Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-22

w.
Dragged him to6oriot.sly into the coob
room.
then went on deck. and easily enough the
deck being slippery, got my first man to where
the huge fellow was that had scntinelcd the
vessel when ! drst looked down upon her; but
when viewed the slopes, broken into rocks,
which |, though unburdened, had found
hard enough to ascend, | was perfectly GER
tain I should never be able to transport the
bodies to the topof the cliffs. I must either
let them fall into the great split astern Of the
ship, or lower them over the side and leave
| the hollow in which the schooner lay to be
their tomb.
1t was ,nghty comforting on returning to
the cabin - find it vacant, to be freed from
the scora Of the sight OF the two silent figures.
drew ny breath more easily and stopped to
/ glancs around. it was the barost cabin |
was ever ln---Jncaipated, with no other seats
than the ll5tle benches. looked az the cru
cIiix, and guessed from the sight of it that,
whatever might be the vessels nation, sho
had not been sailed by Englishmen. peeped
INTO Door POllyS cage-lr parrot IC was
and the ss,ht of the rich plumage carried my
imagination to skies of brass, to the mystic
riOus green solitude of tropic forests, to
! islands fringed with silver surf, in whose
sunny flashing spGrted nude girls Of fault
less forms, showing their teeth Of pearl in
merry laughter, winding amorouslv with tho
blue billow, and filling the aromatic breeze
with the melody of their language Of the sun.
Ha, thought ], sailors see some changes in
their time; and with Il hearty sigh l stepped
into the cook room.
l started, stopped and fell back pace
with cry. When l had put the FIGURE ho-
fore the fire he was in the same posture in
which he had sat at the table-that j., lean
ing forward with his face hid in his arms,
had laid Kim ON his side, with his face to tho
furnace and in that attitude You VoulI have
supposed him man sound asleep with his
arms over his face TO snCid ii from the hcat.
But now, TO my uuspcak1he astoui,hmcpt,
he lay on his back, with his arms s,.u.. ~ nis
side, and resting on tho deck, and Lis face
up,uncd.
stared at him from tie doorN if he was
the ficnd himself | Coul scarcely credit ulY
senses: and my ccn7; rnatiou was so .r,a5
that cannot conceive of auyquau ever hay
ing labOred under creator fright. ! family
calculated "Good God several times. and
could hardly prevent lay leg from running
away with mo. NOu SEQ, Ill va, certain that
he must have moved of his own accord 20
get upon his back. | was prepared for the
fire to thaw him into lmb7rne-,, and had [
not have been surprised But there was no
power in fire to stretch him to hi> full leash
and turn him over on his back. What living
or gho7tly hand had done this thing: Dit
spirits walk this schooner after all. Had I
missed Of something more terrible than any
number of dead men in searching the vessel.
had made Il great fire, and its light was
strong, and there was also the light of tho
lantern, but the furnace flames played very
lively, completely oycrma>tering the steady
illumination of the candle, and the mans fig
uro was all a-twitch with moving shadows,
and hundred fantastic shades seemed 10
steal out of the side and bulkheads and disap-
pear upon ny terrified sac. Then, thought
|, suppose after all that man should be alive,
the vitality in him set flowing by the heat.
1 minded myself of my own smile of the
current checked by frost yet retaining uniIn-
paired the principle Of motion; and, getting
my agitation under some small control, APP
preached the body on tiptoo and held the Ian
tern to its face.
lie looked man @. CD years of age; his
beard WAS gray and very long, and lay upon
his breast like a cloud of smoke. His eyes
were closed: the brows shaggy, and the dark
scar of a sword wound ran across his fore
head from the corner of the left eye to the top
OF the right brow. His nose was long and
hooked, hut the repose in his countenancc,
backed by the vague character of the light in
which l inspected him. left his face almost
eXWessionless ! was too much alarmed to
put my ear to his mouth 10 mark if he
bIcathel, if indeed the noise of the burning
fire would have permitted Inc to distinguish
his respiration drew back from him, and
put down the lantern and watched him.
Presently his left leg that was slightly
. 1 tt.l OUT.