The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-03-27
The LAST MAN.
BY A SEAFARER,

A small iron, full-rigged ship was in
latitude 10 degrees north of the equator,
outward bound for New Zealand port.
The sun would be setting in an hour;
already his disk was rayless and of a
dark and angry gold, and his reflection
lay in broad and waving dazzle upon
the western swell. A pleasant draught
Of air, blowing softly over the port
quarter, had kept the lighter canvas
sleeping all the afternoon, but the
lower sails hung up and down, and, as
the ship leaned upon the gentle undu-
lations, the tender swinging of their
folds waited cool currents over the
fevered decks. as though some gigantic
punkah-wallah, perched aloft, were
tanning the ship. The deep blue of the
sea, scarcely wrinkled by the breeze,
stretched around, and the water-line
was like an azure cincture clasped,
where the glory of the sun hung, by a
plate of gold; but over the side the
water was of an exquisite transparent
green, in which you could see the metal
hull of the vessel wavering till bend
hid it, and it was enough to possess a
man, half-blinded with the heat that
came Off the brassy glare under the
sun, with calenture to look into the
glass-like emerald profound, and to
think of the GOODNESS and sweetness to
be got by q lazy fouting in the serene
surface of that fathomless depth. All
the afternoon it had been blowing q
soft air with now and again stronger
fold that came out OF the northeast with
parching taste in it that might have
made it pass for the expiring breath of
rush of atmospheric heat from some
blast furnace hid en- behind the seq !;
but one felt that the draughts could
not long outlast the sinking OF the sun,
whose ardency was slowly sucking
out all life from the air. Already in
the south the water-line ruled
the deep violet of the sky
with FURNISHED surface, betwixt which
and the heavens there was a trembling
of heat in which the blue swan to a
height of four or five degrees. Just
where that tremulous appearance was
you saw shining speck, the topmast
sails OF ship disconnected by refrac-
tions from the rest of the fabric; they
looked through the glass like kites
flying in the air; and if there was any
thing in this world to emphasize the
vast expanse of the ocean, it was those
tiny points of canvas, when one came to
think how small a handful of miles was
needful to sink the big vessel out of
sight, to render invisible hull full of
people, perhaps, and loaded with a
cargo of value sufficient to render a
thousand poor families happy and indie
pendent for life ashore Still the breeze
continued blowing softly as the sun
sank. There were wrinkles round the
stem Of the little iron clipper, and the
surface OF the green clearness over the
side was strewn with bubbles that
cleaned like emeralds and diamonds
and rubies between the shadow of the
ship and the light off the sea as they
veered slowly a,tern into the languid,
iridescent wake. 1t was pretty sight
to peer from under the short awning to
up aloft, and mark the stunsails spread
ing further and further as they de-
seconded, till the reflection of the great
white squares of cloth stretched by the
swinging boom shone like O sheet of
silver under the black spars; and when
ever the ship lifted to the swell, there
would come from aloft sound of pat
tering reef-points, and the quiet beat
ing of buntlines, and the low chatter of
rope against rope, which, with the aid
of the brook-like murmur of the rip
ping water at the bows, might have
passed for q stirring of fallen leaves
disturbed in their shady place by q
sudden passage of winds betwixt the
dark trunks of trees and over the cool
turf.
1t was the second dog-watch No
work WAS doing, and the heat was too
great for any kind of diversion. One
saw a number of open breasted, messy
bosomed seamen overhanging the fore
castle rail, pipe in mouth, with drowsy
eyes sleepily looking away into the
blue distance, while low, throaty muir
muir OF voices hoated aft from forward,
where the black cook, standing in the
galley door, was arguing with Dutch
sailor. There was a farm-yard noise,
too, of muttering hens, mixed with the
roofing, grubbing grunt of a pig or two,
and strange Eastern bird, secured by
the leg, was clawing with beak and tai
ons up and down a fathom or two of
forestry, while in hoarse sea-note
he'd sing out now and again: "Sail no !
bless my eyes! bear hand sail hol"
Right aft on the quarter deck, visible
from the weather side of the forecastle
under the lifted clew Of the mainsail,
stood the helmsman gripping the wheel,
and gnawing upon quid in his cheek,
with many q roll of his cleaning eyes
sloft and then into the compass-bowl
and then upon the sea; the brightness
came off the water in q scarlet tremble
upon his figure, and often he would tip
his Scotch cap on the back Of his head
TO pass the length of his arm from the
WI st to the elbow over his streaming
brow. The captain, a red-faced man
in q straw hat, with a Manila cheroot
m his mouth, paced the deck from the
mizzen-rigging to the tafirail; the chief
mate, who had charge OF the watch,
walked IN the gsngway, and the second