The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-07-09

seas with their spectral occupants
towards the inviting warmth OF the
tropics and the steady blasts OF the
| trade-winds.
Anxious for a breath of fresh air
before turning in to my halt-sodden
hammock, | went on deck to take a
turn with chum, and enjoy, as we
often did together, a few antlclpatlonS
of the delights of home once more;
| 1t was vida very Wlld
night. There was small moon; but
the clouds were hurrying over her face
in ragged steamers, and i'll such con-
stant succession, that her light was
seldom visible; and when she did show
it for tleeting moment, it tell upon
| black, tossing angry sea, whose waves
| broke into clouds OF icy foam as they
batfled off the bow of the great ship,
or tried to leap savagely over her
quarter. 1t was hard steady gale,
the wind shrieking and humming
through the rigging, and the old ship
herself pounding ponderOusly but IT.
resistibly at the great mountains or
water before her, and creaking, groan-
ing and complaining as she did so,
masts, yards, hull, all in one strldent
concert together, as if demonstrating
at the LABOR which she was forced to
undergo In spite of the moon the
night was as black as Erebus, and
from the quarter deck on which we
paced the bow of the snip was barely
visible. We were just turning our
faces aft, my chum and |, IN our
quarterback walk, when voice rang
out sudden, clear and loud forward
the voice of the starboard lookout
MANA bright light on the star
board bow" Instantly we, and in
deed every soul on deck, turned and
peered hard in that direction. Not a
vestige OF light was to be seen! Then
the voice of the officer Of the watch
was heard from the bridge ordering
the midShipman OF the watch to go
forward and find out if the man was
dreaming or il any one else had seen
the light which he reported. No one
else had seen it; but the man stuck to
his text He had seen for a second
time a bright light on the starboard
bow-a very bright light, and quite
different from anything which was u.s.
ually seen at sea.
"No, sir! | beg your pardon, sir! |
WASH asleep-not ], sirl broad awake
as am now, sir! and able to swear
to it."
BY this time all hands were on the
alert, and many officers, old and young,
had tumbled up from below at the
hall
"But, my good man, if it was really
light which you saw some one else
must have noticed i1 too"
Don't know nothin' about that,
sir; but | can swear to it. What l
seen we're"
"a bright light on the starboard
beam!" sang out the starboard waist
lookout at this moment, and-"I saw
itl' echoed several voices; but before
the officer of the watch could turn
round towards the direction indicated
it was gone, and the starboard beam
presented one uniform sheet OF I'M
penetrable blackness.
"Waist therel What was 1T like?'
"Somethin' OF fash-light, should
say, sir, replied the lookout. "Very
bright and very short--gone IN mo-
| ment-lilze.
BY this time the captain and com
mander were both on the bridge, and
the whole ship was alive with curiosi-
ty.
What CAN'T be2" / asked OF the old
boatswain against whom | brushed
| in the darkness as / walked aft.
''Tis boat" said he; chats
what it must be. The cap'n he al
lows it's d boat, and he's pretty sure
to be right. Some poor souls whose
vessel has houndered among the ice
whalers, most likeIy-took to the
boats, they have. saw that there
/ light myself seemed very close to the
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
er rang out: ''Mr. Sights!"
sAy. ay, sir" replied the gunner.
i "Clear away your two foremost
guns on the maindeck, and fire blank
charges at short intervals: and ge'
some blue lights. and show them IL
the fore-rigging at once!'
s'Ay, ay, sir" And away went tn
gunner to see his orders carried on
instantly.
| But ere his head had disappeared
down the hatchway, "A bright ligh
on the starboard qliarter' roare'
out the marine sentry at the llfebuo.
right aft; and once more eyerybod.
turned sharp around to find nothin
J to gaze at but the universal darkness
Hands about ship!' was now tn
order, and in quick succession cam
, from the bridge the we'll known com
mands in the sharp, Imperative voic
Of the lieutenant of thewatch: "Eas
down the helm Helms leep'-
"Raise tacks and sheetsl" &c, An