Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-10-30
Arson dear indeed. for only after year,
Of obloquy and sorrow, vain efforts and
journeyings to the "Eelynois." far
country, was a husband for, her at last
secured.


1" HE huge fore and aft sails of a
three masted schooner swung
Rs5S,S! lazily to starboard, half filed
with wind, and the graceful
craft glided from the harbor of Batavia,
in the island of Java, toward the sea.
She was the schooner Mascot, British.
Liverpool, Captain LOOMS, laden with |
coffee, and had cleared for Philadel- |
phia, with commission to touch at |
Samoa and at Buenos 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 harhor, and
with it had been burned everything
they possessed.
place in which to loiter during those
clustering midsummer days. The bu-
bonic plague ragged virulently. Men
and women-natives, nearly all, to be
sure-dropped dead in the streets al
most without warning. Business was
at standstill. Ships bound in OBJ
served the warning signals and scud-
ded seaward again without dropping
anchor, and 1t had seemed rs 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 off
the Kraaliund, meaningless name for
n detached wharf which lies about 30
fathoms off the western extremity of
hope, and the two men lost no time in
boarding her and, finding that she was
shorthanded, were readily accepted by
the bluff and hearty master, one as
mate and the other as able seaman.
Afraid of the plague" shouted Cap
tain LOOMS when. before leaping 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.
It's the lubberly plague that has made
me short handed. Both my mates and
two of my men have gone under and
been shotted home but l reckon the
rest of us are fireproof. Come aboard,
come aboard, lads; IL you want to sign
articles, I'm your man. Are you Eng
lishmenW
mo. sir; Americans" replied one of
them. '"That is. my friend here is real
ly a Norwegian. Thorgensen by name.
l was master and lie first mate of the
bark Schuylkill of Philadelphia, burned
in this harbor eight weeks ago. My
name is Craddock."
"And you wish to ship with me, eh %
'sThat we do. sir"
The arrangement was speedily con-
Guided. Craddock became first mate of
the schooner. and the gigantic Nor
wegian gladly accepted a place in the
fo'castle. The Mascot had arrived
from Sumatra twhere one of her crew
had contracted the plague) in ballast,
and her captain was determined as
| soon as he could take ON cargo of
coffee to slip his cable and be off.
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 the
Torres strait. and thence across the
1 Coral sea, between the New Hebrides
and the Santa Cruz islands, to Samoa.
/ For a week all went we'll 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
a corpse. During the succeeding night
q sailor persisted In the focnstle; 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 Thorgensen
found themselves sole survivors of all
who had sailed out of the harbor OF
Batavia aboard the schooner Mascot
IA days agone.
They were at that time about 81
miles to the eastward of Torres strait
for the schooner was slow, and sh,
had been several times becalmed
They consulted long and earnestly re
garding the best course to pursue now
that they were alone aboard q vesse
much too bulky for two men to handle
In anything more than a lazy breeze
To turn back was out of the question
since what little wind there was IL
those ATTITUDES at that season Of tn,
year was always contrary. and, be
sides, they had experienced quit,
enough Of Batavia. 1t was possibl,
that they might make an Australian
port If they could succeed in crossing
the Coral sea and striking the northern
arm of the south equatorial drift whicl
makes to the southwark on eli. Ter sid
of the southern Australia current, b,
which. for several hundred miles, 1t Il
divided In twain. On the other hand
If they could succeed in crossing til,
Coral sea without accident they wouIt
be much nearer Samoa. and well. the,
tossed coin and decided upon til,
original destination.
u Neither had experienced any symp
toms Of the plague. and both believed
themselves exempt. They. however
took the preraution to thoroughly fumi
gate the schooner In the hope that the,
might speak some craft which .woult
afford them assistance.
They passed through Torres stral
and out upon the Coral sea. and ther'
for days and days they floated idly In
dead calm days which heightened Int,
weeks until they almost ceased to keel
note OF the flight of time nor bothered
i themselves with the customary mldda,
observations at a time when latitud,
and longitude could change only by 8,
small fraction that 1t became q
seemingly useless task. Time enough
to take their bearings when there was
breeze cnoigh to render them valuable
they thought. But they forgot or the!
did not know the influence Of the coun
ter currents which make through the
| Coral sea. Influenced by sudden anG
fierce tempests and by subterranear
commissions which abound In that re