Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-05-24
CHAPTER I,


stiffness Of the atmosphere was phe-
nomenal, even in the latitudes where a
great calm reigns from month to month.
1t is almost impossible to present to
northern eyes this picture of a southern
sea cleaning beneath a sun which had
known no cloud for weeks; impossible to
portray the brilliant monotony of it all
with any degree of reality. The sun
rises day by day, week in and week out,
unclouded from the straight horizon,
sails right overhead, and at last sinks
westward undimmed by thinnest vapor.
Month after month, year after year. aye,
century after century, this days work
Is performed. The scorching orb of light
rises at the same monotonous hour and
sets, just as he did when this world was
one vast ocean, with but one ship sail
ing ON it.
Frim the dark, mysterious depths Of
the ocean, wavering ripples mounting
In radiation to the surface, broke at
times the blue uniformity of its bosom.
Occasionally a delicate nautilus f1oated
along before some unappreciable breath,
presently to fold its sails and disappear.
Long trailers of seaweed floating idly
almost seemed to be endowed With
sinuous life and movement.
No bird in the air, no fish in the sea !.
Nothing to break the awful silence! A
wreck might float and drift here or there
upon these aimess waters for years to-
gether and never be found.
But Chance, the fckle, ruled that two
vessels should break the monotony of
sea and sky on this particular afternoon.
,:,xl,, yx-it "a
ing lasts. perfect in itself, an ideal
merchantman. The other, small, of ex-
quisite yacht-like form, and with every
outward sign of great speed Obtaina-
BILE
There was obviously something amiss
with the larger vessel Instead of white
sails aloft on every spar, bare poles
and slack ropes stood nakedly against
the blue ether.
In contrast, the other carried every
foot of canvas. Carried it literally; for
the white cloth hung mostly idle. only
at times Tapping softly to breath OF
air that was not felt on deck. Since
dawn the smaller vessel had been stead
lily, though very slowly, decreasing the
distance between them, and now there
were signs of activity on her deck, as
though boat were about to be lowered.
Across the silent waters trilled the call
of a boats~an's whistle. The vessel
was plainly a man-ofwar. AS a matter
of fact, she was one of the quick sailing
schooners built and designed by the Brit
ish government for the suppression of
the slave trade on the west coast of At
RIGA.
Every knob of brass cleaned in the
sun. every inch of deck was holy-stoned
as white as milk. Aloft no rope was
frayed, no seizng adrift. 1t was easy
to see that this trim vessel carried a
large crew under strict discipline.
And now the melodious song of sailors
hauling together floated through the
gltterng air to the great vessel of the
dead. No answering cry was heard
no expectant faces peered over the
black bulwarks. The signal flags, DO
you want help?" hung unnotced. The
scene was suggestive Of that fable tell
ing of a mouse proffering aid to a lion;
the huge still merchantmen could have
taken the slave catcher upon its broad
decks.
Presently boat left the smaller YES
sci and skinned over the water, impell-
ed by sharp, regular strokes. The sound
of the oars alone broke the silence of
Nature.
In the stern of the boat sat a square
shouldered little man, whose brown face
and glistening chestnut beard pleasant
" suggestive of cleanly refinement, com
bined with readiness Of resource. His
pleasant eyes were scarcely hazel, and
10 los iha1
cause the two colors were mixed. AS
the boat approached the great mer-
chairman, this officer formed his two
hands into a circle and raised his prac-
ticed voice.
"Ahoy-there
There was no reply; and moment or
two later the small boat swung in be-
neath the high bulwarks There was a
rope hanging almost to the water. and
with a quick jerk the young fellow scram-
bed up the ships side like monkey.
Three of the boats crew prepared to fol-
low him.
He sat for moment balanced on the
bistered rail, and then leaped lightly on
to the deck Between the planks the pitch
had oozed up and glstened like jet, in
some places the seasoned wood had warp
ed He stood for a moment alone amid
the tangled ropes, and there were beads
of perspiration on his brown forehead. 1t
is 10 pleasant duty to board a derelict
ship. for somewhere or other there will
probably be an unpleasant sight, such as
is remembered through the remainder Of
the behoder's life.
There was something crude and hard
In the entire picture. In the merciless.
almost shadowless light of a midday sun
every detail stood out in hard outline.
The perfect ship, with its forlorn, bedrag
gled deck; the clean spars towering up
into the heavens, with their loose cord
age. their clumsily furled sails; and upon
the moss grown deck this squareshoulder
ed little officer-trim, seaman-like,
prompt, amid the universal slackness-
the sun cleaning on his white cap and
gilt buttons.
While he stood for a moment hestat
Ing. he heard strange, unknown sound.
1t was more like the rattle in choking
mans throat than anything else that he
could think of. He turned quickly, and
stood gazing upon the saddest sight he
had yet seen in all his life. Over the
tangled ropes the COUNT figure of a white
dog was creeping toward him. This poor
dumb brute was most piteous and heart
rending for the very dumbness of its
fouyua pndoupd ira bioodshot sta ring