Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-06-18


then, should think"
"But then we shall find ice. How's the
wind?"
"Steady, north by east"
We sat down and finished our grog.
had the morning watch to keep next day.
I was too restless to sleep after it, so kept
on deck the whole of the day. Even that
did not satisfy me. was continually run
ming up into the tops with my glass, but
every time came down disappointed. The
Captain was as unquiet as myself. Some
thing we expected to happen, but of what
it was going to be we could form no idea.
The second officer, | believe, thought us
both crazy; indeed, 1 often wondered my
self at the state was in. Evening came
and nothing turned up. The night was
bright and the Captain determined to carry
on under easy sail till morning.
Morning came, and with the first gray
light was on deck. 1t was bitterly cold.
Those only who have seen them can form
an idea of the delicate tints of the morn.
ing sky in those northern seas. But was
in no humor to appreciate the beauties OF
nature. There was = mist low down on the
horizon; 1 waited impatiently for it to lift
1t lifted soon, and I could not be mistaken
beyond it 1 could see the simmer of ice
I sent down to tell the Captain, who came
on deck directly.
otis no use, Mr.. Brown" he said; "you
must put her about"
"Wait one moment; the mist is lifting
more; it will be quite clear Directly"
The mist was indeed lifting rapidly
Far to the north and west we could see the
ice stretching away in one unbroken held
I was trying to see whether there appeared
any break in the ice toward the west, when
the Captain, siezing my arm with one hand
and pointing straight ahead with the other
exclaimed:
"Good heavens! there is ship there"
The mist had risen like curtain, and
there, sure enough, about three miles ahead
was ship seemingly firmly packed in the
ice. We stood looking on in silence. There
was some meaning after all in that nysteri
GUS warning, was the first thought that sug
gested itself to me.
"She's nipped bad, sir" said old Shiel
who, with the rest of the crew, wasanxious
ly watching our new discovery. l was try
ing to make her out with the glass Wher
the flash of gun quickly followed by the
report proved that she had seen US. VI
went the flag, union downward. We need
ed no signal to know of her distress. The
| Captain ordered the second officer off into
the boat. I watched him as he made hi:
way over the ice with few of the mer
toward the ship. They soon returned witt
eight of the ships crew. 1t was disma
account they gave of their situation. They
might have sawed their way out of the ice
not have f10ated an hour. The largest O
their boats had been stove in; the Others
were hardly sea-worthy. They were pre-
pairing, however, to take them as last re-
source when our welcome arrival put an enc
to their fears. Another detachment wa:
soon brought off, and the Captain, with the
remainder of his crew, was to follow imne
diately.
Invent down to my cabin and tried tt
think over the singular fate which haC
made US the preservers of this ships crew
I could not divest myself of the idea thai
some supernatural agency was connected
with that paper in the desk, and l trenlbleo
at the thought of what might have beer
the consequences if we had neglected the
warning. The boat coming alongside in
terrupted my reverie. In few seconds
I was on deck.
found the Captain talking to a fine ole
sailor-like looking man, whom he intro
euced to meas Capt. Squires. Capt. Squire:
shook hands with me and we remained
talking some time. / could not keep my
eyes off his face; had conviction that
had seen him somewhere, where | coulC
not tell. Every now and then I seemed tt
catch at some clue, which vanished as soor
as touched. At last he turned round tt
speak of his men. 1 could not be mistak
en-there was the long, white hair, the
brown coat. He was the man had seer
writing in the Captains cabin.
That evening the Captain and told the
story of the paper to Capt. Squires, who
gravely and in silence listened to our con
lectures. He was too thankful for his escape
out of such imminent peril to question the
means by which it had been brought about
At the Captains request he wrote "Steel
N. w." We compared it with the origina
writing. There could be no doubt of it. II
was the same odd cramped hand.
Can anyone solve the mystery?