Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-02-24
A MYSTERY
OF THE SEA
Weird Happening Aboard
q Derelict In the
Pacific
BY HAMILTON DRUMMoND
Copyrigh, by Hamilton Drummond-

whom ! have retold his tale have not
scrupled TO call him liar. Well, maybe
90. maybe so. but then you did not
hear Cap'n Towson tell the story. and
I did.
We had become very good friends.
we two. especially during ten days
! wet weather. On the afternoon Of the
tenth day struggle Of sunshine
sempted US out into the sloppy road.
sad when the downpour recommended
Cap'n Towson's cottage was the near
est shelter. and there We retreated.
u was not the first time had been
his guest. and no the collected treas
ures Of his seafaring life were more
or less familiar. Now, as Cap'n Tow
son absented himself to hunt up the
ingredients OF friendly grog wan
dered aimlessly round the room and
took stock Of It's stale curiosities. One
thing only struck me as an oddly. and
II by reason Of It's inconsequence
rather than It's strnngeness. and ut II
I was staring when Cap'n Towson re-
turned with his liquid hospitality.
All" said he. you're deep one.
you are. There you are at the Koe-I
more FIRST thing. I've always said
| I'll give the whole shanty 10 the man
that tells me what II is. an now's your
chance. for what say I stick to-
Its a bit dark. cap'n." began.
"Oh. have all the light on the sub
ject you can" and he chuckled. as II
at a Joke "I'ii pull the blind up
There-what do you make Of It nowT'
To be frank. I didn't make much. II
was an irregular. catfish fragment.
perhaps two inches square and slight
~ curved inward at top and bottom.
| A stout thread held II In place against
a piece Of millboard. and the whole
was framed aud glazed like a picture.
In color II was grayish blue and Its
surface smooth. but dull. There was
neither inscription nor mark upon II
that ! could see.
"well?'' and he shook me by the ell
bow With kind Of good humored.
triumphant impotence. "well:"
1T is-that Is to say. II looks like
metal"
cap'n Towson smacked his thigh
nolsily.
"The shanty's safe for this time.
Guess again. mate"
But I shook my head. What was the
use OF guessing. There was no doubt
that Cap'n TowsoD's mystery went
beyond the mere composition Of the
fragment he preserved so carefully.
and said as much.
You're right. sir. an. by gum. them
mortal queer things. Metal. says youi
Well. maybe tits: then again maybe IT'S
glass. maybe it's pottery an maybe it's
somethin' Of all three that we folks on
our side Of the world know nothin
about. give you my word ] don't
know. and ! never met the man as
could tell me. That's bit o. the south
pole. that is. Mix your grog an I'll tell
you how ! came by II.
In a manner. dye see. there's two
yarns In II. an l'm not SO sure where
to begin To spin two yarns nj once IL
about rs had rs 10 straddle couple Of
barebacked horses. Sooner or later
they'll part company. an then where
are you: No: I'll drop the bark Julia
X. Anderson. Ave weeks out from
Frisco an bound round the Horn.
much as she dropped the. an that's
without so much as by your leave
an begin where she left OF with three
OF us-Tobias Clark. Joe Brady an my.
self adrift 10 the Pacific. When ! say
We were about 10 degrees west and 5
degrees south you'll know We were
half distance between the Marquesas
an the Galapagos.
"A day an a night we had made our
westin'. an with the sudden comm o
the mornln' Brady woke me up
"'Glory he says he. shakin' me. the
trips over afore it's begun. an good
luck go with II. Look We there. II
that isn't the makin's Of land. oh. call
me Bull
by that had my knee on the after
thwart an was starin' east with my
hands as telescope. The sun was NJ
an a point or two TO the north. so
that the black spot was plain enough.
bein' no more than Eve miles away.
maybe four. the simmer o the sea
in the sun maxim II hard to guess
Too plain. for turns to Brady an
says TO him sudden like:
"'Bull. Don't you know derelici
when you see her.
by this time Clark had crawled out
o. the bow an was on his hands an
knees between us. icanin' over the
starn.
Irish 10 right. an Irish is wrong.
says he. which Is a way them Irish
have. She's blamed hulk. that's
what she 10 sure enough. but guess
she's sound enough. for she rides high
an a tight hulk II better'n crank
cockieshell any day In the week
"weii. sir. ms say. ! WAS steeriS'
an little by little. M the hulk hulked