St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-07-05
Selected Story.
QVISTGARD. THE BIG DANE.

Petrol" big, three-masted
schooner, had ploughed its way
through the placid waters Of the
Pacific with sameness that was
exaspera ting. Since leaving port
nothing-not even a threatened
storm or lively gale-had broken
the monotony.
The ship was bound for Rio,
Brazil, with a cargo of wheat, and |
was her only passenger-seeklng
health in this manner according to
nv physicians urgent request. She
was commanded by a sturdy old
navigator, Captain Collins, man
who on first acquaintance might
appear to be cold, distant and
reserved, but who proved, IN my
case, at least, to be exactly the OPP
posite, for soon found him genial,
hearty, good fellow. He was strict
with his men, but not tyrannlcal,
and he was good stOry-teller.
But monotony was not to last US
all through the voyage. There was
soon a singular and sinister change.
One day, about noon, at the
beginning of the third week, sailor
named Bates was placed in irons for
striking a messmate with a mar
linspike and breaking his arm. The
punishment was undoubtedly de-
served, but there were angry NUT
terings and more than one sullen
face among the crew in consequence;
for Bates, whose only fault was an
uncomfortable temper, was general
favorite. But when the unfortunate
man was found dead the next morn
ing, things began to look black tor
the officers.
There was no sign of wound or
struggle upon the body OF the dead
man, but the atmosphere of the
forecastle where he had been con-
fined was odorous with the FUMES of
chloroform. l called the captains
attention to this, but he thought |
must be mistaken and would not be
convinced, even when the boatswain
and one of the mates argued on my
side. He declared that there was
none OF the drug on board and never
had been. And so it happened that
poor Bates was buried in the deep
sea at the very hour at which he was
to have been liberated.
At eight bells the following night,
when the first mate went on deck to
relieve his fellow-officer, the latter
had disappeared and could not be
found L happened to be leaning
against the mizzen-mast, smoking,
when the alarm was given, and
could have sworn that l had been
smelling chloroform for nalf-an-hOur,
although I did not call the fact
to mind until the dreadful cry of
Io1
and all hands piped on deck. A
boat containing the first mate and
four men were lowered at once, the
ship was brought about, and two
hours were spent in fruitless search.
In the mean time every accessible
nook in the ship, which was tacking
back and forth in the locality, was
inspected with like results. At last
the searching party was taken on
board, and the ship resumed its
course.
The captain now took turns at the
watch with the mate, and every
thing ran smoothly till the following
night, or rather the next morning
-four bells of the first watch. Then,
when he turned out to relieve the
mate, that officer could not be found.
The same efforts were made to find
the missing man, and with the same
result as on the previous night, and
the captain was nearly frantic. He
was not only deeply grieved at
the death of his two officers, but
greatly shocked and mystified at the
strange manner of their disap-
pearance. On both sides the water,
aside from a heavy swell, was COM
narativelv smooth, the wind only
brisk enough to fill the sails, and the
stars were shining. This, together
with the fact that both the mates
were known to be expert swimmers,
so that they should, under ordinary
circumstances, have been able to
keep afoat for hours, deepened the
mystery, The captain would not
admit that the presence OF chloro-
form, if it existed at all, had any
thing to do with the mystery.
On the afternoon following the
second disappearance the captain
called me into his cabin, shut and
locked the door, and beckOned me to
a chair at a small table. 1 saw
nothing remarkable about this, be-
lieying that he only wished to talk
over his troubles; but when he took
a seat opposite me, I noted that his
face was deadly pale and that his
lips wese tightly compressed.
MY two officers have been
murdered, Mr.. Vincent he fairly
gasped. .c,
have suspected foul play from the
first. Have you any evidence? ~
THE best in the world. You have
noticed the big Dane, Qvistgard ~
THAT mild-looking fellow with
the red beard -
Yes"
..t1-1 .a-.o:.l,: hut un11 don't