The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-09-14

Captain" cried I, "if so be you are the
captain, In the name of God and humanity
come aboard, STRIP Hero I had to wait till
he reappeared. my sto~y is an extraordi-
nary one. You have nothing to fear. ] am
a plain English sailor; my ship was the
Laughing Mary, bound in ballast from Cal
lao to the cape" Here l had to wait again.
''Pray, sir, come aboard; there is nothing to
to fear. am alone, in grievous distress and
in want of help. Pray come, sirl"
There was so little Of the goblin in this ap-
peal that it resolved him. The crew hung in
the wind, but he addressed them perempto-
rily. I heard him damn them for a set OF
ours, and tell them that IL they put him
aboard they might lie of till he was ready
to return, where they would DO safe, as the
devil could not swim; and presently they
buckled to their oars again, and the boat
cam alongside. The long man, watching
his chance, sprang with great agility into
the chains and stepped on deck. Iran up to
him and seized his hand with both mine.
''Sir," cried /, speaking with difficulty, SC
great was the tumult of my spirits and the
Joy and gratitude that swelled my heart, "a
thank you a thousand times over for this
visit. l am in the most helpless condition
that can be imagined. l am not astonished
that you should nave been startled by the
appearance of this vessel and by the figure ]
make in these clothes; bat, sir, you will be
much more amazed when You have heard my
story"
He eyed me steadfastly, examining me very
earnestly from my boots to my cap, and then
cast a glance around him before he made any
reply to my address. He had tho gauntness,
saflowness of complexion, and d~eli6erateness
of manner peculiar to the people of New Eng,
land; and though he was a very ugly, lank,
uncouth man, l protest he was as fair in my
sight as if he had been the ambrosial angel
described by Milton.
swell, cook my gizzard," he exclaimed,
presently, through his nose, and after another
good look at me M along the decks and up
aloft, "if this amt miraculous tew burned
if we didn't take this hooker for some ghost
ship riz from the sea, in charge of a norman
rugged out to fit her age. " are all alone,
air your
"AIl alone" said !.
"Broach me every barrel aboard if ever /
see SIGH q vessel" he cried, his astonishment
rising with the searching glances he directed
aloft and allow. "How old be sher'
"She was cast away in 1858" said 1.
"Well, I'm durnedI She's froze hard, sir.
reel l reckon she'll want a hot sun to thaw
her. Split me, mister, if she amt wortt
sailing home as a show box"
/ interrupted his calculations by asking
him to step below, where we could sit warm
while / related my story; and l asked him tc
invite his boats crew into the cabin that
might regale them with a bowl of such liquor
as, I venturedt to say, had never passed Their
lips in this life. On this he went to the side
and, hailing the men, ordered all but one tc
come aboard and drink to the health OF the
lonesome sailor they had come across. The
word drink" acted like a charm; they in
stantly hauled upon the painter and brought
the boat TO the chains and tumbled over the
side, one of the negroes remaining in her
They fell together in a body, and surveyed
me and the ship with Q hundred marks o
establishment.
"My lads" said I, "my rig Is a strange one
but I'll explain all shortly. The clothes
was cast away in are below, and I'll show
you them. I'm no specter, but as real a
you; though have gone through so mucl
that, If l am not a ghost, it is no fault of oil
Ocean, but owing to the mercy of God. NJ.
name is Paul Rodney, and Pm a native o
London. You, sir" says l, addressing tn
long man, ''are, I presume, the master of tn
Susan Tuckerr'
"At your sarvice-Josiah Tucker is m,
name, and that ship is my wife, Susan"
"Capt. Tucker, and you, men, will yol
please step belowf' says l. ''The weathe
promises fair; 1 AVE much to tell, and ther,
is that in the cabin which will give you pa
thence to hear me-"
descended the companion stairs, and they
all followed, making the interior that haC
been SO long silent ring with their heavy
tread, while from time to time a gruff, hoars
whisper broke from n of them. But su
perstition lay strong upon their imagination
and they were awed and quiet. The day
light came down the hatch, but for all tina
the cabin was darksome.
! waited till the last man had entered, anC
then said: Before we settle down to a bow
and a yarn, captain, I should like to show
you this ship. It'll " me a deal of de
scription and explanation if you will b
pleased to take a view"
LEAD on, mister, !" said he; "but we shall
have to snap our eyelids and raise fire in thai
way-for burned if I, for one, can see in the
dark"
fetched three or four lanterns, and light
ing the candles distributed them among the
men, and then in a procession, headed by the
captain and me, We made the rounds. I ha6
half cleared the arms room, but there were
weapons enough left, and they stared at them
like yokels in a booth. ! showed them the
cook house and the forecastle, where the decb
wa still Uttered with clothes and chests and
hammocks, and after carrying them aft tc
the cabins gave them a sight of the hold. ]
never saw men more amazed. They filed the
vessel with their EXPLANATIONS. They never
offered to touch anything, being too much
awed, but stepped about with their heads un,
covered, as quietly as they could, as though
Gney mad been In q vault, and the influence OF
strange and terrifying memorials was upon
them. I also showed them the clothes I had
come away from the Laughing Mary in; and
that I might submit such an aspect to them
as should touch their sympathies, I whipped
of the cloak and put on my own pilot cloth
coat
There being nothing more to see I led them
to the cook room, and there brewed a great
hearty bowl of brandy punch, which I sea
soned with lemon, sugar and spices into as
relishable a draught as my knowledge in
that way could compass, and, giving every
man q p~annikin, babe him dip and welcome
myself first drinking to them with a brief
speech.
This ceremony ended, I began my story,
beginning with the loss of the Laughing
Mary and proceeding step by step. I told
them of the dead body Of Mendoza, but said
nothing about the Frenchman and the mate
and the Portuguese boatswain, lest I should
make them afraid of the vessel, and so get
no help to work her. As to acquainting
them with my ecovery of Tassard, after his
stupor Of eight-and-forty years, I should
have been mute on that head in any case, for
30 extraordinary a relation could, from such
people, have earned me but one of two opiil-
~ions-either that I was mad and believed =
an impossibility, or that / was a rogue ard
dealt in magic, and to be vehemently shunnel
Yet there were wonders enough in my
story without this, and l recited it to a run.
ming commentary of all sorts of queer Yan.
kee exclamation.
They were a good deal puzzled when I told
them Of the mines I had made and sprung in
the ice. They reckoned the notion fine, but
could not conceive how ! had, single handed,
broken out the powder barrels, got them over
the side, and fixed them.
"Why,n said I, "'twas slow, heavy work,
Of course; but a man who labors for his life
will do marvellous things. 1t is like the jump
of a hunted stag"
"True for you" says the captain. ga swim
Of two miles spends me In p~leasurin'; but
I've swum eight miles to save my life, and
stranded fresh as a new hooked cod. What's
your intentions, sirF'
''To sail the schooner home" said /, 'if I
can get help. She's too good to abandon.
She'll fetch money in England"
SAY, as a show"
"Yes, and as a goldman. Rig her mod
ernly, and carry your forecastle deck into
the head, captain, and she's a brave ship, fit
for a Baltimore eye."
He stroked down the hair upon his chin.
"Dip, captain; dip, my lads, there's
enough of this to drown We in the hold" s.id