Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-07-19

OF boiling water The wondrous old
schooner was never busier-no, not in the
hey day of her flag, when her guns were
blazing and her people yelling.
As half-past three in the afternoon the
breeze began to sit in dark curls upon the
water, and there was evidence enough in the
haziness in the west, and in the loom of the
shoulders of vapor in the dark blue obscure
there, to warrant sackful for this capful
presently.
II reckon" says the captain to me, after
looking into the west, shat we'd best knock
off now. There's snow and wind yonder.
and we'd better see all snug while there's
time.n
He called to one of the men to tell the SEQ
ond mate to come up from below and get the
matches on, and bringing me to the rail he
pointed to boat, and asked If that would
doa | said yes, and thanked him heartily for
the gift, which was handsome must say
the boat being a very good one. though,
70 be sure, he had got many times its value
out of the schooner; and party of men were
forthwith told off to get the boat hoisted and
slowed.
The captain then shook me by the hand,
and, calling farewell to Wilkinson and the
negroes, scrambled into the chains and
dropped into his boat, very highly satisfied, 1
make no doubt, with the business he had done
that day.
A boats crew were left behind to help us
to make sail But the weather looking some
what wild in the west, with the red light of
the sun among the clouds there, and the dark
heave Of the swell running into sickly
crimson under the sun, and then flowing out
dgsky again, got them to treble reef the
naainsail and hoist it, and then thanking
them, advised them to be off. We gave them
q cheer when they started, which they re-
Earned, and then, putting Cromwell to the
tiller, went forward with the others and
set the topsail and forestaysail the spritsaiI
lying furled), which would be show enough
OF canvas till / saw what the weather was
like. kept the topsail aback, waiting for
boat TO arrive with my chart, and in a few
minutes the boat we had cheered returned
with what l wanted.
Meanwhile they were shortening sail on
the whaler; and, though she was no beauty,
yet tell you | found her as picturesque as
any ship had ever behed as she lay with
ner maintopgallantsail clewed up, her top
sail yards on the caps, and the heads of men
knotting the reef points showing black over
the white cloths, her hull floating up out Of
the hollow and hinging wet orange CLEAN
TO the west, tumble of creamy foam about
her to her rolling-shadows like the passage
Of phantom hands hurrying over her sails to
the swaying of her masts, and the swelling
sea darkling from her into the east.
4 I followed my hands, and hailing the cap
tain, who was ON the quarter deck, asked
him for the time by his ohronometer. He
hourished his arm and disappeared, and
presently returning shouted to know if l was
| I mt hn in, INV atcb o,,I
swered yes, and then he gave me the time.
My watch, though antique, was a noble
piece of mechanism, and have little doubt,
as trustworthy as his chronometer. But I
was careful to let it lie snug in my hand.
did not want the negro at the tiller nor the
others to see it. They would wonder that so
tine jeweled piece as this should be in the
possession of the second 4nate of little brig,
and it was my business 70 manage that they
never should have cause to wonder at any
thing in that way.
The dusk of the evening came quick out
| OF the east, and the wind freshened with
| long cry in our rigging, as if the eastern
darkness was a foe it was rushing out Of the
west to meet. l brought the schooner north
northeast by my compass, and watched her
behavior anxiously. The swell was on the
| quarter, and the wind and sea a trifle abaft
the larboard beam; she leaned little to the
| weight of her clothes, but was surprisingly
stiff considering how light she was. Wilkin-
son and the negro cara and stood by my
side. The sea broke heavily from the weather
| bow, and the water roared white under the
lee bends and spread astern in a broad wake
| OF foam The whaler did not brace his yards
up till after we had started, and now hung a
PALE faint mass in the windy darkness on the
/ a 1f, ,aI how
like smoke colored by the furnace that pro-
duces it, in the west, but the night had drawn
down quick and dark; the washing noise of
the water was sharp, the wind piercingly
cold; each sweep Of the schoonor's masts to
windward was followed by dull roaring of
the blast rushing out of the holows of the
canvas, and she swung to the seas with wild
yaws, but with regularity sufficient to prove
the strict government of the helm.
But it was being at sea, homeward bound,
too! There was no wish of mine, engendered
by my hideous loneliness on the ice, by my
abhorred association with the Frenchman,
that could not refer to as, down to this mo-
ment, gratified. My heart bounded my spirits
conld not have been higher had this ocean
been the Thames, and yonder dark flowing
hills of water the banks of Firth and the
Gravesend shore.
4 4 blIueQ W hfice men. my mus. Sttlu
L "you prove yourselves fire bold fellows
by thus volunteering Do not fear; if God
gntaes us home-to ray home, / mean--you
| shall find a handsome account in this bust
kasAn
Six more chaps would have jined had thu
! che man bin willin',n said Wilkinson. "But
kDst as it is, master, though she's a trifle
ttsort handed
/ why, yes" said I, ''but being fore and
oft, you knowl 1t isn't as if we'd got courses
10 hand and topsails to reef"
"Ay ay, dats de troof," cried Billy Pitt.
I tort o. dat. Fore an aft makes de differ
ence. Don't guess l should hab volunteer
| had she been Brig
| "There are four of us,n said l. ''You're
my chief mate, Wilkinson. Choose your
watch"
81 choose Cromwell" said he; she was in
my watch aboard the whaler"
VERY well" exclaimed; and this being
| settled, and both negroes declaring them
selves good cooks, we arranged that they
| should alternately have the dressing of our
vtctuals that Wilkinson should have the
cabin next mine, and the negroes the one in
| which the Frenchman had slept, one taking
| the others place as he was relieved
asked Wilkinson what he thought of the
| eIhVOnCis AAS bhohtltu bAdO nc Was WHICH,
ing her.
~"There's nothin' to find fault with YETI
said he; 'shes whale at rolling, sartiniy.
] guess she walks, though. l reckon she's
had enough of the sea, like me, and's got the
scent o. the land in her nose. l guess old
| Noah wasn't far off when her lines was laid
Mebbe his sons had the building of her.
There's something scriptural in her cut How
ODDS she, masterf
Fifty years and more,n said /.
"Deres muffin partickler in dat" cried
| Cromwell. II knows a vessel dat am 104
years old, s'elp me as l stand.
al don't know how the whalers heading"
said l, "but this schooner's canoe if we
aren't dropping herln
Indeed she was scarce visible astern-mere
windy flicker, lowering upon the pale flash
ings of the foam. 1t might be perhaps that
the whaler was making a more northerly
course than we, and under very snug canvas,
though ours was snug enough too; but be this
as it may, was nightly pleased with the
slipping qualities of the schooner. | never
could have dreamed that so odd and ugly
| figure of ship would show such heels. But
think this: we are too prone to view the
handiwork Of our sires with contempt Idonot
know but that their ships were as fast as ours
They made many good passages. They might
have proved themselves feeter navigators
had they had the sextant and cbronometer to
help them along. Fifty years hence, perhaps,
4