The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-03-20
A Mystery Of the Sea

Cape Town, and the days observation
had shown that we We're about half
way between Cape Town aud Australia
when man aloft sang out that h,
could descry n ships boat about TIVE
miles away on the lce bow, For eight
cen days we had not sighted sail
We had been ms much alone on tina,
ocean as II ships and men did not OK
lst.
j., II was driving with wind and
sea. and until we fol! of our cours,
and passed II within biscuit toss we
supposed Il to be empty, Az we pass
cd II we saw Il girl crouchlng In the
bottom, and when we raised a shout
she stood up and suppllcated US with
hands and arms to save her.
The bark was brought TO the wind
and boat lowered and after 4 little
we had the girl aboard, say girl. for
she was not day over sixteen and
was Of German birth. though she
could speak English tolerably well. II
was only when sh" WAS safe aboard
that We found she had lost her mind
and was Ike child. or course the
first thing was TO overhaul the boat.
She had no name. There were few
biscuits lett. but the water key had
been empty for NJ least three days.
There werr No oars no spare clothing
not the slightest thing to give III q
clew to thu Identity of the girl or the
name OF the craft from which she must
have cast of. She had not suffered
greatly In II physical way. but was
mentally upset ana looked about her
so strangely that we wondered II she
had ever seen u ship before. She was
given spare stateroom and fell asleep
almost at once and did not open her
eyes for n.xteen hours. Meanwhile
her clothlug had heen inspected for
marks or Initials. There were none.
While the garments were seryiceable,
they belonged rather TO a wealthy girl
than poor one.
IL was hoped that when the stranger
awoke her mind world be clear and
that we should hear her story. but In
that we were disappointed She met
us with smile and asked how she
came aboard. She i!d not even recoi.
lect being taken from the boat. said
she had lost her mind. Perhaps II
would be nearer the mark TO say mem.
ory, though at the same time II could
be seen that the hardshlps she had
passed through had more or less af.
fected her mind as well. We saw how
II was almost at once and did not
crowd her From the first she seemed
to feel at home, calling each of us by
u name she had selected herself, and
she had not been with us hve days
before the captain sat down to draw
her out. There was nothing to draw.
In other words she remembered moth
ing previous TO waking up In the state
room after her long sleep She was
told that she must have been on a
ship and that there must have been
cane for her leaving II. She had no
recollection Of such thing. She must
have been going from somewhere TO
somewhere She admitted II, but could |
not name the points II she had ia
ther and mother, sisters and brothers. |
she did not know.
We were a rough lot OF men, but /
that girl had the pity and sympathy OF
every man aboard. The many tricks |
we resorted TO to call her memory |
back would make a book. The sailors |
before the mast were allowed to make |
suggestion, aud every day some new
scheme was suggested. She knew the |
uses OF the comb. brush and glass. and
she could sew. Her table manners /.
showed that she had been well reared.
She would take book and read for
hours, but II was a disputed point
with us how much she understood. We
mentioned the name OF almost every
own in Germany, but all seemed
strange to her Then we tried South
Africa, and our earnestness made her
augh merr,ly. Nothing was surer than
hat her father and mother were Ger
mans, but when German sailor
lboard sought to converse with her In
hat language she simply stared at
lin. Wherever our charts showed
hat the Germans had colony In the
Pacific we mentioned the name, but 1t
lid no good.
The girl spoke to US only In broken
ierman and was child In her ways.
;he regained her health and spirits aft.
r a few days and then wandered
bout the decks asking the name and
se Of everything she saw. She would
xclalm in her native language and
ing songs In German, but she would
ot speak It. She called the captain
ather and me Carl and was content
ot to even ask our destination. BY
nd by we saw that II was useless and
ave up trying. She had her own
tateroom, was always ready at meal
me, and one not knowing of her af-
iction would not have suspected 1t
rom anything In her actions. 1t was
My when she began to talk that you
aw her mind was a blank. She was
-eated as respectfully as II she had
cen the captains own daughter, and