Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-09-12

up the companion, and rushing % the
bulwarks, gazed eagerly out on the waters
"DowD, Nero, down !" cried the young
man. ale thinks | have shot something
Ha the noise seems to have attracted
attention at last. Look yonder,"
On small emnence overlooking the en-
trance to the loch two or three figures
were dimly seen; but twas already too
dark to make out " no and what they
were. The twilight hid quite fallen, and
the wind vas blowing with great fury.
Hang off ten minutes longer, the
young man said, :" and then, if no one
comes, we must risk the run down the
coast. d"
The helmsman nodded, "put about
once more and ran through the wind
The squalls could still be seen whitening
the sea to windward when they struck
the water; but every minute the coast
grew DINNER. so that only Il very
familiar eye could have made out the
landmarks.
Ten minutes passed, and the order was
already given 10 let the vessel rur with
free sheet, when Calum, knocking the
asses OF his pipe out into the water 20
Reward, stlu quietly
Wheest a minule! | hear the sounG
Of oars between us and the shore.n
Listening intcntly all could hear the
splash, splash of oars coming nearer and
nearer. Immediately afterward small
boat, rowed by solitary figure, sho. out of
the shadow of the hills. 1t seemed to be a
rude coble, quite at the mercy of the wind
but skiltully managed. While Calum
brought the boat up to the wind, the
young man leant over the side Of the yes
sci and regarded the small boat intentIyl
Presently he uttered an exclamation which
bore Il suspicious resemblance to an oath,
| and turned angrily to Calum.
"Look there Confound the idiots
They have sent out a woman !"
Ualum, who was quite as astonished,
but exhibited more self control, nodded
sharply. The boat was indeed rowed by
woman, to all appearances strong and
young, but her head was covered by "a
dark hood and they could not see her
face.
Angrily enough, Calum addressed the
stranger in Gaelic. lie was answered in
clear, ringing tones in the same language );
and almost before he could say another
word the coble was alongside the yacht,
and slight grlish figure, with speed
and agility perfectly marvellous to the
southerner, had sprung on board.
1t was too dark to distinguish her tea.
lures plainly, but she seemed fair-complex-
ioned and very young. Her hood had
fallen back, and her face and hair were
damp with spray. Perfectly lost in
amazement at So strange an apparition,
| the young man stood staring open-mouthei
while the stranger and Calum spoke to
each other rapidly in Gaelic.
"Wh at does the girl say ~ be at last
inquired, impatienrly. is any one com
ing off to pilot us into the-anchorage ?"
Calum reblied In the methodical way
peculiar TO him and his class:
"The lassie saws there's not man in
the village this nicht that can pull an oar
or draw net. Ike whole village is ava
after the herring at Loeb Uish, and there's
nothing left but wives, bairns, and old
bed-rd men"
A furious squall struck the yacht as
the fisherman spoke, and almost capsized
hor, for she had entirely lost way through
being brought up to the wind. Again ad-
dressing Caum rapidly in Gaelic, the girl
pushed him aside and seized the tiller.
"Hullo what are you doing" cried
the young man. "You're never going to
trust the boat to a girl like that ?"
A loud cry from the girl interrupted
him. She seemed giving instructions in
her own tongue. In moment he ran
forward to assist the other hand with the
sheets, while the girl brought the vessel
round just few feet from u large black
mass projecting out of the sea.
"That's close work" cried the gentle
man ne.vously. Pm afraid we'll come
to grlet"
The girl spoke again to Calum, and he
interpreted.
"That's Dhu SOUR, she says. Bat
there's three fathoms water TO the very
edge of the reef We're coming up to the
narrows now and need every inch %
room"
Another cry from the girl, and the ves-
sci was around again on another tack.
They were now quite in the shadow of the
hills, and all seemed darkness and con
fusion, especially to the unaccustomed
senses of the man. To HIM the land SEEM
ed closing in on every side, the mountains
towering straight above. the wind coming
in ali directions. A wild tumult WAS in
the air, and the water seemed swirling and
boiling below them with an angry roar.
"Weee in the narrows now" cried
Calum that's the boiling o the tide"
The wind was sweeping dead out of the
mouth of he Loeb; and again and again
the vessel put about, so rapidly, indeed,
that she scarcely got way upon her one