The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-19

red as blood, bu. before long she turned
white and gave a dim light-just enough
perhaps to let the people IN the brig see us
sailing to them or for US TO have seen them
had they taken to their boats and been
knocking about on the lookout for us. The
fire was too good a Sign for old Mullins keen
eye TO 60 wrong.
He said to Cheese: az shall sail close
under her stern and find out what they
mean to do. If they have boats we'll so
round and heave-to TO leeward. and pick
them mp as they come. II they've got no
boats we shall have TO maneuyer In another
fashion; but ANYHOW let's first hear what
they have to say"
We were now fast nearing the blazing
ship on our last tack. II was easy to see
why she had not run down TO us, for she so
lay as TO show that she was unmanageable.
She had come up in the wind and was all
on fire forward, the rigging catching the
flames, and everything cracking and spark
ling and Kissing that way as high as the
foremost.
The blaze drove aft and the smoke blew
along in a smother full of fiery stars. The
water all around was lighted up. and so was
the sky Tor the matter Of that; but | don't
think | should have found her the awful
picture that my recOllectiOns make her if it
had not been for the crowd Of heads we
saw watching us over the taffrail. The fire
showed them as plainly as the daylight
would, and one of our crew sang out:
Good GOD, there's two women among
them"
Old Muffin sprang on to the rail. He
wanted no trumpet His lungs were cast
iron, and, as he used to say, trumpets only
weakened his voice. he waited till the
time came then he yelled, Brig, ahOy"
There was waving OF hands and shriekS
and cries.
Great thunder" roared Muffin. they're
foreigners Any one aboard speak Engiish?"
he sang out.
There were more yells and brandishing
of hands, but no further time was allowed.
The Susan had slipped by out of earshot.
Anybody see anything like a boat
aboard of her?" bawls Cheese.
We all said no. for had there been any
thing OF that kind hanging at the dayits we
should have seen 1t, and as for a lOngboat
the ulning vessel rolled so as TO show her
decks plainly. and where her checks ought to
have stood there was nothing 10 be seen.
1t was clear her decks had been swept by
the sea, and through bad weather and other
causes she had lost all her boats.
Muffin turned to Cheese and said
"W hats to be done now is this; we must
get our big boat over and YOU and two
hands must Jump into her. Wen tow Won
as close 10 the burning vessel as we can,
and then I'll heaye-tO the Susan to leeward
while You bring off them wretched people"
Right, sir" said Cheese; and we turned
to and rugged tackle and got the boat
oVer-tDe Dig enc, L mean-for frulteTs
usually carried two boats. small one
slowed within large one. But that launch
ing was job. It's easy to write about it,
but to understand the care which was re-
CURED you needed 10 behold with your
own eyes the waves which were
running and the manner in which
our schooner tumbled about in them. [ and
another man and Mr. Cheese got into the
boat and dropped astern. The schooner's
helm was then shifted and under very easy
sail she ran down to the burning brig, luf-
ting hard up as she came under her stern,
when we, slipping our oars, rowed as hard
as possible to tho briggs stern. where we
hooked on, taking care to keep clear Of her
as she rolled. We sang out to her men TO