The herald., 1894-12-11
A SEA MYSTERY.

In the year 1860 l sailed in the ship
Sultan, vessel of 780 tons burden,
from tho port of Liverpool, bound round
the Horn to Valparaiso with valuable
general cargo. The captain was a man
named Jonas Jortin. !, who went in
her as chief mate, am named William
Fletcher.
We carried no second officer. Often
it happened in those days that even big
ships sailed with what is termed an
'only mate" who was supposed to
comprise in himself all that was to be
expected in the shape of duty and
knowledge from first and second Off
Ger.
AsI, however, held no certificate as
'.only mate, signed as chief and
the boatswain, man named Benjamin
Matthews, took the working part of
second mate under me-that is, he re-
lieved me when my watch was up,
walked the decks and trimmed sail at
his discretion. But he took no part i'll
the navigation of the ship. Indeed L
doubt if he knew what sextant was,
and am not sure that he could read or
write.
Captain Jortin Was tall, lean, long
faced man, with SO remarkable fall OF
chin that his mouth seemed to be placed
almost exactly in the middle Of his
face. His skin was yellow. He had fol-
lowed the sea for many years, but the
flesh of his checks reflected nothing Of
the glow and bronze of sun and weather.
His eyes We're of dead black, like
an East Indians, without animation in
their glance and slow in their motions.
had been struck by the figure he
madc when l first boarded the ship i'll
the docks. Nothing could less corre-
spond with the traditional notions of
the old salt, with purple nose and bow
legs, eyes deep sunk by peering to
windward and stormy voice broken
by years of drink and bawling, than
this master of the ship Sultan, button
ed ND as he was in coat of clerical
cut, his black hair smeared smooth, as
though his head was painted, limp, stick
up collars and long, square toed We'll
lington boots
All went we'll with us till we had
gone clear of the northeast trade wind
and struck the "humbugging" paral
lels. as they are called, where you get
sheet calms with wide ocean white as
level icefiold, then faint drafts crawl
ing up in the direct line of the ships
course painting the FURNISHED surface
with darkling shadows like huge marine
spiders creeping down from the edge OF
the horizon. l think our latitude was
between and 10 degrees north when
what ] am going to tell you about hap
pened.
1t was the second dog watch, the
hour about half past 6. The ships yards
We're braced well forward, and she was
ripping along to tho pressure Of three
knot breathing of air, coming hot as
steam from ont of the glowing pavilions
OF the west.
1t was sickeninglyclose, with the men
ace of an electric storm in a delicate
winking Of violet dumb lightning away
down i'll the southeast, where the shad-
ow of the night was gathering, with a
large star already trembling low down
Dver the sen right abeam.
A fiddle was going upon the forecas-
tie head A sailor was chanting a ditty
10 the tune Most of tho ships company
were listening, lounging about the cat
head and against the rail. pipes in
mouth. Their open shirts disclosed their
messy breasts, their legs were bare 60
the knee for tho comfort of the cool
Iless, and their bedewed faces reflected
the angry red i'll the west as though
every man had oiled himself.
The captain was walking aft alone,
measuring a space Of the deck from
abreast Of the wheel and something for
ward of the mizzcn rigging. His gait
was that of man in funeral process
sion-stiff, solemn, self conscious.
He had not been on deck above half
an hour, and in that time had not once
addressed me. Not indeed that there
was anything strange in this. Mates
and CAPTAINS seldom converse at sea.
The master lives life apart, and
this spirit of isolation possesses the
mates, insomuch that | have met Off
GERS who declared to me that throughout
a round voyage running into a couple Of
wears thoy scarcely exchanged more
than routine sentences and messages of
duty with the shipmatcs aft from the
first hour of their getting their anchor
to tho 1lnai hour Of thoir letting it go.
But even had Captain Jortin been So
ciably disposed he was not sort Of man
| could have got on with. No one with
the weight of a grievous sin upon his
soul could be more melancholy and aus
tere, more abrupt and reserved.
Matthews, the boatswain, thought to
explain the man by telling me he had
heard before we sailed that he had lost
his wife and only daughter within a
week after his return from his last voy-
age, but tho captain never mentioned
the subject, nor could / satisfy myself
that there was any suggestion of mourn
ing in that way either i'll his clothes or
his behavior
I had charge of the ship this dog
watch and was standing at the head OF