Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-07-06

craft even If he dared keep up the pursuit.
That he dared was soon settled. Indeed,
his craft was as seaworthy as ours, but
the natives of those islands are not looked
upon as proficient navigators. We were
driving away into the darkness, the seas
pitching US like cork, and when we lost
sight of him astern we sheltered our
lights, broke point off the course we were
heading and felicitated ourselves that he
would not be in sight when morning came.
What was our establishment and disgust
70 find him holding his old position as day.
light came. 1t did not seem as II he had
changed by ten feet. How he could have
kept it was marvel to US, as the night was
80 thick from the time 1t shut in that our
night-glass could not locate him. The
gale still held, and we still drifted away
into the Indian Ocean, and If he meant US
harm we had plenty Of time to prepare for
him.
The second night came on bright and
clear, and we could not have evaded him by
any trick at midnight The gale had blown
itself out, and and an hour later we had
sail on the schooner and was heading up to
the northwest under a change Of wind.
The dhow followed our example as prompt
ly as if signalled to, but, as there was still
heavy sea running, we had no fear OF her
for several hours to come. When morning
broke she was sticking like burr in the
same old spot. and her grim persistency
began to unnerve us. Some OF the men In
sisted that she was spirit ship" sailed
by dead men, and that her hanging in
our wake was an omen OF disaster and
death.
It was real relief to see her, about nine
o'clock in the forenoon. forge ahead to
windward Of us. This move was doubtless
made to enable them to inspect US. We
could make out four or five men aboard OF
her, but no more, and she did not sit low
enough in the water to prove the presence
Of much cargo in her hold. A glass or two
was no doubt levelled in our direction, and
anxious to make big showing Of strength
we kept the men lodging about as briskly
as possible. The stranger must have con-
Guided that we had from fifteen to twenty
men to defend our decks, and after run
ming parallel course Of two or three hours
he dropped back into our wake and hung
there like wolf in chase. So wore the day
| away, and so came the night. The posi-
bility that the dhow was a peaceful trader
like ourselves was no longer an excuse with
US. We could not say, on the other hand,
that she was q pirate, bent on our capture,
but that was reasonable Wow OF 1t, and
one which took firm hold Of everybodyS
| mind. Had she come along up and laid us
aboard and had done with it each man
| would have felt relieved and given her the
| best he could. 1t was the waiting-the
mystery-the speculation as to her tnten-
| lions that took the nerve out OF our men
and made them carry pale faces.
| The breeze died out with the sun, so that
| when night had fairly come we were not
| making over a knot an hour, with full
| moon to light up the sea until you could
have made out ships yawl mile away.
/ There was no use trying to dodge the
| stranger on such night, and both watches
| were kept on deck, with guns and cutlasses
l at hand for instant use. At about mid
| night the dhow crept up on us until his
| bowsprit was not more than 200 feet from
| our rudder post, and every man knelt at
| the bulwarks with musket in hand. We
| tried our best now to make out how many
| men he had on his decks, but we could see
| no one not even one figure. They were
| either hidden by the sails or sheltered by
| the bulwarks. He had better sight OF
| us, and, perhaps, seeing that we were
| ready, he gradually dropped to his old po-
sition, and there we found him again at
| daylight.
To show you how the presence Of this
| unknown told on the nerve of the men, let
me say that after breakfast the men sent
spokesman aft to request the Captain to
huff up and have it out with him, and II we
were all to have our Threats cut to have II
| over and done with. This he refused to
do, however telling the men that we were
heading straight for Sunda, and the nearer
we got to the coast the less danger there
was Of an attack. We had only moder'
ate breeze during the day, and the dhoN
kept her place as on the previous one. I
she meant us evil she would be pretty GER
tain to attack US that night, as the morrow
would bring US almost in sight Of the
coast. Darkness did not affect the breeze
which was about four-knot one, and We
had the same moonlight after ten o'clock
The big silver orb was hardly finger high
| out Of the sea when the dhow began to close
up on us, and now we felt certain that the
climax had come. Nearer and nearer
she came. creeping like shadow
Of evil, and she was only a cables
length off our port quarter, and evil
IDENTIFY all ready to sheer down upon III
and lay us aboard, when she suddenly
lulled up into the wind, hung for momen
| while her sails Slated and slapped, anc
| then went off to the southeast, and was
soon out Of sight,and that without our see
| ing soul except the man at the wheel. 1
, was queer enough, as we all agreed and 1
was mystery we we're never tired OF dis
cussing, but her object and identity WI
J were never ascertained. Every man for
} ward will believe to the day Of his dealt
| that she was spirit ship.