The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-07-08

to be right. Some poor eouls whoss
vessel has foundered among the ice
whalers, most likely-took to thu
boats, they have. l saw that ther,
light myself-seemed very close to tn,
water, it did. They seen our lights
and burnt fash.light. II they got
another, they'll show that, too, pres.
emily"
And now the voice of the command
err rang out: "Mr. Sights!"
GAY. ay, sir" replied the gunner.
"Clear away your two foremost
guns on the maindeck, and fire blank
charges at short intervals; and get
some blue lights. and show them in
the fore-rigging at once!"
cay, ay, sir" And away went the
gunner to see his orders carried out
instantly.
But ere his head had disappeared
down the hatchway, "a bright light
on the starboard quarter!" roared
out the marine sentry at the lifebuoy
right aft; and once more everybody
turned sharp around to find nothing
to gaze at but the universal darkness.
Glands about ship" was now the
order, and in quick succession came
from the bridge the we'll known COM
mands in the sharp, imperative voice
of the lieutenant of the watch: "Ease
down the elm!"-"Helm's a lee!"-
"Raise tacks and sheets!" &c. And
as the splendid old ship answered her
helm like b1at and began to fill on
the other tack, "Maintopsail haul"
for our courses were furled, "Head
braces!" "Of all, haul" and we were on
the other tack.
The ship was now brilliantly illu.
minated by half a dozen blue lights
burning in the fore and main rigging
while, as we began to move ahead
once more, our bow guns blazed forth
from the maindeck one after the other
"a roar which We fondlv imagined
would be more welcome than the most
delicious music to the ears of the poor
storm-tossed castaways in that frail
boat which We now hoped to rescue
from the wrath OF the rag ing sea. At
intervals there appeared again the
bright but transient flash which had
first attracted our notice;and through
the roar Of the waves and the shrek
of the wind we at times imagined we
could hear human voices shouting no
doubt for help. and all eyes were
strained to the uttermost through the
blackness SO try and discern the first
glimpse of the boat itself. The last
flash had told us that we were steer
ing directly for it, and on we sped, our
blue lights kissing and faring in our
rigging, our guns ceaselessly roaring
out our sympathy and our desire to
save.
"Keep a sharp lookout forward
there,' ''Life- crew, fall in aft"
and we prepared to lower the port
quarter-boat, which was told off as a
"life- boat"-that is, for any purposes
of rescue, although the state ofthe sea
was anything but favorable for boat
duty; but when we thought of that
poor boat tossing about on the storm
vexed sea with Its freight of shiverino
and half-drowned men, aye, and may
be woman or two among them, and
then remembered the frowning ice
bergs and the fearful dangers which
and had volunteers been called for to
man the life boat, the whole ships
company would have come forward
Well can remember the almost chok-
ing feeling of thankfulness in my own
heart when thought of the wild Joy
of these poor outcasts at the prospect
OF so speedy rescue. and anticipated
the delight OF welcoming them on the
quarterback of so stanch and safe a
ship. But all in a moment my antic-
ipatlons and my sentiments OF graft
tude were scattered to the winds
keep her away, sir! keep her away
came a roar from the forecastle.
you'll be right down upon her! A
large full-rigged ship right ahead OF
u.s."
Up went our helm, and the ships
head paid off, and as we strained our
eyes in the direction indicated we
could dimly make out, to our intense
surprise and unspeakable wonder, the
huge, shadowy, ghostly outline of an
unusually large vessel No signs OF
life appeared about her. The light
which had first attracted our notice
was now no longer to be seen. Her
masts, yards and sails were only Just
visible-not as black, hard shadow
against the sky, but pale, spectral, as
if mere apor-barely to be discerned
yet leaving no room Tor doubt. There
she sailed, veritable phantom ship
All hands gazed at her in silence. The
blue lights were allowed to burn out,
and no fresh ones were lighted. The
great guns ceased to thunder on the
maindeck. The lifeboat's crew NUT
tered unealsly among themselves, as
if dreading the possibility of being or
dered to board so uncanny craft;
while the older hands once more shook
their heads, and said "they knowed
we 'adn't seen the last of that poor
Teller as fell overheard"
But there was nothing more for us
to do. Who::and what the mysterious
stranger hanging On our port quarter
was we could not possibly ascertain
on such q night, in such gale, and at
length the order was given to "wear
Ship" and we once more turned our
back on the vessel which we had been SO
eagely pursuing for more than an hour.
AS we did so we could see that he too
altered his course; his spectral yards
with their shadowy sails swung round,
and he disappeared without a sign in
the darkness of the night.
"Don't tell me-" said the boatswain,
cas- that there We're a real ship.
Didn't that poor Teller disappear sud,
denly just before we sighted her? An
swer me that! Well, then-did We
ever know what became OF him, eh?-
No! Very well, then! That there phan-
tom ship was to tell us as how he was
drowned, that's what that were, aud
nobody shan't persuade ME no other
than that How do / explain them
bright lights? Answer me this: Were
them lights ornery lights, such as ships
show at night? No; of course they
weren't. Corpse lights!-that's my
answer; and when l says corpse-lights
| l mean it."
It may have been an honest mer.
| chairman, outward bound and too
intent upon making a speedy voyage
to "speak" us, but nevertheless the
boatswain's opinion was pretty gen
orally accepted as the correct solution
of what was considered to be an ocean
mystery Journal.