Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-10-04
Continued from first page ]


hand at some easily recognized brace or
sheet. e-....-.rgs
The main-yards swung round The ship
gathered away, paid off. rushed for few
seconds headforemost towards the reef,
came slowly upon the other tack. and then
jammed hard upon the wind, with every
stitch set under which she could stagger,
labored, with straining rigging and bend
ing masts, to fight her way back to the en-
trance, past which she had drifted in her
ignorance half an hour ago.
For ten minutes or so, the excitement
of that race for life was as intense as any
of which | have rs yet had experience.
They say we touched the corner of the
reef, and the two men at the wheel were
certain that they felt the rudder bump as
she swept by. know the spray from the
breakers fell in clouds upon the deck,
when, just as the two topgallant-masts
went with crash over the side under the
pressure OF stronger puff than usual. the
face OF the stranger expanded into a smile
and opening his close-shut lips, he sang
out briskly once more:
up helm Round in your weather brac-
es. Square away, Mr.. What's your name.
and never mind the wreck"
And so the danger was passed, and with
I ringing cheer we dashed gaily into the
smooth water of the inner bay.
The breeze still held. and in few more
hours we were up at the anchorage. Half
an hour more and the anchor was down !;
the sails. what were left OF them, had been
furled and slowed away somehow, and
the ships boats hoisted out. without much
need of or regard for orders of the I'M
lucky young third mate, who. it must be
confessed, took very good .humoredly the
plentiful chaff which rewarded his we'll
meant but perfectly futile attempts at en-
forcing something like discipline. Equal
~ futile were the circumstances OF the
passengers, who soon discovered that the
ships boats would only accommodate the
ships crew, and that. on this occasion. at
all events, they were not by any means in
tended to accommodate anyone else. And
as the passengers were little more nu-
merous than the mate, it seemed at first as
though there were likely to be "a row..
Our friendly pilot, however-he was
not pilot at all, by the way, but the mas
ter of q small coasting schooner, doing a
fine trade in these golden days between
Melbourne and Twofold Bay-pointed out
to US that, evenf we conquered our point,
only one batch of US could be landed in
the boats and that only on Liardet's Beach.
whilst if we waited chiefly for the steam
er which was sure to be along side soon,
q sovereign or SO apiece would take us all
right up to town. So we gave the crew a
parting benediction, received an equally
hearty comdliment in return, and awaited
the steamer with what philosophy we
might. In another hour she was along
side. and we too departed. leaving the cap
tam 10 peaceful possession OF his ship,
through which his snoring resounded in I'M
interrupted melody. By-and-by. no doubt,
he also awoke; neutrality-suspicious., with q
little difficulty-the condition of affairs,
and hailing the steamer in his turn, las
in duty bound, the last to lave the ship.
can't speak from personal knowledge,
and he may have jumped. or tumbled
overheard. All know is, that when, at
the cost of ten pound note, we got a
boat next day to 60 off from Liardets
Beach for our effects, we found the dead
chief mate in 'sole charge"
You may suppose that the interval be-
tween our passage of the famous bar. and
the little discussion that followed touch
ing the movements Of the crew, had not
passed without some attempt on our part
10 signify our gratitude to our rescuers.
Two meetings had been held, one in the
cuddy, one In the Storage, and nice lit
tie purse of some fifty sovereIgns had been
made up and handed to the elder of the
two, with complimentary speech on the
quarterback. For himself, however, he
had declined it.
.'Thank you kindly, gentlemen" he
said, 'ali the same. I'm making money
pretty fast, and shall get good price for
this job out of the agents. So, If you'll
allow me, I'll just hand it over to the lad.
Icouldn't have got off without him."
d The boy colored crimson through the
tan which Drowned his honest open face,
and his blue eyes sparkled with delight.
Thanking you kindly, gentlemen, Pm
sure !" and he took off his cap and ruffled
mp his crisp brown curls in desperate at
tempt at stimulating adequate utterance.
"rm-I'm heartily obliged, gentle-and
TO you too, sir, In sure nd-and-I
amt noways good At talking. gentlemen,
butt do thank you--hearty-"
And as the young fellow turned away,
II rather seemed to me as though he DASH
ed brown hand across the bright blue
eyes little suspiciously.
What shall you do with 1t all, my ladP'
/ asked presently. as we were leaning
side by side over the taffrail. waiting for
the steamer.
The boy colored again. and the honest
blue eyes lighted up.
''Send II to my sister, sir" he answered.
1.-The old mans in trouble Just now with
losses. and one thing and another, and
I've saved up five-and twenty pounds al
ready. There's mail goes out tomorrow,
and-there she is sir--there comes the
steamer. Iwonder if there'll be q letter
in town from SIS"
By nightfall was lodged, not very
sumptuously as regards accommodations,
but royalty enough in respect of cost, at
the Prince of Wales, and young Har
~ Goodwin had left me to 60 up to the
posto flee in search of possible letter,
promising to look me up again the next day
before going on board again. and tell me
all the news. For Master Harry had in
terested me, and really wanted to know
how 1.-THE old man" was getting on. and
whether the prospect was in any way
Frightening Of that future union between
pretty Sis, working hard 10 keep roof
over his head in the little Kentish village
seventeen thousand miles away, and hon
est Dick Golding. toiling away night and
day up to his waist in water at Welcher's
River, forty miles beyond Baiiarat.