Wichita eagle., 1888-07-14
AN OCEAN MYSTERY.


damp, and a very quiet surface Of ocean
Not so much as the head Of a cloud had shown
anywhere; yet the sky was as dingy as the
atmospheric thickness could make 1t, with
the sun IL the midst Of Ii like red hot warm
ing pan and a wake under him in the thick
and sluggish water that might have passed
Tor drippings of blazing oil slowly settling.
At SHUTDOWN, when the shadows entered this
weather. it fell pitch dark No man aboard
theship that lay rnotiouless in the heart OF it
sver remembered deeper blackness. There
could have been nothing IN the most STOPPING
and lowering Of electric storms TO fling q
more ebony complexion upon the deep than
the night air now held The wind, too, died
put when the evening came down, and the
vessel that had been slowly ripping through
b all day was brought to dead stand, with
scarce heave enough in her frame to put hfe
into the up and down canvas
The ship was 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 minute or
two in the companion way, staring bHndly
against the blacl1ness, then after q little
groped over TO the mate, one side Of whose
figure was Just visible as he stood between
the pinnacle and the wheel, by the sheen Of
the light there touching it. well, well, he
exclaimed, shifting up at the air as though he
would smell what be was unable to see, how
is this to end, now, dye think, Mr.. Jonesi
Glass stands high, too a man might marry
q negress in this night and not know her for
a side Of bacon, let alone the color. Cor
bless NE, colorl Why, you might make a
hole in this darkness to lie down in-n
He took view Of the compass card, heard
what the mate had TO say on the subject OF
the weather, and, after smoking a pipe, re-
paired below for a second dram, telling the
mate that be would take forty winks on one
Of the cabin lockers, and that ne was to be at
once called il there came change, no mat
ter what form it might take The mate
watched the crimson faced old gentleman
mix himself second mates nipple was
plain in view through the open skyLght-and
then the worthy skipper stretched his fat
figure along locker, and his snoring pres
entity arose into the darkness with sound
like to the rushing OF water up and down a
beach of single
The man at the wheel nodded; there was
scarce stir IN the tiuer chains; no witch Of
the spokes TO hint to the fellow TO keep his
head ND. Forward In the biaci1ness the still
ness was that of 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 TO
a stand ct the rail, lost in wonder at the phe-
nomenal stiffness out upon the black shadow
OF the ocean There was something soul sub
DUNG in q night OF such darkness and still
ness IS this. IL made one walk lightly, as
though there were listening spirit in the
air to be vexed by the rude creak Of board
It was time to speak only In whispers, as
you'd notice when at long intervals the mate
addressed the fellow who was at the wheel,
sounding his inquiry but little above his
breath. This went on till about II o'clock,
ship, ocean and sky blended yet into one i'm
penetrable shadow, charged with the mighty
pulseless pause, as though the night,
with Sucked in breath, hung motion
less In expectation. "Harki did you hear
thatT cried the mate, suddenly whipping out
shriu with the emazernent tina. was in him.
lay. SIR answered the man at the helm, In
q broad awake voice; there it Is again" Il
the starboard bow; whether human or not
was scarcely 70 be guessed The blackness,
and then the great OCEAN solitude ous OF
which it rang, would have put wild I'd
.arrhltness into it, even had it been melodi-
ous as girls laugh; but there was sn edge
in it that owed nothing to the mystery Of the
night-en indescribable animal like harsh
ness, g senblance of human merriment,
l.
a note running through it as Of the mixed
crying Of the jackal and the hyena- ''Smite
me IL It didn't sound like some swimming
baboon a-hailing Of U.s." cried the helmsman.
Swimming baboon IN your eye" answered
the mate: ''some drowned mans ghost, more
ike. footing round, maybe, in hope Of being
LAID by drink"
Tie laugh again sounded, . sort Of un-
earthly carousing, hallooing, like the mean
ingless bawling of some drunken rascal stag
gerins home in the small hours. "What the
deuce is III" said the mate. "Aint that q
winking Of fire out there where the noiss IS
girgr said the helmsrnan The mate peered
s.Ay, sure enough" said he; ''what is il now
L looks like the sheen OF phosphorus to the
dipping OF an oar. Listeal' They both bent
their ears The long, demoniacaI, blood
chilling laugh came floating OF the water 70
the ship, and then q man cried out suddenly,
in The blackness forward, Heres some one
hailing OF usl" The mate put his head into
the skyli5ht and sang out TO the skipper, who
rolled Of the locker and came on deck By
this time the watch, disturbed il their nap,
had ancoiled themselves and were st the
rail Every man was invisible TO his fellow,
close together as the sailors hung. but the
darkness did not hinder them from speaking,
and their voices rose IN sort OF gr-umble,
hoarse with wonder, not unmixed with ep-
prehensiol-
What is It, Mr. JonesF' asked the cap
tain ''Theres some cut On the water
yonder, laughing answered the mate;
listen, sir; now you have it, Il could
scarcely be any longer doubted that the
sounds were uttered by human being /:
was mans lunatic laughter, a senseless,
bowling counterfeit Of pIirth, and this time
lt was followed on BY en- articulate CITY,
though the fellow was too far of 70 be In
telkeible> Why, yes; sure enough cried
the captain, there's some one out there, bu!
what the deuce is be finding 70 laugh ST, and
what's his craftF he raised his voice.
Anybody make cut what that chap yon6er's
Sioat inr ~Aes beading for Us, exclaimed
one Of the men, his voice hiss growed IS
clear ag,n since first beard It'll be s
boat, | allow exclaimed another man
fancy heered the grind of an oar in thole
pins just now, and there's fash Of water al
tines"
For some minutes there wss dead still
ness. while the mate, taking tie lamp out @!
the pinnacle, held i steady over the rail In
Iced. It looked IS though the Esss c. The
lamp lad siIenced the fellow There va: