Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-06-18
Steer n. w.
4 MYSTERIOUS VISITOR WHO SAVED
SHIPS CREW.

ADOuC TWO years dSO IelG Vic oClN NiCo'
was tired of it, and as I wanted some more
exciting employment 1 joined a whaler.
| We were unlucky-somehoW l bring no
luck anyWhere-and we were nearly emp
ty. We were cruising up here to the north,
and we're thinking of making. for home, as
the weather was changed-and the ice forms
precious quick in those ATTITUDES when it
once begins. The Captain naturally wanted
to hang on to the last for the chance of an
other haul.
One bright afternoon, just after eight
bells, made up the log and took it to the
Captains cabin. I knocked at the door,
and, as nobody answered, 1 walked in. l
thought it odd the Captain hadn't answered
with his back to me, writing. Seeing he
was employed, told him 1 had brought
the log, laid it down on the table behind
him, and, as he made no answer, walked
out. went on deck, and the first person
L met was the Captain. l was puZzled-l
could not make out how he had got there
before me.
"How did you get up here?" I asked ;
II just left you writing in your cabin"
''I have not been in my cabin for the last
half hour" the Captain answered but l
thought he was chatting, and didn't like it.
"There was some one writing at your
L y
you had better 60 and see who it is. The
log is made. Ihave left it in your cabin,
sir" and with that walked sulkily away.
1 had no idea of being chatfed by the Cap
tain, to whom had taken dislike.
"Mr. Brown" said the Captain, who saw
I was nettled "you must have been mis-
taken; my desk ic locked. But come
We'll 90 down ana ee about it,"
l followed the Captain into the cabin.
The log was on the table, the desk was
closed, and the cabin was empty: The
Captain tried the desk-it was locked.
''You see, Mr.. Brown" he said laughing,
locked"
1 was positive. "Somebody may have
picked the lock-" I said. ..
''But they couldn't have closed tagain,' y
the Captain suggested "but to satisfy you
I will open it and see if the contents are
safe, though there is not much here to tempt
thief"
He opened the desk, and there-stretched
right cross twas sheet OF paper with
the words :'Steer n. w." written in an odd,
cramped hand.
The Captain looked at the paper and then
handed it to me.
"You are right, Mr.. Brown; somebody
has been here. This is some hoax"
We sat there some time talking and try
ing to guess what could be the object of such
a jOke-if joke it was meant to be-. l tried
to identify the back of the man had seen
at the desk with that of any of the crew. |
could not do it. 1t is true / had at first
taken the man for the Captain, but now
points of difference suggested themselves.
I had not looked very attentiVely at the
figure, but still was under the impression
that the coat it had on was brown, and the
hair, which appeared under the cap, seem
ed, as I remembered it, to have been longer
and whiter than the Captains. There was
onN one man on board who resembled in
the least the figure had seen. l suggest
ed to the Captain that it might have been
old Shiel, the boatswain. He did not like
to suspect the old man, who was a great
fayorite; besides, what motive could he, or
indeed any one else, have had in trying to
change the course of the vessel?
Not to appear to suspect any one in par
ticular, the Captain determined to have up
all the crew. We had them up, one by one.
We examined them and made all those
who could write, write "Steer n. w." but
we gained no clue. One thing was very
clear-it could not have been old Shiel, who
was proved to have been forward at the
time | was in the Captains cabin. The
mystery remained unsolved.
That evening I sat drinking my grOg
with the Captain in his cabin. We were
neither of us inclined to be talkative. I
tried to think of home and the pleasure it
would be to see the old folks again, but
still my thoughts always wandered back
to that mysterious writing. tried to read,
but caught myself furtively peeping at the
desk expecting to see the figure sitting
there.
The Captain had not spoken for some
time, and was sitting with his face buried
in his hands. At last he suddenly looked
up, and said:
"Suppose we alter her course to north
west, Mr.. Brown"
| don't know what it was; cannot hope
to make you understand the feeling in my
mind that followed those words-it was a
sense of relief from a horrible nightmare.
| was ashamed of the childish pleasure
felt, but could not help answering eagerly,
"Certainly: shall give the order"'
| waited no longer, but hurried on deck
and altered the course of the vessel.
1t was a clear, frosty night, and as look
| ed at the compass before going below l felt
strangely pleased, and caught myself chuck
ling and rubbing my hands; at what, l
cannot say-I didn't know then, but great
weight had been lifted off my mind.
went down to the cabin, and found the
Captain pacing up and down the small space.
He stopped as l came in, and, looking up,
said abruptly:
! "It can do no harm, Mr.. Brown"