The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-12-11

nAeuVVNb cnArSCCef Va Cn0 0ccd1ious
BySSmparison with Tobias Jackson
Deacon Silsbee was very sober, but
judged by any other standard he was
very dtquE. T6Y pea4OR bat on the
heel OF the bowsprit, his chin resting
heavily on both hands, singing in a
dismal voice hymn after hymn of. va
riods metres but It'd one unNaryihg
tune. An invitation from the Cap.
tain to lend hand at the jib-halyards
met with no response. The Deacon
did not stir, but sat With his bleary
eyes glued on the rum kegs in the
standing room aft, and began. The
voice of free grace cries escape to
the mountain yin louder and more
melancholy information than. before.
The entireipopulation of the Cove
had come down to witness the de.
parture of, the Toad. Many were
the weatherprophecies and the argu
ments Of discussion shouted at the
bold skipper Even those Of his
neighbors who had been friendliest
to the undertaking urged him to post.
pone his start until a more favorable
day. They 'pointedto the longifog
bank which hnedsthe horizon to- the
seward and chad already shut in
Damiscove Island and was hurrying
toward Bald Head light and the main
shore. IscalculAte to shev cosidera:
BILE fog more,or less till fetch be.
yond. the Banks. g Returned the Cap.
tain, cheerfully, e Guess 1 mought as
we'll overhaul thet air compass of
Andrew jackson now ez later on.p
Under these Encouraging circum-
stances, with prophecies of evil
| sounding behind. him and thick fog
dead ahead, with one of his compan-
ions helplessly drunk below deck
and the other uncomfortably noisy
above, Captain Peleg Crum COM
menced his memorable voyage.
Standing erect at the stern sheets,
he poured tor hinsalf a hrina,a;nc
turnbierfnr0T rum as q sort o. hrst
line of Notifications against the fog.
Then alone and unaided, he ran up
his mainsail and his jib and resumed
his position at the helm. He had
sworn in the face of all Mackerel
Cove to sail the Toad across the At
lantic in spite of Beelzebub. He
would do it or perish in the attempt,
along with Deacon Silsbee and An
drew Jackson's son Tobias. Capt.
Crum drank another tumblerful of
rum. The mainsail f1uttered in the
first furry of the fog breeze. Wav-
ing a graceful adieu to the assembled
multitude on shore, and throwing an
affectionate kiss to his, weeping wife,
who already considered herself in eff
feet his widow, and whom he could
readily distinguish in the distance by
her pocket handkerchief, he grasped
the tiller and brought the Toad round
into the wind. The sails filled and
the gallant though rather aged craft
bounded off toward the open sea,
while loud above the, plash of the
waves and the shouts Of the crowd
on shore rang out the deep voice Of
Deacon Silsbee, as he sang at the top
of his lungs:
My willing soul wo-o-od SHAY
In slusha Trainer ZIsh; ,.. .s
An sit an sing her shellaway
| To etferash ihic) blish." ii'<
The first news of the Toad'sprog.
ress was brought to Mackerel Cove
twenty-eight hours after her depar-
ture, by the crew of a Halifax lum-
herman which put in on account of
the fog. The lumbefman reported it
very thick outside--thicker than any,
thing he remembered at that time of
year. He.had narrowly escaped run
ming on the Clamshell, we'll known