Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-01
THE APPARITl0N.

They remained this time caught In the
thick fog ten days in succession, without
being able to see anything The fishing
continued TO be good and with 80 much
to do, there was no chance TO get the
blues From time TO time, at regular
intervals, one of them blew a great horn.
whence issued a sound like the believing
of wild beast.
Sometimes from beyond, from the pro
funditles of white fOgs-anUther and far
distant believing responded to their call
Then a sharper watch WAS kept. IT, the
cry was approaching, all ears were
strained in the direction Of that unknown
nelghbOr, whom they would doubtless
never see, but whose presence WAS
danger nevertheless Conjectures were
made about her; the strange vessel be
came a subject OF converse, a sort of com
pany for them. and all, longing TO see her.
strained their eyes i'll vain efforts TO pierce
those impalpabie white muslins which re
manned hanging in air ill all directions.
Then the invisible neighhOr would de
part, the believing of her trumpet would
lie away i'll distance; and they would nnd
themselves alone again in the silence-in
the midst of that infinity of immobie
vapors. Everything was drenched with
water; everything streamed with salt and
brine. The cold became more penetrating,
each day the sun took longer to drag him
self below the horizon; already the real
nights were only one OF two hours long;
and their gray advent was glacial and
weird.
Every morning they tried to sound the
depth with plummet- line, through fear
that the Marie might have approached too
near to the Icelandic coast. But all the
lines ON board, fastened end to end, were
paid out in vain, the sea bottom could not
be reached. So they knew they were well
out TO sea, in clear, deep water.
One morning about 3 o'clock, while all
were dreaming quietly under their wind
Ing-sheet of fog, they heard something
ike II sound of yOices-yOIces whose tones
seemed strange and unfamiliar. Those on
deck looked at each other-questioned
each other with their eyes: who was
talking just now," Nobody
said anything" And, indeed, the sounds
mad seemed TO come out Of the exterior
void. Then the man who had charge Oi
the horn ntrumpet, and had neglected his
duty since the previous evening rushed To
1t, and filling his lungs To their utmost
sounded with all his might the long bel
low of alarm
The sound alone was enough TO make
one shudder i'll that silence. And then, a.
if a specter had been evoked by that vi
branI and drOning cry, huge unforeseen
thing outlined itself suddenly in grey,
and lowered all ll-threate ming and very tall
right beside them; masts, spars, rigging,
like the shape Of n ship which had formed
in air, all AT once-Instantly-jus as those
phantasma gOria, intended TO terrify, are
created by a single jet Of light upon
sheet Of Outspread canvas. And other
men appeared there, almost close enough
10 touch them-leaning over the bulwarks
staring at them with eyes very widely
open, in the awakening of surprise and
tear.
They rushed for oars, spare maSts, gatfs
everything long and strong they could
lay hands upOn-snd stuck them out to
hold of that Thing and those approaching
visitors. And the other men, also terri
fed, put out enormous poles TO repel them.
But there was only very slight creak-
ng in the yards above their heads; and
he rlggings, momentariiy entangled, be
anne dlsengsged again without the least
iamage; the shock, very gentle in such a
calm had been wholly deadened; indeed
1t was so feeble that ii really seemed rs if
the other ship had no substance-that it
WAS a soft thing, almost without weight.
Then, when the fright WIS over, the men
began TO laugh; they could recognize each
other: "Ohe!-you La Marie boys" "Hello
Laos, Laumec. Guermeur!" The spectre
was the Refine -Certhe, Capt. Lavoer, also
Of Paimpol: those sailors were from neigh
boring villages; the great tall fellow there,
with the huge black beard, who showed
his teeth when he laughed-that was Ker-
jegou, one of the Ploudaniel boys; and the
other were from Plounerin.
why didn't you blow your trumpet,
anyhOw;-you troop of savages," asked
Larvoer, the captain of the Refine Berthe
"Yes-snd why didn't yOu!"-you lot OF
pirates and sea a-robbers, you old mess of
sea -pOisOn''
oh! with us, you know, it's different;
re forbidden to make any noise" die
made this reply with an air of giving
dark hint-with a queer smile also, a
smile that long afterward came back to
the memory of the men of the Maria, and
gave them a great deal to think about
And then, as if he thought he had already
said too much, he concluded with joke:
That trumpet of ours, you know?-this
fellow here burst it, blowing into it" And
he pointed TO a sailor with face like a
TritOn--a man all neck and chest, extrav-
agantly broad shouldered, low set upon his
legs, with something unspeakably gro
tesque and unpleasant in the deformity of
his strength.
And while they were looking at each
other there, waiting for some breeze OF
some under-current to move one vessel
faster than the other, to separate them, 4
general chat began. AL leaning over the
bulwarks, holding each other off at a re
spectful distance with their long wooden
defenses, like besieged men repelling AL
assault with pikes-began TO talk about
home affairs, about the last letters re
ceived by the chasseurs, about relations
and wives.
-Mel--my old woman" said Kerjegou,
tells NE she's had the little boy we were
looking for; that makes twelve nowl"
Another had found himself the father of
twins; and a third announced the mar
riage of pretty Jennie Caroff-a girl well
known TO all the Icelanders-withs some
rich and intirm old resident of the com,
mune of Plourivan.
They saw each other as if through white
gauze; and this also seemed To cause
change in the sound of voices, which came
as If muffied and far away
Meanwhile Yam could not take his eyes
of one of those fishermen, a little man,
already grizzled, whom he was sure he
had never seen before. and who had nsysr-