bulk. While testing the latter by
tlinging the pieces of rock into the sea,
beheld the White Wave bear
ing down the coast. signaling with the
small brass piece she carried. He re-
piled with his rifle, and after filling his
pockets with the mysterious pebbles,
made for the beach, and soon was well
coined by his puzzled me,s-mates.
Should our readers discredit this
strange tale. which reads like a fore
castle yarn it must be confessed. here
is the sad end of it, Literally tran
scribed," says the San Francisco Chron-
icie, from the log of the White Wave:
:" October ), 1S79-Lat. ga N, Long.
10 w. Jorgenson is dead and I
don't know what to make of it. Ever
he came aboard from the island
his health has been good, but the re-
markable swellin' have gone on until
yesterday we were obliged 10 bring him
mp on deck. as he had crowd SO that l
was afeared we should not be able to
get through the companion-wav. 1 was
beside him when he died. and
had just ask him how do you feel now.
He said all v e pins and needles like.
said no pains besides? He said no,
| feel like as if everything WAS a
stretching and growing inside of me.
iuess I'm poisoned. l said l guess so.
just then | hear a crack inside of
him. then another and another, three
n all. He clasped his hands to his
leart, his chest, his stumick, gave one
rrOan and died - 4U-yLe. Year. PounH