Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-05-18
THE BLACK BUOY.

THE BLACK BUOY.
"STim?' said grandmamma, as VIC
sat round the cracking bilets one even.
ing. every boy and girl should learn
to swim. Why, l could swim like q
duck when | was n girl. Dear me,
Dear meW
Grandmamma sat bolt upright in her
high backed chair, resting her elbows
on the arms and smiling across at
grandpapa-who sat en- the other side
of the hoarth-wth conscious look
in her bright old eyes. Grandpapa, the
general, paueing in tho act of raising
his tumbler to his lips, nodded and
smiled back at graudmamma. They
were both white. haired, hright-eyed and
sy-cheeked: both sat, straight and
erect, in tall, red-cushioned oak chairs,
and each saw the other through an eff
facing medium that sm0othed out wrin
kles, restored hyacynthe locks, and
blottod out The fifty years that lay be
tween them and youth.
Now, when we, the youthful descend
ants of this stately pair, grouped in lazy
attitudes around the vast roaring hearth,
with its tall carved chimneypiece, saw
the meaning looks that were exchanged
between our respected progenitors, we
scented story. And when q MANY
voiced appeal for the story broke from
liz, grandmama hesitated for moment
and then shook her head, then looking
across to grandpapa, who nodded az in,
and, after Il little pausing, she thus be-
gan:
You know, young people, that you
are of good family only on your grand
fathers side, and not on mine: for he
came of al old and honorable stock,
while my father was only ships bos'n.
My father was killed in greet sea Fight
when was only n little child, and was
brought up by grandfather, who was
ostensibly n boat-builder and fisherman,
but in reality smuggler. A SUCCESS
full smugglCr too. In those days snug
Cling meant great risks and enormous
profits, for duties, especially on foreign
wines aud spirits, We're exceedingly
high. IL was not only profitable
trade, but 1t was reputable in peculiar
sort of way; for it required great cour-
age and great skill. England was al
ways Mt war in those days, and the
smuggler ran the risk of being snapped
w by an enemy's cruiser rs well as of
falling into the clutches of n revenue
cutter. la addition, there were the in.
cvltable chances and dangers of the
sea. So that q good smuggler had to
be not on'y a man Of great daring, but
OF great knowledge of navigation. He
had to work into hafbor on the darkos It
night, for 1t was only on dark nights
that he could venture on "a run" with
the utmost secrecy aud dispatch. To
do that he must know every inch of his
way, be able to distinguish landmarks
and buoys where au Impractical eve
would only see lIdislinCt blackness, and
know to nicely the time the tide
turned, tho twists of the sandbanks,
and the position of the sunken rock.
My gran, father could neither read or
write, and he had, as | think for that
reason, II wonderful M emory. He was
assisted IN his work by my two uncles,
both llllterato men like himself, and
the three seemed to fini their way,
through long practice and acCute ubser-
walton, as if by instinct. There was only
one channel leading to the landing
IAhNNN WV IlpuNll VI VIZ ilIilG river
where We lived being almost Choked
by sandbauks which ian out to some
distance. 1t was necessary to hit this
channel considerable way out ut sea,
and n small black buoy bobbed up and
down to indicate its commencement.
One side of the harbor was formed by
Il line nj rocks jutting out to some length
and shelving down gradually into the
water, and the buoy was distant from
the extremity of these rocks about
three quarters of mile. This headlsnd
WAS called the Plont.
The black buoy, a mere speck on the
water, was hard enough for anyone to
find i'll the broad day: yet my grand
father never failed 10 lind it i'll the dark
for of course it was only moonless
night that he Gould hope to run cargo.
The usual course of proceeding WAS
thus: The lugger arrived off our coast
at nlghttall, lay to until signal was
flashed from our friends on shore, ard
then found the entrance to the channel,
and worked i'll with the tide. 1t was
necessary to be very careful in hitting
Oh the channel at first, where the buoy
was, or they might ultimately run on
the sunkeu rocks at the extremity of
the Point.
Grandfather and l lived in pretty
cottage at one extremity of the village.
Our house was better than most of the
others, for grandfather had money in
bank, and was we'll to do. TIE cottage
was covered with honeysuckles and
creepers; at the back was = wellstocked
kitchen garden; in front WAS grassy
bank sloping down to the sand, at its
junction with waich stood our wooden
boat house. By the boat house lay three
or four of our boats, broad, strong and
unwieldy; and opposite the boat house
were the moorings of the Little Lady,
our naughty, fast-sailing, clever little
lugger.
l had q very independent, irregular
sort of life. My grandfather was often
away for days at a time, AMI the old
woman who looked after the house
for grandm other was dead long since
would have had little time for scour-
ing and cleaning if she had tried 10
look after me. Igot q little book learn.
ing from the old vicar, but it was not
enough to hurt me. No, my desrs;
knew no Italian, no Latin, no algebra;
but my eyes were none the less bright,
my lungs none the less clear, my color
none the less blooming, that passed
most of my days in the bright sunshine,
and free, fresh air. I could run q
couple of miles and jump safe; I
could pull an oar with the best, ana /
could SWIM like duck. I was thor
oughly at home either on the water or
in it. The sea had no terrors or diff
ficuities for me, except such as it was
ploaaura ~ nvaraoua So af sixteen