Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-09-11
"Here, Calum, take the helm, and i

me have look at the chart.
So saying, he again resigned the tiller
to Calum, as the old man was called and
plunging downthe companion to the cabin,
soon r4-emerged with the Government
chart of the coast in his hand; spreading
it out on the coach roof" and following
the marks with his finger he studied it
attentively, now and then glancing at the
land, while the yacht, having put about,
was dashing along through squalI after
suqall, and coming nearer and nearer to
the shore.
He was man of eight or nine and
twenty, with rather handsome styIe of
face--broad, high brow, nose of the So
called Grecian sort, and proud, sarcastic
mouth. His skin was dark and tanned,
as if he had lived long in the sun of
warmer climates. He was clean shaven,
all save the upper lip, where he wore a
thick fiossy mOustache, very fair IN col or.
His eyes were blue and very large, though
he had a habit of contracting them very
much when he was looking at any one
In bis whole person, and in every gesture,
there was a certain air which bespoke the
gentleman by birth. His expression,
nevertheless, was marred by audacity anu
superciliousness, and bis laugh had not the
ringing clearness of youth, but sounded
hollow at times, with a sort of spasmodic
gaiety his face did not share.
As he studied the mysterious lines of
the chart, his face grew very black 1t
was clear that this gentleman, whatever
might be his good qualities, possessed a
very passionate temper.
/ "Why the devil did come here with
/ out pilot )" he exclaimed. Look here,
1 Calum the mouth of the loch is full of
sunken rocks in every direction. Far ont
to the right there's Bo Scarph, a regular
reef, three feet under water at high
! springs; close by-see there's another, 30
something else and then there's half-a-
dozen here, and another halfa dozen
there. To crown all, there's only six feet
at low water in the deepest part Of the
channel, although we are drawing seven
feet af. and, by George the channel it.
self is only about two cables lengths
across. 1t would be certain shipwreck to
enter without a pilot What are we
/ to dO?n
! 1t was in answer to this question that
! Calum recommended that they should
/ signal to the shore for pilot; and so the
little yacht was kept running to and fro
on the wind, Just off the shore. On coming
thus close in under the mountains, they
/ could Just distinguish, half mile ahead,
4 the silver CLEAN of the mouth of the loch,
and, seen from aflr, it looked very narrow
indeed-only It few yards across. just
! inside, as they knew, there was good
anchora ge IN small snug basin just op-
posite the village"
But an hour Of great excitement passed,
/ and there was on answer to their signal
/ from the shore. Every instant the squalls
! grew more terrific, till it seemed the little
/ vessel must be lost indeed. Worst of all,
night was near; the hills were already
/ growing dim.
It's an awfu' coast, " said Oalum re.
fectively as he shook the boat though Il
VIOLENT squall "I mind once of a smack
of hundred tons being clean foundcred
/ just of here. And there wasna any sea
/ she was running for the south with herring,
and had twa or three empty barrels on her
deck; and the wind came off yonder hill
and sunk her as ye'd sink spoon in d
bowl o. milk | wouldna sail an open
/ boat here for heap O. money"
"No one appears. to take any notice of
u.s. cried the young man. sSWhat is to
be done ? The boat won't stand much more
Of thisD
1.-The boats a good boat, u said Calum, =
but the NIGHTS going to be bad and nae
yacht o. tlis size can live if it comes on
gale. If nae man comes off from the
shore, we'll just have to run for Loeb Uish,
STRAIGHT down the coast Us mo- cannie
run in the dark, for there's the Mackenzie
Rock, and the reef where Sandie Cow lost
the Spell and forbye that, theirs the Black
Rocks, but we'H dae our best. u
"Humph then it's only d chance that
we get clear out of this confounded
mess ?n
80 ay, Just chance The folkI be
ava at the fishing, and it's bad nicht for
boat like this in the open.
Something in the perfectly unmoved and
/ phlegmatic Tone of the speaker took the
others attention, for the young man stared
at hrm for some time with half comic,
half sneering look of astonishment: and,
seeing the grim, wether-beaten features
perfectly unmoved, he broke into hard
laugh.
You take it cool enough, at any rate, y
he cried.
And what for should [ no. taxi it coolly?
Pm only a common man, and maun TAX
the winds as they come, and earn my
| breed u
" Can you swim ?D
"Nota stroke, y replied Calum, burying
1 his face in his hands to light his black
cutty pipe, while the man at the forepart
I of the vessel, reclining against the bits,
4 hI11pY1ad a low ba IaIoF Il l..
/ ditty of" Gillie Caulm. y
Still finding secret amusement in the
| stolidity of his companions, the young nall
laughed again; then, entering the cabin
once more, he re-emerged with fowling-
piece, and fired two shots rapidly in the
air, when an enormous black dog sprang
up the companion, and rushing 70 the
bulwarks, gazed eagerly out on the waters
"DowD, Nero, down! y cried the young
man. He thinks | have shot something.
Ha the noise seems to have attracted
attention at last. Look vonder,0
? On small eminence overlooking the en-
/ trance to the loch two or three figures
/ were dimly seen; but it was already too
! dark to make out no and what thev
We're The twilight had quite fallen. and
! 40 J1O WIN = NLbtA SLCdJ luI
Hang off ten minutes longer the
young man said, and then, if no one
comes, we must risk the run down the
coast. y
The helmsman nodded, "put aboutu
once more and ran through the wind.
The squalls could still be seen whitening 3
the sea to windward when thew strucF
the water; but every minute the coast
grew DINNER, 50 that only a verv
familiar eye could have made out the
/ landmarks,
Ten minutes passed, and the order was
already given 10 let the vessel ruu with
free sheet, when Calum, knocking the
asdes of his pipe out into the water 70
leeward, said quietly y-s
L Wheest minule! l hear the sound
/ of oars between us and the shore.n
Listening intently all could hear the
splash, splash OF oars coming nearer and
] nearer. immediateIv after,yard y s,,,n u