Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07
The Sunday Story
A Mystery Of
the Sea
BY EUNcE BLAKE

listening to a sound that greatly dis
turbed him. He thought he heard
bell attached to buoy. But 1t was
so faint that he was not sure that what
he heard was not one of those ringings
within his ears that some persons are
subject to or freak Of his imagina-
tIon.
There 1t was again. this time trife
more distinct
The Penguin was coming westward
and was midway between Gibraltar
and New York. The Azores and Ma
deira had been left several hundred
miles behind. True. clouds had pre-
vented an observation for several days.
but Captain Macarthur had so much
sea room that he had not the slightest
fear Of near shore. Indeed, he was
In the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
Nevertheless he was approaching bell
buoy, for the tolling came with the ir-
regularity of the waves.
Fearing to approach any nearer to it,
he gave orders to the helmsman to
steer In circle while the lead was
being thrown. The bosom reported no
bottom. but the captains fears were
not allayed. The sound Of the bell was
rapidly growing more distinct. There
was the same irregularity Of the strokes
throughout. indicating that 1t was toll
ed by the waves. Macarthur had
heard these sounds as long as he had
ot nj tha haH alv ,.ts
en- from the same instrument, a bell
buoy.
There can be nothing more calculated
TO throw man off his equanimity than
one pf these paradoxical occurrences.
We Lear or see or feel something; we
know what 1t Is. and yet we know that
1t Is not what our senses tell us it Is
1t is liable to come to us in dreams.
but rarely when we are awake. Cap
! thin Macarthur momentarily dread
ed to strike sunken rock, and yet he
knew that there was no such danger
within thousand miles of him. He
asked the few men who were on deck
with him If they heard the tolling. and
all said they did, but none of them
could give any explanation Of it. Some
of them knew little OF navigation or
geography, but there was none so I'M
Informed that he did not know that
there were no sunken rocks in the mid
die Of the Atlantic ocean.
Yet there Is always an uncertainty
to break down ones courage Might
there be In that vast wilderness of wa
tiers one rock remaining for centuries
| undiscovered? Might not ships that
have sailed never to be heard from
have been lost on this infinitely small
poiut in so vast an area?
Nonsense! If such were the case
there would be no bell buoy to warn
ships away. And If there were such
rock protected by a buoy it would be
on tho charts.
| Something like this was running
| through Captain MacArthur's mind
| Probably his was more keenly alive to
the matter than any of his crew be.
| cause on him rested the responsibility
| for the lives of all and Of the ship.
There were one or two of the more
superstitious who gave different ex-
plantation Of what they heard. One
| imputed it to evil spirits who were
using 1t to drive the ship away from
| deep waters or waters clear OF other
ships on to IN area of danger. Another
considered 1t tolling for a ship that
had at some time gone down On that
very spot. But while every one lis.
tened and thought not one spoke his
interpretations of the mystery.
4 AS the sound of the tolling indicated
approach by its increasing distinctness.
| so having reached II maximum, 1t indi-
Gated recession by gradual dying. till
Mt last it was heard no more Then
| the captain breathed sigh Of relief,
which was initiated by the others
The mystery, whatever it was. had
passed MS mysteriously as it had come.
| But 1t came again. The next day
came q storm from the west, and the
Penguin, after beating up against it.
at last was obliged to turn and ride
before it. BY evening the storm had
spent its force, and the ship was again
put on her course. Near midnight was
again heard that Irregular melancholy
tolling. This second visit. finding the
crew tired and depressed from their
experience with the storm, had keen
er effect upon them than the night be-
fore.
Moreover, superstition seizes upon
us when we are worn out Captain
Macarthur looked troubled. His officers
listened to the strokes in silence. while
some of the crew muttered prayers to
heaven for protection from this I'M
known evil. Again the sounds ap-
preached, reaching a maximum of dis
thickness, then died away. But in this
case they were longer, and the strokes
changed louder. as IL made by fierce
waves.
La the morning the outlook reported
. ship on the starboard quarter. She
WINS without mast or sail and seemed
To- have been disabled, doubtless by
the recent STORM. As the Penguin ap-