The Irish standard., 1890-04-12

81 love you, mamma; I'm your sweetheart to
night"
M E. N. Hathaway, in Chicago Advance.
OCEAN "REMINISCENCES.
A Remarkable Mirage, and the
Captains Mad Purpose.
Let me recall trifing incident of
my shipboard life-an experience small
and brief, indeed, but wildly fresh and
of clearest and keenest outline in mem
ory We were on the Mozambique par
allels, we'll to the eastwards; the wealth
or hot, the sky copperish, and the sea
of sallowish blue, with a thick, slow
flow Of swell as though the water was
heavy and sluggish with oil; weak
breeze of wind blew off the port quar-
tor with a sort of sting of heat in it, like
the bite of the sun himself; and the
ship under all studding-sails on that
side went rolling forward in a kind OF
]oathing way, as though alive to the
trucks with instinct; and very we'll re-
member the stopping noise of the water
as it fell from her bow like flinging
bucketsful of liquid grease overheard.
It was about two o'clock in the after
noon. when the thickness over the star
board bow died out along the horizon
there and showed the sea-line clear to
the edge of the ocean, with twisting
and glancing of yellow fires in it from
the sun, as though lines of molten brass
were slowly sinking in it. It was then
that a sail was made out some thre
points on the bow or Whereabouts, APP
parently large ship, showing to her
courses with her mizzen-topmast gone,
and the spanker-gaff naked, with some
colors flying at it. AS we slowly rose
her she showed like frigate upon the
water, with her band of broken ports
and her big wing of standing jib; and l
heard the captain: tell the mate after
taking a long view of her through
telescope that he believed she was such 81
and such ship, naming well-known
Indiaman of those days. She was in
distress, it was now gathered; for it
seems that she carried brace of signal
halyards at her gaff-end, on one of which
was hoisted the English ensign, jack
down, while on the other futtered row
of bunting out of Marryat's Code, sig
nifving that there was serious sickness
on board.
can see that ship now as saw her
then; her canvas had the whiteness OF
froth touched by moonshine; she rose
and fell very majestically, her ports
bristling and fading as she leaned to the
heave of the waters. BY the aid OF the
glass, which furtively employed on the
mate turning his back, could distinctly
make out the white quarter boats swing
ing at her davits, the CLEANS off the
glass of her large windows, the hurried
shadowing of her sails as they swung in
and out and the flags lowering in reds
and whites and blues from the peak end.
The helm of our ship was shifted for
her, and we got her right under our fly
ing iibboom end. There was not
enough yawn in the foot of the foresail
to disclose her from the poop; and it be-
ing now four o'clock and my turn to quit
the deck, strolled forward on to the
forecastle to watch the very noble pict-
ire on the sealine that was rendered
significaz beyond expression by her APP
peallng colors and by the mutilation OF
her abaft. \ group Of our Jacks stood
against one OF the catheads gazing, too.
had not been looking above three min
utes when one of them exclaimed, in a
hoaree voice:
"1Yhat, the blazes! Is that there muck
a-drawing up around her, or is she adds
solying?''
THE Flying Dutchman,' or NY eyes
amt mates!'' said second man, in sub
dued voice of mingled awe and astonish-
ment.
watch her a-dying out! Smite me,
If mort.l eyes ever see the like OF that
afore."
NV g,ze was upon the ship as the men
spoke; and, sure enough. I observed her
to be slowly melting out, not as though
fog were driving down upon her, but
as rainbow dies, the tints shining and
fading and perishing. In few mo-
1nents all was blank sea where she had
been.
There was an expression of dismay on
glanced at. The captain, the mate and
a number of passengers were moving
and hopping like COLLINS over the brass
rail at the break Of the poop in search
OF the amazing phantasm. It was, OF
course, mirage; but it took all hands,
from the skipper down to the cooks
mate, some time to realize it, so mar
velous had been the illusion, SO sub
stantial to the vision that rolling and
stately fabric, SO exquisitely had the
painted mirroring Of her fitted the line
Of the sea. 3 With some fancy that the
|. real object could not be far off, the
captain continued to head in the direc-
/ ton u which the mirage had shone
{ Until the darkness came, when the sflep
was brought to her course afres H.. a
fe. days before We sailed from rom Cal.
c,1..ta we got. news Of this phantom
ressssel She had been some l' leagues hs-