The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-01-07
TEE MYSTERIOUS GUNNER
An Exciting Story Of the War
of 1912.
By JOHN r. MUsICK.
CHAPTER u.-(Continued).
100000

BY JOHN X. mUSlChs
CHAPTER u.-(Continued).
: Ola Gatrell was beautiful girl, will
large dark eyes, raven-black hair, ant
cheeks like the full ripe peach. She wa:
( as good as pretty, and loved by al! who
/. knew her. Her sunny smiles and light
heart won Ter way wherever she Went
She talked hopefully 10 her lover as she
conducted him to the east parlor, where
her father sat in the great bay window
smoking and gazing out at the roaring sea-
Hey, lad, We hove into port, eh?" cried
the old tar with heartipess which assured
our hero that he was welcome. Well
Just cast your anchor he;e along side o
me, for I am right down glad ye come
Fact is, boy, I'm not feelin' very we'll,
and, though Ola won't believe me, I've
got the idea in my top riggin' that I'm
booked for Davy Jones. Oh, now, Ola,
don't ye 60 to tnkin'. Let yer father dc
all the talkin' tonight. But say, lad,
hev ye taken anything aboard since ye
{ rot in, or hev they let ye starve?"
- Griffith, who comprehended the sea
jargon of the old sailor, answered, L
have had supper, Captain"
! All right, then. Come alongside,
/. both O you children, fur I've got big
cargo O. mystery aboard tonight. Ye
needn't hev any fears O. that man-o'-war
comm into port this night. She's too
& sharp for that, so rest easy. I've got q
story to tell ye."
Both Griffith and Ola stared in amaze
\ ment at the old sailor. Capt. Gatreil,
&nnlike most of his calling, had never been
uiyan- to story telling, and this announce.
ment was an astonishment. But no old
professional sea-dog yarn-spinner ever
Eet about his work more deliberately
E>than Capt. Gatrell. As if to whet their
3 sariosity he reflled his pipe, and lighting
,T, sat for q few moments putting in
{ silence, while he gazed from one to the
ether Of the lovers.
Dye hear that old ocean beginning t Q
roar?" he at last asked. =.
Yes, Capt. Gat-ell,s Griffith answered,
'and I think We are going to have a
2 storm"
r 'ght We are, my lad. I never hear o
stofm that it don't put me in mind o
that night"
What night?"
1The night I'm goin' to tell ye about.
The yarn begins with tnat night. When
the sun went down it settled behind 9
bank o. clouds which seemed to get
darker and redder until it looked like O
{ longbelt O. blood stretched across the sky.
They got blacker and blacker till they
Just blotted out the sun, an I could have
swore it never set at all. was just off
the Azores when saw that dark cloud
= come up; the barometer indicated hiAh
wiRd, and stood out to sea.
-Npever saw hlacker night; never
saw 1eeaer lightning nor heard louder
thunder, while the wind blew hurricane.
( got ready for the squall and took in all
sail, except barely enough to manage the
chip, and remained on deck myself, al
Z though was almost worn out.
Suddenly, as We came to the top afte:
shippin' heavy sea, the lookout cried:
Sail. ho!
"A fash O. lightin' showed at the same
moment ship which didn't carry rag
Z g, canvas, and in much worse condition
than our own, plunging and staggering
through the water. I knowed at once
4 that she was water-logged. By her make
thought she was an American ship, but
: didn't know to o certainty. They fred a
/, signal gun O. distress, but we couldn't
help 'em; We had all we could do tha,
night to keep ourselves ahoat.
- THE next flash that come the ship was
nowhere to be seen.
Johnson I called to the lookout
through my trumpet.
AYE, aye, sir" he answered.
what become O. the ship"
II don't know. Guess she's gone tc
! Davy JONES'" he answered.
I'VE spent that night in doin' every
thing we could to weather the storm, and
thought sometimes that We must &C
{ to the bottom in spite O all we could do.
It must been two or three o'clock III
the mornin' when 1 saw fash O light
Ming and heard report like tremendous
{ sxplosion. The sailors were now all
grouped ebout me, all O. 'em seemin' to
Think their last minute had come.
What was that, Mr.. Smart?' I asked
= 7 don't know, Cap'n but it sounds
very much like ship blowed up The
Z roar O. waves on our larboard told US that
there were breakers there, and we kept as
we'll to leeward as We could. I neednt
tell you how We beat about that night
and seemed at every moment to be run.
ming down into the bottom of the ocean
How We shipped sea after sea. until ou1
S upper cabi6 and foot-decK we're washed
, away, with three O. my bravest sailors.
- But mornin' come at last. The wind
abated, though the sea run high. In the
. middle of the afternoon our lockout dis.
: covered wreck lyin' up in the rocks sn6
: sand of q small, desert island, which is
west Of the Azores twenty leagues. We
beat about several hours, and at last come
up near enough to lower q boat and sc
Ito it.
- "Such sight ss WAS there never saw
before an never want to again. 1t seemed
! that there had been An explosion, which
had torn the stern to atoms. and on tht
bow deck, which was driven high up ontt
the rocks from the explosion, lay fou
dead bodies, three sailors and one WON
nm, Whether it wac the lightning, tn
Z sopsosion, or both that killed them, w
6 could not tell
The lovers were Mortified and mystifet
A,st the tragic turn Of the story, but tn
h.-rativs had by no means reached 1T
elima- The old man paused for fe1
moments ,e if he was puzzled as to tn
eourse he should pursue, and then began
Well, as ye doht ask if there was any
pody alive on that vessel, tell ye Their
was"
3 4Who? Who2" both asked in q breath
q sA-baby, little girl baby, that hay. b,
I sne side O. its mother, hardly alive it
SELF. ! took it aboard our ship and hat
sit Zkeored fur bestI could. lts littl'
ElQshss were torn. Rlsckeaed. and faded