Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-25

/ Wiue awake. Inc QlSclpilne or the ship
| was being upset by mystery, and 1 am
| free to confess that it was mystery which
! also bothered me. On two other occasions
1 had entered the fo'castle and plainly
| heard the uncanny sounds, but was not
] able to locate them to my satisfaction l
/ was pretty sure however, that they came
( from the forehold, and one afternoon I
told the whole story to the captain and
; suggested that the forward hatch be re-
moved and an investigation made He
few mad at once, and began berating me
for an old woman and graveyard sailor
and then he went forward among the men
and told them he'd run the bark ashore
and be hanged to her before he'd pull off a
: hatch cover. He thought that settled it,
but he was mistaken.
1t was the captains watch-always held
by the second mate-from midnight to
o'clock next morning. 1t had become almost
a dead calm when | left the deck. Every
man of the second mates watch was up
before him, and / noticed that none of
mine went below. What happened half
an hour after | had turned in gave the
captain the greatest surprise of his life
Mr. Groat, the second mate, was pacing
the quarter when he was suddenly seized,
gagged and bound, and voice. which he
recognized the carpenters, cautioned
him 10 be quiet or he'd go overheard All
sailors are light sleepers, but officers es-
pecially SO, and why it was that neither
the captain l woke up during the
events occurring on deck has always been
matter of surprise The men brought
the bark to the wind. got tackles aloft
and hove out the longbo3t, and we slept
right along without hearing n sound
They filed two breakers of water. took
such provisions as the cook, who was in
with them, could lay hands on, and by /
O'Clock they were away. The steward wa.
the only one left behind with the officers
After the men left Mr.. Groat made efforts
to free himself, but without avail He
could not even roll along the deck. as he
had been dashed to a ring bolt At half
past O'Clock the captain awoke aud went
on deck, and when he whole affair became
plain to him he nearly fell down in IA fit
Our position Off ST Paul DE Loando.
fairly in the pathway of traffic, but yet we
realized that we might knock about for a
month without sighting sail. Nothing,
could be seen of the longboat from aloft
when daylight came, and the first thing
we did was 20 reduce sail so that we might
possibly manage the bark N case of !
heavy weather. The breeze frcshcued with |
the sun, and as it was fair for the coast, |
which was about 600 miles away. Mr.. Groat |
and / supposed of course the captain |
would attempt to work her in. He had !
different ideas, however. He was very /
quiet and humble over the first shock |
Then he let loose and did swearing enough |
to last ten shipmasrers on ten long voy- !
ages. He declared he'd navigate the bark |
to liverpool if it took five years to make |
the voyage and if he never got an hours |
sleep.
We had just got her off on her course
and the old man himself was at the wheel
and sill swearing, when a strange figure
emerged from the fo'casyle and came aft
as far a the mainmast. 1t was the figure !
of a woman, but her face SO white and
prnrusC. 90 ryo- so Iarye ana CLASSY, ana
she rseled nbout in such manner that /,
who was nearest her. was ten seconds in
making sure she was even n human being. |
The minute / caught sight OF her parched !
lips | ran to the scuttle butt and got her a
panakin of water. 1t was only drop to !
her, and she had swallowed fully two quarts !
before choked her off. Then | sigualed
the steward. who was now acting as cook
and he brought her big hunk of meat
and couple of biscuit. She ate like a
wolf, and it was good half hour before
she spoke Il word. Then it was TO say:
"Ah! me bye, but Molly McDavis begins
to feel like her old self once moreI'
1t was the Irishwoman we had refused
to take aboard at Cape Town. and after
thirst and hunger had been satisfied she
told us her story. The last time she came
aboard the men were at supper and the
cargo nearly slowed She had her plans |
all made, and She slipped down the after
hatch without being seen She made her
way over the cargo to the fo'castie bulk
head, and there took up quarters among |
5he bales of dried cowskins we had stored |
there. She had brought with her four
quarts of water and two loaves of bread, :
to let her presence be known be-
lore she suffered from hunger and thirst. |
She was dreadful sick when we got to sea |
and her groans and prayers and laments
we're heard in the fo'casJle. When she got
better she sang to keep herself company. |
She made the bread and water last her
week. Then she tried to attract attention
~ rapping on the bulkhead. but the
sailors paid no attention. She
had a pocketknife with her. and on the at
ernoon of the night they abandoned the |
hip she cut the bands of four bales OF
kins and moved them away, and then at
acked the bulkhead. She was all night |
,utting through the stout planks, and
when she appeared on deck she had been
orty hours without food or water.
expected the captain would give the
towaway woman blessing. After she
lad finished her story he did start in to,
,ut she could utter five words to his one
md she soon tired him out. He sent her
o the galley to act cook. and | don't
hink he was much put out as he pre-
ended to be. Thus far, as you have seen, .
hree very curious circumstances had oc I
discovery of a spook in the
o'castlc, the plight of the crew and the
appearance of Miss McDavis There was
o be fourth curious circumstance. On | =
he second day of our shorthandedness we
lad half gale and tumbling sea all day
nd far into night. We were under very +,
hort sail. but the bark swarmed along {
t good rate of speed. The captain ,
Meant to keep our course and speak the .
rst sail we met and ask for two or three t
1en and touch at Sierre Leone. AT sun