The National tribune., 1893-11-16

die, when, as I'm saint, those leaves began to
straighten out, then life their points up, and
curl in together.
"We hollered to the officer to lay down from
aloft. But he didn't start in time and those
leaves kept a-binding and binding. until we lost
sight OF the man. We heard him sing out for
help. but We couldn't do anything. It just
crushed the poor fellow TO death.
We ran back and told the Captain what had
happened. He came up and looked at the tree,
and then he said:
"'Pve heard of such things. but never saw
Ii before. Our Second Mate Is gone
"The next morning we took look at the
palm. and there she was. with her great broad
leaves a-drooping down just as natural rs ever.
and the body of the poor officer ell crushed TO
jelly lying on the top Of it,"
say. jim, that's pretty tough yarnl"
broke in one of the men.
But. nevertheless. believe it." said one
sailor named Bill, because I've seen Q sighs
that's just as strange as that"
No doubt of it. hipmate." returned Jim.
for you've been around this world good Bit
But what was it that befell your"
ut came about pretty much as your scrape
did. / was wrecked on one Of the Crozet Is
lands in the Indian Ocean. But then only two
of Us got ashore alive. We happened to strike
q little patch of sandy beach that was kind Of
sheltered like, and climbed up out of the surf
II lay down on the ground, all tuckered out
bat my shipmste crRwled on the top Of a rock.
to dry himself in the sun, rs he said.
We were close together and talking all the
time, when by-snd by. Bob, that was his name,
his voice became kind Of distant like, and I
thought he was walking away from me. Bot
no. there he was, rs | saw when l raised N.Y.
self on one elbow TO look. But he wasn't more
than half the size he was when we frst got
ashore
WHAT'S the matter, Bob? Aren't you feel
ing woll?' asked.
go Never felt better in my life,' he replied.
What makes you look so small?'
"' Pm just as large as l ever was. The ship
wreck has turned your BRAIN
81 knew it hadn't There he was on top
Of the bowlder but no bigger than the cooks
cat. Then i got up. thinking I must be dream
ing. and started toward him; but, shipmates,
when got to the rock there was nothing left
of poor Bob but his belt and sheathknife! Yes,
the rock had swallowed him up, and left me
alone on . desert islandi"
short pause eusued, when q fifth sailor
said:
II don't suppose any Of you fellows, TO look
at me now, would think that was once as rich
as the Great Mogpl. But was, and it hap
pened in this way. 1t was at the time OF the
gold fever in Australia. along somewhere in so
or 81. was before the mast in pscket-ship
sailing from Liverpool to Melbourne. They
were paying big wages to sailors homeward
bound, for most of the crews Of the vessels
jumped and made for the diggings.
Well, didn't care for that sort Of thin 9,
so stariea c. En- iaDd In the Royal 65oI -
We were coming heme ronnd Cape of Good
Hope, but when in the Indian Ocean we took
cyclone that drove us long way out of our
course and nearly dismasted as.
We made for an island that was near about
q a,aaf tn. ahn~A rxr han ANA Of
rs were going ashore in the boat to see If we
could get some timber we smeit the awfullest
smell that man could think OF. We all wanted
to pull back TO the ship TO get out OF il, bot the
Second Mate. who was an old whaler. stood up
in the boat and began to sniff and sniff.
Then he sang out:
Give way, boys, give way. and we'll all be
rich men. for / smells ambergrisi'
And sure enough all about Us was floating
Jnnks Of the stuff in pieces from the size of my
list up to as big as water-cask.
The Cap'n was near crazy when we carried
some of it back aboard and for three days We
done nothing but gather ambergris and-stow it
away in our hold. Then we turned to and
rigged jury-masts and headed for Cape Town
There we sold out; and how much do you
suppose We got spece2 You know it's worth
more than its weight in gold"
Couldn't say, replied some of the sailors In
chorus.
well, boys, rs true as I'm asserting on this
hatch we were paid of with 500 pounds to a
man." (S2,500)
Five hundred poundsi" exclaimed the
mariner who had experienced the hot weather.
Aud what became of your whack?"
what ever becomes of a sailors money !?
spent il like man inside Of twelve months
and was then off again to sea-"
The Second Mate had walked forward in
time to overhear the last two yarns and inter-
rupted the storytelling by saying, with smile
upon his face:
Now then, my lads. II you're finished with
your cutters. snpposing You use some OF your
wind in hauling Tsut this weather main-brsce."
And from that time until eight bells struck
the starboaFd watch was kept busy pulling and
hauling. first on this brace and that sheet, this
tack and those halyards. until when it was time
to go below the men thought more of going
to sleep than they did of listening further to
startling tales Of the sea.-Yafskee Blade.