Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-12-09
A GH0STLY
BATTLE AT SEA
Strange Visions BeheId by a
Shipwrecked Mariner.

uOE heauS VI pfopoiAhAB tho VchooL
gave myself up for lost.
was lying on the deck only partly
conscious when l heard or thought
heard a ships bell. It struck six times.
and knew that the hour was
o'clock. knew It was evening. for
the full moon mingled its rays with the
long twilight Of that high latitude.
Rising. crawled to the gunwale and
looked over the starboard quarter.
A vessel hying the stars and stripes
was sailing past with all her canvas
set And what a vessel! She was
built up very high In the poop and cut
away at the bow. sort OF PROV pro-
jecting with ngurehead She was a
man-of-war. with ports open. showing
the muzzles OF her guns counted
fourteen guns on her main deck and
four astern on deck below. This was
her broadside. The officers wore uni
form which l had seen In pictures OF
a hundred or more years ago. A slen-
der man stood ON the quarterdeck
with glass to his eye. Looking In
the direction 1t pointed. saw another
ship similar In build. also a man-of-
war. The British ensign was ut her
peak. There were other vessels scat
tered about. but l took no notice of
them. being profoundly interested In
these two. evidently about to meet In
combat.
The American wore ship and backed
his topsail. bringing his broadside to
bear on the Englishman. saw n
man on the latter cry out evidently
to hall the other. but heard no sound.
A second time he hailed. saw smoke
leap from the Americans side. and
still heard no sound
was too weak to stand longer and
sank back on the deck. On the one
hand was the moon silently mounting
the sky, on the other the fierce though
silent battle. Both passed from my
vision for a time.
1t was now night, and I could see
only by moonlight The American was
lashed to the Englishman's forward
anchor. The man l had seen on the
quarterback was firing shots at his
enemies. who seemed to be endeavor-
Ing to cut the vessels loose. Marines
were loading the pieces for him. and
he picked or every man who approach
ed the lashings.
Meanwhile the Britisher was firing
her guns right through the Americans
main deck. could see that the Amer
leans dark hulk had settled In the wa
ter. Then light burst forth between
decks. "She win burn II she does not
sink" said, "and she will sink IL she
does not burn"
And then came the strangest thing
of all. could see by the 6relight men
on the doomed vessel bailing water
that was sinking the ship to put out
the fire. Lashed to a stronger ship,
burning, sinking. broadsides continual.
ly pouring through her. she was still
endeavoring to conquer. Was there
ever pluck like that on sea or landf
Surely there must be some god of war
on that wrecked vessel to breathe tho
spirit Of invincibility into its uncon-
Querable crew.
And there was. On the deck stood
the slender man. he who with his own
hands kept his enemy from the lash.
ings. lighted by fire and moon. gesticu-
lating, doubtless swearing. directing
every detail, every man to do the part
assigned him. and inspiring all with
his own marvellous courage
The American had ceased firing with
her cannon At any rate. she was 10
wrapped with the other In smoke that
II she fired could not tell Sailors
with muskets were on the foretop. the
maintop. the mizzentop; marines were
on the quarterback. the poop deck and
top Of the roundhouse. They we're fr-
ing muskets and hand grenades. but an
their enemies were all on the lower
deck they were protected Men cra WI
ed out on yardarm OF the American
and dropped hand grenades on the
enemy. one Of which fell in an open
hatchway and exploded below with
terrific report. Soon after this sailor
leaped over the Britisher's rail. fol-
lowed by others. and in a few min
utes the British ensign was hauled
down.
This is the last remember Of the
night. When came to consciousness
again the sun stood where the moon
had been and was binding me with
his intense light. Rising. I swept the
horizon with my eye. Not vessel was
in sight. The sea rolled on smoothly.
silently. az II II had never been dis
turbed by tho reverberation OF gums.
One effect remained with me. II
those men on that burning. sinking ves-
sci could conquer, why should de-
spair7 Going below. I found fishing
tackle and managed to catch fish. In
this fashion lived till was picked
up by an American cruiser.
I told my story to the cruisers cap
tain. He listened to me patiently aud
when I was through said:
my man. you were used up and un-
der the influence Of hallucination. You
must have read OF the fandous sea flght
that occurred where you were on the
23d Of September. TITO. just century
before"
what sea eight was thntY'
''rhe Bonhomme Richard and the
Serapis."
"on my honor. never heard OF It.
Who was the devfi TINT commanded
the AmericanT"
"10hn Paul J6ussI~