The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-09-22
CHAPTER x.-contlnued.

The change in the man speaking
held me breathless; his cant. his usu-
ally oily method of utterance had
merged into an earnestness full of
fascination.
We'll. that was about all, sir" his
voice sinking back into commonplace.
'In two hours we were out o. sight,
an feelin' our way through blindin'
snow squall. But it was such a rum
thing, discoverin them islands out
there all uncharted, with that queer
ghost ship perchin on 'em, that l
wrote down the latitude an longitude
an the hookers name in my log book.
We was about three weeks maxim the
West Falklands, where l 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 I was back
with the OF Betsy in the South Pa
cific. 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 boats
without much trouble, but it want so
easy to get away. had six weeks of
it 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 l wasn't
thinkin very often about that ice
ship down in the Antar'tic; l was
hustlin' 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 tallin' with
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 l 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-
tions. Finally he wanted to meet me
again alone the next day
"Wen, having nothin' better to do,
was there when he came, an he
showed up with a queer-lookin', big,
oil 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, he opened
up that book O. his on the table, an
damme, sir, if he didn't show me
picture of that same OF hooker, plain
as life, only everything was trim an
shipshape on board, with the masts up
an the sails drawin. The name was
printed underneath, too-Donna Isa-
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 it had been cut out
o. wood but the fellow showed me the
date when it was printed, an it read
Seville, 1779, plain enough. Francisco
wrote out in English what he said was
printed there about this Donna Isa-
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 to
look at 1t, but Tuttle showed it along
toward me.
Read it out loud, sir" he said, his
.voice trembling. The writing was not
eclear, and held 1t up to the light.
eA "Galleon Donna Isabel, ship-rigged,
! 20 tons, Amador, Master, built 1870,
None port Cadiz. Sailed Guayaquil
aAValencia, June IL, 1853; crew num-