Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10

the frame Call her Spanish Mr.. Ward
though it makes TO odds.
What I've figured out is this She went
bust, say, forty degrees west an the same
north, an the southeast arm o. the gulf
stream bore her past the Azores. Then
she got south into the equatorial current
an drtfted west until the flow splits on
San Rogue, when down she came south
again until she caught the antarctic drift,
an crawled away east on the fortieth par
allel. Somewhere near st. Paul's a wind
took her. and away she went into the ice,
where Clark made out she lay 200 years
an more. Long or short, it's there. to
the best of my belief, that bit o. china
metal went aboard Of her; though that,
like the reckoning I've laid out for her, is
nothin' better than guesswork. It's mighty
little We know OF what goes on in the pack
Ice way south, an one things sure. in
the ice she was. The pulpy sickness of
her timbers proved that. For while We
sat eying her, then says Clark:
"A corpse, boys, that's what she is-a
corpse
"A corpse that doesn't want no bury
in. answers Brady. Ieastways, not till
we've done with her. Here, skipper, give
up a tot o rum all round, an let's go
aboard. I've had as MUCH of a half-inch
plank as is good for me health
But Clark had word to say. She's
100 years old. maybe 200, maybe 800; hap
pen she's rotten
Rotten yourself" cried Brady. swirl
ing the boat round with a dash of his oar;
look how she floats. I'm for boarding her,
anyhow. Sixteen hundred miles in an open
boat. when l can have sound bottom UNI
der me and deck over head? Not likelyr
mo more passed until We were squarely
alongside the hulk. Still, for all Bardys
talk, the more l saw, the less l liked. But
Brady had no doubts.
" Saints be good to u.s. said he cheer
fully, an standing up the thwart he
gripped the edge OF the port an looked in
the upper port, you understand; the I'M
der one was close on the waters edge an
ighf hot CT.
| u.s. he said again, but as if he had more
need Of the goodness. an wasn't so sure
1t was to be had for the asking
"'Wel?' said Clark. 'Well?'
| But 1t wasn't until the hull had swung
| two or three times that Brady answered.
| The skylight's covered over, but I'm
thinking Davy Jones is aboard. for / see
! what's like a bundle o. clothes on the floor
| Best shin up an whip the tarpaulin off,
i " If one Sims up says 1, we all shin up
| We stick together. whether here or there
All it is says Brady an up he climbs,
with the painter round the crook Of his arm
| The port gave n foothold an from
there he could get grip O. the edge O. the
| deck; but. all the same. it was no easy job
Once on deck, he made the rope fast round
| the stump o the mast, so that me an Clark
| had an easy road
| The sea takes man to many a queer
| spot, Mr.. Ward, but never to a queerer than
| that old hulk. Where we stood was more
| like the round top of a tower than a ship's
! deck, an though I'm no more a coward
| than another, Ia have no stomach for
! gale o wind on such craft. But the color
| was queerer than the build Twas all
! grayish white, smooth as an egg an spongy
| like sodden cork. so spongy that our boots
] left the print o the big nails clear up to
! the fiat o the sole, an where Clark's was
| split on the heel there was the split shown
| sharp an clean with every tramp
| :" Ice says he again. Ice an freezin an
| thawin' and dryin and soakin' an freezin'
| That's what that means
| The only part of the deck where we
| stood that wasn't flush as the palm o.
| your hand was the skyIight. 1t ran up the
/ middle o the poop an it was longish an
| low. l reckon 1t served as a seat in the
| days the old scow wasn't a corpse Brady
| was right when he said 1t was covered
| over but 'twasn't with tarpaulins Maybe
| they didn't have tarpaulins in those days
| If not. they had what was as good four
] or five. or perhaps eight or ten thicknesses
| o canvas and blankets but SO matted that
no man could tell which was one an which
| was tother, the rain an the spray an the
! wind an the sun had beat them SO solid.
| Tags o cordage hangin' from the rings at
] the sides showed how they had been ashed
| but the ropes had wore out long before an
| what held them in their place was a criss-
cross o chain. stout enough once maybe
/ but rusted to fneness of weddin' ring.
The whole was dirty. washed-out gray,