Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-04-30
A WEIRD VISITOR.
Captain Smithers Of the Lake
Marine Spins a Good Yarn.
a Call In a Storm From a Car'ain Who
Had Been Dead Five Yoars-The Ghast-
~ Passenger Takes n Drink and
Leaves the Ship.
N. 7. SUM-

"1t was the sixties" said Captain Smith
ers of the bark Windward, "tIiat l met
with a curious adventure on that same
Lake Huron. We were in the Lake Supe-
rior ore trade, running out OF Cleveland,
and on the return trip we generally man
aged 10 pick up a light freight of machin-
cry and general cargo. At the time of
which speak had command Of a schoon-
sr called the Black Eagle.
"Well, one night late in the summer, the
Sug had scarcely let go of Ms at the foot Of
Lake Huron, when IL came on TO blow great
guns. We got the schooner snug and ship
shape for bad weather and let her skip,
having the wind from the southeast. This
gave us our course up the lake, but within
an hour we had every thing double-reefed
and two men at the wheel. The sea began
to get up in a terrible way, and as l
stood on the quarter, and looked
bnck at the waves following us with
Tace-horse speed, il seemed es II
every one must break over us. 1t was near
midnight, and we were abreast OF Lexing-
ton or a little above when / suddenly
heard a hail from Off our starboard bow.
Mind you, the whole crew were on deck at
this time, and the schooner was climbing
up one hill and sliding down another In a
way TO make you think her bottom had
been creased for the occasion. / had two
men on the lookout forward, but they had
reported nothing.
"'Schooner ahoyv came from the water.
81 ran forward TO the starhoard shrouds
/ Of the forcmast, and peered into the storm
and darkness, but could see nothing.
"'Schooner ahoyv came tho hail again.
Stand by TO take my linev
"Next instant the end Of a heaving-line
I flew over my shoulder, and as 1 pulled in
on It, assisted 10y one of tho lookouts, a
skiff drew alongside and n man climbed
/ upon the rail. / was that weak in the
/ knees l could hardly stand up. A man
coming aboard Of US in such a cookie shell
! i'm such n sea as that was truly remark
/ able, and you must add TO this the fact
/ that he sat there on the schooner's rail as
/ cool as ice and bawled out to me:
"'Hopc l haven't put you to any trouble,
/ Captain Smithersp
! "'Who are you, and where do you come
/ from;' shouted in his ear.
al am Captain Zane of the brig Petrol.
/ Don't know your old friends, eh.'
"That made me jump, and such of the
/ crew as had crowded around us gave him
/ sea room pretty quick. Captain Zane loft
l Buffalo in the Petrol five years before
that, and his craft had gone down i'm a
blow with all hands. 1 had known him
well, and in truth, this chap ON the rail,
now that came to look closer, was as near
like him as a twin brother, except that his
hair had grown whittier.
"'YoU-You can't be Captain Zane,' 1
shouted.
/ "'Oh, can't, eh:' he replied. and
| taPered Oft with a laugh which set my
/ blood to tingling. Pretty fairish blow,
/ Captain Smithers. May be you have some
/ good whisky in the cabiny'
! Like one walking in n dream, | went TO
/ the cabin and secured flask Of whisky
/ ard returned with it.
"'Ah, that's more like it, he chuckled,
as he reached out for the flask. Here's to
a speedy voyage both ways
ale put the flask to his lips, and, as I'm
a living man, he didn't let go until he had
drained the last drop. The crew had all
crowded aft TO be out of his way, and,
though 1 wanted to follow them, my
pride held me back. As he handed the
flask Lack, said to him:
al thought the Pctrelwent down years
ago:'
ayes" lie chuckled.
"And Captain Zane went with her?'
"'Oh! he did! Ha! ha! hu! Say,
Smithers, you'd better keep her head up
point more, for the winds drawing more
to the eastv
ale reached out his hand as il to lay 1t
on my shoulder, and I started back. At
that instant there came fash of lightning
so bright that could have told the color of
a mans hair two hundred feet away-a
report as If dozen cannon had been fred
at Once-and felt myself struck down.
When / came to, the cook was fussing
over me, and the rest of the crew
were sitting about in a dazed way
or had crept down into tho fo'castle
Morning was just breaking, and, tn ough
the wind had gone down some, there
was heavy sea running and the schoon er
was head to it, wheel lashed and drifting
with dry decks. 1t was long time be-
fore / could comprehend what had hap
pened or get at the facts. 1t seemed that
the cap on the mainmast had been struck
by lightning. While little injury had been
done, the shock had knocked everybody
except the cook senseless. Some of the
men recovered after a quarter OF an hour,
and some remained as il dead for nearly
two hours. l was one OF the last ones up.
snow, as to what happened after went
down give you the word of the cook, who
was respectable colored man and not
given TO lying. Captain Zane jumped
down of the rail, let go throat and peak
halyards all around, and while he went
aloft to stow fore and main topsails the
schooner steered herself. When he
came down he took the wheel,
held the craft up until the jib was
full, and thea brought her about
with her nose to the wind without shipping
pail of water. Then he pulled and
trimmed, hauled the mainsail up a bit to
counterbalance, and when the wheel had
been lashed am idships the Black Eagle
bowed and nodded and drove of before
the gale in ship-shape fashion. When ]
got my bearings Port Austin light was
less than five miles away, and the wind
had gone down, so that we had little
trouble TO bring the schooner back to hez
course. As soon as we reached Houghton
every blessed man Of the crew, mate and
cook included, gave me the slip. Money
couldn't have hired one of them to make
another voyage in the Black Eagle while
] was in command, believing, as they did
, that my old friend was likely to come
aboard again any time"