The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-10-14
20 A II:
A TRUE SEA YARN.
BY GEORGE GRIFFITH,
(Author of 1.-THE Stolen Submarine" &c)

The Oldest CT all sea superstitions,
as far as have been able to trace dur
ing many wanderings over the fields of
ocean, is that OF Jonah, and only once
have | seen it, SO far as the outer
senses are concerned, proved to the let
ter. To the sailor before the mast
Jonah" means an unlucky man. That
is to say, a man who has had no luck
IN his own life, and brings no luck
wherever he goes, especially on board
ship--and this is the story of such a
man during the period that was ship
mate with him.
Two vessels of the famous Blackwell
line left Melbourne loaded with wool
about 80 years ago. One was the Lin
colnshire, and one of the somewhat
mixed crowd forward of the mast was
an old shellback named Bill. None OF
us knew what names he had used when
he had signed on, and he never told
us. He was just Bill.
From the captains room to the fore
peak there was no man on board that
stately old craft more learned in sea
craft than Bill was. From truck to
kelson there was nothing about a sail
ing ship that he didn't know, and yet
he had not been many days at sea
before Bill, stranger to all of us, as
we mostly were to each other, began 10
be looked upon with suspicion. he
was IAN unlucky man" Little jobs
that he did as we'll as any man on the
Seven seas could do them somehow
went wrong while the work OF novice
held good, and, worse than all, he had
the fatal gift of prophecy
We lost the Somersetshire the first
night out, and Bill said as she faded
away into the twilight:
Well we'll see her again before We
see old England"
The morning that we sighted Staten
island that pyramid of rock which is
commonly called Cape Horn was as
fine and bright as you would see a
spring morning off the coast OF Eng
land. and not much colder. The sea
was smooth; we had fair wind, ana
there were only few white fieecy
streamers of cloud in the sky. Every
one on board seemed to think that we
should get safely round that dreaded
corner of the earth; but when I came
on deck at seven bells (7.30) that
morning | saw Bill standing on the
forecastle head
81 guess we'll see that - thing
again." he said, before we've done
with it."
He was right Within an hour or SO
the barometer went down with a jump
and all hand were hard at work short
ening sail. Square masses OF fog, each
distinct from the other, and konwn as
Cape Horn blankets" were looming
m round the southeastern horizon
That afternoon the tempest burst on
us. Then came 20 days of stress ano
strife and struggle, during which the
gallant old ship was driven mile by
mile down toward the icy solitudes Of
the South Shetlauds.
It would take many pages to tell the
story of that fight for life and the hope
OF home, but in the end we got
slant of wind, and, true enough, We
saw Staten island again. rms Time
we got round and caught the goof
Southwestern, and for days and DAY;
more we tore away northward under
every stitch we could carry, and Ger
tain daring spirits ventured the opin
ion that we should have good voyage
home.
1T amt over yet, sonny said Bill
There may be some of us won't SCI
the end Of 1t.
1t was only few days after Thu
that a sudden and unexpected orde
came to shorten sail. All hands wer
on deck and we stripped her. unit
the big ship was under bare poles will
only three fore and alters set. Thel
the spanker was brailed up AM
furled, and still the wind kept drop
ming and shifting and putting from
different places, and then came nigh
and silence-night so black that
could not have looked blacker to
hind man, and silence made, If pos
sible. more intense by the occasiona
fan of sail. or the clack OF rop