The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-04-14
methodically to fish them

proceeded methodically to fish them
on board.
We procured strong lines, baited the
hooks with pieces Of pork, flashing
thereto a buoy formed Of a common
the stern.
They had scarcely touched the
water, when amid a furious tapping
Of heavy pinions, they were eagerly
~swallowed; the hooks and lines began
to bear taughtly, and we soon had four
gigantic albatrosses splashing the
water into froth in their Intellectual
efforts to escape.
We towed them in, hand over hand,
and after measurement found the
smallest to be eleven feet from the tip
OF one wing to the tip of the other.
Though rank and fshy in flavor, the
flesh OF these birds was made into
sea-p!es, on which the crew were re-
Saled for two days after, and they par
O. of it with great apparent relish.
But Jack is not very particular, es-
pecially when at sea.
Though lone of the crew shared the
superstition connected with the de-
struction Of an albatross, and probably
none, save Hislop and myself, knew
the splendid ballad written by Coler-
ldge, it would seem as if our misfor-
tunes commenced with that days wan
ton sport!
The huge sea birds became SHY and
lett us. The SUN set amid saffron-col-
cred waves, and the western sky was
all af1ame, when the sails began to
I'LL and collapse as the wind anne in
heavy puffs, causing the masts to sway
from side to side, and the bellying
courses to crack and flap with a sound
like thunder.
AT last there came a steady breeze;
the courses were left fall, and with
both sheets aft, for the wind was fair
the Eugene once more walked through
the shining waters.
Full, round, and silvery the noon
arose, and tipped with liquid light
every wave, that seemed to dance on
ward with the brig, which in half an
hour had the snow-whitc foam dying
in sheets over her catheads.
1t was about the hour of / in the
morning that the horrible events
which l am about to relate occurred.
l was in the middle watch, relieving
weston, who, as the tropical dews
were heavy, always ordered Billy the
cabin boy to give me a glass of BRAN
d~y-and-Water before going on deck, for
fear OF aguc, and then he turned in.
The sullen Spaniard Antonio was at
the wheel. Tom Lambourne, Ned Carl
ton and I were walking to and fro
lettering at times, and looking at the
compass to see how she headed-now
aloft to observe how the sails drew
anon over the side, where the water
bubbled merrily past, or ahead at the
patch of blue and s~tar-studded sky
which was visible under the leach of
the ~fore-course, as the briggs bow filed
every now and then, and she rolled
heavily from side to side, as all YES
sells do when running before the wind.
All was very still, for, save the bub-
bic Of the water in the wake astcrn.
az a gurgle as it surged up in the rud-
der case, the creaking Of a block, or
the iron sings Of the lower yards, not
a sound stole upon the first hour of
the silent morning.
Two of the a!batrosses we had
caught We're hanging by the legs from
the Sallows-top abaft the foremost,
where their great extended wings
swung somewhat mOurnfu]]v tn and
fro in the wind and by the motion of
the ship.
ITO no cOOtjpuad\