Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-04-06

time came down disappointed. Inc
captain was as unquiet as myself
Something we expected to happen,
but of what it was to be we could form
no idea. The second officer, believe
thought us both crazy; indeed, olten
wondered myself at the state was
in. Evening came, and nothing mao
turned up. -
Morning came, and with the frs
gray light I was on deck. Ii was
bitterly cold. There was mist low
down on the horizon; 1 waited i'm.
patiently for it to lift. 1t lifted soon,
and could not be mistaken-beyond
it I could see the simmer of ice. ]
sent down to tell the captain, who
came on deck directly.
"It is no use, Mr.. Brown" be
said; ''you must put her about"
"Wait one moment, the mist is
lifting more, it will be quite clear
directly" -.
The mist was, indeed, lifting rapid
". Far to the north and west We
could see the ice stretching away IL
one unbrokcn field. I was trying tt
see whether there appeared any breaE
in the ice toward the west, when thu
captain, Selling my arm with on.
hand, and pointing straight aheat
with the other, exclaimed
"Good heavens! there is shil
there"
The mist had risen like a curtain
and there, sure enough, about thre
miles ahead, was ship seemingl.
firmly packed in the ice. We stoo'
looking at it in silence. There wa
some meaning after all in that myste
rious warning, was the first though
that suggested itself to me. g.,
"She's nipped bad, sir" said oil
Shiel, who, with the rest of the crew
was anxiously watching our new DIFF
covery. I was trying to make he
, out with the glass, when the fash c
gun, quickly followed by the re
port. proved that she had seen III
, Up went the flag, union downward
.. We needed no signal to know her Oil
tress. The captain ordered the SCI
ond officer off into the boat.
!, watched him as he made his way owe
! the ice with few of the men towar
I, , the ship. They soon returned wit
eight of the ships crew. 1t was
dismal account they gave OF the
:, situation. They might have save
their way out of the ice, but the shl
was so injured that she could NJ
: have fioated an hour. The large
. of their boats had been stove in, IL
others were hardly seaworthy. The
!. we're, preparing, however, to take
!. them as q last resource when our we
= come arrival put an end to their fear
= Another detachment was soon broug
off. and the captain with the renal
a der of his crew was to follow imm
tliately.
Iwent down to my cabin and tri'
to think over the singular fate whi'
Q had made us the preservers OF til
!. ships crew. I could not divest m
o self of the idea that some supernatul
agency was connected with that pap
l. in the desk, and I trembled at Z
* thought of what might have been =
I. consequence if we had neglected II
d. warning. The boat coming alongsl
s. interrupted my reverie. In few 81
onds was on deck.
y found the captain talking to q iii
:, old, sailor-like looking man, whom
IL introduced to me as Captain Squir'
10 Captain Squires shook hands with n
II and we remained talking some tin
Is could not keep my eyes off his ia
had a conviction that l had Sc
=, him somewhere, where [ could not tt
e' Every now and then Iseemed to cat
NJ at some clue, which vanished as SO
o. as touched. At last he turned rou
Ie- to speak to some Of his men. COZ
ne not be mistaken-there was the 10
white hair, the brown coat. He v
III the man I had seen writing IN
w captains cabin.
I'M That evening the captain and L t.
, 'i the story of the paper to Oapt'
lie Squires, who gravely and in sileI
Gu listened to our conjectures. He Y
- too thankful for his escape out
no such imminent peril to question
az means by which it had been brouI
H. about. At the captains request
wrote "Steer N. W." We compa
IN it with the original writing. Th
US could be no doubt of it. 1t was
10 same old cramped hand.
IL Can anyone solve the mystery?