Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-05-24
The Yankee Skipper and the FHndy
Tides.

IL eCclli>, dccOIulllg u thS OIU SUI
tellers, that years ago the captain of a
New England coaster determined to dis
cover the exact location of'Down East"
At every port he visited, from Cape Cod
to Boothbay, the inhabitants all denied
that they lived there, and, when asked
where Down East was, only pointed
mysteriously up the coast. Finally, when
the skipper Of the Dancing Polly receiy-
ed cargo Of goods for Grand Pre-, he
was highly pleased, thinking that at last
Down East would be found,-for, in
those days, Nova Scotia was considered
the jumping off place"
One fine spring morning, the schooner
got under way, and sailed merrily up
through the maze Of islands that skirt the
coast of Maine Fair westerly winds IA
vored them, and on the second day they
entered the famous Bay of Fundy, or
Fond de Ia Bale, as the French call it.
The skipper had never heard Of the
great tide there and when, the following
morning, the mouth of the Minas Chan
mel appeared on the right shore, he bore
away for it, wing and wing, and he was
soon under the shadows of the old Area
dian hills.
The rich green fields and the villages
alongshore seemed to give friendly
greeting; and captain and crew decided
that Down East was very pleasant re-
gion.
But luck is tickle; and as they were
bowling along, up the basin proper, they
felt sudden jar, and then heard scrap
ing sound and moment later the
Dancing Polly was aground, under full
sail.
The small boat was put out with q
kcdge, and the sails were braced this way
and that, but all to no purpose,-the
boat was aground hard and fast, the tide
was going out, and the skipper and crew
would have to wait until high tide came
TO float them off. 1t was quite late in
the day. and ere long the captain, and
the cook, the great Newfoundland dog
and yellow-and-blaok cat, who consti-
tuted the crew, all went to bed.
Early the next morning, the captain
was awakened by the dog; and when he
crawled out of his berth, he found the
floor of the cabin so aslant that he had to
scramble on all fours to reach the ladder.
The schooner was evidently keeled over.
But the captain had expected this, and
made his way on deck as best he could.
Was he dreaming? He certainly
thought so and then, having some doubts
he reached over and gently touched the
yelow-and-black cats tail. An answer
ing wall assured him that he was awake,
- o,Lonn1 ,Lo nono;o,, poll, ,roro
somewhere high up in mid-air.
The bewildered skipper crept to the
,,H ii. ostonisboont al tho wbilo IN
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wal john l reckon we We reaehed
here at last
"Reached where?' exclaimed the cook.
Down East" replied the old man SOL
emnly.
az Iools more ike m Fast and on .
rowerful biob nercb moreover" retorted
the cook and I'm for striking inshore" "
The two men started forward, and they
soon found that the schooner was resting
on q great ledge of rock like a tower that
rose ont Of the mud. Lowering a rope