The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-10-13

ing us, but as we stood speechless with the
horror Of the thing we could see that he
was getting no nearer Every few min
utes the man in the boat would drop his
oar and wildly wave his arms toward us
Then he would take up the oar again and
row harder than before. When great
clouds of spray broke over our deck, we
could still see through it all the white man
in the boat riding high on the black waves
bending to his oar or waving his arms to
us in mute entreaty. At times boat and
boatman looked so natural and lifelike we
thought of throwing out n line, but again
they appeared as white and spectral as the
spray that was breaking over us. All
night the storm increased in violence, but
the white man in the boat rode it out, and
we did not lose sight of him until day was
breaking through the storm and mist.
when morning came, he was gone, and
the wind died down bit. But l never
saw crew so given up to despair Every
man on board was nerving himself to face
death, for somehow we felt that the ship
was doomed. AS night came on the storm
again increased in fury. The wind was
now blowing a hurricane, and the waves
were high as mountains. Our sails We're
torn to shreds and carried away. Shortly
after dark the mainmast broke with ter
rible crash and went overheard. The ship
righted with great effort, and as we rose
ON monster wave thought heard hui
man cry from the darkness close in our
wake. Looking back, we saw the white
man in the frail bark canoe riding on tho
topmost crest of giant wave that was
bearing down on u.s. As the wave came
nearer the man in the boat rose up and
waved his arms at us. Then his boat was
out of sight for moment, only to reap
pear on another wave that rose higher
than before about the same distance be-
hind us.
Il cannot describe the scene on board
that night. A little after midnight the
mate came on deck with white face and
told the captain that the ship had sprung
a bad leak and was making water fast.
Men were ordered to the pumps, but they
would not work. The masts were all gone
now, and the hull was rolling and pitch
ing so that every man had to hold on to
something or be swept into the sea.
But, serious as was our situation, few
of the crew could keep their eyes off the
white man in the boat, who was still rid
ing out the storm hard in our wake. At 4
O'Clock in the morning the storm began to
die away as suddenly as it had come Then
we found the hold filling fast through a
big gap in the side of the vessel and knew
she would not float an hour Hasty prep
arations We're made for taking to the boats.
The wind had died out, but the waves
were still rolling high, and the white man
In the boat was in plain sight.
with few provisions hastily gathered
up we scrambled into the boats and pulled
away from the dismantled hull of our shir
just rs the first trace of dawn was visible
through the riffs of cloud We were not 9
moment too soon. As the last boat got
safely away the hulk lurched to one side,
pitched forward and went down bow first
with a shudder we looked about fol-
the white man in the little boat, but he
had gone with the darkness and the storm
Two days later, when almost famished fol
water, we We're picked up by Spanish
vessel. The ghost of the white man in the
boat we did not see again, and to this day
have never been able to learn the fate OF
the man who tried to reach our ship from
the South sea island.