The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-03-03
A MYSTERY
OF THE SEA
Weird Happening Aboard 3.
a nereiict In the H
Pacific $685.. -.
By HAMILTON DRuMmoND
Copyright by Hamilton Drummora

All Sloppleton knew him as "'t.ap'n
Icwson. Those of my friends to
whom | have retoId his tale haze not
scrnpled to call him liar Well, maybe
so, maybe So but then you did not
hear Cap'n Towson tell the story. and
| did .....-.
We had become very good friends
we two, especially during ten days
wet weather. On the afternoon of tho
tenth day struggle Of sunshine
tempted us out into the sloppy road
and when the downpour Recommended
Cap'n TowsoD's cottage was the near
est shelter. and there we retreated
1t was not the first time had sheen
his guest. and so the collected treas
ures of his seafariEg life were more
or less familiar. Now, as Capn Tow
son absented himself to hunt up the
ingredients Of Il friendly greg wan:
dered aimlessiy round the room and
took stock of its stale clIriosities One
thing only struck me as an oddity. and
it by reason of its incQnsequCGcc
rather than it's strangeness. and at It
was staring when Capn Tnwson re
turned with his liquid hospitality
All" said he, your" d deep one
You are There you are at the Koe !
more FIRST thing I've always said
I'll give the whole shanty tn the man
that tells me what it is. an unwS your
chance. for what | say ! stick to-
Its bit dark. cap'n," ! began
ooh, have all the light on the sub
ject yon can" and he chuckled. rs If
at d joke 'I'il pull the blind up
) There what do you make OF it now"
To he frank, | didn't make much It
was an irregular. flattish fragment,
perhaps two inches square and slight
stout thread held it In place against
piece of milihoard. and the whole
was framed and glazed like II picture.
In color it was grayish blue and it's
surface smooth. but dull There was
neither Inscription nor mark upon II
that could see
"Well?" agm he shook me by the el
bow with !: kind of good hnmored.
triumphant impotence ''Well?"
It is-that is to say. it looks like :
metal
l,np'n Towson smacked his thigh
noisily
"The shanty's safe for This time
Guess again. mate
But shook my head Whit was the
iIse of guessing There WIS no Doubt
that capn Towsons mystery went
besyand the mere composition of the
ffasment he preserved SO carefully.
Ila ] said as much
~ syoI re right. sir. an by gum, them
that goes down to the sen in ships see
mortal queer things Metal. says you2
Well. maybe It's. then again maybe it's
glass. maybe it's pottery an maybe il 5
soinethin' Of all TIRES. that we folks ON
our side of the world know nothin'
about Z give you my word don't
knew. and never met the man rs
gould tril me- That's a bit o. the south
pole. that IL Mix your grogan' I'll tell
yon how 1 came by IT,
..;ln u manner. dye see. there's two
yarns III finn I'm not so sure where
TO Begin TO spin Two yarns at once Is
about tx Ind ~ TO straddle couple Of
barehacked horses Sooner or later
they'll part company an then whore
are you? No. Ill drop the bark Julia
Il. Anderson. live weeks out from
Frisco mn bound round the Horn.
much ;ts she dropped me. an That's
without so much rs a by your leave,
an brgin where she left off With three
nf slas- Talias Clark. Joe Brady nn my,
self adrift in the pacifie. When say
w.s were about ITO degrees west and :
degrees soiith you'll know we we're
half distance bet the Marquesas
an. the Galapagos.
~ div nm night we had made our
wcsfia. an with the sudden comm o
fine ulornin' BRADY woke me up
Glory he. says he. siiakin me. the
trims over afore it's begun. an good
lsls.k 90 with It, Look We there II
that isn't the makin's Of land. oh. call
mr. IsuI
..gy TINT had my knee on the after
fhwnrf an. was starin' east with my
hamls as telescope The sun was MP
an. !, point or two TO the north. SO
TINT the black spot was plain enough.
bin no more than FIVE miles away.
mavle four. the Skinner o the seq
III fhe sun makin u hard to guess
Too plnin for ! turns 10 Brady an
says to him sudden like
..Bulls Don't Won know Il dereliei
when yoli see her
by this tilue Clark hid crawfed orr
r. the how an' was on his hands an
knees between us. lcanin' over the
etarn
Irish Is right. an Irish is wrong.
says he. which IS way them Irish
have. She, i,Iamed hulk. That's
what she Ii sure enough. but guess
she's sound enough for she rides high.
an tight 'sulk Is hetter'n crank
cockleshell day In the week