The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-21
~ OCEAN WAIF.


j was second mate at the time. :"
began Mr.. Humphrey Roland, who re-
lated to me the following story, land
our, vessel was a bariue, named the
Eagle. We were bound from New
port, in Monmouthshire TO Cape Town.
with cargo of iron. and then we were
to 60 on 10 Melbourne, and thence to
Callae. Besides me there was Captain
Bla- kett. the master, and Mr.. Josiah
Biting. the chief mate. along with fif-
teen or sixteen hands forward. includ-
inc The idiors: aad, taking us allround.
| don't think that ever better ship S
company sailed out Of an English port.
There WASH { a foreigner among us:
there Wa no growing. no loaiinr:
ever. hin- was GOae qui xiv and with
awiIl. and it Wa not only 2 pleasure to
give an order, but a happiness to
watch the execution Of it. Well. we
left Newport On Monday afternoon
and went away down the Bristol Chan
mel. into the Atlanti. Ocean. under all
plain sail. in the tireSt OF weathers.
For near upon fortnight there was
nothing but brightness overhead, and
blue waters under Us. made featherv by
the whipping OF the hreezeS which blew.
sometimes nor west. coming now and
again a triiie fresh, hut never so strong
aS To cause us once 10 furl the main
royal day or night. We saw nothing
of the trade wind till we were in about
lstituds twenty degrees north, and
then, after blowing us along for spell,
it failed us one morning, with slowly
falling glass. and = long. ugly gray
swell coming out OF the southwest, and
a sort of dirty blue SKY, filmed over
with haze that might have passed for
the DRAWINGS from smelters' chimnevs.
Amid this, the sun hung ike a huge
jelly-fish. a shape!ess oozing of bright
ness, with scarce enough of power in
him to put a streak of light into the
brow of the swell that swung, heaving
up tall out of the near horizon, with
SUBMITS that seemed to be trying to
wash the yellow stain he had made.
out of the vault of the sky G..
There was a queer smell of decayed
marine vegetable matter about. which
came mp in whifS, when the rolling of
the bar, Tie made white water along
side, and. spite OF the sky being thin
enough 10 let the ghoSt of the sun
through. there was look overhead
that made you think that, if it was
night, you'd see green lightning play
ing about over the maStheads, ike the
dartingS of the phosphorus from the
ships side in black water. when you're
in the tropics, and the night lies dead
upon the breathleSs bosom of the ocean.
well. what these plain signs beto-
kened came topaSs right enough. The
glass went on dropping and the swell
came along in wilder and angrier
roll, until Al three o'clock that after
noon there was scarce more daylight
visible than you Il find in the last lin
gerings of twilight ashore. We were
,Snugged down to lower top-sailS, the
yards square. for there was no call to
brace them one way Cor another when
for hours there hadn't been a breath of
wind; no, sir, not so much rs TO give
fiutter tethe vane at the royal masthead,
saving what the bayque gave herself by
the sweep of her spars. Allhands were
on deck, standing by, knowing
that something was bound to
happen, but incapable of know
ing rom what quarter itmeant to come.
1t was as much as eeould do to see
one another's faces. The strain on the
spars and rigging was something fear
full, with the rolling. and in the gloom
overhead yea could hear the creaking
and complaining, the squealing of
sheaves, the groaning of parrals and
trusses. At four o'clock or Whereabouts,
the wind swept down upon us in a body,