The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-12
A SPECTRE HELMSMAN.

can, under the command of Capt. Isaac
johnson, was on her homeward bound
passage from the Indies with half a
cargo of tea. and she stopped at Cape
Negro, on the coast of Benguela, after a
lot of ivory to make up her load. Hav-
ing gone on shore at the Cape the
captain learned from the native con-
tractor that he would have to go some
fifteen miles up the Cannibal's river, as
the elephant hunters had all the boats
further up in the country, so that con-
sequently they had not been enabled to
bring the ivory down.
Capt. johnson was somewhat disap-
pointed at this cause for delay, but with
out waiting to find useless fault he de-
termined TO man his own boats and pro-
coed at once up the river. 1t required
four trips to bring al the ivory down,
but as they had opportunity to take adj
vantage of the slight tides the task was
accomplished in four days. On the last
trip the captain went himself, leaving
the first mate IN charge of the ship, and
on arriving at the small village where
the ivory was stored he was not a
little surprised to find that nearly all the
miserable huts were deserted. Several
times Capt. johnson inquired the mean
ing of this, but the natives were either
unable or unwilling to give any plain
answer, and it was not until the last lot
of tusks had been conveyed to the boats
and the natives had been remunarated
for their labor that the least clew could
be obtained as to the cause of this strange
desertiOn, and then for the first tine the
captain received the startling intelli-
gence that the cholera was sweeping
down the river!
As soon as this fact became known to
the seamen they wildly huddled into
their boats, as though the fearful death
angel was at their heels, and silently,
yet with powerful strokes, they pulled
down the fatal stream. AT length they
reached their ship, and though they
breathed somewhat more freely as they
trod their own deck, yet each counte-
nance bore the stamp of deep fear. The
ivory was soon got on board, and with
all haste the old Vulcan was got under
way. 1t was nearly night when the
ship got off, and with good breeze
from the northward and eastward she
stood well on her course. On the next
morning, shortly after breakfast, and
while the crew had begun to think that
they had no occasion for further fear, a
young man named Walter Addison was
taken suddenly sick.
Young Addison was the favorite both
of the officers and the crew, and as it
was reported that he was thus i'll gen
eral CONSERVATION seized upon all hands.
The young man felt at first a giddiness
and a sickly chill, and in the course of
two hours he sank into an alarming de-
bility, the countenance assuming a
deadly paleness ana his skin Bearing all
the appearance OF Il corpse. Poor Addi-
son suffered till noon, and then the
announcement went through
the ship that he was dead.
This was the first. bat who should be
the next? \ panic had seized upon the
men; the cholera was with them, and
none dared remove the form of their
dead shipmate from his berth. Night
and with it came an almost
dead calm, but the corpse still remained
in the forcastle, nor did the men dare to
20 thither. The captain urged that the
longer presence Of the body would breed
more dangerous c0ntaSlon, but the only
answer he received was mournful
shake Of the heads about him.
At length, finding that all arguments
were useless, he turned 10 his mate and
asked him if he would assist himself in
throwing the body of the dead man over
board. The mate at first hesitated, but
in moment he signiiied his consent, and
together himself and the captain went
down into the forecastle. They dared
not remain long enough with the corpse
to sew 1t up, nor even to attach to 1t a
sinking weight, but throwing over 1t
single blanket, they managed TO get it
upon deck and lay 1t across the bull
wark OF the starOoard bow. A moment
Capt. Johnson heSitated-he opened his
lips, breathed prayer for the soul Of
the departed. and then, while shudder
ran over his frame. be let the cold form
of young Walter Addison slide into the
blue water! InStinctiyely he cast his
eyes over the side Is the deed was done,
and by the pale rhosphorescent Light he
could Just see the corpse sink. then rise
and sink again. ana then with heavy
step and a sail heavier heart he walked
aft.
The first watch had been set, but the
other watch dared not 60 below, and
budding themselves beneath the long
boat they sought the repose which they
feared u seek where tEeIr companion
had died; hot each seemed to fear his
neighbor. for none knew where the con
tagiOn might BE- Al II o'clock the
slight brestniags Of the ar, which
seemed for TIE last fe- hours 20 E2ve
had no settled poIDt. began 10 gather /
more force from the noTthward and !
westward, and ere long good fresh /
breeze filed the ship canvas and started I
ler through the water. The wind con 1
-inued 10 increase. and before midnight 4
al hands were called 70 take IN the top 4
At y o'clock the mid I.
watch was at. and al hands were for 4
lew moments brought IL contact with I
saOh other. No further symptoms q /
the dreaded D. thence bad appeared and l
hey began 70 take hope.
Il was half rzst - O'Clock An Old |
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