The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-03-21

Bena would not miss the sight. The SUI
was going down behind vast mountain OF
deep-blue cloud, golden-capped, which
seemed to be separated by jagged valley
from that more northern cloud mountain Of
which Hewison had spoken; while along
the whole western horizon were spread out
exquisite masses of colour; here inky blues
there pale gold and brown, there again hills
of purple. To the eastward a calm mass
of neutral tints lay upon the waves, the
gentler reflection Of those splendors of the
west Presently the humeen or twilight
would come, but in calm weather never, al
that season, utter darkness save under the
solemn sea. gn5m a7 rs
'Noo, Ola" said the skipper to the
youngest of the boats crew, "blaw away
at the peats, my BARN, an put da kettle
on; we must hae supper as weel as da ling
and cod down below
"But ye Gamma max as big meal as
ony one of da fishes, Jennie" interposed
Magnus, quickly.
''Troth, dat viii 1, look you" said the
skipper with grin, begging at once.
"Na, but yell hae to stop presently, man;
and da mair da fishes eat of da supper we
hae given hem de mair dey wall be able to
hold, ye KEN
aHoo?n t
s'To da hooks, ye KEN
A general laugh greeted this sally. The
brains of those blithe children of the north
were quickened to emulate it, and soon joke
and story, saga tale and fairy tale, made
that fshermens evening meal in an open
boat, north of all Britain, as merry as we're
the feasts of their Viking ancestors in Jarl
Rollo's hall. ~ aig4f
Too quickly, it seemed, did the skipper
bid them stow away kettle and tin panni-
kins and commence pulling in the lines.
Magnus clambered forward to take an oar.
Jennie Hewison himself, after prelimi-
nary hoist at his trousers catches hold of
the line, while Eric Ericsson, the fair-bearded
man, stands at his side armed with "hug-
gle staff Some thirty fathoms were
pulled in while the boat was being rowed
Slowly landwards Then the line frightened.
Eric lends hand at the line; they pull and
pull; and 10 mighty ling nearly five feet
in length struggles at the surface of the
water In another moment he is hooked
deftly by the ''huggie staff" and is sighing
heavily at the bottom of the boat.
Oats no sac i'll for beginning, said
the skipper. dts Magpps wi his luck
again. "
So it seemed, for cod and ling of all sizes
came in quick succession for the next hour,
and the boatrwas well ballasted with fish.
A sudden exclamation from Magnus ar
rested the attention of his companions, who,
eager and excited about their successful
haul, had ceased to watch the weather.
That northern cloud mountain, respecting
which the skipper was little anxious as
they were beginning their meal, had, as he
hoped, broken up; but the dispersal was
only temporary; since there had been a
slow, steady deepening of the mass of sky
on all sides, so gradual indeed that the
change was scarcely perceptible. But far
away in the north, dense black battalions
of cloud had swiftly formed, and were
iercely pursuing each other. 1t was this
ominous sight that drew hurried excla-
nation from the lips of the young man.
Hewison looked up, and in an instant re-
allied the situation.
"Bear ahead, men, and tear the lines in
as fast as ye can" he cried.
1t was no question now whether or no
fish were on the lines. Fathom after
fathom was drawn in, the fish being left on
D,oeoDkl. - haaa,ano dom no
to take any more ON board, and ling and
cod were torn off and flung away as they
appeared. Soon the rest of the lines had
to be abandoned, for sudden wild shrek
of the wind filled all hearts with dread, and
caused Eric and the skipper to look at each
other, and then at Magnus, with pitiful
sadness. He, like the others, had thrown
off sou'-wester and jacket, in order to row
more freely. His faxen hair was stream
ing in the wind showing all the breadth of
that white brow, from under which his eyes
now cleaned with sort of hopeless ear
nestness. All the fateful traditions of his
boyhood had rushed in upon his soul with
the fury and suddenness Of that outer
storm, and he felt himself doomed to die,
as his father and grandfather before him,
amid the wild waste of these terrible north
ern seas. His one concern now was that
these brave companions might not share his
fate 0iafaga sdl4A4 .@m
Silently the crew now fitted the mast
once more and hoisted the sail Then,
with her gunwales almost level with the
seething sea, the little "Sixern" seemed to
glide from one wave to another. 1t was a
time for Shetland seamanship to be put to
the test Jennie Hewison held the helm
Two of the crew stood at the halyards and
lowered the sail or took in a reef from time
to time, as occasion required. Magnus and
the other two crouched down amidships,
ready to relieve their companions when ne
cessary. In the hands of the skipper were
the lives, humanity speaking, of all on board.
BilIow after billow rushed upon that
frail boat, clamouring for it as prey.
Then the wind seemed to toss the boat
scornfully outof the grasp of those ravening
waves oitappeared. But Jennie Hew
ison does not deem his craft at the mercy
of the elements yet. In his quaint way he
would say, "Na, ma, [ had her in hand all
dat time She jist did as telled her."
Being a fast-sailing boat, the "Stormy
Petrol" soon distaneed her ranksman in the
fishing feet that had left the ground with
her. For long time the two boats had
kept up communication by means of signals,
while such were possible, and afterwards
by blowing on the horn. But the sea mists
were becoming so dense. and the roar of the
wind and waves so great, that speedily this
slight token of human sympathy with a
common peril was gone, and alone under
the overwhelming heavens the STORMY
Petrer' bore on.
Soon there came fresh danger. Owing
to the tide running counter to the wind,
heavy cross sea set in, to meet which re-
quired all the nautical skill and self-com-
mand Hewison possessed. Now he would
tighten the sheet and let the boat fly from
some tremendous billow which threatened
to engulf them; or, putting the helm hard
down, he brought the boat right up in the
eye of the wind, that it might take On the
bow some short lump of sea which had
risen on her quarter too near for her to fiy
from it.
"Mak' ready for da worst brithers p
suddenly cried the skipper. Instinctively
those who could clutched each at one of
the oars lying in the boat