The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-03-27

emptying his third and last sooty pipe.
Slowly the sun sank, Frightening out
the heavens to far beyond the zenith
into an amazing glory of scarlet and
red and orange, melting into sulphur
GUS tinge that died out into deli
cate green sky, which, in its turn
| deepened into blue and violet and in
digo where the ocean met it in the east,
with star or two glistening where the
lovely hue WAS deepest. A tropical
evening, indeed; and you saw the silver
speck of the hidden ships sails trem-
bling above the horizon and catching
the farewell ray of the setting luminary,
whose light went slipping level to it
from the brow OF one swell TO another,
until it was like drop of blood in
color, and hung like the red lamp OF q
distant lighthouse, though the ashen
eastern shadow closed down upon it
swiftly, and melted it into thin, gray
air, while the loftiest of our own clip
pers sails were still on fire with the
rich hectic of the west, and the ropes,
like gold wire, and the CREASED top
| gallant and royal masts, and whatever
else showed polished surface up
aloft, twinkling with ruby stars. Dark
ness swiftly follows the descent of the
sun in these parallels; there was no
twilight, and the night lay in a dusky,
spangled fold in the east ere the sun
had fairly trailed the skirts of his
golden robe off the low-down western
sky. The moon would not rise for an
other two hours; but the darkness and
the GOODNESS were wonderfully sweet
after the long spell of roasting day
light. The dew fell till the stars made
pearly flakes of it upon the rails and
skylights; and the gentle breeze still
blew, though with an ever-waning
breath. The ripples now ran in lines
of fire from the ships bow, and strange
green shadows, like the vapor rising
from melted tin, frightened and
dimmed in cloudy puffs in the slants of
the inky swells, and you saw tendrils
radiance eddying in the holes of the
ships wake, and glimmering along the
lines which marked the breadth of the
ebony path she was sailing along. Then,
in armies, the stars overran the velvet
black heavens, with planets shining in
blues and green's, and dropping points
of quicksilver into the dark waters,
while above them the glittering dust
of countless worlds lay thick as sand,
and often a narrow space of the vast
dome would flash out in radiance to
the bursting of O meteor, whose mo-
mentary bright shining would seem to
find an echo, so to speak, in dim
violet glare of Lightning down in the
southeast.
Two bells-9 o'clock-were struck
one heard the ringing chimes holloway
thrown downward out of the sails. A
dead calm had fallen, the ship lay in a
deep slumber upon the gently breath
ing bosom of the ocean, and nothing
seemed awake but the throbbing stars.
Not above four miles had been measured
since the darkness came down, and now
that the night was breathless, with a
threat OF cat's-paw-on no account to
be neglected-on either bow and all
around, the captain gave instructions
for the sternsails to be taken in and
slowed away out of the road of such
boxhauling of the yards as might be
necessary. This made the ship lively
for awhile with the running about and
| bnC ldCluS ulOlO VI nhhOu-lOObCu
ners; but presently all was silence
again, the captain below taking glass
of grog, the second mate pacing the
deck aft, the watch coiled up anywhere
for snooze, single figure erect on
the forecastle, and the sea like mirror
full of starlight, yet so dark that it
was like looking through haze at the
luminarles over the water-line. Three
bells were struck, and scarcely had the
last vibration died when the second
mate hailed the forecastle: Forward
there! is there anybody singing be-
low?" Nobody singing here, sir,
came back the answer promptly. "Non-
sense, man! There's some one singing
somewhere below forward, tell you.
Put your head into the scuttle and lis
ten" There was pause, and presently
back came the reply: "All's still in the
forecastle, sir. There's no singing in
this part of the ship" The second
mate walked up to the fellow at the
wheel: did you hear mans voice
singing just now, before the bell was
struck" "Yes, sir" Didn't the
sound come from forward ?" at seemed
like it," answered the helmsman.
Hush! there it is again." cried the
second mate, raising his hand and
stretching his head forward, with his ear
bent toward the forecastle. The sound
was dist net enough-it was that of a
husky voice singing-but at distance
that made the notes as thin and vibratory
as the twanging of jew's-harp heard
from affair." 1t ceased, and was followed
by a faint, unearthly laugh, that died
out at the moment, when o sudden shiv-
ering flap of the canvas up in the dark
ness seemed like shudder passing
through the ship. There's some one
singing and laughing away out ahead
here, sir" shouted the man on the
forecastle, in voice that made one
suspect he felt his loneliness at that
moment. What the dickens can it be,
and where does it come from?" ex-
claimed the second mate, stepping to
the rail and looking over. He peered
and peered, but the night lay dark upon
the water, spite of the starlight, and no
deeper shadow stood anywhere upon
the gloomy surface to indicate the
presence of vessel in the neighbor-
hood. Forward therel" he shouted
do you see anything?' Nothing,