The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-04-11

craft. A two masted schooner OF
three hundred and fifty tons register,
built at Bath, Me, she was one the
tautest and fastest vessels ever LAUGH
ed in the Pine Tree State. But for
all that she never made dollar for
her owners, or more than bare liv-
ing for Capt. Sam Stone, who sailed
her from the day she left the stocks
until she went ashore five years later
on the bar off Chatham. Her ill-luck
began on her first voyage from Port
land to Fernandina, when she lost the
mate overheard, and never knew a
break. She was haunted, or if not
haunted, pursued by an intangible
something that made her summed by
seamen and shippers alike. 1t was
my i'll fate to sail as mate Of the En-
lily on her final voyage. l had knock
| ed about Portland out of a berth for
two months, and was penniless and
hopeless enough to have shipped for
the North Pole in long boat, when
Capt. Sam offered me chance as
mate for run to Charleston. L knew
by her reputation, as indeed did every
seafaring man on the mast, and it
was only the hardest sort Of circum
stances that forced me over her rail as
second in command. We left Port
land en- the 11th OF November, 1879.
Before we had Gated the anchor and
had the Scotland light on our port
quarter the trouble began. She car
ried crew Of three before the mast
a cook, and myself and the skipper.
Two of the sailors We're Norwegians,
and the third Russian Finn, and, ac
cording to seaman's superstition, "a
regular magnet of misfortune | had
Just come aft to take the wheel while
Capt. Sam ate supper, when a loud
cry from tor'ard brought the skipper
on deck. JansOn, one of the Norwe
gians, came numbering aft holding his
left wrist in his right hand and utter
ing exclamations of pain. He had
been overhauiing length Of chain
with the Finn for'erd Of the windlass,
and in the darkness and lurching of
the vessel-there was quite sea run
ning-the latter had missed his foot
ing and struck Janson heavy blow
on the wrist with chain hook. |
was enough of surgeon to see that
some bone had been fractured. We
patched the injured member up as
well as we could, but Captain Sam
would not turn back, and we went to
sea short-handld, with a poor devil
lying helpless aud groaning in the fore
castle. The wind was blowing fresh
from nor nor r'west, and backing to the
north'ard. By eight bells 1t was blow
ing so fresh we slowed the outer jibs,
and / was reefng the maiusail. But
Captain Sam wanted to drive her and
wouldn't listen to me. At the chang
ing of the next watch at eight bells,
or midnight, it was blowing half a
gale, and when / turned out-the
skipper had stood the first watch
she was dipping the jib boom into ev-
cry other sea. had thought the skip
| per's breath smell pretty strong of Ii
quor as passed him coming on deck.
but when l saw him a few minutes
later taking a long pull and strong
pull at a bottle, concluded that my
suspicion that he always kept his main
sheet pretty well started was very
close reckoning. / had the Finn III
my watch, and was standing the first
trick at the wheel myself, and could
see dimly as he emerged from the
shadow Of the fore sail just forward Of
the traveller and peered over the bow
to windward every other minute.
| Suddenly there came crack like
the report of rifle, only ten time:
louder, and the jib sheet parted in an
instant. Instead of standing by the
Finn came aft like a crack yacht OIL
the wind, uttering the most blood
curdling yell that ever startled my
ears. He came up to me jabberins
like a madman, and before [ could
get anything Ineligible out of hin
and bring the vessel up in the wind
we had shipped half a dozen seas, anc
everything movable on deck had beer
washed clear aft and into the lee soup
pers. The racket brought all hand!
on deck, and when the skipper hat
relieved me Of the wheel, l found the
Finn crouching- behind the starboare
bits mumbling away prayers or ours
es in Finnish and shaking like mat
man with the Chagres fever. He wa
half crazy with fright, and when
| grabbed him by the collar he spit ant
snarled like a cat, and | literally ha'
to kick him off the quarter to get hin
for'ard.
i By the time we had rove new
sheet and got things shipshape til,
Finn had righted sufficiently to stee
and sent him to the wheel and stood
lookout myself. The wind was still
freshing, and was now blowing north
east Some ill looking clouds hat
blown upto the BASTARD, and settlet
over the whole horizon like a big blacl
pail. We had made the course wei
off shore to get Cape Cod we'll on th
lea, and according to tie log, if tn
wind held, we would be off H,ghlan,
Light by daybreak. What bothere,
me most, next to the certainty of ba,
weather, was the parting Of the jill
sheet. It was new rope, and, evel
| if poor one, the strain mad not be
| gun to be sufficient to warrant its part
ing in the way it did. / examined th
ends as we'll as could, and they aI
peared to me to have been cut q
cleanly AZ though the job had bee
done with sharp knife. / shoul