Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-09-09

strangers to say that they made not
the slightest objection when more
water and provisions were lowered In
to the boat, and when the men packed
and lowered their bags and Nancy
brought up big bundle Of things from
the cabin.
They had no jeers or insults TO fling
after those they had sent atloat, but
at once made more sail on the brig
and headed her on q new course.
Nancy had struggled the chart and a
spare compass into her bundle, and
as the boat drew away she was forced
by the wind to hold true course for
the English channel. There were
provisions in plenty, and scarcely q
word was uttered before breakfast had
been served out. Then Nancy quietly
asked:
Elisha, what We goin' to do about
it?"
I'm goin' to stan to the eastward
for awhile he replied, after thinking
it over. "I'll jest keep track of the
Mary Ann as long as l can, and it's
Jest possible that we may be picked
up and have a show to git her back.
If we don't meet anything by to-mor-
row, and the wind allows it. I'll head
for home, though l don't see how I'm
ever to hold up my head in Boston
or Salem ag'in. They'll say l was
coward not to make a fight fur it."
| ho fnn1cf Tho ,fnh
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 whale once
saved us?"
"And the same whale may eat us
this timer
All that day the boat ran her true
course, but as the brig bore into the
north and sailed the faster her topsails
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 lantern
was run to the head of the mast head
of the mast as a 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 of them in the bow,
wide-awake with her thoughts Of the
sudden change in their fortunes, and
a long hour passed when the sight Of
a ship suddenly danced before her.
It was 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 every
body in an instant, and pointing into
the south she chokingly exclaimed:
"There-there-a ship-a ship!'
"By Josh, and there isv' answered
Captain Elisha a second later. "Now,
men, all together and hail her."
A great shout went over the water,
but it was not answered, and neither
was a light displayed. The shout was
repeated again and again and again,
and then after long look Captain
Elisha cried out:
"Why, 1 believe she's an abandoned
craft and 'takin' care Of herself! Well
run right alongside in five minutesw
They reached the decks Of the
! stranger to find her ship of good
deal larger than the Mary Ann, and
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, Cap
tian Bergen, master, had set out from
North Sea ports bound for New York
with a valuable cargo. That was the
craft 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-there are questions
that have never been answered.
| Perhaps the mate and his chief quar-
/ relied and murder was done in pas
sion. 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
They even left over a thousand dol
lars In gold and silver behind them.
If 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, however. She either went down
in a gale at sea Or was wrecked on