Wichita eagle., 1889-12-26
ghe ieha pay gag1e ghursdag 8orua December Is 1883

my mind that followed bis words; 1t was .
sudden sense Of relief from . horrible might
marc. I was ashamed Of the childish pleas
uro felt, but / could not help answering
eagerly, Certainly; shall I give the orderf'
waited no longer, but hurried on deck
and altered the course Of the vessel
1t was a clear, frosty night, and as looked
in the pinnacle at the compass before going
below I felt strangely pleased, and caught
myself chucklng and rubbing my hands
briskly together at what cannot say
didn't know then-but great weight had
been taken OF my mind.
I went down to the cabin and found tho
captain pacing ur aad down tho small space.
He stopped as came in, and, looking up,
said abruptly:
"It can do no harm, Mr. Stowell"
"If this breeze continues" answered. we
can hold ON for thirty hours or so, but then {
should think"-
"But then we shall find ice. How's the
windF'
STEADY, north by east, sir"
We sat down and finished our grog, which
tasted better from having been out in the
bitter air on deck.
l had the morning watch-the first mates
to keep next day.
l was too restless to sleep after 1t, 30 kept
OF deck the whole of the day.
Even that did not satisfy me. / was con-
tinually running up the ratlines into the
maintop with my glass, but every time
came down disappointed
No ship or wreck was in sight; for that
was what had brought myself to believe
l. n 49,. -14x -.
direction, "Steer n. W"
The captain was as unquiet as myself.
The captain plainly expected something to
happen; but as to what it was to be he made
no open conjecture.
The second officer, Mr.. Sornberger, be-
Heye, firmly believed US both crazy; indeed,
l often wondered myself at the state
was in.
Evening came, and nothing had turned up.
The night was bright, and the captain was
determined to lay on under easy sail till
morning.
Morning came, and with the first gray
light | was on deck.
1t was bitterly cold
Those only who have seen them under SINH
Ear circumstances can form any adequate idea
of the delicate and beautiful tints of the
morning skies in those northern ATTITUDES.
The beauty of the scene was simply ravish-
ing But | was in no humor to appreciate
any of these marvellous beauties of nature.
had something else of more vital import
ance to think Of just then.
There was a mist and thick frosty haze of
a deep white hanging low down on the hori-
zon. waited impatiently for it to lift. 1t
lifted soon, and | could not be mstaken-be-
yond it | could dimly see the glimmer of the
ice field.
sent below to call the captain, who came
on deck directly.
''It is no use, Mr. Stowell." he said - you
must put her about"
''Wait one moment" l said, "wait one mo-
ment, the mist is lifting more, it will be
quite clear directly"
The mist was indeed lifting rapidly. Far
to the north and west we could see the ice
stretching away, as far as the eye could
reach, in one unbroken field.
was trying to see whether there appeared
any break in the ice to the west, when the
captain, selling my arm with one hand and
pointing straight ahead with the other, ex-
claimed:
''My God! there is a ship therel"
The mist had risen like curtain, aud
there, sure enough, about three miles ahead,
was a ship seemingly firmly packed in the
ice
We stood looking at it in silence.
There was some meaning, after all, in that
mysterious warning, was the first thought
that flashed through my mind.
''She's npped bad, sir" said old Capen,
who, with the rest of our crew, was anxious
ly watching our new discovery.
was trying hard to make her out through
my glass, when the fash of a gun, quickly
followed by the dull report, proved that she
had seen u.s.
Up went the flag, union down.
We needed no signal to know her distress.
The captain ordered the second officer, Mr..
Sornberger, off in one of the quarter boats.
/ watched him as he made his way over the
ice, with a few of the men, towards the
wrecked ship, while the rest Of the boats
crew rowed ''off and On" to await his return.
They soon returned with eight of the ships
crew.
1t was a dismal account they gave of their
situation.
They might have sawed their way out
through the ice, but the ship was so strained
and injured that she would not have foated
an hour.
The largest of their boats had been stove
in by contact with an iceberg, while none OF
the others were really seaworthy.
They were preparing, however, to take to
them as a last precarious resort, when the
welcome arrival of the Edna-our ship-put
an end to their fears.
Another detachment was soon brought of,
~ ir,1a Of ia
crew, WAS to follow Immediately.
l went down to my cabin and tried to
think over the singular fate that had made
us the preservers of this ships crew.
l could not divest myself of the idea that
some occult or supernatural agency was con-
nected with that piece of paper in the cap
tain's desk, and | trembled st the thought Oh
what might have been the consequence If we
had neglected the warning.
The boat coming alongside interrupted my
reverie.
In few seconds / was on deck.
| found the captain talking to fine old
sailor like looking man, whom he introduced
to me as Capt. Sauiers.
Capt. Souiers shook hands with me, and we
continued talking for some time.
l could not take my eyes of his face; I had
a conviction that had seen him somewhere
where, / could not tell.
Every now and then seemed to catch at
some clew, which vanished as soon a.
touched.
At last he turned around to speak to some
of his men.
l could not be mistaken-there was the
same long. white hair, the same brown coat
He was the man / had seen writing in tho
captains cabinl
That evening I and the captain told the