Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-05-23
MARINE YARNS.
Etrange Things Seen at Sea es
Told by Sailor.

No matter what queer, strange things
IL sailor may see during avoyage-what
queer, strange experiences may happen
to him in distant seas--he will seldom
or never talk to you about them If he
suspects tho particulars are desired for
publication. Jack is no friend to the
newspaper He has been held up to
r:dicule and contempt as Il story-teller,
until he is afraid to relate truths which
can be backed By afIidavits.
During the last year, according to my
newspaper clippings, no less than sew
enteen instances have occurred where
portions of shipwrcched crews have
been picked up at sea after voyages in
small boats from one to fifteen days
In all these instances the particulars
related do not. in any one case, make
half column of newspaper print,
though enough must have occurred to
make book. Jack simply wouldn't
talk. Captain or mate gave the partic-
ulars of the disaster rs briefly as posi-
BILE. and then got ashore to be lost sight
of.
During the years served before the
mast and as second and chief mates
met with some things beyond my power
being criticised shall relate some of
them here. The quecrest thing of all.
perhaps, occurred in the Indian ocean.
to the south of Madagascar. was in
an English brig called the Hclpnatc,
bound up the Mozambique channel,
but driven to the cast by a furious gale.
We were working back to our course,
and the weather had become pleasant.
One night, IS came on watch ut mid
night, | found VIC were only making
stccragc way, there being only faint
breeze from the cast. 1t was bright
moonlight, and about three miles away
was 4 large ship headed to the south.
The course we were both steering
would bring us almost within speaking
distance.
While I could see tho strange ship
we'll enough with the naked eye. as
could all the men in my watch, when
came to put the glass on her ! saw her
loollouts on the bow and noted all the
particulars of her rig. 1 took her for
an English ship bound around the cape,
and one which had conc down from the
gulf of Bengal to the cast Of Madagas-
car. The sea was so calm that we could
have launched a canoe, and when the
stranger was u mile away every rope
stood out in the moonlight like a silver
thread. She was pretty sight, and every
man in the watch kept his eyes on her.
She was almost opposite and not more
than forty rods away-to give q lands.
mans measurerncnt-whcn she sudden
ly settled away in the water aud was
gone in a minute. | thought my eyes
were full of sticks" and that l haG
been the victim OF an optical illusion
but while rubbed them two or three
OF the men cried out in chorus:
''She's struck 4 rock and gone to the
bottom with every soul on board!'
"Mcn, haze we been looking at a
ship out there?" l asked.
''Of course, sir"
WAS her hull painted bIacls?"
at was"
"A new foretopsail?"
"Ics"
A giltled figure of a mermaid or ar
,ngcl?'
''Something o tha at, SIR
And she went DOWN."
AYE, like a stone flung overboard.
ordered the brig hove up to checl
her headway, and the captain came or
deck to see what it meant. The Other
watch was called, two boats lowered
and away we pulled for the spot, ncvc,
doubling that We should find mcr
clinging to some of the wreclagc.
can show you in the British museum
to-day what we found and all we
found. A sailors bag marked "P.
| two ships buckets, unmarked, two
| oars marked M" sailors oilskr
| coat, not marked, 4 cage with Il dcat
parrot in it. OF all the Thousand
-. ~ ~ L.: a
| would float we found nothing else
! though we lay by until noon next day
Now, what sent her to the bottom.
| We, of course, expected to find a rocl
not charted, but though we made
soundings for two miles around We
found nothing. Later on n man-of
war spent a week in that locality, bu
! with no better success. 1t was tw,
years before the lost vessel was ascer
taincd to be the French merchantmen
! Mignon. AS no rock could be found i
was generally supposed that she wa:
struck by whalc-that Il monster o.
| the deep probably came up directly
| under her and smashed out half hcl
! planking. \ French novel writer ha:
| maze use of this incident to dispose O
some Of the characters in his pages.
Suppose n landsinan knew that when
| ever he left his house he was undo
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. by some on,
who meant him evil and was onl.
waiting Il favorable opportunity to stal
him in the back! His feelings need no
be cnvicd. Take the same instance OF
| the broad occan-one craft shadowine
| another day and night with evil intent
! and you can imagine Jack Tar's feel
| ings-no law to appeal to-no chance t,
evade the grim pursuer. Such cast
| happened to me when second mate o
| an Australian trading schooner, anc
some of the queer points about it viii
| never be cleared up. We had picked III
a cargo among the spice islands of The
Banda sea, and the intention was t.
| proceed to Singapore for a market. At N
! island called Wctta, where we stopped
to take on the last of our hard wood
we were offered a big price to take {
band of about fifty natives-men. Uo