Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-07-07

deed, it looked as though the sight of the lamp had silenced the fellow. There was nothing to be seen; stare as the men might
 they could witness nothing distinguishable ill the ink like void into which their gaze sank bindly, saving the occasional sparkling of fiery water to what was unQuestionably the stealthy plying of an oar. Presently the old skipper roared out, Boat, ahoy! what boats ,thats" His voice was echoed in the motion less hidden canvas on high. but no answer was returned from the sea. There was am other interval of dead stiffness, with faint sound now and again which suggested that the boat was being very softly and sneak ingly sculled. Certainly the scintillation of the oar had vanished, and there was nothing to intimate the existence of the bout saving the sculling sound. "Confoundedly wonder full all thisl" gasped the skipper, in @ voice of intense excitement, puffng and blowing
 with the heat and with the amazement he was full of AS he said this peal of mirth- less laughter broke from the water, appar. entity within pistol shot of the ships side
 "Hal hal hal Show 8 light there Hal hal ha! Pm Saint Anthony. Hurrahi boys
 Saint Anthony in tow of a pig, by the living thunder. He's brought me a thousand leagues. Hurrahl hurrah! Hal hal haI" The dreadful laugh died out. "There's only one way of dealing with this," cried the mate
 He dived into the cabin, was absent min ute, and then returned with 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 8 ships quarter beat, black, with the tall, seemingly half D ked figure of a man erect on midship thwart with hands held Ls-L s- Al. .A s-- falls with a shot in his heart. It was a pict- ure not to be expressed in writing; the wild coloring of the port fire made an unimagin
 able vision of it; and then again there was the sudden ghastly brightening out of the wild sight from the black canvas in which 1t had lain buried. "St Anthony, 1 tell ye, menl St. Anthony, ha, ha, hal" cried the half nude creature, f1ourishing bis arms as if in ecstacy at the sight of the green spout of flame. "Hol tis good thing to be a saint, though! Alone, alone-alone, alonei I'm the sovereign of the seas, and St. Anthony, too. Hurrah, boys. Ha! hal hal" The port fire went out, and the blackness rolled down again dark upon the dazzle in the men's eyes,
 "A mad sailor, sir" cried the mate; "some shipwrecked survivor with his brain gone. Great Godi how horrible" "Lord, if one could but seel' exclaimed the captain; i've AErh
 some of you; get boat lowered and secure that poor fellow" i" "Hal ha! hal" sounded out of the darkness. "rm monarch of the night, l tell ye. I'm St. Anthony, too, my livelies. Hurrahi Nor'-nor'west; that's the course, boys. Hal hal hal" and the flash of water, accompanied by a grinding sound, intimated that the unhappy creature was sculling away from the ship. The sailors came tumbling aft and despite the blackness, in few minutes boat was in the water with four men in her, and the chief mate in the stern sheets groping to hang the rudder. "Shove of-give wayr At the same moment a large globular lantern was run aloft by the signal halyards to the mizen peak, and other lights held along the ships side. The moment the water was flashed up by the four oars oi broke into long mocking laugh, and then fell silent whilst he sculled with might and main. His fifty fathoms' start would give him but a poor chance against four men The boat swept up to him rapidly, guided by the sparkle of the water about his oar, bu, on sudden this brilliance vanished; they could hear the oar flung furiously down, fol
 lowed by derisive yell that came to the pursuers' ears with the shock and fear of 6 shriek of anguish, and by the splash of the fellows body as he flung himself overheard N6SU TOWIuRI' 1n6 DOaC QOdCeQ to tnt
 other, the five men holding their breath
 whilst they sent their glances over the black profound in search of single scintillation tt indicate the whereabouts of the man drown ing or swimming, but no break of night wa,
 anywhere visible. They softly rowed her.
 and there, and then, catching hold of thu | boat, they lowed her to the ships side. anc
 made her fast for examination by daybreak Then by the mornings light the captain anc | mate examined her, and found her an ordin ary ships boat, with the name Martha Will jams painted in small black letters on hei
 stern; a Scotch cap, a sailors shirt ane
 jacket, belt and sheath knife were found ir
 her; also an empty breaker, dry and resonant
 with tho heat, and the half of 6 ships biscuit l moldy and vermin eaten. It was afterward | ascertained that the Martha Williams was {
 missing ship long posted, and supposed tt
 have foundered on a voyage to the Thames
 from Callao.-Cincinnati Commercial Ga | zette.