The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-02-11
"haul in. let 90. belay! Round she IS eneer


"haul in, let 90, Delay! Round she IS cneer-
ily." And as he finished, the light craft
danced away on the other tack, leaving Tue
breakers at safe distance astern.
"Look lively now, mind we don't leavo
him." cried the master, as the shoal rapidly
faded into the darkness behind. You don't
see his skiff bottom upward, any CT you'll"
The pilot boat was no longer gliding noise
lessly, like greyhound coursing, but lean
ing over to the wind, she struggled against
the head sea, like war-horse charging up
hill When the bow struck the opposing
waves. the spray often flew cracking to the
very cross-trees apparently, while smultane-
ously q culver ran through the hull from
stem to stern and the masts creaked audibly.
Far out TO the leeward belIied the larboard
sarouds while those to windward were 50 taut
that lancsman would have expected to sec
them snap.
"Nothing yet!" These were the words
with which the helmsman broke another long
silence.
"Nothing, sir"
| "He can't certainly be inside US. We've
either missed him, or else he went to the bot
tom before we reached the shoal. But bark!
WHAT'S that.
as he spoke what seemed faint cry came
out of the gloom ahead. Was it child's
voice! Or was it only meditation OF the
gale!
They listened, not daring to breathe.
Nothing reached their cars but the sound
of the wind in the rigging, and the dash OF
:. the waters humping against the bow; anc,
with long drawn sigh, the master was pre-
pairing to break the silence, and propose tack
inc toward the shoal again.
But suddenly. close at hand, there rose a
cheering vuce out of the darkness.
"Hllo there! Hllo! Don't run fellow
down."
"I,'s Billy" shouted the master, electri-
cally. "It's the boy himself Hillo, it is!
f Hllo. Where are you, my hearty"
His voice rang clear over all the uproar OF
the winds and waves, like trumpet-call OF
succor in the crisis OF battle.
''Here am" stoutly replied the little hero
f his skitf dancing up suddenly out of the gloom.
"Luf' little, or you be over me.''
! All rushed to the side Of the schooner, ex-
cept the hel,nsman, who called up all his ski
o 10 shave the skff, US ne afterwards said, with.
/ out hitting it.
An interval of thrilling suspense succeeded
4 The pilot boat devia,ed for an instant, from
. her direct course, curtesying up toward the
wind like lady in dance; and then fall
ing off again, dashed forward on her OLE
A course, like the same gay beauty coq' ettin!
4 partner. But, during that second, the in
trepid lad, watching his opportunity, hat
, sprung at the bob stays. andclambered drip
4 ping on deck, just as the schooner fell of.
He was surrounded at once, and borne
shouting out in triumph, aft, where the mast
9 er, handing the helm to another, caught hin
d in his arms, as fine had been his own child
ri You'll be as great a man Decatur,
!. you live, my lad" he cried. Decatur was, il
!. the masters opinion, the greatest person tina
! ever breathed. "But come below. come be
:, low he continued, "you,re as wet as musk
q rat. Dang it, Billy he exclaimed ap;ur
d ously, "but you're hero.,'
!. "You think | wasn't scared then, sir" sal
the boy, proudly, his eye Frightening, and hi
i little figure expanding perceptibly. "You'
Z tell mother SO, won't you sir.''
o "That | WILL" said the master, clappin
him heartily on the shoulder. "You did ex
@ actly what was right, and kept up your spirit
/. bravely: if you hadn't, my boy, you'd bee
9 food for the sharks. may be, by this time.
4 should have been some skeered myself, Billy
q if I'D been in your place"
d "Would you, thought" said the boy. as b
II looked up, by the dim light of the cabn-lamp
"Oh. no you wouldn't. But | was glad,
/. ellyou." lie added quickly, his eyes glistenne
. "when | saw the schooner come riding tn
4. seas toward me, and thought I'd see moihe
!. again" And at this recollection, his forti
ude gave way, and he burst into flood G
!. tears. But they were tears sacred 10 moth
$ er's memory, and they did him honor.
This is Ito fancy sketch. The newspaper
n Of last November recorded the self-possessio
r and courage of the hero of cur story, exact
o ly as we have told it, only in more genera
4 terms. Do we err, in saying with those jour
e mails, that the world will yet hear more OF thi
!. brave boy!