The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-09-21

else can do the cryin'."
Looking the least bit ashamed Of
himself the old tar began industri-
ously shaving off thin strips of to-
bacco, filled his pipe and lighted it.
AS the smoke began curling upward
in thick, heavy clouds, Jack settled
himself comfortably against a con-
venient mess chest and waited in dig
nified silence for an invitation to be-
gin the story.
"Let's have the yarn, Jack"
tits a true story, lads"
"Whose grave was it, Jack?"
He took two or three long puffs in
quick succession, blew the lastmouth-
full of smoke lazily between his teeth,
and watched it with his Dyes halt
closed.
"Whose grave was it," he repeated
slowly. 1t was Dart Bowden'sgrave.
Jes thirty-two years ago this day in
November, an a truer shipmatet than
Dart Bowden / never sailed with.
That grave was dug about seventy
north latitude an no Twin man saw
that grave dug but OLE Jack West.
cit happened this way:
"The Whaler ST. Mary left Bedford
town in 43. Dart was young an
venturesome in them days an he
took the ice fever when that ship
come. Nothin' would do but Dart
must go.
"Now Dart an me was brothers
like, an our daddies was brothers
like before us. Many a cruise them
old chap took together, an many's
the day me an Dart has watched the
ship come in a lookin' for 'em home.
1 loved Dart Bowden, l did, an
more'n that did 1 love Mary Bowden,
the handsomest little gal in all Bed
ford. Them was days when theywas
lots O. handsome folks there too.
$50, when Dart made up his mind
to go, | lowed I'd GO too.
"Ten men we had-a gallant ship
and a gallant crew. God bless me,
how well | remember that day. 1t
was a Monday, an a smilin', happy
sort O. day it was.
"The town folks come down, the
flags a flynn an a BAN a playin'.
l kissed Mary Bowden good bye, an
then wewas off. was up aloft with
the captains glasses, an l watched
the wharf tell the fog come up,
lads, fever the curse of God
rested on a ship, it was on that n
"That night on mid-watch | saw q
phantom ship. | saw twelve-sail
ship, all big and clumsy, like in olden
times. saw her torn sails flap an
beat, an her ice-covered poles bend
like a hurricane had her. | saw q
lean an hungry crew a beckonin' to
me. They put their long hands up
trumpet-like, an sent a hail that
never reached us. On she ploughed,
an the mist-like foam relied up about
her rotten prov. Wider an wilder
her ghost crew motioned. They
kneeled an tore their hair, an wrung
ther hands. They climbed like mon
keys, climbed to the very trucks of
those icicle masts, an out to thetips
O the bendin' yards. An off in the
mist the phantom ship sailed, that
ghost crew still a beckonin'.
"That meant death, but never a
word / said.
"Ill luck came from the very start.
Five days out we buried Mike Stroker.
Then the squat took our foremost
an the life boat. We patched her up
at ST. James an headed north again.
Then another brave lad give up.
"It was on an on through the
frozen channels, among the iceburgs,
an everywhere our ill luck followed
us.
"Worn out one night, I was half
asleep when the crash came-a slow
grindin' crash, an the good ship
quivered like a straw in the wind. |
was out o. my hammockin a twinklin',
an ies' as | touched the deck there
was another long lurch, another
shock, an the ship stood still in the
water.
cit was a question of minutes.
We got off through, eight men and
ten days provisions, alone in the ice
current. Ten days, an they might
search for. ten thousand years an
not find us.
~ thought of the phantom ship.
"Four long hours an we reached o.
island, Rescue island we called it, an
there we stopped. Nothin' but snow
an ice, an north sea water.
"First on half, then quarter, until
that fearful time come when there
was no rations.
"Nothin' was said, but we all knew
it was a COMM Twenty-four hours
we sat in that tent. The raft had
been burned, an the chill was q
creepin' over us.
"Anotler t~wenty-four hours. Two
an two we had been out huntin; but
we come back empty handed always
an had jes give it up. That day
thought was all day, but | meas
ure by the t~wenty-four hours-I went
out alone. | knew it was comm an
| dreaded it.
81 never shall forgit that walk.
Nothin' but snow an ice, an a think
in of the lads in the tent. And lads
let me tell you right here. Hunger is
a fearful thing. When l thought of
it first it seemed horrible an inhu-
man, but / was close TO death an
that feelin' was wearin' off.
"When / got back twas all settled,
an nothin' to be done but draw the
Eight pieces of paper with a name
on each. On one of them a cross
mark was made by the captain