The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-11-26

Their sign from the first lieutenant or
boarding party. The captain turned to
the signalman on the bridge. "Signai
the leading hand in the boat to board and
see what the lieutenant and his party
are doing"
The signalman semaphored the neces-
sary message. Across the cleaning
stretch of water which separated US
from the barque we saw the leading
hand swarm up the rspe, ard ne, too,
went down the TO 'c'sle ladder. We wait
ed expectantly. Time passed and still
there came no signal. The captain began
to get angry. Again he turned to the
commander.
"What on earth are they doing?" he
oueried, irritably. 1.-The leading hand
must have been gone ten minutes now"
The commander scratched his chin
thoughttuIly as he looked toward the
barqne.
.Seems something queer about her!'
he said, as if speaking his thoughts
aloud. Something indefinable, he
added, hesitatingly.
An ominous silence seemed to brood
over everything. The men were talking
in whispers and looking furtlvely towards
the mysterious barque. Wild rumors OF
cholera and plague fitted from lip to
lip. Finally the captain began to swear.
"Signalman, tell another of the cut
ter's crew to board and report" he
growled.
Again we saw man Chamber aboard
and walk towards the well-deck. Az
the top of the foe sic ladder he paused,
then stepping back, as if in horror at
something he saw below, he rushed for
eliI Iouy,, tho
the cutter, as if the Evil One himself
was behind him. The captain, with the
rest of the ships company, had been
silent witness to these antics, and was
now pretty we'll apoplectlc. Almost i'm
mediatelv one of the cutters crew COM
menced to signal, First lieutenant and
all men with him lying on weli-deck
deadI" ran the message.
A thrill OF horror ran through US all.
The captain acted promptly. The sec
ond cutter was lowered away with the
doctor and the sick berth steward accom-
panying it, and the commander IN
! charge. was one of the crew. Pulling
Justify, we ran alongside of the barque
in a few minutes. Her name, noticed,
was Andrea. The commander, doctor
! and sick berth steward were soon on
board. They made their way cautiously
to the edge of the fo'c'sle ana looked
down on the well-deck. A moment later
/ two of the second cutters crew and my
self were called up. We approached the
spot where the commander, doctor and
steward stood.
A strange spectacle we beheld; never
shall | forget it! There, on the we'll
deck, Just six feet below US, lay the bod
| les of our messmates and the first lieu
tenant, sleeping the sleep which knows
no earthly Weakening. They looked as
though they had been stricken down by
some swift, unseen hand. All lay with
in few yards of the fo'c'sle ladder.
Overhead the sails Slated with each
roll of the barque, and the blocks creak-
ed mournfully. Silently we gazed at
each other, as though expecting the
same grim hand might lay its grisiy
touch upon US. The tension was awful:
At last the commander spoke. "Well,
doc, what do you think of it," His light
tone was obviously strained and unnat-
ural. The doctor shook his head.
"Well," said the commander. "l' m
| going to risk it. Here, you, addressing
me, "make rope fast round me and
hang on to the remainder, paying out
slowly as 60 below"
| We passed stout rope round his
waist, and as an additional precautlon
took a turn round fo'c'sle pollard.
Firmly he stepped on the ladder and slow
ly descended. The commanders head
had just disappeared below the level OF
the raised fo'c'sle when there came
hoarse cry from his lips. The doctor.
standing at the fo'c'sle rail was looking
down at him. Suddenly he turned to US,
| 70 ako ~ ha Shnnt.
ed. "Quick!"
We needed no second telling. UP came
the commander, his body hanging like a
dead weight. Swiftly the doctor and the
steward bent down and hauled the now
unconscious officer to the safety of the
raised fo'c'sle. Loosening the rope
round his body, we commenced artificial
respiration. Slowly. after what seemed
hours to our strained senses, the COM
mander opened his eyes and looked round.
"Close call that, doc" he said, with
little laugh. There's death below on
the well-deck.
The doctor said nothing, but handed
the commander a liberal dose from his
pocket-fask. He sat up.
Il feel better now," he announced.
"As soon as l got below"-he nodded
towards the ladders-'I felt faint and
short of breath, almost as if l had been
strangled. l shouted out and then CO :
lapsed,' and he shuddered involuntarily
at the recollection.
The doctor then ordered us to return
to our snip and bring back diver with
the necessary gear. The order some
what astonished rs, but we obeyed with
alacrity Soon we returned with the
diver and the gear. Downing his helmet
at the doctors orders, the diver lum-
bered down the foe sic ladder. 1t was a
queer sight, l can tell you, to see the
diver down there going through the
same performance as if he were faith
oms below the oceans surface-air pump
going and all the rest of it. Slowly he
made fast the bodies of our dead COM
rades to life-lines, and we hauled them
up, laying them out reverently on the
fo'c'sle.
After a cursory examination the doc
tor shook his head. Artificial respira.
ton was tried, but, as the doctor feared
it was useless.
Now said the doctor. II should
| like the diver to see if he can recover
the ships papers and log and report any
thing he sees aft.
The commander nodded acquiescence.
"That is bit beyond me, doc" he said.
Again the diver stepped below, and,
making his way past the foremost, van
ished into the main hatch. We waited