The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-09-04

strangers to say that they mAdo ant.
the slightest objection when more
water and provisions were lowered into
the boat, and when the men packed.
and lowered their bags and Nancy
brought up q big bundle Of things from
the cabin. ..s5
They had no jeers or insults I'D
fling after those they had sent afoat.
but at once made more sail on the
brig and, headed her on a new course.
Nancy had struggled the chart and Z
spare compass into her bundle. and
as the boat drew away she was forced
by the wind to hold true course Tor
the English channel. There were pro-
visions in plenty, and scarcely word
was uttered before breakfast had been
served out. Then Nancy quietly asked:
Elisha. what We agotn' to do about
it," -, r.
''l'm goin' to stan to the eastward
for awhile" he replied, after thinking
it over; "1'll jest keep track Of the
Mary Ann as long as can, and it's
test-possible that we may be picked up
and have show to git her back. II
we don't meet anything by tomorrow,
and the wind allows it. Ill head for
home. though don't see how I'm ever
to hold UP my head in Boston or Salem
ag'in. They'll say was a coward not
to make fight fur it, =
''Then they'll be fools! The Dutch
men would have killed every one of
us but what they'd had the brig, and
we ought to thank heaven we got off
as we'll as we did. Don't We despair,
Elisha. We've seen some tight squeaks
but we've allus come out all right.
Don't We remember how a whale once
saved u.s."
"And the same whale may eat us
this time!"
All that day the boat ran her true
course, but as the brig bore into the
north and sailed the faster her top
sails were only a speck on the sea
when the sun went down. AS the
breeze did not fall with the sun, the
men were divided into watches, a Ian
tern was run to the head of the mast
as signal, and hour after hour, the
boat danced over the SEAS
There were two men on the look
out, but after midnight Nancy reused
up and spoke to them and found that
both Of them were asleep. She sat
down beside one Ct them in the bow,
wide awake with her thoughts, and a
long hour passed when the sight of
ship suddenly danced before her.
1t was a craft with all her sails set,
and having been taken aback she was
drifting away stern first, though this
fact was not known till later. A cry
from the woman reused everybody in
an instant, and pointing into the south
she chokingly exclaimed:
"There-there-a ship-a ship"
by Josh. and there isl" answered
Capt. Elisha second later. "Now.
men, all together and hail her"
A great shout went over the water.
but it was not answered, and neither
was light displayed. The shout wac
repeated again and again and again.
and then after long look Capt. Elisha
cried out: -----z~
why, I believe sne's an abb: ned
craft and takin' care Of herself! - Well
run right alongside in five minutes!"
They reached the decks of the
stranger to find her a ship a good deal
larger than the Mary Ann, and a search
of ten minutes proved that not living
soul was aboard. There was a dead
man though.
Lying in the main cabin, fully
dressed, was the corpse of the captain,
and a sailors sheath knife was still
sticking in his back. Murder had been
done before the ship was abandoned.
Did you ever read an account of that
ocean mystery? The ship Voorne, Capt.
Bergen, master, had set out from North
Sea ports bound for New York with a
valuable cargo. That was the craft
Capt. Hopewell found adrift in mid
ocean.
Her crew, from the mate down, were
the men who took forcible possession
of the Mary. Ann, after killing their
captain and abandoning their vessel.
What drove them to the deed of blood
why they didn't stand by their ship
afterward-where they headed for in
the stolen brig-these are questions
that have never been answered.
Perhaps the mate and his chief
quarreled and murder was done, in
passion. Then fear of the law made
the whole crew clamorous to get out
of the ship. They took nothing with
them which was not their own. II
They even left over a thousand dol
lars in gold and silver behind them. IT
any human eye ever sighted the Mary
Ann after her crew lost sight of her,
the fact has not been reported to this
day. 1t is easy to guess her fate, how
ever. She either went down in a gale
at sea or was wrecked on some IRON
bound coast to the north, and every
soul persisted.
No sooner had the body of the late
captain received burial and the ships
papers been overhauled to find her port
If destination than cho Voc hooa for