The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-06
THE NANELESS SHIP.
IN ANnREw c. EWINo.

said the centenarian OF the Sailors
Snug Harbor; 'twa'n't circumstance
TO the phantom ship my gran'father
used to tell me about when was a
boy. The old man was pretty nigh AZ
old as | am now when be told 1t to
me and had sailed the Spanish main
when pirates there was thicker n
bumboatS about a newly arrived Amer
lean ship or Fayal And my gram
father seen her, too. with his own two
eyes and her wild cap'n on his Wild
ship. He was the fust pirate to git
his deserts. Hangin' don't do it,
that's only killin' But I'll tell you
the story as my gran'father told II.
"a ship-my grau'father didn't know
her name. fact Is, she didn't have a
name: some said that, beln' intended
for phantom from the start. she
sailed without name-weIl, this
nameless ship sailed from Medford
with a cargo O rum and gold and
silver bars. She headed for West
Indian port but got int the doldrums
and was SO long without a breeze that
the water and provisions give out. The
crew was reduced to chewin' the leath-
err 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 tin the most endurin' o. the crew
give in and their sperits went aloft.
When the last man had persisted, there
bein' nothIn more for the doldrums
to do, the wind sprung up and the ship
sailed away with her crew OF dead.
''The wind bein' cut o. the nor'east,
the ship KEEP on her course toward the
West indies. Then 1t was that Juan
Castres. the NEST onmerciful pirate
that ever sailed the Spanish main, saw
her and chased her It was an easy
matter TO catch her, though every rag
was set and she was a fine sailer. for,
bella withoss helmsman-at least a
Twin one-she'd luff now and then
and have to wait for her sails to fiji
again. When the pirate come up with
her the dusk Of night was settlin'
down. and all the pirstes could see
was a figure behind the wheel another
leanin' up ag'in the tafirail and others
scattered about 10 different positions
where they'd died.
"But Castres, SEEM the ship hadn't
guns for defense. drifted up beside her
when the wind lulied and, leavin' some
Of hts men to make fast, jumped |
aboard bis prize. The two vessels
bumped aud separated. At that mo-
ment a sudden puf o. wind struck 'em. /
The pirate had lowered most Of hts /
sails, and before she could get 'em up
again the ship without name sailed
away from her into the thick night. /
and that's the last the pirate seen o
her.
s'rhe next seen o. the nameless ship /
was <by Britisher Cap'n Castres
was at the wheel singin' and shoutin'
and laughin' and THROWN his arms I
about he had found himself alone on
a ship with nothin' but dead men.
though she was the richest prize be
had ever taken, with the easiest cargo
to dispose Of. gold and silver bars,
with rum enough to kees him drunk
FOR the rest Of bis natural life. Wheth-
er drinkin' the rum helped him t. 10
mad or crew of dead men was
enough 70 do It, nobody didn't know,
but he was mad sure enough--stark,
starin' mad--a-swearin' at bis dead
crew Just as though they was alive,
and be must have found plenty Of am
munition. for be was pInggIn EN- all
the while One o. the sailors on the
Britisher recognized castres. for he
had been taken by the pirate, forced
10 walk the plank and got picked up.
he told the eap'n, and the cap'n turned
away without even speakin' the other
ship
THE next seen o. the nameIcss,'
as the Britishers called her. was by an
Italian brig. There was more super
stition among the italians than the
Englishmen, and, seein' a crew o dead
men commanded by mad pirate. they
nil knelt on deck and crossed their
selves Then the cap'n, who was the
only man among EN- that had any
sand at all, took the helm and sailed
on another course as quick as be could
go about
"But what I've been a-comin' to all
along is the time my granfather seen
the phantom for after some years
sailin' about, seen BY var'ns craft, that's
what they called her 1t was one
evenin on the equator. Ny gran
father was young Teller o. nineteen,
an he'd heard o. the nameless, as she
was then called. when he was six
years old 50, you see, the story's
true. Welh the sun was a-settin',
goin down into the water big enough
to take ia a dozen craft on the horizon,
when suddenly ship seemed to come
up near by. as if out O. the ocean, and
sailed right between him and the sun.
On deck was Capn Castres leanin'
over the gun'ale shakin' his Est, his
eyes a-glarin' and horrible sounds COM
h. out Of his throat The phantom
must a. ratified considerable, for only
her ribs was to be seen agin the sun,
ooItin' for all the world like a grid
IRON on redhot FIRE.
The phantom always brought bad
luck. Ships seen her in the early
at twilight. after sunset By
or in a storm. She was al
ways scuddin' breeze OF no breeze,
manned by dead men and steered by
The mad pirate And no ship ever
sighted her that didn't either have a
plague aboard afterward or 60 ashore
II strike a rock or somepin terrible.
llT,.et 90 e. Nnr.l pa fnrd and 81.