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

ca, beyond the Ramna Stacks-falth
er and son-under the cold sea-locked il
each others arms.
CHAPTER II.
"Giye way, laddies der's young bluiC
in da boat, an we should be da first t;
reach da point dis efternoon.
"Hey heyI' The crew bent to theil
oars as Jennie Hewison appealed to them
more like men who had staked heavily OF
the result of rowing match than like sober
fishers. The "Sixern" sprang forward un
der the impulse of half dozen pairs Of
strong arms as though it sympathized with
their efforts.
Whatever misgivings Magnus Laurie
felt as he parted from Bena in the morning
had been conquered hours ago by that all
powerful instinct for seafaring which is in
born with every true Shetlander. Nay,
more than this, the young man had begun
to feel a certain gladness of heart in eman.
cipating himself from the superstitious as
sociations of that particular day. He had
laughed at Bena for her Difference to Shet-
land notions about courtship. On return
ing from the haaf fishing he could-not
exactly laugh at the dear old soul whose
life was bound up in his-but, gently i'm
press on her that another superstition, about
fatal anniversaries, might be thankfully
put aside.
eyes, she will feel more cheerful about
me to know that the spell has been brok-
en-" Magnus said to himself, as earlief in
the day, he sat among a crowd of fishermen
batting the hooks for the short lines. at
seems british thing to do to leave her
all alone, but she will never dream what |
am doing, and common sense says that |
am acting kindly to her, if it is in a rather
rough way, poor old creature. Not more
rough than the way surgeon acts, when
he cuts deeply in order to avert years of
lingering pain,
The bold fishers around Magnus while
he thus soliloquized, with more or less Of
Edinboro sophistry, had plenty Of common
sense; yet | venture to affirm that not a
man of them would have consented to his
putting forth from Feathaland on that par
ticular day had they known what he did.
Twenty years and more had passed since
his father and grandfather perished togeth-
er; and, alas such events are too common
in those storm-girt islands to be long re-
membered save by the bereaved ones.
Many families accept as a bitter truth the
proyerb that ''noneof their men die in their
beds.
But to return. Full thirty boats were
eagerly pressing out seawards that after
noon and Jennie Hewison's craft, doubt
less owing to the 'syoungbluid' of the lat
est addition to her crew, bade fair to be
the first to begin the haaf fishing.
When they stared, the blue sea seemed
nc more than slightly corrugated, as it
were, by the gentle putting Of the wind,
which came and went fttully. The sky
above was calm expanse of blush gray,
dashed here and there with streaks and
patches of faintest yellow. The sun had
hidden himself somewhere behind those
clouds southwards, but only that he might
shoot his rays into them, causing these rays
to spread in soft simmer of light upon
distant hills, whereby the heather-modest
drab or brown by nature-became mass
of shining gold. At length the glory upon
the hills died away; the clouds gathered
themselves into sombre mountain forms;
and the wind gave up playing and settled
into steadier mood
II tink we Gamma do better dan hoist da
sail, remarked Jennie Hewison. "Noo,
Magnus, do thou help at da halyards, if du
hasna forgotten dy sea-craft since du hast
been a gran Scotch jontleman."
"Na, ma, skipper" said Magnus, laugh
ing, I'm no Scot yet, but true Morse, bone
and bluid, like yersel.
The oars were shipped, the little mast
raised, the shrouds braced, and the brown
sail run up on the "rackie" (half-circle of
wood that attaches it to the mast). Then
the "Stormy Petrel,' after a preliminary
shake, as though she felt the need of arous-
ing herself to further effort, hecled over
slightly, and few before the breeze.
SsDis will jist about do for da haddocks, .
remarked the skipper to his crew generally,
after sailing for half an hour or so. IL
wonder if da fresh hand will bring luck
whin we cast for da bats y l
cay, Jennie, my man, dat will he-a
haddock on every hook, exclaimed Mag
nus, boldly. As he spoke he busted him
self in getting ready one Of the smaller
"packies," or bundles of line which had
been already baited with limpets By means
of these the Shetland fisher catches, few
miles from shore, the bait (haddocks chief
ly) which is presently to be profered to
the epicurean cod and ling far out at sea.
"Da laddie's leethful (actiye) and handy,
Eric" observed Jennie Hewison to the
fisher-a big fair man with tremendous
beard-who sat or the thwart beside him,
slowly pulling the boat as the line was paid
out.
'sYah; an as like his puir father as one
side o dis boat is ia da other, replied
Eric Ericsson. "a stately lad was Ronald
Laurie.
owls ma auld Gibbie Laurie an his son
Ronald drowned togither, hereabouts ?"
inquired Hewison. 81 wis sailin to da
Indies, ye ken, till some ten years agone. !"
"Norrard iv da Stacks yonder; day
wis found iist cuddling each ither like twa
BARNS asleep. But dinna talk o da mat
ter, Jennie, der's ma luck in it; specially
whan yon lad is in da boat.
II niver thought o dat, moo, responded
Hewison in a whisper "Eric, we must
pass da word roun' to da lads to be varra
careful O. Ronald Laurie's bairn."
In the meanwhile Magnus was too ca
gerly engaged in casting out the haddock
bats to pay any attention to what had just
been said respecting the death of his father
and grandfather. He and the rest Of the
crew had Just finished their task and cast
over the ''bower" (buoy) which marked
the limit of the lines, as Jennie and Eric
closed their dialogue.
The line being paid out, the boats head
was turned, and Magnus's prediction proved
to be pretty near the truth. For the next
hour haddocks in abundance (many of
them of size for which, in cured state,
Mr.. Sweeting would expect eighteenpence)
were tumbled over the boats side, and
quickly cut up to bait the long lines.
This task finished, the boat was again
put about, and with hoisted sail once more
made boldly for cod bank some ten miles
from the Feathaland point This reached,
the fishers settled down steadily to the task
of paying out the long lines, four or five
miles in extent. At length, about half
past nine. the "bower" was thrown over,