Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-09-14
blacllness forward, Here's some one
/, &c

light and sang out to the skipper, VIII,
rolled Off the locker and came on deck
BY this time the watch, disturbed il
their nap, had uncoiled themselves ant
were at the rail. Every man was invis
IDLE to his fellow, close together as the
sailors hung. but the darkness did no.
hinder them from speaking, and theil
voices rose i'll a sort OF grumble, hoarst
with wonder, not unmixed with appre
tension
what is it, Mr.. Jones?" asked the
Captain. "Thcres some one out on the
water, yonder, laughing" answered the
mate; listen, sir; now YOU have it." Ii
could scarcely be any longer doubted
that the sounds were uttered by hui
| mai being. 1t was mans lunatic
laughter, a senscless, bowling counter
felt of mirth. and this time it was fol
lowed Oh by an articulate cry. though
the fellow was too far Off to be intelligi-
BILE. why, yes; sure enough" cried
the Captain, there's some one out
there. but what the deuce is he finding
to laugh at, and what's his craft 2" He
raised his voice. Anybody make out
what that chap yonder's atioat in? ?"
Hes heading for us. exclaimed one of
the men, "his voice has growed as clear
ag'in since first heard"
It'll be boat, L allow" exclaimed
another man; fancy / heercl the grind
of an oar in thole pins just now, and
there's flash Of water at times"
For some minutes there was dead
stiffness, while the mate. taking the
lamp of the pinnacle, held it steady
over the rail. Indeed, it looked as
though the sight of the lamp had 81
fenced the fellow There was nothing
to be seen; stare as the men might,
they could witness nothing distinguish
able in the ink-like void into which
their gaze sank blindly, saving the oc-
casional sparkling of fiery water to
what was unquestionably the stealthy
plying of an oar. Presently the old
skipper roared out, Boat, alloy what
boat is that?" His voice was echoed in
the motionless hidden canvas on high,
but no answer was returned from the
sea. There was another interval of
dead stiffness, with faint sound now
and again which suggested that the
boat was being very softly and sneak
ingly sc,1lled. Certainly, the scintilla-
ton of the oar had vanished, and there
was nothing to intimidate the existence
of the boat save the sculling sound.
"Confoundedlv wonderful all this?"
gasped the skipper, in voice of in
tense excitement, putting and blowing
with the heat and with the amazement
he was full Of. AS he said this peal
of mirthless laughter broke from the
water, apparently within pistol shot
of the ships side. "Ha! ha! ha! Show
a light there. Ha! ha. ha!
I'm Saint Anthony. Hurrah! boys.
Saint Anthony in tow of a pig, by the
living thunder. He's brought me a
thousand leagues. Hurrah! hurrah
Ha! ha. hal" The dreadful laugh died
out. "There's only one way Of dealing
with this" cried the mate. He dived
into the cabin, was absent minute,
and then returned with a port-fire,
which he exploded over the side. Out
gushed the fountain of green flame.
tincturing a broad area of the water
with a frightful radiance, and flashing
up within biscuit toss the shape of what
was apparently a ships quarter-boat,
black, with the tall, seemingly half
naked figure OF man erect on mid
ship thwart, with hands held high. ia
the posture Of one who leaps as he falls
with shot in his heart. 1t was pic
ture not to be expressed in writing; the
wild coloring of the port-fre made an
unimaginable vision of it.: and then
again there was the sudden CHASTITY
frightening out of the wild SIGHT from
the black canvas in which it had lain
buried. Saint Anthony, I tell We,
men! Saint Anthony, ha, ha. hal"
cried the half-nude creature. flourish
ing his arms as if in ecstasy at the sight
of the green spout Of fame. "Ho! it's
a good thing to be a saint, though!
Alone-alone, alone! I'm the Soy
ereign of the Seas, and ST. Anthony, too.
Hurrah, boys. Ha! ha! hal" The port
fire went out, and the blacl1ness rolled
down again dark upon the dazzle in the
mems eyes. "a mad sailor, SIR" cried
the mate; some shipwrecked survivor
with his brain gone. Great God! how
horrible"
Lord, if one could but see!" cx-
claimed the Captain; "we must have
him abroad, though. Aft here, some of
you; get boat lowered and secure the
poor fellow"
"Ha! ha! ha' sounded out of the
darkness. I'm monarch of the night.
L tell We. I'm st. Anthony,
too, my livelies. Hurrall! Nor'nor'west;
that's the course, boys. Ha! ha ha!!"
and the flash Of water, accompanied by
a grinding sound, intimated that the I'M
happy creature was scull1ng away from
the ship. The sailors came tumbline
aft, and despite the blackness, in few
minutes a boat was in the water with
four men in her, and the chief mate in
the stern sheets cropping to hang the
rudder "Shove otf-give way!" At
the same moment large globular Ian
tern was run aloft by the signal halyards
to the mizzen-peak, and other lights
held along the ships side. The mo-
ment the water was flashed up by the
four oars of the men the mailman, if
such indeed he was, broke into long,
laugh, and then fell silent
while he sculled with r.ight and main.
His fifty fathoms' start would give him
but poor chance against four men.
The boat swept up to him rapidly.