Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-16
copyrighted by the Author 1sss-An Rights Reserved
PART III.

Chi0ZOttI, IN TACT, we'll known Tor their
industry and their Diety. They had been
Nesting about most Of the night without
bauljng in anything worth mentioning,
until it was nearly morning, and then
having called down a blessing from the
saint whom their brown Illuminated sail
clarified, their net had filled to overflow
ing. They emptied it with much rejoic-
ing upon their reeking deck, and then
,Dread their canvass to catch the morn
ing breeze for Venice.
It wanted yet an hour or so to dawn
tbe first opaline advances of which began
70 move the curtains Of the eastern sky
Only q handful of pale stars remained in
the heavens. The sea had been rough
On the previous night, and strong I'M
der swell was left in memory of the pass
;ng storm. The picturesque smack rose
snd fell with a regular cadenza of mo-
ton.
While one Of the men steered and at
tended TO the navigation, the other two
we're busy getting their fish into the hold,
singing all the while kind of answering
chorus to the chaunt of the steersman.
Presently the sOloist paused in his song
to gaze iutently to windward, where he
fancied he saw something in the water.
It was not boat, nor was it fish. 1t
might be piece of floating wreckage'
But It looked strangely like some awful
vision of the deep. The helmsman said
nothing, but crossed himself devoutly
and looked in another direction.
The Opaline glow that had at first been
very faint now gave place to streaks of
pink and grey and red; it looked like
stormy breaking of the morning.
There was an unusual shadow, too,
upon the sea, the steersman thought.
He feared TO look to windward. though
he tried TO smother superstjtious dread
that came over him in a repetition of his
fsheTmau's chaunt, and again his mates
took up the refrain. He no longer saw
the strange weird something in the sea;
it was still there, nevertheless, rising and
falling with the swelling waves. Once
IN q way the first beams of the morning
fell upon it as if with inquisitive glauces.
Then the shadOwy forms of the Eugenean
hills began TO assert their presence far
away beyond the mainland. Further
north the cold white Alps were getting
ready TO make their appearance on the
distant background of the haZy picture.
BY and by the islands of the lagOons
would put in their claims to recognition,
but for the moment there was only one
object TO be seen.
And now they all saw it. The fish
with their shining scales and bright dy-
ing eyes had been slowed away, and
suddenly the man at the helm pointed
long bony finger in the direction of the
ghost-like object TO windward. The !
thing was recognized in silence. It as
sumed an almost upright attitude with |
the rising OF the waves; and as they re- |
coded II foated backwards as a graceful |
swimmer might. It did not, in taking |
this new position, however, buffet the |
water as a live ewimmer would, but |
rose and fell with a ghostly rhythm of |
motion. When its head topped the |
waves horizontally it showed a human |
face distorted, white and swollen, with |
dark hair.
All three toilers of the deep now saw
the Rpparition. 1t was more than a
ghost and less than q man. Was it /
some peruicious creature of the sea?
How should they avoid it?
They tackled. They turned their eyes (
to leeward. They made as if they would
sail for the open sea.
The morning hes;tated at the portals
Of day, Once or twice it threatened 10
60 back into the night. Unusual clouds
began 70 gather about the east. A heavy
iall Of rain battered down upon the sea.
The swimming figure followed the ship.
They had both struck the sans current.
The sailors now saw il in q new quarter.
They were afraid. Again they tucked.
This time the prov turned towards the
Lido. The men had resumed their
course.
Presently long streak OF light illum-
mated the waters. The rain ceased. 1t
vas nearly morning. The sun forced
llyer lances up into the clouds.
And now there could be no mistake
The figure was human in form, but its
ace was a wierd deformity. 1t was a
,oblins a monster, a something horrible.
had great white hands that were steer
ne it towards the ship. It's head rose
md fell with the waves. They could all
ee the nameless thing. They fell upon
helr knees and commended themselves
their saints, and more particularly to
Ter who vOuchsafed them their goodly
aul OF fish.
ecision. The monster was q ghost.
hey were convinced of it, these three
hiozotti. They crowded all sail to get
way from it; when suddenly, as if I'M
er the influence of the god Of day, the
ind fell and there was dead calm.
he sea, however, rose aud fell. There
ERE no waves. But the keel of the boat |
lsde gurgIe and a Washing. The sea
semed as if trying TO break into q wave, |
ut it only stopped up against the ships
des. One Of the men thought there
as something like q sob accompanying |
be bullying motion of the water.
They tempted the dead breeze from
7ery point, but the ship lay still, and
le morning in silver splendor began to |
llute and glorify distant objects, fash
lg now and then through the clouds into
white path across the lagoon right up
the ship. In one of these passing il
limitations they saw the ghost clearly
alt is no ghost, A" said the bravest of {
he three; cit is dead man. -
Ibid you ever see dead psn swim
ing with his arms and legs as a live
an swimsY'' said the other, terrifying {
mself with long drink from q bottle {
hich he handed TO his mates. {
cit does indeed swim, SAID the |
slmsman; "that's true. ~
''What harm Can come to u.s. said
e first sshayiug commended mr. Z