Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-09
sail schooner. Gray hair amt always q
sign of wisdom, Judging from the likes of

after leaving poor Olsen ashore at Helena.
Accordingly we lowered her into the water
and she was duly manned by her regular
crew of four. L who an now spinning this
yarn, pulled bow.
We rowed right around her, looking for a
convenient place to climb on her deck, but
finding none we just made fast to the main
channels by the painter, and I, being the
youngest, scaled her side and jumped over
her rail to her deck. just abaft the main
rigging. Everything was as neat as nine
pence. The ropes were all coiled snugly
around the Delaying pins and there was no
sign of disorder about the decks. threw
over the end of one of the running gear
into the boat so that the skipper might
hang on to it and Chamber up. The old
man caught hold of it, and having lot of
low cunning, just tried its strength. 1t
was so rotten that it parted at once. The
skipper muttered an oath and looked dag
gers at me. Finally he climbed up with
the help of the painter, and after passing
the boat astern, with one hand to take care
of her, we proceeded to investigate.
The vessel had evidently been clipper
Her skylights were beautifully carved and
the companionway leading to her cabin
was as elegant as that of yacht. The
door, however, was locked. A thick, blue
iAiCAu AhSi uStSu TIC VI ILt SkNllgDJ on
the inside, and the frames would not lift
up. The hatchway leading to the fore
castle was closely barred and bolted, while
the fore and main matches were tightly
battened down
Captain Gulliver, while cruising around
the decks, stumbled across an old rusty
iron crowbar, and with this he pried open
the doors of the after companionway He
peered down below, and it was dusky and
murky as tomb.
He sang out, Below there! Is there any
body below?" and then he hesitated as if
in a quandary.
This was the first time ever saw the old
man show the white feather
After little while he braced up and,
Selling the crowbar, broke open the cabin
skylights, using, as it seemed to me, I'M
necessary force in so doing A mysterious.
pestilent odor assembled from the aperture
go down below, Bill" said the skipper
to one of his boats crew, land see what
there is"
Captain, I'd rather jump overheard and
never come up again than go down that
there companionway alone" was the reply
of the scared sailor, whose timbers actually
shivered with fear
You wretched coward, you've drank
your last tot of grog aboard my ship"
roared the skipper as he plunged down the
cabin steps.
l followed him at a cautious distance
being far more frightened than he was.
The stairs led down into a handsome and
lofty saloon, beautifully hung with oriental
tapestry. In a mahogany swinging tray
above the cabin table were decanters and
tumblers of cut glass. Although every
thing was covered with blue mold an inch
thick, 1t was evident that a careful steward
had been accustomed to rule over the des-
TIMES of the saloon.
On either side of the main cabin were a
number of doors leading into staterooms
The skipper tried the one nearest the stern
on the starboard side. 1t was locked.
Pass down that crowbar, Bill" said the
captain in quiet tones. He no longer put
on the air of staggering blusterer, but
acted as though he was in church listening
to sky pilot.
The crowbar was handed him. and with
1t he pried open his stateroom door. A
strange and startling spectacle was reveal
ed. With her head buried in the cushions
of low couch, on her knees before the
image of the blessed virgin, and with her
jet black hair hiding her cheeks and de-
scending in raven torrents down her back
was beautifully dressed woman. Beside
her We're breviary and rosary
The skipper started back as though he
had been shot The woman actually seemed
to hear the Excuse me, madam, for intrud-
ing" be began, but at that moment. realiz-
ing that she could not be alive, he took
hold of her gently At his first touch the
form collapsed and fell to the floor. the
head being separated from the body, and
revealing the grinning, CHASTITY skull of a
skeleton
We all rushed on deck and found the
Hurkaru within hailing distance Twenty
sailors were sent on board the strange ship
and 1t was curious to see how brave we be-
came when reinforced by such a lot of
sturdy jack tars. To make a long story
short, we ransacked the vessel from stem
to stern. In her lower hold we found the
skeletons of $50 persons, all in iron mana
Giles. There were just ESQ of them, because
and fellow ''midshipman" counted them
by order of the skipper.
This accounted clearly for the vessel. She
had been SLAYER and had been abandoned
though for what reason nobody could I'M
derstand. She had probably drifted for
years off the African coast far out of the
track of ships, and this accounted for her
not having been reported before. A sud
den shift of wind must have waited her off
the land and driven her into the highway
of the ocean freuuented by homeward
bound East Indiamen.
The mystery of the woman was deeper
and darker. A brown sheet of paper. with
big spots on it, telling clearly of tears. and
some faded characters, which looked like
Spanish, was found beside her. Nobody
could interpret it.
The mate wanted the captain to tow the
schooner to st. Helena and sell her for
what she would fetch. The skipper, being
one of the old school and superstitious at
that, wouldn't listen to him. He said he
was going to burn her, and burn her he did.
A barrel of coal tar and a bundle of oakum
judiciously arranged worked admirably,
and the poor Africans had splendid fune-
raj pyre.-A. j. X. in New York Recorder.
1t Was Postponed.
A prominent gentleman of this city,
speaking of dueling, in the course of the
conversation told the following: Some
years ago there fourished in Virginia a
politician who was ALWAYS getting into