The herald., 1893-09-19

tilltl. A-- " rs Wltutu u quarter CT u lnltt
Or so of me. and could mako out thai
lie WIS down on ono knee, with che othcl
leg thrust out in front of him-his fa
vorito attitude for putting on al steam
II gotit into my head that hc was hit
ting it up, as he calls speeding, by show
ing me his superior psce. but pretty soor
ho jumped to his feet. pointed to shore
with his paddle and shouted some words
that couldn't make ont.
"There was no mistaking the gesture,
though. looked ashore to see the sky
blsckenirg with tho coming of squall.
''Well, sir. in about one minute, l
guess, thorc was no shore to hc seen. 1t
had hecn blotted out. A front rain and
wi came fairly shrieking over the
r. knew there was no use trying to
paddle or control the Yvonne. The best
thing 1 could do was to lie down and so
givo her my body for low ballast.
CAS- stretched myself out in the bot
tom tho sqEall broke over me with o
fury that passed. almost as quickly as it
camo. 1t was just as though some vast
mouth had opened, given one long.
mighty puff and closed again.
"Littlo moro sea had risen than would
come On Q big pond with such q sudden
gale. But wherc was WAKES? l looked
back as | turned toward shore. In the
distance l saw the squall racing away
| was confident that it had fed past
where | had seen the Englishman, yet
not a glimpse of his red canoe did I
catch.
Before had fairly searched the sea-
ward .borizon tho wind camc upof which
tho squall had been forerunner. 1t
was not what you'd call great wind,
but from tho first l could feel that it was
going to be steady and q rising wind.
1t blew straight from shore, and put in
my paddle with wonder whether l had
strength to mako load against it long
enough TO save myself from being blown
out to sea.
~ was in good condition, for l had
been padding on the Riverside reach six
or eight miles almost every day since
April but pretty soon began to see that
could not make the shore
Tho wind was no gale, you under
stand, bat it was dead against me, and
its pressure was as steady as q jack
screws. Tho Yvonne is one of these
'girliDg' canoes, made on tho bark canoe
model and toe high in the sides and ends
for work in wind. Perhaps you know
how hard it is to keep canoe of that
model straight into the winds eye?
"Well, then. you can fancy how she
fell off first TO this side, and then when
corrected her 10 the other, as her nose
caught the wind on coming up over wave
after wavo.
THE sea was rising. 1t was not high;
it was not yet dangerous. Twas under
10 fear of capsizing or being swamped
My fear was only that could not make
head against wave and wind. Not to do
SO meant to be blown out to sea.
81 could, / soon saw. get through the
water more quickly by steering half
across seas instead of dead against them,
but l was sure the Yvonne drifted side
wise when l gave her quarter at all to
the breeze. Those wide bottomed canoes
have no such hold ON the water as Pc
terboro or Rob Roy. OF course could
gain nothing by running quickly at an
angle to the shore if were drifting out
from it at the same time, SO l doggedly
stuck to my straight -at-the-wind pad
ding.
my one hope was that some yacht or
catboat would como to me before my
strength went, but not vestige of can
vas could l see except the spirit sail of
some boat running to and fro in the river
inside the Kennebunkport pier. I could
sec many people ashore, like puppets
moving about, but l well knew that they
were SO accustomed to the sight of Wales
at sea that they would never imagine me
to be in danger in waves much smaller
than the Englishman played with.
''Sea and wind gradually rose till I
doubted whether was gaining an inch.
Little whitecap5 began to break near
mo and greater ones in the northern and
southern distances. If waves with for
midablo crests arose, was sure they
would pour over the Yvonne's sides.
"All the time was thinking of the
fate of Wales, fancying how his body was
drifting down and down far behind mo
and imagining the same ending for my
self Twice had turned to glance be-
hind without making out his low sided,
red canoe. 20 I was the more convinced |
she had been rolled upside down in the
squall.
Hello! Is this Brighton Station? l
shall have to hurry up with the story.
Well, suppose struggled in that stu
alton for three-quarters of an hour with
out gaining 30 yards. All the time t1e
waves wero coming up higher till tho
crests ran past mo in swirl Of bubbles
AS the boys say, thought my name was
Dennis, and then | heard distinct
'Ahoy, therer
II turned to the north to see Wales
not moro than 200 yards away He was
easily making head against tho sea,
though not running into tho ego of the
wind, but half across seas. / never saw
anything prettier.
'AUp he would climb lightly. On the
crest his bow lowered in boil of white
water which he took always on his quar-
ter with movement that seemed to tip
his canoe away from the crest. Then out
would shoot the red witch of Peter
boro till half her length seemed to glis-
ten clear of water, and down she went
with the careless sweep of gull.
But Wales was not making as if to
reach me. His course was northwest
ward at al angle away from mine, and
from the peculiar swing of him it was