The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-10-12
THE
SAILORS wooING
A SEA TOR .

ssTnnt O0e VI tUo very ToASO0st Hhlh lVi
thinking his will be from seauard-since to |
wards evening the landll have plenty OF air
without IL But more than that, cir, said ], |
81 tell you, Mr.. Finch, know the west coast
or Africa pretty well-and 80 far south As this
the glass falling % low as fireny-'eren, Is always
the sign Of nor westerly blow. II you're
wiss man, sir, you'll not only got your upper
SPAR down on deck, but you'll soc your anchors
clear"
, Finch had plainly got furious at my meddlns
again, and said he;
,H1Instead Of that, sir. shall hold on esvyhing
aloft, 10 stand out when get the breeze
H,'l)'ye really think, said |, pointing to the |
krthest oil streak ofland, trendmg away 10y this |
time astern Of us, faint a. II was, "d2 you think
Won could ever weather that point with anything |
like strong nor 'wester, besides current head |
ing you in as you got iair hold of 1t again
FPerhsps not said he wincng a little as he
glanced at IL, "but you happen always 10 sup |
bosp what there's thousand 10 one against SRI |
WIN sir you might A. well take the command |
al once. But, by O. sir, If II did come TO that |
I'd rathor-Id rather see the ship io'i-l'd rath-
or 90 TO the bottom with all in her, alter hand
ling 'her as know well how, than Id soc the |
chance given tn you
The young fellow fairly shouted this last word |
into my very oar-he " as in regular furious
passion.
YOU'D better let me alone, that's all Two got
70 say TO you sir, erowled he A. he Turned
leani over tht bulwarks, resolved to 500 II out.
The fact was the farther we got off the land
nor, the won-c-sceng that II what dreaded
should prove tue, why, We We're probably IN
thirty OF forty fAthoms water, where no anchor
could hold for ten minutes time-h 1t ever
caught ground.
Nv way would have been, 10 get out every
boat al once, and TOW in till you could sec tie
color of some shoal or other from aloit, then take
my chance there to ride out Whatever might
come, 10 the last cattle aboard Of US. According
ly wasn't sorry to see that 10y this time the
whole blight of the coast was slowly rising Oft
our beam, bctwixt the Highlands far astsrn anil
the broad bluffs upon her staibJard bow which
last came out already Of sandy redl sh tin,
and the lower part OF a clear blue, as the sun
got westward on our other side.
What strutF me was, that the face OF tho WI
ter which was all over wrinkles and winding
lines with here and there quick ripple, when
went below, had got on a sudden quite smooth
as iaI rs you could see, ~ If they'd sunk dDwn
like 40 many GELS; long uneasy ground swell
was beginning TO heavc IN from seward on
which the ship roe Uncc or twice ] itncied
could observe the color diilriel away towards
the land, like the muddy chocolate spre Iding
out near a RIVER mo nth at ebb tide then again
IL was green, rathcT aud IA for the look Of the
coast, had no knowledge of IT. ! thought
again certainly, Of the old quaromas,ers ac.
count in the Inc but there wls neither ANYTHING
coast at all, though high hcadland- enough.
The chip mi tht have been about twelve Or
fourteen miles from the northeast point upon her
stnboard bow, high rocky range Of bluff
aud rather less from the nearest Of what lay
away OF her team--but after thi, YOU coull
mark notl ing more, except 1t were that shc
edged farther from the point, by the way it4
bearings shifted or got blurred together either
she stood still, or she'd caught SONS eddy 1T
under-dril,, and tho mate walked about 4 lite
lively once more.
Tho matter was how to breathe or bear your
clothes-when all Of sudden | heard the 'croLd
mate sing out from the lOrccasllc:
Stand by the traces, there! L'Ih ou' +
the top,'l hawlvard,,'
lie came ,hulll ny af next MON mt As fls' rs
his found, rcd old shLnks cuuli carry INN, an
told Mr. Finch there was a ,qsal coming oil Il,
land.
Tho mate sIrang up on the bulwarlS' and 81.
did l-cAtchiug u glance from him a- mlcn a
TO say There's your gale from seward, yu
ptetentiOus lubb.i! TIE lowest s'rclk oi c 81
bore at present before our s,arbonrd quarter, b'
twixt east and south. east ard, with some prctt
high land running away up from it, and 81
u dim blue haze hanging beyond ~ 'twerc.
just as Macleod spoke, | could u dusk
dark vapor thickoning and spreading in Il
haze, till II rose black along the flat, out of Il
sky behind il; whitcncd and then dsrken,
again, like heavy smoke floating up into Il
air.
All was confusion on deck for a minute or tv
-Jif went all the awnings and every hand W
ready at his station, listing the ropes; when
looked again at the cloud, then at tho mate
then at 1t again.
"Ily George" said |, noticing pale wrcat
oft curling on the pale clear sky over it,as II {
pull OF siT,-it is smoke! Some nggcrs, a
they so of,en do, burning the bush "
So il wa; and rs soon rs Finch gave in, al
hands quietly called up tho ropes. II was scare
Al sk.s .ln lt,
up rope beside me, gave inc u quiet touch wit
one finger:
"Mr' Collins, SIR" taid he in low voice
looking almost right up, high over towards tia
ships larboard bow which he couldn't have dom
beftr", for the awnings 80 lately above us
'look, sir-theres an Or-tye ~
! followed his gaze, but IT wasn't for few
sec, nds that found what it pointed to, in Tho
hot far Qg-ke blue dmncss OF the sky overhead
oompaied 10 the white glare Of which to west
wAnl cur canvas alufI was but drty gray AM
yellow.
Twas what none bu, seaman would have
observed, and many a seaman wouldn't have
done so-but man u, wars man l. used 10 look
out at all houis in all latitudes-and TO man
that knew its meaning. his would baye been NJ
JSke, even out OF sight Of land as II was, the
thing gave me perfect thrill OF dread.
High aloft in the heavens northward, wher,
they were ireest from the sun-nOw standing
ever the open horizon amidst the wide bright
pool Of light-you managed TO discern a small
silvory speck, growing slowly ~ II were out %
the faint blue hollow, like IA star in the daytime
till you felt as if it looked Mt you, from God
knows what distance away. Ono eye after an
other amongst the mates and crew joined Jacobs
and mine, with the same sort OF dumb fellow
ship TO be seen when man in LonlOn street
watches the top Of steeple ana however hard
TO make out at first ere long none Of them could
miss seeing il, ~ it gO' slowly larger, sinking
by degrees till tie sky close about it seemed to
thicken like dusky ring round the white, and
the sunlight on our seward quarter bllzcd out
d0ubly strong as il it came daZzliIg OH y brass
bell, with the bright tongue swinging in it far
ell " one side, where the hush made you think
OF stroke back upon MS, with como terrific
sound IN boot
The CLASSY water nv tbs time was beginning
20 rise under the ship with a struggling kind o.
unequal heaye, as If giant you couldn't SEE
kept showing il down here and there with both
hands, and II came swelling up elsewhere. IL
nOrthwestward, or thereabOu's, betwixt the sun
and this ill-boding token alo't, the far line OF
open sea still lay shining motionleSs and snoo.h;
neEt time you looked, It had got even brighter
than before, seeming to leave the horizon vi,-
bly,; then the streak Of air just above it hsl
grown gray, and a long edge of hazy vapor
WAS croeping MS II were over from bcvund
the white speck all the while travellin ,
down towards il slantwise from nor'arl and
Spreading its dark ring slowly ou' toto circle
OF cloud till the keen eye Of II at last sank n
and below, Us well as alOtr. tho whole north,