The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16

men. with the boatswafn al their head
came aft, seeing the mate and me Ia lkiug
toketner- ana after deliberate most earn
esq stare round the sea-line stepped up 10
" Mr.. Fairman.' said the boatswain. re-
specuully, were for asking OF your leave
20 go away from fhis ship In that there
lougboat whilst we've got our sight
" It's natural-it's natural said the
chief mate, with a sort Of generous
warmth. But, consider. men. YOU are the
main body of us who can see. If
YOU go away in that long boat. and those
you leave behind you turn blind. what $
10 become Of us If nothing heaVes in sight
TO take us Off2
But we shall he turning blind along
with the rest, said the bOatswain, if
we stay It's only a question OF more
or less blind men washing about in "A
ship.
could we stop the disease by jetti-
soning the cargOE said l.
Tt would be sending the men,, an
swered the mate. into the thickness of
the poisonous steam itself-no. Then
working his hands with strange motions
OF agitation. he muttered: on, God my
lads, IT, an awful situation.
Come along with us, sir said one of
the men, you and Mr.. TarbuSh
And leave those who are blindY
BY God. then / hate the thought Of il
myself shouted the boatswain. But If
go blind my wife and children will starVe
and ! must sit i'm the workhouse and be
led about as II / was an old village IDIOT.
and curse me, IL that thought amt more
frightful than the cruelty Of leaving one $
mates to perish
Go said the mate. turning his back
upon them. l followed, and together we
slowly swept the ocean for a sail
That same day Of the threat of the
men 10 leave I'm the boat they went. They
provisioned her handsomely. watered her
almost TO the wash strake, so careful were
they.
III think it was about . O'Clock when
they hoisted their lug and sailed away
from the ships side in silence that
seemed like the blindness that was in
and upon the ship. 1 forget how many
left the vessel in her. but l can recollect
that when she was gone all that were leIt
with the power of vision remaining in their
eyeballs were Mr.. Fairman. myself and
three honest stOut-hearted English sea
men. who said, blast them If they was
going TO leave their mates TO die of star
walton through blindness; II might come
to them-be 10 sol il should come finding
of EN- doing Of their dooty, anyhow
81 shook hands with those three men.
They were seamen TO sail round the world
with-princes of their species. | don't say
they are growing fewer. / do say they
were always scarce.
1T was very light fine weather; We kept
the ship under small sail ready for a shift,
troubled as we We're. and very shorthand
ed; and the lie comes in here again and
again." said the little sailor, tapping his
heart where he had slowed the newspaper,
when they speak of the vessel with all
plain sail set having been fallen in with.
I'VE took turn and turn about to wait
and we fed them and led them about the
decks, and we cut up tobacco for their
pipes. Lord God! said he, 1t was shock
ing to watch them staring at you with
their eyes wide open, seeing nothing; then
to feel that you might be the next!
ut was a dreadful shock to me four
days after the longboat had left us, when,
at about five bells In the first watch, a
quiet night and the ship clothed in white
stealing very softly through the gloom, the
mate came to my cabin and said to me in
a low voice of horror, 'Tarbush, l am get
ting the blindness; il is coming on mel
'Oh, my God, sir, don't say it," 1 cried,
springing out of my bunk.
II turned up the lamp. Look at that, is
&" No it is a wavering, blush flame. We
ought to have left the ship he said, and
taken the blind men with us.
He quilted my cabin in the cropping
way which was now familiar to me, and
when l had dressed myself went out eX-
pecting to lind him on deck; instead, be
hold the poor man sat with his faae lost
in his arm upon the cuddy table. touched
him and told him to cheer UP his heart
he never looked up. He just groaned as
though he was dying of a broken heart,
and l passed up the steps TO look after
the vessel.
ship. and l felt the blindness of the men in
her too, when | saw that the helmSman
had let go of the wheel. letting the ship
come to, soy that she lay aback without
way, with a little silky whispering of wa
ters alongside. The man sat on the
grating and held his hands to his face.
i grasped his shoulder, and he looked up
and moaned almost just as the mate had.
" Gracious powersH thought l, another
visitation. 1t will be my turn next, Terror
possessed me, and l ran forward to get
into the main shrouds, and climbed as
high as the maintop, which ! believed
would be out of reach of the fumes. and |
lay in that top till daybreak, looking down
upon the glimmering decks, wondering
that the other three-three | believe kept
their sight, but l will not be sure-did not
show themselves that | might hail them,
and invite them to keep me company.
However ii turned out as | had dread
ed, for when at sunrise l went down on
the deck | found that the man who was
stricken at the wheel had made his way
to the forecastle, and that the three whom
l had imagined sight-whole We're seeing
things through that same swimming,
dusky, fluid-like medium which the Others
THAT mate was in the cabin, and re-
quired to be fed. The men forward need
fire and cooked a plentiful breakfast; and
distributed the food so that the men could
easily come at it, and then, as speedily
as l might, with my own share of break
| fast in my pocket, I sprang again into
the main shrouds for the safety of the
| top, and had scarce arrived there when
afar l beheld the smoke of a steamer.
Il watched that black film with dread
| full eagerneSS. l thought ] might turn
| blind even as l looked. Then recollect-
| ing that no color was at our peak l sunk
| locker, sent aloft our biggest ensign in.
| verted, and made again with the swift
| ness of the fear of blindness and of death
| in my heart, for the main-top.
| 1.-THE steamer was alongside of us il
| little more than an hour. She ranged
| close, imagining us derelict l hailed hel
| from the main-top, and gave the captain
! our yarn, and he at once sent boats ant
| took all hands of us off. That steamer:
name" said the little sailor. was tn,
Eagle of Middlesbrough. And this il
| the sequel TO this extraordinary story
| Scarcely had the Eagle sunk the hull o
| the MiddleseX out of sight. leaving he
| lying just as she had been left throughou
the night from the moment when tn,
| belmsman lost his grip of the spokes
| when another steamer called the Sc;
! Queen of Newcastle-on-Tyne heading IN
| the wake of the Eagle fell in with tn,
bark. and boarded her. Here then cam,
in the mystery. A fine ship was foun,
| deserted in mid-ocean, signs of breakfas
| recently cooked in the galley and eatel
| by men in the forecastle, and by one a
| two aft, the galley fire still alight an,
| making a good smoke in the mouth of m
| chimney. but not a soul aboard Not ;
| stain of blood to supply the riddle with /
| tragic solution. Her hold was tight He
| mate went aloft, and hunted about tn
| ocean everywhere in search of a. boat Bin
| nothing was visible save the fading trac
| of a steamers light smoke. or some deli
cate streak of cloud in the northeast