The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-07-12


 didn't let up single bit we made ready fur another rough night. To ward sundown, to make things wuss, a measly drivin' mist set in, an you couldn't see the end O your own nose, no matter how cross-eyed ye looked. | The mist lasted all night, an were there wen l turned out to take the | foorenoon watch the next day. l | hadn't much more'n got on deck wen l were shook up by a loud shot from forrard, jumped out on the fo'ksle- | deck, an one O the hands yelled: "A water-logged wreck Driften' right onto usH It were capsized schooner, an afore it were possible fur us to do anything at all it came tumblin' down | the side O a roarin' mountain O water jess as we plunged down off another. Crash! Our forefoot came down on | top O the wreck. l heerd great scrapin' an bangin' as the schooner drifted out from undo CT us, an the next second some men came tumblin' up the | fore-hatch, cryin': The water! It's a. comin in by the toni Close the bulk head doors in the forrard bulkheadr yelled. The hands jumped below, an in a minIit comes back an seZ: They're | fouled, an won't shet.' Close 'em in the second bulkheadr hollered. It's done" they sez. By this time the cap'n were on deck, an ordered all the boats cleared ready fur lowerin.' No boat | Il live in that sea, sirn sez Isaac | Hooper, the fust mate. No more it will sez the cap'n. So we must try to keep the stea mer afloat till the gale moderates. I'll go blow myself an see how things is a-goin'.' The cap'n went blow, an the rest O us stood an looked at each other. All on student Isaac Hooper, the fust mate, he looks werry piculiar at me, an sez he to me, sez he:
 "'It are my opinion that this ere vessel are a-settlin' by the head
 "W'ich the same sez to him, sez I, is also the opinion O yourn truly
 ''The next minnit the cap'n comes a-runnin' on deck, an sez he to me, sez he:
 We're a-goner. The water are ten foot deep in the forrard compartment, and she are almost the same in the sec ond. She'll go down head fust in about ten minnits.'
 "'l don't b'lieve she'll sink at all, , sez Isaac Hooper to him, sez he.
 "'Wot fur won't she?' sez the cap'n.
 "'Cos them two compartments won't hold huff water fur to drag her down.
 But they'll hold huff to pull her head under, an then these here seas a-breakin' onto her Il send her down, sez to him, sez I.
 "Howsumever, 'tain't no use O tell in ye wot we all said, COS wy, none on us didn't know nothin about wot were a-goin' fur to happen. An how could we, seein' that nothin' O the sort ever happened afore, an ain't werry ex- ceedin' likely fur to happen ag'in."
 What did happen?" asked Henry, eagerly.
 Jess you hold your breath" said the old Sailor, ''an' I'll tell you. The steamers head kep' a settlin' an a. settlin' till all on a student her starn rig out O water, an the screw whizzed around in the air like buzz-saw. The deck were now a-slantin' from starn to stem so that ye couldn't stand up onto it. an all hands was a-hangin' onto the riggin' or life-lines, and putty nigh skeert to death. Now the ingineer an all his hands came on deck.
 "'Cap'n,' sez the ingineer, the screw are mp in the air, an we can't stand up blow, an we ain't no more pertik'ler good nohow, so, eff you please, we'd like a chance fur our lives.
 "'Help yourselves sez the cap'n, werry sourcaustic.
 "The ingineer he looks around, an he sees right away that he couldn't "a lowered boat nowhow, eos wy, the way we was a-ridin' they was all damned agin the forrard davies. All the time the ships head were a-settlin' more an more, an the slant O the deck were a-gettin' sleeper an sleeper. The steamer she swung round so that her starn were a-facin' the seas, an that settled it."
 The old sailor paused for moment, and while the boys were regarding him with breathless interest, he indulged in a silent laugh, after which he con- tinued thus:
 ''Blow me fur pickles eff 'tain't puff, fickly silly wen comes fur to think ont now. Wot dye think happened?"
 "What?" cried both boys.
 "W'y, a tremendous sea rolled up un- der her starn, heavin' it so high into the air that the Iron Mary jess stood on her head. An there she stopped. We all looked at each other, but no one opened mouth till the cap'n said:
 "'Waal, we cant hang on here in this fashion, so let's all go blow an consider wot are to be did
 "So we climbed up to the cabin com panionway an fell down into the cabin, where we fetched up on the for rard bulkhead among permiskyous pile O furniture an things. The cap'n he looks into his state-room, an sez he, werry solemnlike:
 "'I got to larn to sleep standin' up, l reckon
 "'Waal,' sez Bill Martin, an able seaman, T got to Earn to sleep under water eff go to my bunk tonight
 I. l., l., 4x