Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-04


that place and saw n corpse on the
floor. There were tour berfhs and
tao OF them held drcaying bodies Of
dead sailors This sight was mere
sickening than the one IN the cabin
| closed up the forecastle hatch and
went amifships. where = large boat
had been lashed. I leaned against
that and thought
There / was on floating grave
yard. where the corpses wouln'i keep
below the earth hsve always bad
tao great weaknesses One % them
is what you call superstition. Those
men bad probably died Of yellow
fever and the air Of the cabin and
forecasile was tainted with IL. Then
th-re was the feeling that the corps-s
wouldn't lie quiet, out would come
on deck TO worry M. / placed some
heavy chains aud bolts % both the
and Fastened the stsr'es with
stout cords. The captain had said
that we were out of the W y f yes
sells and our schooner had long been
out Of sight. Look Al IL IN whatever
way I could, II seemed In me that |
was doomed. I was weak and faint,
but | did not feel very hungry or
thirsty. 1 leaned against the large
boat until past noon ard thought of
those corpses below. There WAS an
other baat dashed on deck, but / did
not feel myself strong enough to
launch IL. or ] would have left that
pest-ship. The fact that was doom
ell was always before me.
suddenly something flashed over
my mind. told you that had an
other great weakness. Well. that was
whisky. | wondered that I had not
thought Of IL before Somehow II
made me bold. removed the chains
and unfastensd the cabin hatchway.
Then | stole down the steps AS # |
were afraid would wake the corpses.
| did not look at the body on the
floor, but kept my eyes on the wall
until saw locker; IL was not locked
ami 10 il | found q number Of bottles.
l seized several Of these and rushed
up on deck, fastening the hatch as
before. and going mp TO the boat
examined the bottles. They con
tanned French brandy, and ! started
on one of them. The smell seemed
to 90 away, and felt much better by
the time tackled the second bottle
I usually get crazy when have plen-
~ of liquor. could not keep OF the
thoughts OF those corpses and that I
was doomed to lie with them before
long. But ran up and down the
deck shouting and yelling. ! danced
like Q fiend until could hardly stand.
and I poured down the brandy like
water. Ashore % undeS mose any
other circumstances I c0uldn't have
drank anywhere nearly - much. !
thought that I noticed the sun going
down. At any rate. l was reeling
around the deck trying 10 reach the
boat whore I had leit the brandy. I
had not been quito able 10 drown
those eorpses. bat nov ] was bound
30 finish them. I remember feeling
my head strike against something snd
seeing . whole sky full Of stars.
Tho next thing l remember was
starting up with . throat like o fur.
mace. Then the horrid thought Of
those awful corpses came over me.
Why hsdn't the courage 20 throw
them overheard when ! first cauae on
board, I thought. and I made up my
mind 10 Go 10 when 10 csmo light and
/ had steadicd my nerves with some
more brandy. Theirs was 3 big lump
on the back OF my head and was
lying near the bow Of the large boat.
That's Just where I icft the brandy.
thought. II was very dark. like the
night before, and l reached around
for the bottles, bat I couldn't hnd
them. l looked around; there WAS a
dim light In the cabin and the hatch
was open. Tcould see dim side lights
burning. There q. the wheel stood
a dark figure. / shuddered as II
had the ague. / glanced forward
The forecastle hatch was off and there
was another dark figure at the bow.
| could make out two other figures
lying on the deck. | felt that those
corpses had come up from below aud
taken the brig into their hands again.
II was too much for me; l sprang mp
aud gave q fearful yell. Then ! fell
on the deck all In a heap. AS | lay
shuddering there | heard voice.
which dldn't sound much like that of
n CHEST. Well, il said, that blamed
idiot has come To at last.
- II was some time before / could
how things really stood.
The brig was In the hands of prize
crew Of four men that had been sent
on board OF her by an English bark
that sighted her az sunset, and about
the time fell down in dead drunk
state. They were not 80 tuperstitious
as was, and In short time after
coming on board they had hove the
corPses overheard and had fumigated
the cabin and force astle as well as
they could. They didn't know what
TO make OF me, but they took away
my brandy ana left me to come to.
which I did At about 4:30 the next
morning. rney would hardly be-
lieve my story. l never have heard
from the three-masted schooner that
l fell overheard froEs, but | am salts
fed that no one missed me until they
thought IL was too late TO look after
me. They were probably very much
excited by the danger Of running inio
the brig She had some spanish name
and was bound 10 some Mexican port,
according TO her papers. Her log.
book, I afterward learned, came TO .
stop some days before l got on board
OF her. The captain wrote that some
Of the crew had yellow fever, and I
suppose they al died Of Ii. None OF
US took thedisease. though. Iwould
not sleep In the forecastle or the cabin
either. bat remained on deck all Of
The time. On the second day afler I
came TO We put Into small port near
The west end Of Cuba. Without stop
ping 10 claim any prise money I went
On 10 Havana by small coaster. I
knew boarding house keeper there,
md | went TO him. There I took .
rood look at myself In the glass and
Eound that my hair, which had been
VI black. wss spsinkled With gray"