The Sunday morning news., 1891-09-06
OFF MOZAMBIQUE.
A Yarn Of a Mad Captain Told by
W. Clark Russell.

-@SS AuC 1SS<1l1 q tktttiS 1uc4utut OF NY
shipboard life-an experience small and
brief, indeed, but vividly fresh and Of
clearest and keenest outline in memory.
I We were on the Mozambique parallels
well to the eastward; the weather hot
the sky copperish and the sea Of sal
lowish blue, with thick, slow flow Of
swell as though the water was heavy
and sluggish with oil; a weak breeze OF
wind blew off the port quarter, with
sort Of sting of heat in it, like the bite Of
the sun himself; and the ship under all
studdingsails on that side went rolling
| forward ia a kind Of loathing way, as
| though alive to the trucks with instinct
and very well remember the stopping
noise of the water as it fell from hen
bow like finging bucketfuls of liquid
grease overheard.
1t was about 2 o'clock in the after
noon when the thickness over the star
board bow died out along the horizon
there and showed the sealine 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. 1t was then that a
! sail was made ont some three points on
/ the bow or thereabonts, apparently a
/ large ship, showing to her courses with
her mizzentopmast gone and the spanlkel
/ gaf naked, with some colors flying at it.
| As we slowly rose she showed lie q
! frigate upon the water, with her band Of
broken ports and her big wing of stand
| ing jib; and heard the captain tell the
the mate, after taking long view of hel
| through telescope, that he believed that
! she was such and such ship, naming
| well known Indiaman of those days. She
was in distress, it was now gathered; foi
! it seems that she carried brace Of sig
| nal halliards at her gaff end, ON one Of
which was hoisted the English engign.
| jack down, while on the other huttered
row of bunting out of Maryatt's code,
signifying that there was serious sickness
! on board.
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 furtiyely employed on the mate
turning his back, / could distinctly
make out the white quarter boat 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 ont 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 flying jib-
| boom end. There was not enough yawn
| in the foot of the foresail to disclose her
from the poop; and it being now 4
o'clock and my turn to quit the deck,
strolled forward on to the forecastle to
watch the very noble picture on the sea
line that was rendered significant beyond
expression by her appealing colors and
by the mutilation of her abaft. A group
Of our Jacks stood against one Of the
catheads, gazing too. l had not been
looking above three minutes when one
of them exclaimed in hoarse voice:
.sWhat, the blazes! Is that there muck
a-drawing up around her, or is she a-dis-
soiving9'
."The Flying Dutchman, or my eyes
amt mateslo said a second man in sub
dued voice of mingled awe and astonish-
mert.
Watch her a-dying outi Smite me.
if mortal eyes ever see the like Of that
afore."
| Ny gaze was upon the ship as the men
| spoke, and sure enough observed her to
be slowly melting out, not as though a
fog were driving down upon her, but as
a rainbow dies, the tints shining and
fading and perishing. In few mo-
ments all was blank sea where she had
| been.
There was an expression of dismay on
every wart-ridden, whiskered face /
glanced at. The captain, the mate and
number of passengers were moving and
| moping like goblins over the brass rail
at the break Of the poop in search of the
amazing phantasn. 1t was, of course, a
mirage; but it took all hands, from the
| skipper down to the cooks mate, some
! time to realize it, so marvellous had been
the illusion, SO substantial to the vision
| that rolling and stately fabric, so exqui
sitely had the painted mirroring of her
fitted the line of the sea. With some
| fancy that the real object could not be
far off, the captain continued to head in
the direction in which the mirage had
shone until the darkness came, when the
ship was brought to her course afresh.
A few days before we sailed from Cal
cutta we got news of this phantom yes
sci. She had been some leagues below
the horizon on which her likeness was
painted, signaling for assistance to an
other ship seven or eight miles distant
from her. Had the quality of the at
mosphere 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 as
well as men have their ghosts.
This recalls to me another incident,
belonging, however, to no experience 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 a very handsome clip
per bark, bound to New Zealand port.
The captain of her was tall, ausaere
man, with grizzly beard and an eyg>36