Milford chronicle., 1888-07-27
AN OCEAN MYSTERY.

daWni thick, heavy, oppressive, with ligh
breeze that was like steam for warmth ani
damp, and very quiet surface of ocean
/ Not so much as the head OF a cloud had show
anywhere; yet the sky was as dingy as tn
atmospheric thickness could make it, witt
the sun in the midst Of it like a red hot warm
ing pan and a wake under him in the thicl
and sluggish water that might have passes
for drippings OF blazing oil slowly settling
At sundown, when the shadows entered thA
weather, it fell pitch dark No man aboart
the ship that lay motioBless IN the heart Of II
ever remembered a deeper blaclzness. There
could have been nothing in the most STOPPING
and lowering Of electric storms to fling a
more ebony complexion upon the deep than
the night air now held The wind, too, died
out when the evening came down, and the
vessel that had been slowly ripping through
it all day was brought to a dead stand, with
scarce heave enough in her frame to put life
into the up and down canvas
The ship was a few degrees south Of the
equator, an old fashioned cargo vessel out
ward bound to an Australian port, with a
purple faced old Poplar man for com
mander. The round shanked chap, coming
on deck after brief spell below in company
with bottle Of whisky, stood a minute or
two in the companion way, staring blindly
against the blaclyness, then after a little
groped over to the mate, one side Of whose
figure was just visible as he stood between
the binnacle and the wheel, by the sheen OF
the light there touching it. "Well, well, he
exclaimed, shifting up at the air as though be
would smell what he was unable to see, Z" how
IS this 20 end, now, dye think, Mr. Jonesl
Glass stands high, too. A man might marry
negress in this night and not know her for
a side Of bacon, let alone the color. Cor
bless me, colorl Why, you might make
holo in this darkness to lie down i'm
He took a view Of the compass card, beard
what the mate had 10 say on the subject of
the weather, and after smoking a pipe, re
paired below for a second dram, telling the
mate that he would take forty winks on one
Of the cabin lockers, and that he was to be at
once called if there came a change, no mat
ter what form it might take The mate
watched the crimson faced old gentleman
mix himself second mates nip"-he was
plain in view through the open skylight-aud
then the worthy skipper stretched his fat
figure along a locker. and his snoring pres
emily arose into the darkness with sound
like to the rushing Of water up and down a
beach Of shingle
The man at the wheel nodded there was
scarce a stir in the tiller chains; no twitch OF
the spolges to hint to the fellow 10 keep his
head up. Forward in the blackness the still /
ness was that Of a coffin. In what corners !
the watch on deck had coiled their bodies
away no man could have imagined. The
mate paced the deck slowly, often coming tc Z
a stand at the rail, lost in wonder at the phe 4
noIRenal stiffness out upon the black shadow I
of the ocean. There was something soul sub !
DUNG in night Of such darkness and still I
ness as this. IL made one walk lightly. az
though there were a listening spirit in the I
air TO be vexed by the rude creas Of a board /
1t was time to speak only in whispers, as /
you'd notice when at long intervals the mate I
addressed the fellow who was at the wheel, 4
sounding his inquiry but a little above his /
breath. This went on till about II o'clock
ship, ocean and sky blended yet into one inn
penetrable shadow, charged with the mighty
pulseless pause, as though the night,
with sucked in breath, hung motion.
less in expectation 'Harkl did YOU hear
thatF cried the mate, suddenly whipping out
shrill with the amazement that was in him.
''Ay, sir answered the man at the helm, in
a broad awake voice; there it is again. II
was a sound Of laughter out on the water OF
the starboard bow; whether human or not
was scarcely to be guessed. The blackness.
and then the great ocean solitude out Of
which it rang, would have put a wild un.
into il, even had it been melodi-
Gus as a giTds laugh; but there was an edge
in it that owed nothing to the mystery Of the
night--an indescribable animal like harsh
ness, a semblance OF human merriment,
shocking by reason Of its mirthlessness and
q note running through it as Of the mixed
crying Of the jacllal and the hyena "Smtte
me il it didn't sound like some swimming
oabcon a-hailing of u.s. cried the helmsman
Swimming baboon in your eye" answered
The mate; ''some drowned mans ghost, more
ike, fooling round, maybe, in hope OF being
aid by drink
TIE laugh again sounded, a sort Of un.
sarthly carousing, hallooing, like the mean.
ngleSs bawling Of some drunken rascal stag.
5ering home in the small hours. "What the
ieuce is itf said the mate. "Ain't that
Tinking Of fire out there where the noise is
rF said the helmsman. The mate peered.
'Ay, sure enough, said he; "what is it now
L looks like the sheen OF phosphorus to the
Tipping Of an oar. Listenn They both bent
heir ears. The long, demoniacal, blooC
ihilling laugh came floating off the water tc
he ship, and then man cried out suddenly.
n the blackness forward, Heres some one
lailing of u.s." The mate put his head int
he skylight and sang out to the skipper, who
oiled of the locker and came on deck. By
his time the watch disturbed in their nap
iad uncoiled themselves and were at the
all Every man was invisible to his fellow.
lose together as the sailors Lung, but the
darkness did not hinder them from speaking i
nd their voices rose in a sort Of grumble :
oarse with wonder, not unmixed with ap i
rehension. {
'What is it, Mr.. Jonesfn asked the cap
ain There's some out on the water y
onder, laughing" answered the mate 2
listen, sir; now you have it," It could S
earcely be any longer doubted that the q
ounds were uttered by a human being Il e
Gas mans lunatic laughter, a senseless O
owling counterfeit of mirth, and this time a
was followed on by an articulase cry a
nough the fellow was too far off to be in h
eligible. ''Why, yes; sure enough cried b
be captain, there's some one out there, but a
that the deuce is he finding to laugh at, an6 81
hats his craftT He raised his voice D
Anybody make out what that chap yondera e
float in" "He's heading for us, +" exclaimed "
ne Of the men, ''his voice has growed a s.
lear ag'in since first heard "Itll be a
oat, / allow" exclaimed another man
fancy 1 heered the grind Of an car in thol, h
ins just now, and there's fash Of water al Il
ines" n
For some minutes there was = DEAD stil Il
ess, while the mate, taking the lamp out O o.
he binnaele, held it steady over the rail In d
ed, it looked as though the sight Of the = \
mp had silenced the fellow. There was y
,thing to be seen, stare as the men might, ~
ey could witness nothing distinguishable =
the ink like void into which their gaze sank -
indy, saving the occasional sparkling of i
ry water to what was unquestionably the y
salthy plying Of an oar Presently the old =
upper roared out, Boat, ahoy what boats =.
atF His voice was echoed in the notion =
S hidden canvas on high. but no answer u
As returned from the sea. There was an J.
her interval Of dead stiffness, with a faint =
nnd now and again which suggested that =
o boat was hainr very softly and snaak- %