West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-10-10


TT HE huge fore and aft sails OF n
i three mastc,l schooner swung
ETrsSi lazily to starboard. half filed
SSSy with wind. and the graceful
crait giided from the harbor OF Batavia.
In the island Of Java. toward the sea.
She was the schooner Mascot. British.
Liverpool, Captain Loomis, laden with
coffee, and had cleared for Phlladel-
phia, with commission to touch at
Samoa and at Bueuos Ayres en- route
On board were two men who for
months had been awaiting an oppor-
tunity to ship aboard homeward
bound vessel of any description, for the
bark that had brought them to that far
corner of the world. one as master and
the other as mate, had been DESTROYED
by fire while lying in the harbor, and
with II had been burned everything
they possessed.
Batavia had not been n pleasant
place In which 10 loiter during those
blistering midsummer days. The bu-
bonic plague ragged virulently. Men
and women-nativcs, nearly all. to be
sure-dropped dead I'm the streets al
most without warning. Business was
at a standstill. Ships bound I'm OBJ
served the warning signals and scud-
ded seaward again without dropping
anchor, and II had seemed as IL the
two sailors were fated TO remain there
always until the Mascot poked her
nose through the morning mists one
day In August and came to anchor of
the Kraalund, a meaningless name for
detached wharf which lies about 30
fnthoms of the western extremity OF
the hnrbor With the schooner came
hope and the two men lost no time In
boarding her and, finding that she was
shorthanded, were readily accepted 10y
the blum and hearty master, one as
mate and the other as able seaman.
Afraid OF the plague?" shouted Can
tain Loomis when, before leaning the
rail, they warned him OF the danger
which threatened all who anchored in
the harbor of Batavia. "God bless you,
lads, 1t is everywhere this voyage.
ltsSsle lubberly plague that has made
me short handed. Both my mates and
two of my men have gone under and
been shotted homo. but reckon the
rest of us are fireproof Come aboard.
come aboard, lads: II you want TO sign
articles, I'm your man. Are you Eng.
lishmenY
NO. sir; Americans" replied one OF
them. THAT is. my friend here Is real
ly Norwegian. Thorgensen by name.
L was master and he first mate of the
bark Schuylklll OF Philadelphia. burned
In this harbor eight weeks ago My
name Is Craddock."
"And you wish to ship with me. ehY'
THAT we do. sir"
The arrangement WAS speedily con.
cluded. Craddock became first mate OF
the schooner. and the gigantic Nor.
wegian gladly accepted place In the
fo'castle. The Mascot had arrived
from Sumatra (where one OF her crew
had contracted the plague) In ballast.
and her captain was determined rs
soon as he could TAKE on n cargo OF
coffee TO slip his cable and be cff.
Fate willed. however that he should
clear In due form of law, and so the
day came when the schooner put TO
sea. Her course was laid through the
tortuous sea OF Java, through tho
Torres strait, and thence across the
Coral sea. between the New Hebrldes
and the Santa Cruz islands, to Samoa.
For a week all went well. Then.
without warning, that terrible palsy
which precedes the relentless stroke OF
the plague seized the captain In its
awful grasp. and in two hours he was
n corpse. During the succeeding night
n sailor perished In the focastle; an
other followed at midday, and still an
other ere the sun had set again. and
on the seventh day after the death OF
the captain Craddock and Tborgensen
found themselves sole survivors of all
who had sailed out of the harbor Of
Batavia aboard the schooner Mascot
II days agone.
They were at that time about so
miles TO the eastward OF Torres strait.
for the schooner was slow, and she
had been several times becalmed.
They consulted long and earnestly re-
garding the best course 20 pursue now
that they were alone aboard n vessel
much too bulky for two men to handle
in anything more than n lazy breeze.
To turn back was out OF the question.
since what little wind there was I'm
those latitudes-at that season Of the
year was always contrary. and. be.
sides. they had experienced quite
enough OF Batavia. II was possible
that they might make an Australian
port n they could succeed In crossing
the Coral sen and striking the northern
arm OF the south equatorial drift which
makes TO the soutbward on either side
OF the southern Australia current, bv
which. for several hundred miles. II Is
divided IN twain. On the other hand.
" they could succeed I'm crossing the
Coral sea without accident they would
be much nearer Samoa. and-wen. thcy
tossed coin and decided upon the
original destination.
Neither bad experienced any symp.
toms Of the plague. and both believed
themselves exempt. They however.
took tlie precaution TO thoroughly fumi
gate the schooner IN the hope that thoy
might speak some craft which would
afford them assistance.
They passed through Torres strait
and out upon the Coral sea. and there
fof days and days they noatcd idly ina
dead calm days which heightened into
weeks until they almost cpsepd To- Keep
note Of The hight Of time nor bothered
themselves with the customary midday
observations 90 time when latitude
aud longitude could change only by so
small n fraction that 70 became n
seemingly useless task. Time enough
TO take their bearings when there was
breeze enough to render them valuable.
ihcy thought. But they forgot or they
did not know the influence Of the coun-
ter currents which make through the
Coral sea. influenced by sudden and