Being an Account of How Captain
Hopewell Traded Ships at Sea
Last of the Mary Ann
(Copyright, 1903, by C. B. Lewis.)
f tAPTAIN Ellsha Hopewell of the
I I brig "Mary Ann" of Salem, had
I been repairing and repainting and
making his craft ready for a
vovace to London and return.
The year waa 1786 and boy and man he
had been sailing for over thirty yearn.
Although he had owned and commanded
"Mary Ann" for ten years. It was
by no means a new craft when he got
it. In making repairs he had found many
signs of weakness, and as he finished his
day's work and started for home his knees
were stilt and his back ached. He reached
Ms house to find his wife, Nancy, and
cupper waiting for him, and as he took his
neat at the table he looked at her critically
and for the first time noticed that there
wero gray hairs among the brown on her
head.
"Ellsha, have you lost your Jackknlfo or
ker-.rd that your brother was dead?" quietly
asked Nancy after awhile.
"No," ho answered, and followed the
word with a sigh.
"Mobbe ye are comln down with measles.
Tour mother says yo never bad 'em as a
boy."
"Mebbe I am," he gloomily replied.
Nancy waited for three minutes to see
if he had an explanation, but as none came
she briskly said:
"Now look here, Ellsha, I know all about
It. and I've bin sort o' spectln' this thing
' would happen any time. You've bin over
haul! 'Mary Ann and you've found
out tho same thing of yourself and you've
suddenly seen it In me. It has struck
you all in a heap, and you feel glum over
It."
"Thon by Josh you've hit it!" exclaimed
the captain, glad to have an opportunity
to talk it over.
"Wall, there ain't no call to cry over
It," she continued. "Ever since you got
this charter I've made up my mind that
It would be our last voyage."
"But how can It bo, Nancy?"
"It won't be so hard. We are purty
well off fur common folks, Ellsha. That
Is, we've got enough money to start you
In shin, chandlery, and we own our own
house and lot. No fear but what we'll
come out all right We mu3t give up the
ea to younger folks." ,
They talked It over for a couple of hours
and it was fully decide! that when
"Mary Ann" returned to Salem lt list
voyage under Captain Hopewell would te
ended. Perhaps an aslrologist might have
warned them that there would be no home
coming for the brig which had borne them,
safely over so many leagued of ocean, but
there was no reader of the futura at hand.
It got to be known over Salem that Captain
Hopewell was making his last voyage and
when "Mary Ann" cast off from tha
wharf there was a big crowd at hand to
cheer Its departure and wish it a safe re
turn. It headed out into the. Atlantic on
a summer's afternoon and as the Mu-sa-chusctts
shores faded behind them Captain
Ellsha said to Nancy: -
"By Josh, then, Nancy, but It seems as
If a piece of that beef we had fur break
fast had got stuck In my throat!"
"It's a sort o weakness of our feclin's,
" Ellsha," she replied as she turned away
to wipe her eyes, "but I guoss we've de
cided fur the best."
For a thousand leagues, headed toward
tbe rising sun, "Mary Ann" was driven
as It had never been driven before. There
was a piping breeze and it scarcely varied
a point, and a third of the ru.i had boon
marked off when there fell a 11 it calm.
It was noon when the wind died out und
the man sent aloft reported the ocean
clear of sail. As sundrwn came the sea
wa like glass and it was the same st-tte
of affairs at midnight when the watch wai
changed. The mate went off and tho cap
tain came on and he had been only on
deck half an hour when Nancy appeared.
She declared It to be too hot below to
sleep. In a calm In mid-ocean at night
there are strange and uncanny sound
from the hold of a ship as it lazily heave3
up on the ground swell. Box03 and barrel!
down in the hold rub each other, bulk
beads creak and limbers groan, and now
and then there are shrill squeaks from
the fighting rats. Men who sleep during a
calm breathe atentoriously and sigh and
groan now and then, and the wakeful ones
move about uneasily and cast apprehensive
glances over the sea.
Nancy walked aimlessly about for a while
and then rested her arms on the rail .and
gated off Into the darkness and let her
thoughts wander back home. She had
been silent for a quarter of an hour when
he gave a sudden start and bent ber ear
to listen. Captain Ellsha happened to
note her attitude, and he croseedover to
her side and queried:
"Wall, Nancy, d'ye think anybody will
teal the woodpile while we're gone on this
. trip?"
