The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-11

but these stumps an few more that had
sprung Up over night didn't seem to De
doin' any harm To save my boats 1
couldn't see what tn trouble was
TIL mate an tn crew had been lookin'
round. too. but they were jus as mucn
puzzled as was.
It's hoodoo. said Sullivan. It's
hoodoo'
'.Then he began crossin' himself, an tn
crew looked skeered. was skeered, too.
but tried not to let on.
suddenly tn truth came upon me- L
skinned into my cabin an got dlvln nell
met an told one o tn men TO put IL on
Then ordered him TO take look under
tn water an see how tn bottom o IN
schooner was comm along: an when ne
climbed down on tn port side an dropped
In with asplash, me an tn mate an TN
rest o. the crew leaned over tn railin' to
watch him come up again.
He didn't take long. In few minutes
his head came a-bobbin up. an he began to
side for a stepladder When he threw off
tn divin helmet he was white in tn face
from bein' skeered, an twas some while
before he'd tell us what he'd seen But
finally he opened up. He said there were
trees all over tn bottom O. tn ship, trees as
big as molasses barrels an so tall that
they'd already growed clean down to tn
floor o. tn sea an struck new roots there.
He said the branches were takin hold to a
coral reef, or somethin' o. tn kind, an that
there was sev-ral thousand of 'em.
" ell, we ulufl Know what mere
wasn't another divin helmet abroad, an
tn trees down below were too big and
there were too psany of 'em 10 be sawed off
by one man. Meantjmes tn wind was
tearin' our sails to flinders, an tn trees
OF tn decks were sproutin higher an high
er all tn time, an tn leaves on EN- were
gettin' so thick that we couldn't see tn
sun through EN-.
9Th only thing to be done, ii seemed,
was TO haul down tn canvas an JUS stay
wnere We were till some shipd come by
an pick US up So we took in sail-th' lit
tie we had left-an' then ate breakfast an
waited. For week we staid there. TIL
trees growed an growed We didn't cut
em off any more, but JUS let 'em alone,
an when we got used to 'em we had a fine
time smakin our pipes in tn shade an
not givin a cent how hot tn sun was, for
it couldn't hit bit.
AN ARBOR IN THE SEA.
when tn week was up tn schooner
wasn't nothin' but boomin' arbor. From
her water line to tn top o. her mainmast
there were leaves. leaves. leaves. an big
branches from the decks an sides had be-
gun to stretch out ten or fifteen yards over
tn water. I'll tell you that schooner was
green, she was No. 1 sprouter.
What was goin on underneath all this
time, you can guess. l s'pose there must
"a been enough timber down there to build
forty ships with, for once when tn diver
went down he told us there was at least
10000 trees a-growing out o. tn bottom o.
tn schooner.
Our provisions had begun gettin' low
Tor wed counted on reachin Cuby before
this, an we were jus beginnin' to get
anxious when little old steamboat sight
ed us. Her cap'n saw a big bunch o. trees
shootin' out o tn water an came over III
our direction TO see If he'd discovered q
new island: When he got pretty close he
sent boat over, an, as it came near us.
me an my men climbed out on some
branches an hollered we were there.
When tn boat got under we ex-
planned tn case to tn officer in charge.
An what dye think He wouldn't b'lieve
us at first, but at last, when we persuaded
him to skin up a limb an come aboard, he
had TO b'lieve. Then all tn fellers as had
come with him in tn boat crawled in, too.
through tn leaves. They said they'd be
busted II they'd ever heard or seen tn like
of it before, after which they went back
to tn steamer an told their cap'n all about
it. Then he thought they were lynn, and
told EN- so, but, when they swore they
weren't, he came over an took a look at
us himself
He told us to get in our lifeboat an.
come aboard tn steamer, sayin' he'd take
US to New York. But We couldn't use our
boat. for IL was all full O. bushes. so he
TOOK us on In his gig, an week later we'd
hit dry land again an were lookin' for Jobs
right here on South street.
AS the skipper reached this point in his
tale he paused abruptly, as if through talk
ing. and cut off a fresh chew of tobacco.
But what became o. tn schooner ?"
Cap'n Jerry asked.
Go way" replied the skipper do you
mean to say you never heard this story
before? Why, everybody in tn world knew
bout that green schooner. TIL United
States gov when they heard bout it,
sent out a whole fleet o. warships to In
vestigate, but somehow they never located
tn schooner Maybe a cyclone blew her
to pieces, trees an all. How should
know what became of her?'