River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-11-14


- Forgive me mate- he said, holding
out his hand to me. You startled me
so awhile ago that suppose must been
clean daft for time. was thinking
of her and his voice was .Ow and sad
as he spoke. when you came up. / can
not sleep aud with the work ard the
strain of the storm my head does not
feel right at times. did not mean to
harm you; forgive me, mate, and say
nothing to the captain
HE was looking at me with pitiful
appeal in his eyes. and while did not
trust the strange, silent man, l ex-
tended my hand and told him would
say nothing to the captain.
But / soon regretted that promise.
For several days | had suspected that
the ship was ont of her course, but sup
posed il was due to the storm. When
the clouds had cleared away, however,
and could see the stars | realized that
instead of sailing down the coast of
South America, as we should have been
to round the Horn, we were far out IN
the Pacific and sailing east
Watching my chance when Davies
was busy at the wheel, got look at
the compass and found, as had begun
to suspect. that it had been tempered
with. My first impulse was TO arouse
the captain and tell him all that had
discovered Then decided to let him
sleep until morning, as he would be in
better condition for action after the
rest
THE first mate relieved me at 4
o'clock in the morning and told me to
sleep all day if wished. hurried be-
low without telling him what had dis
covered, intending to get two hours
rest and then arouse the captain and
I tell him all
'As / started TO go below / turned
for glance at the strange. silent man
at the wheel. | found his eyes fixed on
my face with a look that said as plain
as a threat. keep silent There was
something SO peculiar in his looks and
/ actions that felt dread of unknown
/ danger creeping over me.
Il found one of the men asleep in my
| bunk when | got below and turned into
the next one without disturbing him.
/ In spite of my feeling of alarm l soon
/ fell asleep and it was daylight when |
awolze. had not undressed and leaped
out of the bunk at once to go on deck.
I Then remembered that | had lett nv
pipe in my own bunk and put out my
hand to get il. My fingers touched
/ something wet and cold. drew them
back with a shudder and found my
hand covered with blood.
with a cry of alarm I sprang for
ward and tore away the curtain in
/ front of the bunk. There lay the sailor
who had taken nv place, cold and stiff
| in death, His throat had been cut
from ear to ear. and his head almost
severed from his body.
with the chill Of horrible and I'M
/ spealxable dread creeping over me |
rushed forward to the captains cabin.
/ The door was ajar, and l entered with
out knocking. The captain lay on his
I bunk, with his face upturned and his
eyes wide open. L saw in them a
strange set expression. / sprang for
ward and touched the white, upturned
/ face Ii was cold. and on the breast of
the captain, just over the heart, l saw
spot Of red blood. The captain was
dead, he had been stabbed to the heart
as he slept.
Il would have cried ont an alarm. but
my tongue would not obey my will.
/ Ny blood seemed turning to ice, and
my knees were knocking together as
turned an0 staggered from the cabin.
Bark TO the sleeping quarters of the
crew L ran as fast as l could, Intending
/ TO arouse those who. lept. My voice
returned TO me at last. and l called out,
I called to some of the men by name.
I Ny voice echoed down into the depths
I OF the hold. but there was no answer.
! II leaped forward to the nearest
/ berth and looked in. Only another
| dead sailor; stabbed to the heart as he
slept. like the captain. Madly, fran
I tically tore away the curtains from
/ the other berths. The same vision of
blood aud death met M eyes every
where. The crew had been murdered
/ in their berths. stabbed to death so
swiftly, silently and surely that not
| one had lived TO cry out a warning to
/ his fellows.
THE horror 80 the situation soon be-
/ gan 10 react Oh my nerves. My blood
ran hot again. my brain cleared, and l
was able TO think. There was but one
thing TO think OF then. Bat one man
| could have done all that terrible work.
/ The mad captain of the Nellie! How l
cursed the fate that had brought him
aboard our ship.
But knew that must act, and act
/ quickly. The mailman was on deck
steering the ship with broken com
pass. Then all at once | realized that
something else had happened while |
slept. The bark was alternately pitch
ing and tossing and rolling in the
trough OF the sea. L could hear the
wind shrieking and bowling above. and
knew that another storm had come
up. From the motion of the vessel |
knew that the rudder was swinging
free. and that the vessel was tossing
about at the mercy of the wind and
the waves.
IA ming myself with the first weapon
could find rushed up on deck to see
il anyone had been left there alive 1
glanced at the wheel. There was no
one there A heavy storm was raging.
One mast was gone, the sails were
torn. anu 1hc NeSsSA vas "a NsihS0t VI
laundering every moment l looked
about the deck. but there was not soul
in sight. Then above the roar of the
storm l heard a voice, but it did not
sound like the voice of human being.
II rose above the wind in wild. ghost
ly laugh.
Running forward ! saw far out on
the bOwsprit. firmly lashed in the rig
cling. the mad captain of the Nellie
AT glance l saw that he was so firmly
dashed to the bowsprit that he could
never get back on deck in that sea and