The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-07-14

myself moves off bit. amt got none
of them sooperstitions what most on
them in our calling has, or / should
have thought the island was haunted.
But that. says to myself, could not
be. There wern't no ghost up in that
tree. could make very sure, seeing as
how could see every branch Of it and
nearly count every leaf on it in the
clear moonlight, and there was no.
where else for ghost to harbor.
"Then I looks down at the men, think
ing as how perhaps some on them was
APPLYING of a trick on us, but they
was all asleep-if ever see men asleep
in my life | say they was all asleep.
and so they was minute before. but
even as looked at them they all with
one accord springs up. some sitting.
some standing. some rubbing their eyes.
some cursing and swearing. and two
on EN- falling to a-fghting.
Stop this here, says I, a-interpos-
ing between the two fighting ones
III have no fighting here. I'm in COM
mand on this island Stop. sayl'
He pulled me up out of my Sleep,
says one. You re liar. says the 9TH
er. You pulled me up And another
on 'em sits up right straight, and says,
says he, God, feels like death! and
all the others mumbled and muttered
to themselves
Mates, says to them, listen to
me. There's a something on this island
as amt right. Whether it's in the air
or whether it's in the soil or whether
it's in the sea around us I know not.
But there's something here as should
not be. You was all a-sleeping peaceful
two moments ago and nobody pulled
any on you. and yet here you all are
saying as how some one did do so, and
one on you says as how he feels like
DEATH
And SO do, says the man-Will
Winter by name 4 feel death upon
me-
s. ITO the fiend with death. says I
get up and walk about
g i can't. says he; Il can't can't
move. And he couldn't. Friends all.
that man was in kind Of parlytic
state, as the doctors call it, and he
could not move
:. Then, saysI, this won t do, men
This here is worse nor the storm. Let's
hail the ship. And with that we hailed
her. What cheer? / sings out to the
man could see on the fo'castle
What cheer, shipmate?' And he sings
back: 'All's well aboard. What cheer,
shipmate ashore?'
"J.Bad, answered l. I'VE think this
land is infected. Tell the captain Will
Winter says he's dying Well, with
that we hears voices on the ship and
see lantern moving, and then the cap
tain halls us. what's this, I hear,
Bunce?' he calls to me.
Will Winter took with sickness,
skipper, replies.' and l think we
are all going mad, captain. We can
feel something as we cam see a-catch-
ing hold on us and a-dragging of us.
:" Come aboard, halloos back the
skipper. 'all on you, at onst. But here
was difficulty. We others could all
have clambered up the ships side-all
on us excepting Will Winter. But, as
for him, he conldn't move, and there
wern t no moving of him-and naterel,
and sailorlike. we wasn't a-going to
leave him there-the more so as there
was no doubt that he was like to die.
You could see it in his face, friends, as
he lay there under the tree-mateys,
you could see it in the horror of his
eyesl
However. I sends all the others
down to the ship. and halloos off to
the captain. telling him that all my
men was coming on board, excepting
only Will Winter. who couldn't move,
and myself, who was a-going to stand
by with him and help him. And of this
the captain approved.
''siootf they goes to the ship, and right
glad, think. they was to do it, and
although the Loving Friend weren t
a-lying more nor two cables or two ca
bles and a half's length from the shore.
felt bit lonesome and creepylik az
recollected that here was / on island
about which there was something most
certainly strange and with man mark
ed for death alongside of me. However,
tried to dismiss them thoughts from
my mind and to see what could do
for Will. He, poor man, was now ally
ing fat on his back, with his eyes star
ing up to the stars through the branch
es Of the tree, and with his hands a
twitching convulsivelike. and he was a
muttering something of which could
catch no words. or only the word
tree. But what he was talking about,
or what he wanted to say. have never
known.
What is it. shipmate7 l said,
attending over him and moistening his
lips with some rum and water What
cheer3 What can do for your But
he give no answer as ! could under
stand, SO made him as comfortable as
could, and then lay down near him,
but away from him bit and nearer to
the sea, and SO, sometimes raising myself
to look at him. and wondering as to
whether he ,would live till morning,
commended him and myself to God-as
all good. right feeling sailors should do
and 60 fell aslaan