The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-05-27

vessel ever | saw in 50 years o sea
farm. So help me God, sir, I saw
it with my own eyes, as plain as I'm
lOokin' at you, 1t was histed up all
O. 20 feet above the lower ice-feld, an
sort O. careened over where it was
frOZe fast so as to show the decks
amidships clear TO the inner rail. You
remember them ships what Columbus
sailed in? Well this hooker was that
kind. only a blame sight bigger.
guessed her at $50 or 900 ton, but she
had the same sort O. build-a big high
stern, with an after-cabin clear acrost
it, the waist sunk down in a curve. an
the fo'castle raised up like a house
with blunt bows. an a monster bow
spirit forkin' straight up into the air.
The whole outfit was so cased with
ice an glittered so in the sun that il
seemed like a part o the ice cliff,
which had took that queer shape from
thawin' an freezin'. Damme II
didn't think il was somethin like that
for a minute-a blame freak o nature
but when | grabbed the glasses, an
got good look through them, it was a
ship all right the kind you read
about in the books what navigated
these waters a hundred or more years
ago ! was still a-starin' at it with all
my eyes when we raised the stern,
which stood h'isted up a bit higher
than the bow, an where the steady
dash Of the waves didn't break clean
over it, an the sun fell just right so
| read the hooker's name. BY God.
did, sir, It was there plain as day:
Donna Isabel. Cadiz."
The change in the man speaking
held me breathless; his cant. his usu-
ally oily method of utterancc had
merged into an earnestness full of
fascination.
Well, that was about all, sir" his
voice sinking back into commonplace.
In two hours we were out o sight,
an feelin' our way through a blindin'
snow squall But it was such a rum
thing, discoverin' them islands out
there all unCharted, with that queer
ghost ship perchn' on EN-, that !
wrote down the latitude an longitude
an the hoOker'S name in my log-booll.
We was about three weeks maxim the
West Falklands, where | shipped a
few more hands. an then bore away
north for home"
He drew plug of tobacco from out
his coat-tail pocket, cut off what he
needed and slowed it away in his
cheek. He ran his fingers through his
thin hair, and resumed
About IS months later | was back
with the OF Betsy in the South Pa
citic. One night, with the moon shin
in, hardly a ripple anywhere, my
mate run her nose onto a rock. a
couple O hundred miles south O. Eas-
ter island, an in less than 20 minutes
the bark had gone down like a stone.
We made Easter island in the boa S
without much trouble, but il want so
easy to get away. ! had six weeks of
1t before | got a chance, an then |
shipped afore the mast on a sandal
wood trader. De Nova here was mate.
an finally, huntin goods to peddle
among the islanders, we sailed into
Valparaiso, an the most of US shipped
out Well, by that time I wasn't
thinkin' very often about that ice
ship down in the Antar'tic; | was
hustin for some sort O. berth to take
me back to the States But one night,
down in Rodrigues' back room. where
| hung out, | got to talkin' with a
gambler named Francisco-the same
smooth duck who Introduced himself
as De Castillo to you. sir He was an
educated man, an seemed to like to
hear me talk, an among other sea
yarns | happened to tell him this one.
He seemed mighty interested. although
he wasn't never given to seafarin'
an asked me a whole pile O. fool ques-
lions. Finally he wanted TO meet me
again alone the next day
Well having nothin' better to do,
I was there when he came. an he
showed up with a queer-ookin. big,
OF book, the cover half ripped off.
under his arm. Then he made me tell
him that yarn over again. and de-
scribe the ship jest exactly as | re-
membered it. Then, when I'd got
through an told him everything |
could dig out O my memory, ne opened
up that book O his on the table an
damme. sir, II he didn't show me a
picture of that same OF hooker, plain
as life, only everything was trim an
shipshape on board, with the masts up
an the sails DRAWN. The name was
printed underneath, too-Donna lisa
bel, Cadiz.
That book he showed me was
printed in Spanish-not Just like what
you see to-day, sir. but the letterin' all
rough as though II had been cut out
o wood, but the fellow showed me the
date when il was printed, an It read
Seville, 1779,' plain enough. Francisco
wrote out in English what he said was
printed there about this Donna lisa
bel; an there it is, sir, in his own
handwritin'"
He took the paper out of his inner
coat pocket and spread it open on
the table before us De Nova and
| Anderson leaned forward eagerly &c
look at it, but futile showed it along
| toward me.
Read it out loud. sir" he said. his
voice trembling The writing was not
clear. and | held IL up to the light.