Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-18

low the horizon ON which her likeness
was painted. signaling for assistance
to another ship seven or eight milea
distant from her. Had the qualisy Of
the atmosphere remained as it was, by
which mean had the mirage fingered
awhile longer, no doubt we should have
brought the simulacrum of the other
vessel into view. Thus it will be seen
that ships us well as men have their
ghosts.
This recalls to me another incident
belonging. however, to no experiences
of my own. 1t was the chief mate of
this same ship from whose deck we
sighted the mirage who told me the
story. He was third mate of q very
handsome clipper barque, bound to q
New Zealand port. The captain Of her
was tall, austere man, with grizzly
beard, and an eye of the dead blackness
of unpublished jet. Instead of speaking
of him as the ''old man." his sailors
called him "the monk" He was ex-
ceedingly reserved, said little or moth
ing at table or on deck outside such in
structions as he had to give; yet, spite
of his monastic or collegiate looks
which might have qualified him to
adorn pulpit rather than a merchant
mans quarterback, he was an excel
lent sailor, possessed of thorough
knowledge of every walk of his voca-
ton, and man of considerable refine
ment of speech.
Nothing particular occurred until the
little barque was drawing on to the
equator, when it was observed that the
captain grew restless. He seemed un-
able to sleep; throughout the night
watches he was necessarily arriving on
deck, and for q whole half hour at
time he would stand right in front of
the pinnacle, obscuring it to the sight
of the man at the wheel, and keeping
his eyes fixed upon the card with the
lifeless air OF person acting in his
sleep. AT noon one day the latitude
was found to be about six miles north.
There was pleasant breeze blowing off
the port beam, and the clipper keel
was made by tho log to be slid
ing through it as some seven miles in
the hour. The captain, putting down
his sextant, walked aft to the pinnacle,
and stood before it, holding his watch
in his hand. There was light as of
fever in the gaze he rooted upon the
dial plate. Suddenly he called to the
second mate. who had charge: Glands
to the port braces. Get the yards
trimmed for a westerly course. Down
below" The little ship came round
with tho men rounding in upon the
braces too astonished to sing out. The
captain walked the deck chatting his
hands and chuckling. Nov, sir, we
have it, he cried to the second mate.
Have what, sire" asked the astounded
officer. 1.-THE equator, SIR" roared the
captain. Tho equator?' cried the
mate, looking round him. Eyes, sir,
true as hair by the magnetic bearings
a fore and aft line, sir. Keep to that
,, course, dye hear. Not an inch off to
port or starboard, or quicker than you
can say Jack Robinson I'll blow your
brains out!'
The second mate, glancing through the
skylight, observed the chief officer in
the cabin, and with slight motion of
his head summoned him on deck. The
| man arrived, with a face of won
| der, gazing aloft and around, and
not a little amazed to find the
ship bound to the Eastern American
seaboard instead of New Zealand.
This is to be an achievement,
SIR shouted the captain to him, "that'l
rank me foremost amongst the most ia
nous men this century has produced"
The mate viewed him with stupid look
| of Interrogation. ''Sir," cried the cap
tain, approaching him with an express
sion of ecstacy on his singular coun-
| tenance, ''tho keel of this barque will
be the first that ever plowed the line of
the equator without a hair-breadth of
deviation for ono thousand miles at
least; and mark you this" he cried,
drawing himself erect and extending
his clenched fist at the mate, ''if I
catch tho vessels head off her course by
the smallest fraction of a point will
blow out the brains of the man who has
charge of the deck at the time" He
slapped his breast that the two men
might guess what he concealed there,
and, picking up his sextant, stalked be-
low. The unfortunate creature went
entirely out of his mind that night, and
they had to pinion him to prevent him
from destroying himself, or dealing
death to the ship by firing her. He
died within the week, raving mad, not
4 little to the relief Of the mates, who
could do nothing for him beyond seeing
him carefully watched.-W. Clark
Russell, in N. Y. Independent.
Burning a Dead "Jap."