"I'm llstenin', Ellsha," she replied, as
she laid a band on his arm. "Can't you
catch the sound of oarlocks off here to the
north?"
"It's some noise In the hold," he an
swered after listening a minute.
"No, it's not There there don't you
catch It?"
-By Josh, I do! Tea, it sounds like oars
at work, but how on earth can a boat be
out there?"
"I dunno, but there Is one. Now you
get the sounds plainer. It's a boat, I tell
you, and It's pulling at least four oars.
It must be from a wreck and you'd better
light a lantern and lash It in tho riggln'
to guide m."
A lantern was procured and placed as
suggested, and It had scarcely thrown Its
light over the waters when there was a
hall from half a dozen throats at once.
Captain Hopewell anewered It, and within
five minutes everyone of the crew of the
"Mary Ann" waa on deck and wide awake
with curiosity. The halls were repeated
at Intervals, the Bound of the oars came
nearer, and at the end of half an hour a
big yawl with twelve men and their ton-
Hopewell called the cook aft to see about
preparing breakfast for the extra men.
He had his eye on the strangers at the same
time, and noted that they had gathered
in a bunch and were whispering together.
Their yawl was a big clumsy boat, provided
with oars and sail, and as there was no
room on the deck of the brig to stow it
the captain went forward and tried to make
the dutch mate understand that the con
tents should be hoisted aboard and the
yawl sent adrift. He made himself clear
enouch, but as If his words and gestures
had been a signal the twelve dutchmen at
once sprang upon the crew of "Mary
Ann," all of whom were on deck. They
were stout, determined men, and the
move was so sudden that no resistance was
made. Nancy heard the scuffle and ap-
would have killed every one of us but what
they'd had the brig, and we ought to thank
heaven wo got off as well as we did. Iton't
ye despair, Ellsha. We've seen some tight
squeaks, but we've alius come out all
right. Don't ye remember how a whale
once saved us?"
"And the same whale may eat us this
time.'"
All that day the boat ran Its course, but
as the brig bore Into the north and sailed
the faster. Its topsails were only a specK
on the sea when the sun went down. As
the breeze did not fall with the sun, the
men divided watches, a lantern was run
to the head of the mast as a signal, am)
hour after hour the boat danced over the
seas. There wero two men In the look
out, but after midnight Nuncy roused up
LYING IN THE MAIN CABIN. FULLY DRESSED, WAS THE CORPSE OF THE CAPTAIN.
nage In it drew alongside the "Mary Ann."
"By Josh, then, but'it's a crew of Dutch
men!" exclaimed Captain Hopewell, as he
peered down in the boat.
He was right. They were big and sturdy
men who had sailed out of the Texal, anl
it was quickly discovered that not one of
them could speak English. Each ona
brought his bag of clothing over the rail
with him, but water and provisions were
left behind. A man who was doubtless t'ne
mate of the crew advanced to Captain
Hopewell and entered Into a long explana
tion, not one word of which was uieler
stood. It was, however, guessed that his
ship hud sprung a le:k and he had besn
obliged to abandon It. He was made to
understand that they were welcome anl
would be landel In London, and by an l by
the twelve of them withdrew in a b;d
and stretched themselves on deck and wont
to sleep. Nancy had looked Into the faces
of all in a critical way and while the
Dutch mate was telling his Btory her eyes
never left his face. When the stranger
had withdrawn she descended to the cabin
and a few minutes later Captain Ellsha
followed her and said:
"Nancy, I'm Jiggered If this ain't a lunny
thing. I can't say that things look exactly
right to me."
"1 11 tell you what, Ellsha," she repilei
in her quiet way. "If a ship had bin on
fire or in a slnkln' state them men would
never have brought all their clothin' and
heaped in the water and provisions they
did."
"No, by Josh, they wouldn't, bu( how do
they come to be afloat?"
"Dunno, but there's a mystery about it
There's the hull crew except the captain.
How did he come to be left behind? And
didn't you notice how the men looked the
brig over and kept dodgin' and whlspeiln"?
I'm bellevln" we shall have trouble w.th
em. Ellsha."
"But they can't be pirates."
"Probably not."
"And there's no war between us."
"No, but we can't make out their story,
and I do believe that mate was lyln' all
the tlmo. I wish we hadn't shown a light
and brought them aboard."
