River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-05-24


boats, You know. l never did like 10 pet
IN one OF them, they UP over so easy.
Well, at first | could see Ned rowing stea-
dy, but the fog seemed TO grow thicker,
and thicker, creeping up from the sea till
II had spreafl over the flats and wrapped
round us so at last could not make out
even the outline of my boy For a
while We talked little, but after that
Ijust sat still, thinking of my POOR sis
ter.
Il guess nearly an hour must have
passed, when | noticed Ned was rowing
slow and sort of Irregular could not
tell by the sound of the oars-and
asked him if he didn't think we were near
home.
80 We'd ought to be, mother says he,
and / knew from the way he spoke he
was tired and worried. He stopped row.
ing now and stood up in the boat
:" can't make out the shore; can youY
says he; but couldn't see anything but
the blaekness all around. | could hear
the water tapping against the side of the
boat and the noise OF the breakers-and
they weren't very far away. That fright
ened me.
"Then Ned began to row again, but as
if he was tired and discouraged, and soon
stopped.
80 / can't row any more, mother says
he, the tides against us. / don't make
an inch, and | can't find out where we
are
"'You'll have to rest and then try
again, Ned, says |. If could help you
row / would but you know l can't. lust
xr.nfl e.
shore He didn't answer, and we sat
still; but knew by the motion of the
boat that we were drifting. i knew, too
that it was ebb-tide, and there was a
strong current towards the sea. You've
noticed, haven't you, what strong cur-
rent there is in some parts of the river9
Ned said in a few minutes, trying
hard to speak cheerful and not let him
know how anxious felt, you must make
one more effort, a few more pulls will
surely bring us to land So Ned took
the oars once more, and pretty soon, to
our great relief, we felt the bottom of the
boat scrape against the sand, and another
stroke of the oar brought us to land So
Ned took the oars once more, and pretty
soon, to our great relief, we felt the bot
tom of the boat serape against the sand,
and another stroke of the oar brought us
to land. Ned got out and began to haul
the boat up, but Immediately cried out:
1t amt our shore at alll | declare if we
amt by Captain Moore's" That was a
few rods below where we started from.
The boat had turned round, most likely
pulled away by the current, and here we
were farther than ever from home.
"What to do l didn't know Ned was
tired out, and | was afraid to venture
with him alone again. At last proposed
that we'd try and find the way TO Captain
Moore's and ask some one there to row us
over, and this time, Ned, poor child, was
glad enough to do it. We had some
trouble to find the path that led up
through the woods. However we did get
on it at last and felt our way to the house.
Captain Moore was out, but Jim Lewis,
young man who worked for him, was
there, and he agreed to take us across,
though Mrs. Moore wanted us to stop
there all night And, indeed, I'd have
been tempted to stay, for l felt drea iful
nervous when thought of the dark and
the fog and the strong tide, but my baby
was always in my mind-I kept thinking
he must be crying for me and of course
I'd have risked anything to go to him.
1T was abont o'clock when we left
Moores. When we got to the river Jim
said he'd take Captain More's boat to cross
to come back in, and proposed, as it was
more comfortable that ! should get in 1T
and we'd tow ours. So we started our
boat fastened behind, with Ned in it. Jim
hadn't been here long and didn't know
much about rowing, and neither of us
thought how much harder that would
make the pulling. It's queer Ned didn't
think of it, but guess he was too tired.
g As / said before, it was ebb-tide and
the water rushing out to sea very fast; /
never saw such black sky, and the fog
that thick it seemed as if you could not
breathe. As we put off from land once
more and went out into the darkness, | re-
membered all I'd heard about people be-
ing lost in the fog. / thought of my hus-
band and the baby, and my sister, and
horrible feeling came over me that I'd
never see them again. And all the time
ii was getting dalnper, colder and black
er.
1--WE don't seem to keep straight
liz I'm said, after he'd been rowing
VIVA, eeme9 long, long time THE
other boat, or tide or something, swings
us around so. We'd ought to be near
across, but the waters as deep as ever
Il knew, though | didn't say so, that
we were not going across, for / heard the
sound of the sea, at first very faint and
far off, now getting louder every minute,
and at ebb tide we might easy be caught
in the current near the mouth of the river
and be carried out to the breakers. Such
thing has happened.
"Well, for perhaps half an hour Meth
er of us had spoken, and | was so fright
ened I'd almost forgotten about our boat,
when jim remarked that it was easier
pulling than before. Then all of a sud
den he stopped rowing, leaned past me
and felt in the stern of the boat; then
made an exclamation as if he was scared.
"'What is it, said, somehow feeling
right away what was the matter.
'''I thought so; the boats loose, by
George, and the Lord knows where she is
nowr
at seemed as if that was too much!
felt all confused, and think told Jim
| that he must find my boyle must turn
back. IF only knew which way to
turn back Y says he; and began hallooing
ond calling Ned. But there was no
answer.
81 can't remember what did or said; ;
when | think of that time the same dread
full feeling comes over me that | had
then, when my boy was drifting out alone
in that little boot 10 sea. | thought he
must have got beyond hearing before
we missed him, and there was no chance
that he could row against the tide, tired
as he was. When Jim began to row
again, but in an uncertain sort of way,
stopping every now and then to shout.
| Once we thought there was an answer,
but after that he couldn't hear sound"
AT last he gave up calling, and |
felt then there was no hope of ever find
ing Ned or getting ashore. Jim said he
was going TO try and get me safe home