Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-07-20
THE NAMELESS SHIP
sy ANDREw c. EWING.

salu the centenarian Of the Sailors |
snug 'Harbor; "'twa'n't circumstances |
70 the phantom ship nv gran,fatber
used to tell me about when 7 woo a
oOS Inc OLD man was pretty nigh as |
Ol0 as l am now when he told II 10 |
me ana had sailed the Spanish main
When pirates there was thicker m
DumDoats about newly arrived Amer. |
lcan snip on Fayal And my gran
Iather seen her, too, with his own two
eyes and her wild cap'n on his wild
snip de was the fust pirate to git
ms deserts. Hangin' don't do IT.
tnars only killin' But I'll tell Won
tne story as my gran'father told IL.
"A ship-my gran'father didn't know
her name; fact is, she didn't have a
name; some said that, bein' intended
Tor phantom from the start. she
sailed without a name-well. this
nameless ship sailed from Medford
with a cargo o. rum and gold and
silver bars. She headed for a West
indian port, but got into the doldrums
ana was so long without breeze that
the water and provisions give out. The
crew was reduced to chewin' the leath.
er OF their boots; but, as for water
there was none even to be got from
damp out o. the sails. The weakest
died fust. then the stronger, and so
ON till the most endurin' o. the crew
give In and their sperits went aloft
When the last man had persisted, there
Dein nothin' more for the doldrums
to do, the wind sprung up and the ship
sailed away with her crew of dead.
The wind bein' out o. the nor'east.
the ship KEEP on her course toward the
West Indies. Then 1t was that Juan
Castres. the most onmercifuI pirate
that ever sailed the Spanish main. saw
her and chased her. 1t was an easy
matter to catch her, though every rag
was set and she was a fine sailer, for.
beiE' withoW' a helmsman-at least q
Twin one-she'd luff now and then
and have to walt for her sails to fiji
again. When the pirate come up with
her the dusk of night was settlin
down, and all the pirates could see
was figure behind the wheel, another
leanin' up ag'in the taffrail and others
scattered about in different positions
where they'd died.
But Castres, SEEM the ship hadn't
guns for defense, drifted up beside her
: when the wind lulled and, leavin' some
!: of his men to make fast, jumped
; aboard his prize. The two vessels
] bumped and separated. At that mo
: ment a sudden pun o. wind struck 'em
> The pirate had lowered most of his
t sails, and before she could get 'em up
again the ship without a name sailed
! away from her into the thick night.
l and that's the last the pirate seen o
, her
: The next seen O. the nameless ship
b was by a Britisher. Cap'n Castres
/ was at the wheel singin' and shoutin'
, and iaughin' and THROWN his arms
. about. He had found himself alone on
a ship with nothin' but dead men,
( though she was the richest prize he
1 had ever taken, with the easiest cargo
to dispose of, gold and silver bars,
!. with rum enough to keOS him drunk
r for the rest Of his natural life. Wheth-
a err drinkin' the rum helped him to go
t mad or a crew of dead men was
enough to do 1t, nobody didn't know,
but he was mad sure enough-stark
4 starin' mad-a-swearin' at his dead
. crew Just as though they was alive,
A and be must have found plenty of am
munition, for he was pluggin' EN- all
r the while. One o. the sailors on the
a Britisher recognized Castres, for he
e had been taken by the pirate, forced
q TO walk the plank and got picked up
e He told the cap'n, and the cap'n turned
a away without even speakin' the otheI
b ship.
L ..The next seen o. the nameless,
r as the Britishers called her. was by an
r Italian brig. There was more super
p stition among the Italians than the
ia Englishmen, and, SEEM a crew o dead
men commanded by mad pirate, they
all knelt on deck aud crossed their
q selves. Then the cap'n, who was tho
n only man among 'em that had any
- sand at all. took the helm and sailed
5. on another course as quick as be coult
n go about.
m .Rut what I'VE been a-cOmin' to oil
d along is the time my granfather seer
A the phantom for after some year
n sailIn' about. seen by var'us craft. that
ID what they called her. II was on,
70 eyenIn' on the equator. My gran
"A father was a young teller o nineteen
- an he'd heard o. the nameless,' as sh'
- was then called. when he was 81
wears old. So. you see, the story
At true. Well. the sun was a-setuh
m goin' down into the water big enougl
n 10 take in a dozen craft on the horizon
: when suddenly a ship seemed to com
y mn near by. as II out o the ocean am
- sailed right between him and the sun
3 ON deck was Cap'n Castres ieanlI
% over the gun'ale shakin' his bst. al
- eyes a-glarin' and horrible sounds con
=. In out Of his throat. The phantom
IA must "a ratified considerable. for onl
% her ribs was to be seen ag'in the sur
Iookin' for all the world Ike grid
"a iron on a redhot FIRE.
ne The phantom always brought Ca