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

It's way through q ships company
however large, like current OF electric
ity, and so it was in this case; but at
first the men kept it to themselves. 1t
couldno long, however, be concealed;
and presently it spread to the MD
shipments berth; next the wardroom
heard it; and soon the captain him
self was made aware of the suspicion.
Well | remember how, as We sat in the
old, damp, COmfOrtless, dirty bert n,
discussing the matter with bOylsh
eagerness, the sudden shrill pipe OF
boatswain's mate burst upon our
ears, followed by the hoarse cry OF
"Hands muster by open list. so,
then, the captain thought it impor-
tant enough to make serious and Oth-
cial inquiry into. Then came the call
ing over OF those 500 names, with
most OF which we had been familiar
for three years or more OF our COM
mission in the Pacific. But am
wrorg-not quite all OF those 800.
There came q time when the name OF
one. a petty officer, was called; but no
reply came to the call, and q dead ST.
lenCe reigned over the ship-a silence,
mean, as regards human speech or
sound; the gale and the laundering
seas never for a moment ceased their
tumult. Then followed the grave and
searching investigation into the mys-
tery. Who had seen him last? Where
was he then? In what state? How long
ago was it? and so on, and so on; un-
til at last the whole ships company
knew that one of their number had
gone over board-presumably in the
morning watch; probably swept offby
a peculiarly heavy sea, well remem-
bered in that watch. But unknown,
2uheard, unseen-his cry for help. if
such a cry he gave, utterly drowned
and smothered in the ceaseless roar
OF the sea, the shrek OF the wind.
And so the men were dismissed, each
to his special duty; and the paymas-
ter was directed to see that the fatal
letters d. D. discharged dead were
placed against the unhappy man 5
name in the ships books.
And now occurred a circumstance
which took the whole ship by storm,
as it were, and which, mere accident
aud coincidence as it was, made all
the old seadogs nod their heads and
eye the younger men meaningIy, as
who would say, "What did | tell
your while they, on their part, were
firmly impressed with the lesson in
cause and effect thus so pointedly
placed before them. 1t was clearly
established; and ere the afternoon
watch was over the sky had cleared,
the storm had dropped, the wind had
shifted right round anil was now blow
ing dead fair. There was no room
for more argument-the oldsters had
1t all their own way-the scoffers were
silenced
The shipnow in afew hours rounded
the cape, which before had seemed an
impossible obstruction to her, and
made her way unhindered to the
north; but the feelings sngendered by
the events Immediately preceding this
change had taken too strong a hold
upon the men to pass lightly away,
and in many long first or middle
watch the subject of the disappear
ance ofthelost shipmate and it's inn
mediate effect upon the elements was
discussed with bated breath, and ma
ny an ominous shake of the head was
given as the opinion was moodily ex-
pressed that "we'd not Zone with
him yet" And when a few days after
wards, on Sunday morning during
divine service, the quartermaster OF
the watch came creeping and tiptoeing
down the ladder to report something
to the commander, who at once fol
lowed him silently UP the after hatch
way, but a few minutes afterwards re-
turned and whispered mysteriously
to the captain, who in his turn mount
ed on deck and did not come down
again, we all felt that perhaps some
thing more might be in storefor us, and
was even now perchance at hand. How
impatiently we sat as the sermon
dragged out its seemingly interminable
length, and then when at last the bl sss
ing had been given and the quick, sharp
voice OF the first lieutenant had issued
the order, "boatswain's mate, pipe
down. we literally tumbled up on deck
to learn what it was that had disturb
ed the calm OF that SABBATH forenoon
1t needed but glance. 'Icebergs!
There they were, along array of cold
filmy, shadowy giants, looming huge
in the mist with which each surround
ed himself--ghostly, ghastly, clammy
spectres from the very land Of deati
itself. Not that we thought Of then
as such; no, we were glad, we young
sters; we liked them, thought the!
were sjolly, though any object les
gifted with an aspect OF joviality on
can hardly imagine. Each, as w
neared ii, wrapped us in its clamm.
shroud of death-cold fog and chillet
us to the very marrow, and towerin
far above our mainroyal mast hea'
seemed to threathen us with instan
and appalling destruction.
So we sped on, iceberg after iceber
A a 1. - l. IL