The Dutchmen were tired with their pull
at the oars and slept soundly 'till the
morin' watch of "Mary Ann" was
ready to wash down decks. Then they
rose up, yawning and stretching, and the
last waa hardly on his feet before' the
breeze came. Rail was made at once, and
as "Mary Ann" laid Its course Captain
peared on deck to find Captain Ellsha and
all his men prisoners. They were prisoners,
and yet they were not bound. When they
made no struggle the Dutch mate took off
his cap to Nancy and sought to make It
clear to the others that they were to be
sent adrift In the yawl.
"Wall, d'ye understand what he's drlvln'
at?" asked Captain Ellsha as he turned to
Nancy.
"I do, Ellsha," she replied, "and I'm not
a bit surprised. They mean to turn us
adrift and go sailing away with the brig."
"But, by Josh, how can they do It! It's
the same as piracy! Men, let's make a
fight fur it!"
"Stop, Ellsha!" called Nancy. "There's
no show fur us! They'll bent ye to death
before you can knock one of 'em down.
Don't drive them to murder when there's
no call fur It."
"And um I to let' em have possession of
brig and cargo?"
"You'll have to. If you are easy with
em we'll git away all right, and we may
sight a vessel to help us before noon."
"Aye, captain, we've no show agin "em,"
called the mate, "but with that big yawl
we needn't be afraid If we are at sea fur
a month. We are fur the boat."
That settled it It Is due to the strangers
to say that they made not the slightest ob
jection when more water and provisions
were lowered into the boat, and when the
men packed and lowered their bags and
Nancy brought up a big bundle of things
from the cabin. They hud no Jeers or In
sults to (ling after those they had sent
afloat, but at onco made more sail on the
brig and headed It on a new course. Nancy
had smuggled the chart and a spare com
pass into her bundle, and as the boat drew
away she was forced by the wind to hold
a true course for the English channel.
There were provisions In plenty, and
scarcely a word was uttered before break
fast had been served out. Then Nancy
quietly asked:
"Ellsha, what ye goln' to do about it?"
"I'm goln' to stand to the eastward for
awhile." he replied after thinking it over.
"I'll Jest keep track of 'Mary Ann' as
long as I can, and it's Jest possible that
we may be picked up and have a show to
git it back. If we don't meet anything by
tomorrow, and the wind allows it, I'll head
fur home, though I don't see how I'm ever
to hold up my head In Boston or Salem
agin. They'll say I waa a coward not to
make a fight fur It."
"Then they'll be fools. Tbe Dutchmen
and spoke to them and found that both
of them were asleep. She sat down be
side one of them in the bows, wide awake
with her thoughts of the sudden change In
their fortunes, and a long hour had passed
when the sight of a ship suddenly danced
before her. It was a craft with all its
sails set, and, having been taken aback,
it was drifting away stern first, though
this fact was not known till later. A cry
from the woman roused everybody In an
instant, and pointing into the south she
chokingly exclaimed:
"There there a ship a ship!"
"By JoBh, and there Is!" answered Cap
tain Ellsha a second later. "Now, men,
all together and hall it."
A great shout went over the water, but
it was not answered, and neither was a
light displayed. The shout was repeated
again and again, and then, after a long
look, Captain Ellsha cried out:
"Why, I believe she's an abandoned craft
and tukln care of itself! We'll run right
alongside in five minutes!"
They reached the decks of the stranger
to find it a ship a good deal larger than
"Mary Ann," and a search of ten min
utes proved that not a living soul was
aboard. There was a dead man, though.
Lying in the main cabin, fully dressed, was
the corpse of the captain, and a sailor's
sheath knife was still sticking in his back.
Murder had been done before the ship was
abandoned. Did you ever read an account
of that ocean mystery? The ship "Voorne,"
Captain Bergen, master, had set out from
North Sea ports bound for New York with
a valuable cargo. That was the craft Cap
tain Hopewell found adrift In mid-ocean.
Its crew, from the mate down, were the
men who took forcible possession of
"Mary Ann," after killing their captain
and abandoning their vessel. What drove
them to the deed of blood why they didn't
stand by their ship afterward where they
beaded for the stolen brig these are ques
tions that have never been answered. Per
haps the mate and his chief quarreled, anl
murder was done in passion. Then fear of
the law made the whole crew clamorous to
get out of the ship. They took nothing with
them which was not their own. They
even left over a thousand dollars In gold
and silver behind them. If any human eye
ever sighted "Mary Ann" after its crew
lost sight of it the fact has not been re
ported to this day. It is easy to guess Its
fate, however. It either went down In a
(Continued on Page Fourteen.)