Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-07-15

''Holy Bible it is, Lizzie, and coffee.
mill it is, and warming pan; and, Ned,
I'll fetch 'em all If God spares my life,
and do you keep yourself and the young
sters safe and well against l come
| home"
"I'll try, Daniel, and then Ned came
for his good-by, and fifteen minutes
later the wife and mother ran up to the
walk on top of his house and waved her
white apron in farewell to the Nine
Captains, standing out of the harbor
with fresh southerly breeze on her
weather beam. Space and time forbid
us to follow the little craft on her ad-
venturous voyage; suffice it to say that
the favoring breeze continued, that she
escaped the vigilance Of British cruisers
and privateersmen, and on the third
day ran the blockade of New York har-
Dor and triumphantly made fast to one
OF the rude wharves, now replaced by
elegant piers in the lower parts of the
city.
The candles and oil came at just the
right time, and were disposed of at war
prices to the great content of the owners,
and even the salt fish went off at a
profit well covering the cost of the
entire voyage.
At last both business and pleasure
being well completed, the jolly crew
reassembled on board, hove their
anchor, set all sail, changed shore
clothes for sou'westers and pea jackets,
and with parting cheer to the COM
rades on the wharf, the Nine Captains
dropped down the stream and faced the
blockaders.
eff we get clear with this cargo, boys.
and sell at home as well as we have in
York, it'll be the best v'yge ever man
jack of us made yet, according to it's
length that is, chuckled Captain Ber-
zillar Hussey, as he came aft to take his
trick at the helm.
"Best not to barl your lie fore you
get your whale cut in, growled Cap
tain Coleman, whom he relieved.
"That's So" asserted Captain Rus
sell, standing by. "AIl I lay out for
sure is to get my woman's warming
pan and coffee-millss ssand Holy Bible safe
ashore, and the rest goes for luck"
Going to have change of weather
fore night" remarked Captain Ray,
squirting his eyes up at the sun, and
Captain Gardner, a very silent man,
nodded significantly.
The prophecy was not long in prov
ing itself correct, and by eight bells all
hands were piped, not to dinner, as they
would have liked, but to haul down the
iib and reef both fore end mainsail, and
in another hour the Nine Captains was
scndding through Long Island Sound
before a fifteen knot breeze, blocks
and halyards rattling and swinging,
canvas cracking, two men at the helm,
an old-fashioned tiller by the way, whose
length swept the quarterback from rail
to rail, and everything portable shifting
with every lurch of the crank little
craft.
"Wish we had hundred ton of lie
in our hold" said Captain Coleman, un-
easily. That corn amt ballast enough
for such gale as this"
"What | wish is that it was in bar
rels," replied Captain Folger. eff it
should shift in body over to lee'ard,
it would be good-by to the Nine Cap
tains."
"That's so, Folger, bnt it amt going
to Shift" blithely spoke Tom Coffin.
"And tell you, boys, this is just the
ground for bluefish, and unless | am
bigger fool than l think myself, l see
school yonder. Mighty early for 'em,
but Yes, there she blows ! .
81 believe you're right, Tom, but
who'd think of fishing in gale like
this" growled Macy, and Tom, with
his jolly laugh, replied:
"Gale Don't call this gale, do
You? Boy Ned and are going to fish,
l tell you, while the rest of you man the
ship. Aren't we, Ned?"
"Yes, sir" replied Ned, delighted.
and in a few moments half-dozen
lines were overheard, for Tom Coffin's
practiced eye had not deceived him, and
the Nine Captains had run across the
earliest school of bluefish seeking their
summer resorts near the shore. The
example was contagious, and presently
every man on board, not otherwise en-
gagged, was holding a bluefish line. or
hauling in the beautiful victims, until
the sport was suddenly arrested by two
shouts from the two lookouts.
British cruiser ahead on the weather
bow"
"Corn shifting in the hold p
"Hang the luck!" cried Tom Coffin,
hauling in his last bluefish, a splendid
fellow, and flinging him into the tub in
the lee scuppers, just about filed to the
brim.
"Heng the corn, say" retorted his
brothe. "We can neither fight nor
run with our craft on her beam ends. if
we don't capsize altogether.
"Look here, boys" exclaimed Folger.
beckoning his comrades close together,
''we're going to be taken sure; for, as
Coffin says, we can neither fight nor run
in this fashion, but that brigantine
won't spare more than two or three men
to take this schooner up to Halifax. and
one of us will be carried along to con-
denim the craft in their courts; one of
us, l say, mates, and / don't see man
here that isn't match for any three of
those press-gang fellows yonder."
"Thats so, brother Folger," ex-
claimed one. and ali gave assent by
voice or look, while Russell quietly
said:
"Send me, if you can, boys. I'll do
my best, and maybe the Nine Captains
won't make so long a cruise as Halifax. -
Yes. yes, Russell's the man ; send
him" exclaimed one and all, and Rus.
! sell, putting his hand on Ned's shoulder.
added:
"You'll look out for my boy, mates,
and Ned, you see that mother gets her
| HOLY Ribla and the rest of tho sfuFu