Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-24
"WHlTE STAR" MYSTERY.
An Entertaining California Sea Coast Yarn
by a Former Rock Islander.

one of those cold, uncomfortable |
days so common at sea in October.
Nevertheless the white Star"
ploughed her way bravely through !
the gray pillows and the CAPTAIN
paced the deck in entire disrepard of
the great clouds of salty spray that
dashed over him. A plain matter of
fact man was Captain Backs, with
keen blue eyes and a straightforward
manner that stamped him at once as
man who was not to be taken in
He cast keen glance over the
horizon; then pausing in his walk,
he ordered Stearns. the fist mate, to
descend into the cabin and get the
bearings. The captains cabin was a
neat, cosy apartment, strewn with
maps and nautical instruments; on
the wall above the table hung a
slate upon which the bearings were
wont to be written; on the oppo site
side was door opening into a pas
sage leading aft.
LAY, ay, sir" answered the first
mate, a smooth. clean shaven man OF
about forty. AS Stearns descended
to the cabin, the door leading into
the passage was open, and hearing
his name called in urgent tones, he
passed directly through without so
much as glancing at the slate.
| The captain continued his meas
ured treading of the deck for the
next quarter of an hour in silence,
then descending few steps, he
glanced into the cabin to see if
Stearns had finished his errand. No;
there he sat with his back to the cap
tain, busily engaged in writing upon
the slate. The captain turned to
ascend. but, moved by some strange
unaccountable impulse. he again
glanced back. and in the dim uncer-
tain light of the cabin, face with a
a full black beard was turned to him
"Pshaw, 1t was only the dim light, -
thought the captain, and as he bus
led himself on deck giving orders the
incident was swept from his mind.
but later on it required to him with
strange persistence, and seeing
Stearns, he questioned him. saving,
he had seen him sitting in the cabin
writing. mo, captain. you're mis-
taken; went down to the cabin,
but passed directly through without
touching the slate or CHANGING at the
maps"
The captain took the mate aside
and related to him that he had seen
4 man sitting at the table who resem-
bled no one on board in the slightest
degree, hence they must have a stow
away with them, and upon this a
search of three hours was made, but
not sign of anything that indicated
anyone on board other than the crew
That night as the captain sat in his
cabin thinking over the events of the
day, it occurred to him that bv an
unaccountable oversight they had
overlooked the slate.
Taking it from the wall he held it
to the light. and upon it were writ
ten in a strange. peculiar hand. the
words, "Steer west, northwest"
The captain replaced the slate with a
puzzled air-never in all his life had
he been so COMPOUNDED. Following
the course indicated upon the slate
would take them full three hours on,
of their way. not to speak of the
mystery which surrounded the writ.
ep.
In the morning the crew were sur
: prised by receiving orders to head
the white STAR west, northwest
Only the first mate had knowing
look upon his face, for the captain
had deemed it fit to make him a con.
fidant. The captain scanned the
horizon with his glass, but at the
, close of two hours nothing had ap
! peared to solve the mystery. Agar
the captain raised his glass, and this
time he discerned black speck fal
: out. Keeping his glass to his eye he
watched it grow, and now mingled
with the boom of the waves came tn,
boom of a cannon plainly telling o
n ship in distress and of human
lives weighing in the balance.
The crew worked with desperate
energy and soon they were along
side. An hour more and the min,
men who were yet clinging to tn
wreck whould have been doomed.
Casting his eye over these, tn
captain started, and his hand convul
sively grasped the railing. The frs
man to be helped up into the whit
Star" was a man with flowing blac
beard, the identical man who had sa
in the cabin and written those words
But the dark eyes of the strange
met the intense eager gaze of tn
captain without a CLEAN of recogni
ton.
Trying to Solve the Mystery.
Eight o'clock that night found tn
: captain seated in his cabin with tn
slate before him and the mysteriou
stranger opposite him. Looking tn
man square in the eye. the capital
asked: stranger, were you ever i
here before?" The man looked abou
him then replied deliberately: '-Cal
tain, l cannot tell, / can only sa
that somewhere l have seen thi
cabin, but at that time / was sittin
at this table with slate before me.
. The captain silently pushed the Stat