The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-06-08

Satisfied as to the state Of the ice and the
posture of tho schooner, viewed from with
out, I sent slow and piercing gaEe along the
ocean line, and then returned 70 the ship.
The strong wind, the dance of the sea, the
grandeur of the great tract Of whiteness,
vitalized by the flying of violet cloud shad
ows along it, had fortified my spirits, and
being free for while) of all superstitious
dread, determined to begin by exploring
the forecastle and ascertaining IL more bodies
were in the schooner than those two in tho
cabin and the giant form on deck. threw
some coal ON tho fire, and placed an OK
tongue along with the cheese and = lump Of
the frozen wine in pannikin into the oven
for had mind to taste the vessels stores,
and thought the tongue would make an agree
able changel, and then, putting candle into
the lantern, walked very hrayely to the fore
castle and entered it
was prepared for tho scene of confusion,
but must say it staggered mo afresh with
something of tho force of the first impression.
Sailors chests lay open in all directions, and
their contents covered ths decks. There was
the clearest evidence here that the majority
Of the crew had quilted the vessel in vio-
lent hurry, turning out their boxes to cram
their money and jewelry into their pockets,
and heedlessly flinging down their own and
the clothes which had fallen to their share.
This had every right to suppose from the
character of the middle on the floor; for,
passing the light over part of it, witnessed
great variety Of attire of a kind which GER
tainly no sailor in any age ever went to sea
with-not so fine, perhaps, as that which lay
in the cabins, but very good, nevertheless,
particularly the linen
In many places, glittering among the
clothes, were gold and silver coins, a few sill
yer ornaments, such as buckles, and watches
things not missed by the pirates in the
transport of their flight. In kicking a coat
aside discovered a couple of silver cruel
fixes bound together, and close by were a
silver goblet and the hilt of q sword broken
short off for the sake of the metal it was made
of. Nothing ruder than this interior is i'm
aginable. The men must have been mighty
put to it for room. Their was q window in
the head, but the snow yelled it. May be the
rogues messed together aft, and only used
this forecastle to lie in. Right under the
hatch, where the light was strongest, was a
dead rat. stopped to pick it up, meaning
to fling it ON to the deck, but its tail broke
off at the rump like pipe stem.
Close against the after bulkhead that sep
arated the forecastle from the cook room was
| little hatch. There was a quantity of
wearing apparel upon it, and l should have
missed it but for catching sight of some
three inches of the dark line tho cover made
in the deck. On clearing away the clothes
perceived ring similar to that in tho laza-
rette hatch! and it rose to my first drag and
left me tho hold yawning black below. !
peered down, and observed q stout stanchion
traversed by iron pins for the hands and
feet. The atmosphere was nasty, and to give
| it time to clear went to the cook house and
warmed myself before the fire.
The fresh air blowing down the forecastle
hatch speedily sweetened the hold. lowered
the lantern and followed, and found myself
on top of some rum or spirit casks, which on
my hitting them returned me q solid note.
There was a fore peak forward in the bows,
and the casks went slowed to the bulkhead
of it. The top of this bulkhead was open four
feet from the upper deck, and on holding the
lantern over and putting my head through /
| saw a quantity of Goals. If the forepeak
went as low as the vessels floor then 1 calcu-
lated there would not be less than fifteen
tons of coal in it. This was a noble discovery
| to fall upon, and it made me feel so happy
that l do not know that the assurance of my
being Immediately rescued from this island
could have given lighter pulse to my heart.
The candle yielded very small light, and
| it was difficult to see above a yard or so
ahead or around. turned my face aft, and
crawled over the casks and came to under
the main hatch, where lay coils of hawser,
buckets, blocks and the like; but there was
no pinnace, though here she had been slowed,
as a sailor would have promptly seen. A lit
tie way beyond, under the great cabin, was
the powder magazine, a small bulkheaded
compartment with a little door, atop of
which was small bulls eye lamp. I peered
warily enough, you will suppose, into this
| place; and made out twelve barrels of pow
der heartily wished them overheard; and
yet, after all, they were not very much more
dangerous than the wine and spirits In the
| laZarette and forehold.
The run remained to be explored-the after
part, mean, under the lazarette deck to the
| rudder post-but had seen enough; crawling
about that black interior was cold, lonesome,
melancholy work, and it was rendered pc
culiarly arduous, by the obligation of caution
| imposed, by my having to bear a light amid
a freight mainly formed of explosives and
combustible matter. had found plenty of
coal, and that sufficed. So returned by the
same road had entered, and sliding to the
bulkhead door to keep the cold of the fore
castle out of the cook room, stirred the fire
into a blaze and sat down before it to think