Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-07-17
CHAPTER XIV.
THE EAST

An hour before sunset an East Indiaman.
of the build and beauty familiar to students
of sea pieces painted seventy years ago, was
some leagues to the southwark of the Start.
under pressure of full and towering canvas.
She was one of five vessels, and carried the
commodore's pennant; for here was q little
squadron of peaceful merchantmen under
taking a long and perilous voyage, with
nothing better to protect them against an
uprush of enemy's ships than their own
c%arronades and tho stout hearts that filled
the forecastle.
The four ships, which had no need to
check their weather braces to let the COM
modore hold the van, were scattered to right
and loft upon the dark surface of the water,
yet not 30 far but that a half hours sailing
would enable them oil to close. Such a
majestical object Us the foremost vessel
looked, frothing the blue at her bow, and
sweeping her stately spaces of white against
the heavens, no pen could express.
AT this momen some sailors, furling the
awning long the tall poop, left to the naked
ness of the sky a numerous company of
passengers, and a charming picture of white
deck, brilliant with coloring of female ap-
parel, the gold and white of uniforms, the
sheen of brass catching the ruby glitter of
sunlight. the flash of glazed skylights, the
trim coils of salt-white rope.
Conspicuous among the passengers was q
black man, clothed with a mighty turban, in
the midst of which flashed a Jewel. He sat
in state near the wheel, scarcely deigning to
bend his red-brown eyes OH the commander
of tho ship who was addressing him. At
either elbow of this p~otentate stood two black
attendants, inflexible figures of ebony. The
rest of the passengers occupied parts of the
poop at respectful distances from his high
ness, yielding him, with proper modesty, that
regal environment of space which is one
kind of %sustenance of majesty.
"If you shall look dar," said the Indian,
with a naughty nod Of the head In the direc-
ton of the sea to the left, "you will see a
black ting"
Captain Turbulent, a full-faced man, with
legs curving outward to as true an oval as the
outline of al egg, looked hard at the water,
but protested that he could see nothing.
MIR. Mattocks," called the captain, "get
the glass and sweep the sea to leeward on the
port bow, and tell me if there is anything to
be seen there, will you"
The officer thus directed took up a tele-
scope from the skylight, and began to work
away with it.
"Ihere's a ships boat, sir, down there,
about four points III the port bow" he sang
out presently. "Idon't see anybody in her,
sir. It's q job to fix her.
what l tell your said the prince.
LET her go off a couple of points" ex.
claimed the captain, motioning with his hand
TO the man at the wheel. "Well run dowr
and see what it's like. Your highness has
good eyes"
Now, whether 'his highness" was the cor
rect term to apply to the Indian, Captain
Turbulent did not positively know; it sounded
well and felt safe, and that was the merit of
it. The black man was prince of some terri
tory to the northward of the Sautpoora
mountains, and was now returning to his
subjects after a voyage to London, where he
had been enlarging his mind by visiting King
George, the Tower, Change alley and more
harmful places of curiosity.
The boat was soon a visible object to the
right of the crimson fall of sunshine on the
sea, and one by one the passengers left their
seats on the deck and went to the poop rail to
look Mt her. Even his highness sunk his dig
nifty for the sake of his curiosity, and com
manded his servants to carry his char to the
other side of the deck, where he had the boat
clear in his sight, while the attendants So
laamed to their slippers.
MIR. Mattocks, second officer of the Eliza.
beth, had assembled the rigging to the height
OF a dozen ~ratlines, and was covering the
boat with his telescope.
"What do you make of hort" called
Captain Turbulent.
why, she looks like a man-of-war's dingey
gone adrift. don't see any one in her, sir.
Then a moment after, "Hello! there's some.
thing dark in the bottom of her. I caught
sight Of it as she rolled this way. There
again, sirl"
"Stand by to man the weather main.
braces!' shouted the captain. "Let her &c
Off another point, and pass her close-d'ye
heart. But mind your helm, my man, and
don't run her down. Put us that we may sec
into her."
Some Of the hands came tumbling aft tc
the braces, and then a silence fell, for expec.
tation was strong enough to keep even the
ladies silent. No object that a ship can en-.
counter excites more curiosity than a boat
fallen in with leagues away from the land,
for rarely does it fail to prove a witness tc
some tragedy, freighted, being Outlines hor.
rible with death or madness or the gaunt
agony of thirst, and empty, almost always
memorial Of some great disaster, and pathetic
in its loneliness.
In twenty minutes time the boat was close
ahead.
The ships way was stopped; down splashed
the cutter full of men; the oars cheeped mer
rily, and with fine smartness the boat was
laid in tow and brought alongside.
In the bottom Of her two men, one ator
Of the other, under the thwarts, and a third
In the stern sheets, his head back and hi.
half-closed eyes fixed upon the sky. The wo