The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-08-16

venue boat row straight on, as If not
noticing us.
Keep Off a little now," whispered,
cor we shall be ashore"
"No, no. it's all right" was the re-
ply 1--WE are just over the swatch;"
which is the local term given TO the
| long channels washed out in the sand
by the tide, here and there forming deep
trenchesalon the coast, very dangerous
/ for bathers.
BY lingo, they, see us" whispered;
when my companion backed water,and
the consequence was, that the boats
head turned right in-shore, and we
foated between the piles, and were
next moment, with shipped oars, out
of sight in the outlet of the govt.
Now, I'm not prepared to give the
derivation of the word govt" but l
can describe what it is,-namely, the
termination, at the sea-coast, of the
long Lincolnshire land-drains, in the
shape of lock with gates, which are
opened at certain times, to allow the
drainage to flow under the sand into
the sea, but carefully closed when the
tide is up, to prevent flooding of the
marsh-lands, protected by the high sea-
bank, when runs along the coast, and
acts the part ofclifls. From these lock-
gates, u square woodwork tunnel is for
med by means of piles driven into the
shore, and crossed with stout planks
and this covered waterway in some
cases runs for perhaps two hundred
yards right beneath the sand-bank, then
beneath the sand, and has its outlet
some distance down the shore; while,
to prevent the air blowing the tunnel
up when the sea comes in, a couple of
square wooden pipes descended at in
tervals of some fifty yards through the
sand into the waterway; ut high wa
ter, when the mouth is covered and the
lock gates closed, the air comes believing
and roaring up these pipes as every wave
comes in; and at times, when the tun-
mel is pretty full, the water WILL after
chasing the air, rush out after it, and
form spray fountain; while as the
waves rccede, the winds rush back with
. astrangc whstling sound and draught
that draws anything down into the tun-
mel with fierce rush. But there was
another popularity of the hollow way
that was strangely impressed upon my
memory that night, namely, its pow
er of acting as a vast speaking-tube, fol
: if person stood at one of the escape
II pipes and whispered, his words wer'
distinctly audible to another at th'
) other pipe some fifty yards off, whit
. could as easily respond.
" Well, it was into the mouth Of tn
~ govt tunnel that we had now run tn
! boat, where we were roncealed iron
IL view certainly and thrusting agains
81 the piles with his hands, my companio
= worked the boat farther into the dark
~ ness, until the keel touched the sol
80 sand.
10 "That'ssnug," he whispered: "they'
~ never find us here"
NO" said, as strange fear cam
" ~ upon me. "But is MT the tide rising"
y Fast" he said.
" "Then we shall be stopped from ge
. ting out" -.
y. Nonsense" he said. at will tax
Sc an hour to rise above the tunnel-moutl
st and if it did, we could run her head Il
e' higher and higher. Plenty of fresh n
ne through the pipes"
o. "If we're not drowned" l said.
It, "Thore, if you want to lose the carg
H. wen pull out at once, and give up
said.
rd But DON'T" replied; 81 am stanC
re- enough only | don't want to risk II
I life. .a
10 "Well, who does?" he said. son
-, keep still, and we shall be all right"
The few minutes we had been co
-, versing had been long enough for Il
~ tide to float the boat once more, and IL
-, time | raised my hand to the roof, al
49, thrusting against the tunnel-covere
10 weed hung, Shiny woodwork, soon III
u, :. the boats keel again in the sand, so
~ to prevent her being sucked out by t
No refuX Of the tide.
nn Al times we could hear shouts, tw1
uo pistol-shots, and then we were startl
,,d by the dull, heavy report of sm
'ho cannon.
hc THAT'S after the chuSSc- c-H,dree," VIII
w lWvV percd my companion; but she sa
" like witch. She's safe unless tn
knock spar away"
81 wish IRE WERE" | said, for | {
= .,,t., =, ;,, Il
oul hole, up which we We're being fore
'oi- farther and farther by the increasi
'oi tide; while more than once we had
'ne hold ON tightly by the horrible sin
!" splcs, to keep from being drawn ba
cr "Just the place to find dead bodie
'hc whispered my companion, evidently
"o' to startle me-
hg' "Just so," / said coldly. "Perh'
lu' they'll find two tomorrow"
'ne Don't croak," was the polite rejc
ere der and then he was silent; but lco'
REG hear peculiar boring noise being ma
oio and no further attempts ut joke issI
''e from my friends lips.
reu Suppose we try and get out now
lere | whispered, after another quarter OF
PIE hours listening in the darkness, {
Il uS hearing nothing but the soft rippli
lar and the drip, drip" of water bey'
md us while towards the mouth came
Jip- slap, lap" of the waves against,
llhu sides oft tunnel, succeeded by n
'heu ing noise, and the rafting of the n
out sels clustering to the woodwork, l
mo- loudly, now gently; while every Ii
ther rustic of the seaweed seemed to sen
shiver through me.
ter's The noise as of boring had cea
aSSe- some time, and my friend now drew
the attention to one of the kegs, which
lrag- had made hole through with his kr
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