The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-11
DISMAL swAMF's GHOST SHIP.
A Nan Who Saw 1t and, Contrary to
the Indian Legend, Still Lives.
From the WASHINGTON Post

] heard of the ghost or the DlSnal swamp 2.
/ said an old Georgia travelling man the
other evening. No. / don't mean the
/ Indian hunter and his ghostly sweetheart,
/ that are celebrated in the old school reader
| poem 1t is not so well known a ghost as
] that pair, but 1t is infinitely more grue-
/ some. II is a regular Flying Dutchman of
/ the swamp. and TO see 1t brings death
/ within year, sure as yellow fever. I've
/ seen it, or part of it. but suppose it's
| because I didn't get a real good look at
/ it that I am here now.
Il was hunting in the Little Dismal
/ when I came near solving the mystery
{ of the swamp. 1t Is a wonderful country
I for a man who loves the picturesque and
/ mysterious in nature. Where the forest
| closes in on the river there is a Wild
| solemn beauty that appeals to the mag
! nation, especially in the cool, gray light
| of the morning or in the warmer light of
the afternoon, that gives the color of the
atmosphere to the surrounding wilder
ness and to the narrow, tortuous bayous
that wind on and on out OF sight into the
shadows on either hand. Toward the last
/ hour of light the effect is something mag
iCal. From the boughs of the dark spread
ing live oak and from the phantom arms
of the cypress, the long, motionless PEN
their inverted images in the water-line
below them. You can feel the stiffness,
and at the same time hear the thousand
voices of the swamp almost as in a
dream. You can hear the swish of wings
as blue crane or a big white heron flags
quietly away, fifty yards ahead of you
down the stream, and feel the pulse of the
ripples as musk rat swms across with
his nose just breaking up the water in the
golden path of the sunlight through the
trees.
but it was not poetry and picturesque
ness that we were after. that is, not al
together We had hunting and fishing
in plenty, and finally, when we had gotten
out of sight and sound of the average
hunting party we made what we decided
was to be our last camp before returning.
1t was on one Of the big swamp hummocl1s,
overgrown with short, sweet grass, and
covered with great spreading tamarack
trees. 1t was a regular island in the jungle
Of the swamp, from which no white man
could ever have found his way out again.
The swamp was oVergrown with giant
trees, through which were opened vistas
into the deeper shadow land of the swamp
around, But from the looks of the stream
| l judged there must be the opening of
some big swamp lake not far ahead. I
/ suggested that we might push ahead
and see what we found the next day. But
the Indians acted queer, and said we had
gone plenty far enough, which 1 thought
was rather strange, seeing they were
getting paid by the week l questioned
them, but could not get anything out
of them, and all the rest of the evening
they were hobnobbing over the fire. and
pointing off into the swamp until might
have almost have thought there was some
plan on hand to plant me permanently in
the swamp, and make off with my val
uables, had l not known the fellows so
I Lon 1y,l ha.s veSV,a
lions with them before.
Just about sunset climbed one of the
trees and took a look about. You must
remember that up to that time had never
heard anything of the swamp ship, but
looking off in the direction l judged the
lake must be, I was almost certain
| saw the topmasts of big vessel mingled
with the tangle of the trees. 1t seemed
to be fully half mile away, too far to tell
| what sort of craft it was, but one mast
! was gone at the crosstrees, and the other
| canted over like part of an old crumbling
/ wreck. 1t was beautiful outlook from
! my perch, the sun gliding the tops of the
trees, and then sinking out of sight
/ through their branches. lighting up all
| the west like a great conflagration, and
! turning the black, still waters of the
| bayou blood red, There were three buzz
! yards circling through the sunset quad
! rant like meats in a sunbeam, and as it
]
/ shadows seemingly on the very mast of
/ the old wreck
Il went down and told the Indians what
I had seen, and then they acted scared sure
enough. They assured me that they
/ loved me like a father, and that they We're
/ utterly devoted to me so long as l had
/ plug of tobacco left but they grieved to
say that I was a dead man. l told them
l was naturally sorry to hear that but
! craved to know what blight l had incurred
| from watching an unusually fine sunset
! from the top of tamarack tree They
said that it was not matter that was good
to talk about, especially at such a time
and place, but that that since was DOOM
ed / might as well be told about 1t, and
| lighting their pipes after supper was over
they all lay down by the fire and told me
the story of the ship.
"They said it was two mems lives be-
fore the stars fell, which would bring it
about the close of the revolution, the great
/ meteorological shower of 1888 serving as a
calculating point for dates all through the
south, that the buccaneers from the West
Indies were very bad and equally plenty off
the coast. One in particular was Of a most
evil reputation a deviish pirate with a
black beard and eyes like fire Goals in
the back of a chimney, a description that
corresponded very we'll 10 that of the noto-
rious 'Spade-Beard' so 1 nodded my head
and told them that he was a particular
friend of mine. They seemed rather stag
gered at my assurance, but proceeded with
the story, which was that this two-Iegged
sea serpent had fallen in with a British
merchantmen. bullion laden, under convoy
of a frigate. storm came up and sepa-
rated the treasure ship from her escort
and the buccaneer, falling in with her in
I the storm, ran her aboard dashed to her,
and, numbering all her crew, secured the
treasure and made off under cover of the
storm. his own vessel being almost dis.
mantled in the adventure He ran inside
the sea islands, but the storm continued
to increase in fury, such as was never
known before or since alcng the coast
and finally eliminated in a great tidal
wave, sent Of course, for the pirates Just
punishment, that overlooked the island bar.
rier and carried the robber vessel, with all
her black-hearted crew, up through the
reaches Of tho swamp river, over the tree.
! tops, miles inland where the receding wa.
ters left her.
While the Indians were telling the story
with lowered voices and mysterious yes.
) lures the nght had fallen, and there had
come up regular southern thunder storm
1t interrupted the tale, and We tipped ur