Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-10-11
4 SAILORS "REMINISCENCES
BY A. II. E!ODRfCElER.

"Yes, yes, believe in the Flying
Dutehman mates," said Tom Hoffman.
as he took sip from his can in the
io'ksel Of the Caspertow, and set it down
again. Il most certainly do, for I've
seen the like, in my cruising among the
waters Of the world.
I'D heard great deal about the
Flying Dutchman and other spccter
craft, but l was skeptical, however,
after my own experience, [ am willing
TO believe in phantom ships, witches,
sea-serpents, and i'll fact everything.
Il had Just gone home after five
years cruise. and had saved up my
money so as to take nice little sum
home to The old woman, and 1 was well
come.
Having been gone for so long, and
being no haad With pen to write
home, L was afraid Mary might have
got sis!iced again, believing that I had
set sail for the port Of Paradise.
Gut no; she was true to the sailor
lad, though the country parson was
cruising round her pretty sharp, and
trying to beat windward of her afiec-
lions.
"But then, Mary had a comfortable
home which was ell paid for, and the
person only got half a hundred year.
However, [ broke up that matrimo-
nial voyage, and silenced his yarns of
affection for Mary, when ] run in and
dropped anchor as the old home.
cit was in 1916, that got connected
with the ship Falcon, cruising for night
whales in the South Pacific.
1--WE were away down in latitude
sixty-three, having followed the whales
southwark with extremely good luck,
although with constant danger from
bodies OF ice, which wore drifting up
from the Antarctic circle, when we fell
IN with the Languedoc from our own
port; and her captain, Bosworth,
bringing with HIM his mate and two
boats crews, came On board of us to see
CAPTAIN Collier, our commander. OF
course, good chat was had among
officers and hands.
q Having LETT homo year later than
ourselves, the Languedoc's men had the
advantage of us in the way Of news and
they told how such ship was lying in
docks when they came away; how such
another was loading at the head of the
wharf; how the Morrison Plummer had
gust got in, and tho L. e. Stafford been
heard from; and who had got married
i'll the years interval, and who had died,
ETC., etc.
But presently they informed us Of a
singular circumstance, which only a
days before had occurred in connection
with themselves. Right in the midst
OF q school of whales, they had en-
countered the Flying Dutchman, which
had just cleared their stern by not more
than eight feet, and on her deck they
saw that the crew were dressed in white,
which were as silent and motionless as
corpses.
Now, mates. you know it is embar-
rising to deny, to q persons face, the
existence OF a thing which he assures
US that he has SEEM; however Tn not
over nice in this particular.
"One Of our crow said that he would
try to believe enough Of their story to
oblige them; but this, with an old tar
like Perry Davis was-poor Davis! he
is dead and gone now-is an unusual
condescension with regard to yarn in
volving doubt. Thus it may we'll be
imagined that no attempt was made to
disguise the incredulity with which the
account Of the Languedoc's crew was
received in our fo'ksel.