The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14
The MYSTERY OF The
NORTHERN BELLE. "
BY ALEC G. PEARSON.
Copyrighted, 1897, by Alec c. Pearson.

Az tnlS moment young lieutenant or
artillery who had been one of the group
standing near the captain, stepped up to
him and said:
IF you will allow me, Capt Langham, I
should IKE very much to accompany Mr..
Maxwell"
What! Tired of the Cleopatra already,
Graham, cried the captain, laughing.
Far from it, SIR" replied the young Of
ncer He had been stationed at Sierra
Leone and was taking short cruise in
the corvette as a guest of the lieutenants.
"A visit to yonder derelict would be an
interesting experience he continued;
at all events. to landsman like my
''WeI, l see no objection" replied the
captain, Galthough we shall be sorry to
rose your society. But Maxwell will be
the gamer. You must be prepared to
rough 1t on the brig, you know
oh, don't mind that" replied Ora
ham, as he thanked the captain and went
below to pack few things in portman~
teau.
Half an hour later he and Maxwell were
standing together on the deck of the
Northern Belle" with the men who were
70 form her temporary crew. grouped near
the mainmast. The midshipman who had
conveyed them across shook hands and
wished them a pleasant voyage, the cor
VetteS boat showed Off the blades of the
oars dipped simultaneously, stirring up lit
tie swiriing luminous patches at every
stroke, so that the course of the little craft
was marked by line of fire that flashed
with mystic brilliance on the dark water
Hands make sail" cried Lieut. Max
well. Main tack and sheet. Round with
the yards. Cheerily my hearties. Let a
man come aft to the wheel, quartermas-
ter"
The orders were obeyed smartly; the
decks were cleared, sails trimmed and ev-
erythng made taut and shipsha and
long ere midnight the little brig was head
ing on her course towards Sierra Leone.
"A sturdy looking little craft" remarked
slipping coffee after the watches were set.
Sturdy enough" assented Maxwell
But of an antiquated build, and bit of
tub should say"
by the way, what are you going to do
about the skipper" inquired Graham.
Before Maxwell could reply, the individ-
ual in question made his appearance up the
companion hatchway. He was a man of
medium hight, with dark untrimmed beard
and shaggy unkempt hair. His face was
OF sickly yellow co.or, and his eyes blear-
ed and bloodShot. He stared at them for
some moments without speaking
Maxwell at length broke the silence.
You are the master, 1 believer" he said.
cry now and then rub his left wrist with
handkerchief that he carried in his
right hand. 1t was as though he was
trying to wipe off some stain, such as a
smudge of paint or tar, although nothing
of the sort was visible. The action APP
peared to be involuntary.
This is a strange state of affairs on
board your brig" pursued Maxwell. II
suppose you understand we have taken
charge of her?''
For the sake o. salvage suppose -
muttered the fellow.
mo. But because your vessel was a
danger to navigation; fact of which you
did the crew abandon your"
For what reason do sailor men aban-
don ships, and mutiny and desert?' he
growled.
Generally" retorted Maxwell, "be-
cause they have been ill-treated."
And sometimes because they don't
know when they're well off, returned the
skipper, in surly tone, as he turned and
went below again.
1--WE shall not get much information out
of that surly brute" remarked Graham.
He may see fit to alter his tone before
We reach port" replied Maxwell. Under
the circumstances his manner is, to say the
least very strange"
Effect of drink 1 suppose" said Gra-
ham, as he lit cigar. Best keep the rum
bottle out of his reach. / wish he could
have been transferred to the corvette-he
Will be the disturbing element of our little
cruise"
'"Then he must be subdued.''
"Well, we won't think about him. How
quiet and solemn the night is; it hardly
seems right to talk out loud
They lounged on the gratings and
smoked while the brig stemmed slowly on
ward in deep shadow, the only sounds be-
ing the ripping of the water against the
bows, and the occasional creak of the
wheel chains as the man moved the helm
Under the counter the sea broke in little
clouds of luminous foam that trailed away
astern into a milk white path full of points
of sparkling green fire. In the distance the
stately nights of the corvette's canvas
could be seen, lowering like a dark cloud
on the horizon.
At midnight Wilson, the quartermaster
relieved Maxwell, and the latter went be-
low to get a few hours rest as he was due
on deck again at four O'Clock. There were
several spare sleeping berths, but he did
not occupy one, preferring for that one
night to make bed upon the cabin ia
BILE.
He came on deck few minutes before
eight bells rang and found Wilson looking
Anything the matter?" inquired Max
well 49,. s,,,rnor seems 70 10 o,oor
sort Of chap, sir,@ he replied Just now
he came up here and stood staring at me
for full five minutes without speaking a
word He's gone below again am now SIT;
LAUGHING. BETTER take no notice of him"
He glanced forward end noticed some re-
ley Are the men sleeping on deckY' he
The old auartermaster paused on the
YES Sir" he replied. ""They preferred
to do so until they could see what the
fo'ksle was like by. daylight"
oh" said Maxwell.
AS soon as the sun rose ne started on a
tour OF inspection OF the little craft, ac-
companicd by the men on his watch. They
went through the cabin first. IL was a
IalfiY iOOnN apartment loi inc size u
the vessel. with three berths of side, an
oblong deal table in the center and some
lockers aft. The forward berth on the
starboard side was occupied by the skip
per that Of the port side had evidently
been the mates. Maxwell entered Il.
Nothing had been disturbed; that is TO
say there was no evidence TO show that
the former occupant had left the ship. The
bedclothes were in the narrow bunk. a
few articles of clothing hung from some
wooden pegs, and there were a couple of
pictures nailed against the bullxhead. In
the shelves were a roll OF charts some
nautical books, and a seXtant. Maxwell
opened one OF the books an read the
name, James Burley," written I'm ink on
the hylcaf. Underneath W pencil We're
the words, "First mate, Brig Northern
Belle"
ii struck Maxwell as an extraordinary
circumstance that the mate should have
left everything behind him on quitting the
ship: nd Il rather looked as though he
had been forced to leave by the crew at
the last moment, against his will. II was
strange, however, that the skipper mad
not mentioned the fact, and he determined
to question him on the subject on the
first opportunity. They next explored the
forecastle. a gloomyfvault of a place with
a double row OF hunks on either side. A
few odds and ends OF eeamen's clothing
were scattered about, some mattresses
well In the hunks and a solitary chest