Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-08-05

4 deck. Was dIOuSSU, AOWONOAs W
take the outlook, and / took my seat
on the heel of the bowsprit as mat
| ter of form. AS we were not moving,
| no other sailing craft could move,
and the few steamers crossing on our
| line could see our lights and avoid US.
| Something happened, however. be-
| fore had been on duty an hour. The
Josephine was rising and falling on
the CLASSY swell, and swinging her
head to every point of the compass
| by turns, and was scanning the sea
and the Heavens in the most per-
functory way, when an object sud-
denly came in view. 1t was a black
spot against the darkness, and after
rising to my feet and watching it for
a few minutes L made out, as L
thought the dismasted hull Of small
vessel It was coming down toward
us, and when sure of this hailed the
the mate. He came forward with the
glass. and after a look he said:
"Well, that beats my time. 1t is
the hull of dismasted schooner, and
stands up high and dry. There's a
lot of rattle around her bows, and l
believe whale is tangled up in it
and towing the wreck"
He sent me to call the captain, and
in few minutes all hands had caught
the excitement. The wreck stopped
for while on our starboard bow, and
not over a quarter Of mile away.
Then it crossed our bows and came
down on our port side to the quarter,
where it lay so close that every man
could see what it was. 1t was then,
at the suggestion of the captain, that
we raised our voices in shout to see
if anybody was aboard the strange
craft We were answered almost i'm
mediately by the barking o. a dog,
and the captain said:
''There are men there, and they
may be starving and suffering. Well
lower a boat and pull out to her."
"HeaVens! sir, but you wouldn't
think of it?" whispered the mate.
'tShe's being towed by who knows
what. See! There she moves again!
And just listen to that hOwling"
1t was true that the hulk was NOV
ing. She moved across our stern at
slow speed and ranged up on the
other quarter, and the dog ceased his
barking and sent forth such mourn
full bowls that every man was upset
what do you make out under her
bows?" asked the captain of the
mate. as he handed him the glass
after long look.
"WhY, sir, there's the bowsprit,
the foretopmast, and big tangle of
ropes" was the reply. 1t looks to me
as if all the foremost rattle had some
how slowed around under her bows,
and I'm certain that whale is tang
led up therein. l can see fiecks of
foam as he churns away, and you can
hear ripple along our side from the
sea he kicks up"
The dog barked and howled by
turns, but we got no other answer to
our repeated shouts.
Men" said the captain, as the
wreck began moving slowly away,
'it's our plain duty to board that
hulk. 1 could never forgive myself if
l left any one to die of starvation. |
won't order any one to go, but I'll
call for volunteers
Not sailor responded for a min
ute. l waited to give the men a
chance, and as they hesitated Ivolun-
teered. Two others then came for |
ward, and their action Shamed the !
mate into saying:
Very we'll, sir. I'll take Jones |
and Harris and pull Off and investi-
gate.
Why he left me out I do not know,
but I was quietly ignored, and the i
two middle-aged men whose names l !
had given, had the oars as the boat |
moved away. The captain called af-
ter the mate to be sure and board the |
hulk, and if he found her in good !
condition to cut the rattle loose and |
report. The wreck had been NOV |
ing away from us pretty steadily !
for ten minutes, and as the yawl left
us l could hardly make her out The |
mate was to show a light when he
boarded her, and for the next half |
hour we were Straining our eyes to
catch it. Then we figured that he
had missed the hulk and was pulling
back to us, and although we had out
our regular lights. which could have
been seen for two or three miles, we
sent up several skYrockets and burned
flare as further guides. But the
hours wore on and brought no It'd
ings, and when daylight came we
swept the sea in vain for sight of
either hulk or boat
A breeze came with the sun. and
we began a search which lasted all
day without result There were only
two working hands, ana as a meas
ure of safety we had to get the big
sails reefed against what might come.
The breeze was light, and as we were
under shortened sail we did not cover
any great distance during the day,
not over thirty miles This satisfied
us, however, that calamity had oc-
CURED. The wreck could not have
been over half a mile from US when
the yawl pulled away. 1t would not
take over ten minutes to pull to her.
What could have happened to the