The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-01-19
The Water Witch.s


LIE water WHICH,.
BooTHBAf BALLARD by ELIZABETH AkERs.
[scribners Magazine.
From the dingy wharves of old Boothbav
A lounging sailor roarcd-
"io, Captain Mckown. hooray. hooray.
The Water Witch has sailed away
With never a soul on boarf'.
Sure enough! he had truly said,
Else never a truth spake he;
With her anchor weighed and her sails all spreu'
With all things ship shape and orderly,
And her pennant futtcring straight ahead,
She was standing out to sea
Scud,ling into the loundcss blue,
with never captain, or mate, or crew
The breeze had whispered a wooing word
To the crank, impatient craft
She felt her wings like a eW-tlcdycd bird
Her slow roll changed to Il sudden pitch,
And, stretching her canvas every stitch,
Away went the tlickSy Water Witch
With the Warlocl wind abaft
Where was her captain, ali this time:
The skipper, proud Of his grizhlcd PRINT
Ready and rugged Captain MchnNn--
Sturaest tar i'll the SAT- old town.
With hands like leather. and face burned brew
BY eafog, and wind, ard sim:
with his rolling gait and his sincwy form,
And voice like distant thunderstorm
Ere The tempest has begun:
Wherever lac was. how sank his heart,
How leaped his pulse With a e!ckcning start,
When the startled sailor lo;.rutl-
And every wharf rat jone, the shout,
And every loitercr round about
''The Water Witch has started ont
W 18th never a soul aboard.
Alas, for trusting the tlcac!lciuts deep.
All day the ocean had seemed asleep:
No gent.est breath of a zephyr stirred,
Not even the wing OF passing bird
Had dimplcd the level main
And the confident captain, quite at ease,
Seeing no sign of the WiSieol-iur breeze,
And little guessing what ElrlpS fell
Fate sending along his track.
stepped serenely on shore again,
And tarlied 4 moment to say farewell
Aack-a-day. alack'
Into his ,ipry like light he esv.
Taking two of his trusty crew.
come" haWled desperate Captain MchUWn.
In voice that shook the slevfy i"Wii-
stand TO Your cars with might ard main
Row, if yen never row again!
II You can capture the Water Witch.
one Of you fellows, don't care which
Though he be AZ poor n 4 meadow crane,
and Eve always SWORN She sh0ull nlalIN licl1-
shall have my daughter Jane"
Eoused by the uneN ptcted spur
For each had secretly sighed for her
They never questioned nor made lcnuY.
Nor paused for Il jealous thrill
No time for rivals t" fume and froWn-
And the two hul sailors. brave and broHu,
Possible husbands of Jane Mrkown.
Bent to the oars with Will
But every moment the Wilo, bright reach
Between their beat and The Water Witch
Grew broader, bruaGcr still!
.,,.- NH, ..,.., ....
"iiiit tIA t"li'l' anu lui.e,'' ''i'' 9N"l''
Nr "i lynn i",''
Limbs might Labor and >il!cW, crack.
But, pau~irg neither to veer OF tlci,
ie Ml W -scl hiorhtu IL nSi "l'tt''" 'IV' :"
She st utldcd along her toamv track,
And gained on the elory more and more
iiack-;t-day al;sck.
Mcr,iIy bow led the t,uar, craft:
sle et'c,i s,ai 'i'i', 80, Ma. .h, f
Unr ta,it s.,,f 'rt,r, !, ,,,.i,'l.I n .,;rrot.
me z@ind biIjows san,, anI iauoiul
ANA hpr vrntlI nIr.,,n,, Lnn,,l
As Sic flew along like Il fri.ratl, bird
Ahu igil mem Ear ahait.
" t:'pu y, ii aiiud'tI "i siia4ItH7 san
i,i't me i,'li@N'f NCaHti fi,t'
III ~ .,ls iit9i i W. ti'c ~
A,r f airl1 70 ~ ,ie rsi'ltluu1 Vac;
~, ,tial rom noGlnpa! inth9 ;'t SAINT
W. " Ign % 'nc 80 X ldin
~, ~ s3atvaSt ,'I'l tl'e Nv1S'l ny
lI'Y NY my Nv Nv ~ NN : ''i,,' ny
1tiu l1lS ere paihca aplain hthoWn'
i'IChched ana weary pulied pafh 70 'oWh-
100 100 tIrtu lof rage anu 700 Wroti lnF sletc''-
WI ~ Nte>ti VIC GU! "i il!l"l ititH'
Above the horizons rim.
,.... e. .,.,
, , forever. ana VINO a'iaii zen
"Htlt SNe Mai"ciIu' an" what btlc:i
Restless rover from far b"o'Apay:
i,li tlle Si!'9t1 "i 7'!llole I"i'- ~"
''iO" iIc'' III We Sd!tH "'Iti9 "ti'N
t''llti again tliNii WV V-I''Fi'u '"''o
FROM tie greco! h"'kel % l'aN Jones'
l a Ti ,1I lGi ~ ~ '.pl'l 81 li3h''
falll' anu awful Il GrcWN"lht Nl1i',
TPilh- l" 'hGf pi,'res ''ll shout ~ ~
10 liecllf! captain tililhl'5I-clN,
Anu p'tii ~ lie ropes Il 2tasllN row,
'h i niochintt ciufUS OF. - .. heaNc' no
III the WIG waves h"WieI III ill@ht:
-iI't ilth' H'9iii'!Hltl II! Storm al'd sh"rn, .
Ana the IShthih= 'of, ana the Whirl"lh"
i i'
Staggering hlindiy along her course.
Did the petrol, wrath Of the raging deep.
Perch on the tailiail and weep, and weep,
While the Wi!l- walled wild and hoar>n:
vi 'l' some gracious ana kliriY breeze.
>lnIt!hF over tHe sum! seas,
W AT htr luNlhSiN-"alt hcf IN
from cfuci iee-shoic ana trrarhtl"u- bar
W men never vessel uhWrecke'i cou!d pass
From track of vessel or sweep Of gla-S,
Whose lovely isles of enchanted ground
No rude discovcrer ever found
Or mariner noted upon his chart:
some wonderful archipelago,
noI ~ 80, . q. i,,''9 Nv
Where marvellous fruits and flowers grow
of richer flavor and brighter glow
Than any by mortal ever seem
Some Eden garden OF tlnspuilc bliss,
Where never the guilefu ecrpcnt's hiss
or forsed tongues circumstances
Has led the way To sill
M. ten,,rr lla",n "f me r;rI; r'u',
Or sorrow or stIifr ,as Lrpn.
Wbrr,. never The ,rrertI az man, hls n,.ul,
The inrncn,t I,ir,i. ma In.-fs nfrai,
Or v.ronrad thci,. trl,st lax thp ha.,. in..r.
OF fell destruction. or bondage sore
Under the dread of his rrI,ri ire
Oh, y,Nr,I me Iv.trrs win LnrI nv n,,-
or sl,oilri the forests win aXn and fin,
Or made fair Nature his slave and bent