Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-02-28
A QUEER RACE.
BY WILLIAM WESTEL.

"A signal of distressl And she does not
give her number, said the skipper. "Some-
thing very wrong, I should say. Alter
the ships course point, Mr.. Bucklow.
We will run under her bows and hail her."
When we were near enough, the captain
tookeis speaking-trumpe and hailed. But
there came no answer. We could see no
body on deck; there was not even man
at the wheel
"QueerP' said Captain Peyton, after ne
had hailed a second and third time. 81
must go aboard and see what is up. Clear
away the lee-quarter boat, Mr.. Chance.
VIII you go with me, Mr.. Erle?" turning
to me. "Who knows that this is not the
beginning of an adventure?"
ut is an adventure" I answered.
THANKS for the offer. I will go with you
gladly"
So the sails were backed, the ship brought
to, and the boat being lowered, we slipped
into her and were quickly alongside the
brig. AS another hail produced no effect,
one of the four seamen who were with US
climbed up the fOre-chains and threw US
rope, up which Peyton, myself, and two OF
the seamen swarmed, one after the other,
hand over hand.
Anybody on board, Bill?" asked the
captain, as he put his foot on the deck.
mot as far as I can see," said the sea-
man who had thrown us the rope. "But
there's some very queer smells knocking
about"
Let US take turn round the deck, and
then we will 90 below. 1t looks as if the
crew had deserted her. Why, l wOnderi
She seems all right and tight; and if her
rigging is all skies and sevens, that's easily
accounted Hallool What's that in the
lee-scuppers, abaft the mainmast, theref"
'It looks like bundle of old Clothes"
said Bill.
1T is mans body. Turn it around,
Bill"
Bill lifted the body up and propped it In
a sitting posture againt the bulwarks.
All gave back an exclamation of dismay.
It was the most revolving sight I had ever
set eyes upon. The face was putrid, swol-
len, and almost black. One eye was wide
open; the other, together with part of the
cheek, had been eaten away. One Of the
poor wretch's arms having been stretched
out as he fell, had stiffened as he died, and
now pointed it's yellow and almost heshiess
fingers at Captain Peyton.
God bless mep' he exclaimed, in an
awe-struck voice. 81 do believe it's fever
shipp'
You surely don't mean that all the crew
have died of feverI"
az am afraid so; but we will soon seer"
There were two houses on deck, one OF
them being evidently the masters quar-
tiers. Peyton opened the door and peered
In fearfully. looked over his shoulder
In the bunk lay a blackened corpse, a
troop of hideous rats gnawing at the face.
On the floor was another corpse and NOR 9
Eats.
The captain drew back with u shudder,
and closed the door.
EYES," he said, they are ali dead, sure
enough. | wonder where she halls from
and what her cargo is? If could only get
look at the manifest, or the log-bookl 1
dare say they are in the poor shippers
cabin, and | am not going there again. We
will just have peep at the hold, though.
No harm in that"
AS he spoke he slipped down the hatch
way, and in five minutes came back with
the news that she was timber laden.
docs anybody know her manner" he
asked.
''Yes," says Bill; cit is on the binnacl g
and the wheel-Lady Jane.'"
II know her." / said, drawing on my re-
collection of 'LlOyd's Register" ''She be-
longs to Hart & CoverdaTe, of Liverpool
master, Williamson; built at Nova Scotia
about ten years ago. if remember rightly.
/ think we once insured her for voyage to
Honduras and back"
''That's it; thought so. She halls from
Belize-that is where they got the fever,
no doubt--and her cargo consists of ma
hogany and Iogwcod. A valuable cargo
that, Mr. Erie. What do you think she is
worth, now-ship. cargo, and everything;
lock, stock, barrel, and clinker?"
Speaking roughly, should say from
fifteen to twenty thousand pounds"
And she's a derelict. Nearly all that
money would go to the owners, with
humping share to the officers and crew;
and | am part owner"
eff you take her into port"
"And that IL what I mean to do. One
way and another, it would bring me a few
thousands-anYhOw,e enough, with what l
have, to make me independent for life, and
be nice provision for the wife and chill
dren when | die. Yes; I will take the
Lady Jane into port-if CAM
"But, surely, Captain Peyton, you will
not put any of your crew on board2 Why,
she Is regular pest-house; and the sooner
only n couple of volunteers to take the
wheel. turn and turn about. But once
here they must stay here. There will be
no communication whatever between the
two ships, no more than if they were
hundred miles apart. The two men who
volunteer shall bring their own water and
provisions, so that the risk they run Will
be of the very slightest"
do You think anybody will volunteer
You will see when we get back. Yes,
shall take the Lady Jane in tow, and il
che weather holds good, | will have her at
Nassau in ten days or less.''
and If the weather does not hold goodf"
"Then we shall have to cast her off,"
"And you really do not think that in all
this there is any risk"
For the two men who come aboard
there may be some slight risk of Infection;
but for us, none whatever. The fever can
not fly over the water or creep along the
hawsers. Besides, never knew one ship
take yellow fever from another. 1t is 8
land disorder, and ships bring it with them
from places where it is epidemic. They
never get it at sea-
"You think it is yellow fever, thenr'
"Of course; what else can 1t bes I saw
It at once when Bill turned that poor devil
over. He must have died on deck and
rolled into the scupper. And now, il you
please, we will return to the DIANA"
/ said no more, yet could not help feel
ing that Captain Peyton was making a
mistake which might cost US dear. He
was letting greed obscure his usually clear
Judgment. The moment he had ascer-
tanned the Lady Jane's' character, he
should have got out of her way rs quickly