The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-12

hold. and che. too. carried her hands thrust
deep In the pockets OF her blue Jacket
THE vALKYR1E's SAILS
The yacht barnacles. who were more in
terested In the racer than In her passengers.
noted that the forestaysail was bent to the
stay and heaped up on the heel OF the bow
spirit ready for setting. while the little jlbtop-
sail was furled in q snug roll from the outer
lib stay to the heel OF tho dolphin striker.
The big clubtopsail was on deck. furled to the
Queens taste. But more important than all
the rest was the mainsail. 1t was stretched as
never before. Only the fantest OF wrinkles
were to be detected at the throat tack and at
the boom end. where on previous days the
wrinkles had been most pronounced. The
outlook for better race was good.
BY the time the cutter reached the fat red
llRhtship. at 1920 o'clock. the sailors on the
sloop had sent up their jibtopsail In stops and
were Just setting their big clubtopsaiL The
Nalkyrie's skipper thereupon cast off his tug s
line and sent men aloft and q lot moro to get
ting their big battened topsail ready.
Curiously enough. the excursion feet as a
whole had scarcely come in sight The flag
ship May. with the racing com mittee on board,
was coming up rapidly. and with her was a
tug to servo as stakeboat. Another tug was
seen astern OF these two. and away Off In the
bay two or three OF the larger steamers were
seen coming. No such scant gathering Of
pleasure boats had been noted by any yacht
sharp at that hour on any fair weather race
for the cup within memory. 1t meant that the
shippers OF the larger boats had found that the
number OF excursionists was small. and had
tarred long to I'll their ships.
Another curious thing was noted by the
sharps. The ViGiant was of to the east Of
fha hnhf chit 10 To,
lazily about under all sail but the jibtopsail
which was up In stops. Having watched the
Valkyrie set her big topsai the sharps turned
to look at the Vigilant and saw that she had
called her tug alonz slde and taken line that
she might DO towed over near the starting
line OF the race. 1t was the first time in the
races for the cup that racer had had too little
wind to mako her own way promptly to the
scratch.
WAITING FOR A WIND.
While the yacht sharps looked on somewhat
anxiously for the first time In the day over the
prevailing conditions. a little red and white
flag futtered VI to the stay Of the flagship.
and blast OF her whistle called attention to
II. The yacht sharps read the signal and told
the land lubbers that It was set to ask the rae
ing skippers II they were willing to postpone
the start for time and wait for breeze.
several severe looks around at the weather. as
all shippers do before deciding on anything.
and then they turned to and had a talk with
the other sharps sailing with them. The result.
was that both shippers had to agree to the
proposition. They could barely hold storage
way without tug as It was.
Thereafter everybody became comfortably
idle. The yacht sharps sent the stewards for
cold bottles or set fragrant tobacco burning as
incense to Boreas. hoping to coax q breath
from him. The excursion boats. all better
loaded than the sharps had expected. went
drifting about over the sea. The tidy war ship
Dolphin. with Admiral Gherardl on board.
came out and those who know Of 1t recalled
that at the finish Of Mondays glorious race
the enthusiastic Admiral had taken of his
cap and shouted:
up into the rigging every ono OF you. and
cheer like the devil l." an order that was
obeyed with an enthusiasm equal to that dis
played in giving It.
A TINE For EVERYBODY.
The racers. with their canvas gently futter.
ing high in air drifted. as did the excursion
lists. Trifes became objects OF interest. as
when some Of the idle spectators near the flag
ship noted with ieers two young bloods. one
dressed in brown with very red stockings and
the other in blue with very white stock ings
sitting with legs dangling over the taffrail
and trousers hitched we'll up SO that the stock
ines were overwhelmingly conspicuous.
But even with the noting OF trhes 1t was q
dull wait to everybody and an exasperatinR
one. after little. to those with sporting blood.
The fieecy clouds and the opalescent tints were
all very we'll for the poets. perhaps. but the
sportsman wanted none Of that kind Of stuff.
Even the photographers who OF all others
most enjoy a shiny day. grew tired at last.
They had taken the pride OF the Yankees at
every gle and had used up no end OF film and
Of plates on the Valkyrie to make sure that
they had the graceful cutter with the still moro
graceful English sailor lassie pacing the quar-
ter deck. They snapped their shutters at the
flagship and the old red hulk. and at the big
gest OF tho excursion boats. whose decks were
black with spectators. and at the dandy stea m
yachts with their quarter decks shaded by
wide awnings. under which sat the owners
with their choicest friends. But 1t all palled
at last
Then at about IL so o'clock gentle breath
came drifting along from the southeast 1t
was only q catspaw. but 1t lifted the light jibs
Of the racers and at times filled them. The
old characteristic that the wind was never lost.
but 1t was found in tho south. and there was
feeling OF relief throughout the fleet.
BY II O'CLOCK the NalEyrle was moving at
racing speed to westward fair on the line be-
tween the flagship and the red hulk. and the
yacht sharps began to say that her skipper
ought to be calling for the starting signals. for
"this light air is her only chance" The Vigil
liant. of to tho southland OF the line. was still
in tow with her tugs wheel barely turning.
but she soon began to overrun her hawser
although both ibis were fat aback to wind
ward.
Tho stir OF air put life into the excursion
feet, for n number Of the steamers that lay
near the line steamed away. their skippers
thinking. probably. that start I'm pended. But
the breath did not grow rapidly. II at all. and
little later someone on one Of the little steam
ers began playing Home. Sweet Home" on
steam siren. Everybody laughed at the dis
NAL walls but no one really thought of going
homo. for the Valkyrie. under her all
sail but the flying jib. was shying
about the flagship in q most surprising fash
lon. 1t looked TO the sharps as II she could
cover the course In time In spite OF tho sm Doth
straata tn ha aaan hafwaan fha tapa nf