The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-13
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.
Sebastiano looked like wreck when
he appeared that morning. He ac-
counted for this upon the ground Of
illness to which he was occasionally
subject, and said that he would be
obliged to rest for several days-that
he had been working too hard upon
his book. But in some mysterious
way the story of his night experience
leaked out. The disappearance Of
Miguel's proa started the inquiries;
then another islander. who had him
self received bad scare, testified to
having been Weakened by a bloodhound
ling scream in time to see Padre Sc
bastiano running before Miguel's |
ghost, which subsequently embarkedin
his own boat and put to sea. This
yarn was ridiculed by Bartolomeo
until he investigated his fgure-cham-
Der and found the gruesome company
one apparition short; then he told Sc
bastiano about it and partook of his
uncomfortable feelings. Their COM
mon sense told them that wax fig
ure couldn't transport itself without
help; malicious human help; but their
conviction that every door had been
locked, and Sebastiano's positive as
sertion that the thing had certainly
chased him of its own accord and alb
solutely without assistance or visible
mechanism, simply couldn't be ex-
planned away. At first the churchmen
were at a loss whether to feel COM
plimented or alarmed by the various
and peculiar manifestations with
which they had been favored; but the
more they failed to account for them
on natural or scientific grounds the
more they became impressed with a
sense of unworthiness. AS for Miguel,
the native who had been at such ex-
pense to import suitable ehgy OF
himself, he thought his time had come
But after rejecting upon his ghost
departure from the island, which
could be interpreted in no other light
than as a solemn warning, he moved
his entire family to Saipan, where, hav-
ing no barangay to live upon, they
were occasionally forced to work.
Judging that it would now be safe to
leave Guajan for few days, I told Dor
otea of my intention. At first the at.
tempt to reach zap in an open boat
seemed little short of madness to her,
but after explaining that was able to
find my position from the sun, as she
had seen officers do aboard ship, she re
luctantly admitted that it might be
done. We were beginning to under
stand each other pretty we'll by this
time. Making me look straight into
her beautiful eyes, she let me see why
the thought of my possible danger tor
mented her.
Miguels ghost had sailed away on
Tuesday morning, the 14th, and, ac-
cording to our previous calculations,
Halstead would arrive in Tomil bay
about daybreak of the following Sum
day. Figuring that, before the wind,
my proa would cover the 452 miles
between Guajan and zap in % hours
at the outside, and not wishing to hang
about Tomil among strangers who
might ask dangerous questions con-
corning my strange appearance, Ipost-
poned the start until Saturday morn
ing. There was, of course, an element
of risk in this-a possibility that
might fail to reach the island on time;
but 1 had good deal of confidence
both in my ability as navigator anc
in the proa itself.
+ His nerves being completely upset
the padre was resting in good earnest
so, with Dorotea, 1 made two NOR,
/ trips to the wreck, bringing back heav.
f loads of silver ingots, which we slowed
in the fssure. Then, early Saturda,
= morning, after telling the gobernado
q of my intention to sail among the is
h lands for a day or two and being mos
e Hospitality provisioned for the cruise
headed the proa out to sea.
I All day long the boat sailed like
y witch, holding beautifully to he
h course, and it was not until after darl
V that a realization of my position i'm
a pressed me. / had then made, accord
; ing to my log, over $50 miles, and wa
/ consequently over 200 miles from tn
III nearest land-a mere pin-point upo
! the open sea, with nothing but a ho
!: low tree-trunk and few sticks be
i. tween me and eternity. 1t was pc
culiar feeling, yet there was nothin
= Of fear in it; the sense of eXhilaratio
r was too great for that. Ny chief da1
h ger lay in the possibility of fallin
o asleep. This provided against
=. drinking half bottle of wine and
n pint of cold, strong coffee; beside
Il which, smoked incessantly; cigar
l. were good company about that tim,
It and stimulated the Imagination. M
e eyelids were pretty heavy toward day
e break, in spite of these precautions
n but, lowering the sail for few mt
it ments, undressed and jumped ovel
d board, rolling and floating in the COO
St water until thoroughly refreshed.
l. Pretty soon it began to get gray i
Il the east, and when the sun polSed i,
N rim above the horizon I drew grea
M breath of relief; for there, 20 miles t
Ie the southwark. was the peak of Yal
% rising over thousand feet from til
le sea-level. 1t was impossible to mistals
r. it. With the exception of one or tw
q reefs which scarcely showed aboy
" their surf. there We're no other island