St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-30

But at this moment there was great
shouting i'm the direction of the harbOr.
The crowd was growing excited and NOV
ing towards the seaside, and there was heard
above the din the words:
1.-The trabacolo! the trabacolOw
The time had come for the launching of
the little vessel. The sight, always an at
tractive one, was of a kind to excite the
public curiosity. And the quays where the
people had gathered were soon deserted
for the yard in which the launch was to
take place.
Point Pescade and Matifou saw that
there was no chance of an audience at pres
ent, and being anxious to find the solitary
stranger who had failed to I'LL their arena,
they left it without even stopping to shut
the doOr-and why should they shut it?-
and walked off to the yard.
This yard was situated at the end of
point just beyond the harbor, where the
beach slOped gradually to the sea. Pescade
and his companion, after a good deal OF ell
bowling, found themselves in the front row
of spectators Never, even on a benefit
night, had they had such an audience.
The shores had been cleared away from
the trabaeolo and she was now ready for
the ceremony. The anchor was ready to
be let go as soon as the hull entered the
water, so as to stop her running too far out
into the channel. Although the trabacOlO
measured only about fifty tons, the mass
was considerable enough for every precau-
ton to be taken against accident. Two of
the workmen of the yard were on deck aft.
near the flagstaff that bore the Dalmatian
colors, and two others were forward, stand
ing near the anchor.
The trabacOlo was to be sent into the
water stern first, as is done in all other
launches. Her keel, resting on the soaped
sides, was kept in its place by key. When
the key was removed the boat should begin
to slip, and then, with increasing SwifmeSS,
she would rush down the ways into her
natural element.
Half dozen carpenters with Sledge ham,
merS were knocking in wedges under the
keel forward, so as to increase the speed at
which she would take the sea. Every one
followed the operation with the greatest
interest amid a general silence.
AT this moment from behind the point to
the south there suddenly glided into view
yacht. She was schooner Of about $50
tons. She was keeping on past the point
SO as to open the entrance into the harbOr.
AS the breeze was from the northwest she
was cloSe-hauled ON the port tack, so as to
take her straight to her anchorage. In ten
minutes after she had been sighted she
had come up as rapidly as if she had been
looked at through a telescope with contin-
ually lengthening tube.
To enter the harbOr the schooner would
have to pass in front of the yard where the
trabacOlo was ready for launching; and as
soon as she was sighted it was thought best
to suspend operations for a time, and wait
till she had gone by. 4 collision between
the two vessels, one brOadside on, the other
coming at great speed, would have caused
a catastrophe on board the yacht.
The wOrkmen then stopped driving in
the wedges, and the man in charge of the
key was told to wait. 1t would only be
for minute or so. On came the schooner
She could be seen to be getting ready to
anchor. Two of the jibs were taken i'll
and the fOresail brailed up. But she went
on at good speed under her fOre-staysail
and SpaniSh-reefed mainsail.
All eyes were turned on this graceful YES
sci whose white sails were now gilded by
the Oblique rays of the sun. Her sailors in
Levantine uniform. with red caps, were
running about at their various duties, while
the captain, near the man at the helm, gave
his orders in quiet voice.
Very soon the schooner was abreast the
building-pard. Suddenly shout arose.
The trabacOlo began to move. For
some reason they key had given
way, and sine began to slide the mo-
ment the yacht was passing with starboard
side towards her.
4 collision seemed inevitable. There
was neither the time nor the means to pre-
vent it. Nothing could be done. To the
cries of the spectators there had come in
reply shout of alarm from the schoOner'S
crew.
The captain put down his helm; but it
was impossible for his ship to get by i'll time
to avoid the shock.
The trabacOlo was slipping down the
ways. A white smoke rose from the fric
ton forward. and the stern had already
plunged into the waters of the bay.
Suddenly q man jumped out from the
crowd. He seized a rope which hung from
the fore part of the trabacolO. But in vain
he tried to hold it back at the risk Of being
dragged away. Close by them was an iron
cannon stuck into the ground like a post.
In an instant he slipped the rope OVERT and
let it out hand-Over-h hand at the risk of be-
ing dragged around with it. He kept it
back and with superhuman strength he
checked it-for ten seconds.
Then the rope broke. But the ten sec
plunged into the waves and recovered as
from dive. She shot across the channel,
grazing by hardly foot the SchOOner'S
stern, just rs the anchor dropped into the
depths and brought her sharply up by the
tension of the chain.
The schooner was saved.
The hero of this daring maneuver was no
other than Cape MatifOu.
"Well pOne! Very we'll doner' exclaimed
Point Pescade, running up to the giant,
who lifted MIN in his arms, not to juggle
with him. but to embrace him as he always
embraced-that is almost to the point of
suffOcatiOn.
And then the applause reSOunded from
all sides. Five minutes later the schooner
had taken up her position i'll the center of
the harbOr; then an elegant whale-boat
with six oars brought the owner ashore.
He was tall man, about sixty with al
most white hair and gray beard cut in the
Oriental fashion. Large black eyes lit up
his face, and curious vivacity displayed
itself in his healthily brown face. The
most striking thing about him was the air
Of nobility that distinguished him. AS soon
as lie set foot on shore he walked up to the
two acrObatS, whom the crowd was greeting
and applauding.
Inc people SlcOu Dt"'h Us ne duNdIictu.
As soon as he reached Cape Matifou his
first action was not to open his purse and
take something from it. No! he held out
his hand to the giant, and said to him in
Italian
Thank you my friend for what you
did"
Cape MatifOu was too bashful to notice
the compliment.
YES, 1t was good! 1t was supurbI"
said PeScade, with all the redundance of
the PrOyencal idiOm.
You are Frenchmen?" asked the