The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-09-23

an set their club top5'lS There's potbip'
yachtsman won't do in race, sir but that
war goin little too far, as we soon saw.
"Ail on a sudden the wind came Just like
white sIuall right out o the northwest.
heard one big'crash,a as if a house had fallen
III. looked back, an blow me IL every
one O them fellers wot had set club tops'ls
ha int carried away their topmasts. The
Ia t we saw o. thom they were clearln'
away the wreckage an beating back fur
tue Hook in the big est kind of sea way.
Why, in five minutes, sir, We had the worst
cross sea out there ever saw in my life
The Salamander seemed ~ stand right
straight up on her stern at times OF
course We lost no time in ree,in' close down
fore an aft an settin' storm iib We
had hard time, sir, fur when that wind
tuSt struck us | thought thu masts war
goin' right out O. the boat However, in
a few minutes the Salamander AMI the Arab
were whizzIn' down toward tho lightshp
An now, sir, you may believe me or not,
but the moro we sailed the more W. didn
Seom fur 10 gct any neare" TO that light
ship. The men got scared and wanted to
turn back, Int Mr. Parker said he wouIin
IL, it, There was the Arab hangin' on To
Dhi "tdlhti MT. was
bounl to go around that lightShip ahead o
the fleet or wot war left Of it But we
couldn't get any where near tho lightship.
Mr. Parker ordered mo to have the log hove
an found we war maxim thirteen knots
looked back To SOC what had become O. the
other boats, an couldn't sec a sign o
them l couldn't see the Hook. l couldn't
see the Highlands We war clean out to
sea, with the blamelcst gale you over heard
toll On BLOWN behind us, an tumblin'
stretch o wild water ahead of US Putty
soon | see they was hoistin' some kind o a
flag on the lightship They sent 1t up in an
admirars cap an then shook it out 1t
was tho international code 81 nal of dis
tres
Now know wots the matter, said Mr.
Parker
'Wot is it" asked
"'rhe lighship's broken her cabies She's
runnin' away
"'Wot are you goin' to do says l.
I'm agoin' to round that ligbtship, says
be, il have to follow hor TO the Cape o
Cool Hope
'Well, says l. 1T won't take us long at
this fate'
The Arab was of the same mind, for she
was a bilin through the water on our
weather quarter, ksepiu' just the same dis
tance from US. We war down to bare poles
now. We couldn't have carried a rag o
canvas If it had been made u sheet iron
All hands, inciulu t'ne lightship, was Scud
din like three express trains Well, | amt
aEon 10 weary You dcscrlbin our chase
but III tell lua this The wind hauled
lttlc NOR, TO tho west an sent Us almost
straight across tho ocean. Ono moruin' tho
lookout man called out, Land hpl' an sure
enough there was the rocks o the Spanish
coast right square in front o. us.
Nj Parker says |, are you goin' to
rouni the Ii;htship if she goes ashoros'
I'm agom round her says lie, ii she
COS up in the air,
"'Iause don't you see, there was that
big Arab cutter right on our weather quar-
ter all the time, an w warn't goin' to let
her beat us Well, sir, Just as we thought
that shpwreck was astarin' the hghtship
in tho face the wind dropped TO moderate
hrno5e and hauled To the eastward JuSs
thea tramp >team'r from tho Meiiter-
raucan came along, an seein' the lightshps
signal of distress took her i'll tow To say
that Mr.. Parker was mad amt tellin' YOU
al kinds . signals. but we couldn't get
those fellows to understand that we wanted
to round the ightship The tramp went
right on an, of course, in such sea an
with light wind we couldn't catch her
veil, We beaded for America again. Tae
tramp and the Ii. hit ,hip war soon out O.
sight but We kept right after them as fast
rs TIL wind could carry Us. An there war
the Arab right on our weither quarter Just
the same rs before.
We'll, to make the story short, in due
time we sighted the Highland lights an be
gan to bear down on the Hook once moro
1t was beautiful moonlight night, an
putty soon wo seed two bright lights jest
ahead Mir Parker took a look at EN-
through his night glas. au' then h. Jumped
fur the wheel
"'rherc,' me shouted. is that blamed
light ship right back where shs belongs. an
blow me fur Il goldfish if dou't round her
now or lust"
An We rom led her, keepin' her on the
cardboard hand, an tho Arab was right
with us Then we saIlel up to the clubs
anchorage On came to anchor The next
lay Mr. faraer went before the reyetta
COMMITTEES an clai.mal the fust prize for
an Tao owner . the Arab
claimed that for sloo.s ami cutters, cause,
ion't ye see, th ir hol;s were the only ones
Tot hal rounded the light ,hip7
As Mr. Mt'iip WIS about to sit down the |
president said
"Ani dad they get the rri2eS''
"No, not Il Int OF 1t, sal Nj. McGilp. |
The comm'tte sal they warn't eutitlel to |
hem tecauc they gone out o their |
'ourse New y ork Timss