Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-03-14

for sudden perils of that terrible
coast and maintains i'll him that
nerve which Is as remarkable as his |.
voluhlity.
OF his adventures he loves to talk, /
though many are scarcely important |
enough to warrant the detail Ill |
which he impartS them. But, small |,
or great, he tumblcs them out almost |
necessarily as some landmark brings
them to his memory. Thus on my
first trip with him last summer he
poured forth this tale Of Norman's
Woe:
Now there's Norman's Woe, :" he
began, waving his free hand toward
brown mound of rock that seemed
part of the north shore near the en-
trance to Gloucester bay. "Once l
had tight pinch right there. The
wind was living gale, and
"NOrman's WOei' l interrupted.
Yes. certainly. As l was saying.
there WAS more than half a gale
DO You mean to say there's a real
NOrman's WOe-the very Norman's
Woe where Longfellow's schooner
HeSperuS was wrecked"
Looks real enough. don't III But
none of the Longfrllows long this
coast lost no schooner, so furs |
know. Abe's no sailor, nor yet Hira \,
and Pete, him that lives back of
MingO's beach why, Pete
And that is really Normans Vice."
! | ~ hn L.
have learned the ballad at school,
how few imagine it refers to a real
reef It's peaceful enough today. I
say, skipper, won't you run in and
! give me n good look at it,"
"Certaiuly, certainly" said Absa-
lon, and put the Minnie about al
most as easy Us bird turns.
Close past the buoy bearing the
fog bell we ran i'll. Now it was 81
| lent And was this the bell that
knelled in the cals of the Hesperus
skipper as he looked on his little
daughter bound to the mast and
'steered for the open scar
Absalom' s eyes fell on the fog bell.
You were loud enough that day ~
he shouted, shaking his fist at it.
Lord, how that bell did clank
You hain't got no idea of what that
coast is in a gale from sea. The Woe
was all smother of breakers clear
up, for the tide was high. The roll
ers looked like they'd roar over into
the cove behind.
We'll, sir, my sister and me-its
her named this boat for-had been
out north yOnder fishing, for she was
on her holidays and me engaged with
no party for the day, and she'd been
teaching school spring and winter
AS the wind kept rising. we ran for
Gloucester bay. 1t was in August,
just abou- this time. too; but the
blow was fit for October~-only warm,
er. And as we staggered round the
point yonder what should we see but
canoe!
"A dOry could scarce live in such
Il sea, but there was that young chap
in about here. He was riding free,
padding straight into the face of the
waves, flung up till you could see
half his keel-then he'd slide out OF
sight down the trough SO you'd think
he'd never come up again.
IAN open cancer says you. Great
skeesicks, do you suppose any open
canoe could a lived therei No, abe
was divided into bulkheads and deck,
ed tight-sO l learned after all was
done. No sinking her. He was toe
smart TO let her be rolled over. The
danger was that she'd be blown
ashore and smashed to kindling and
the life pounded out Of him on Nor
mans Woe. 1t turned out he'd
come in a rising sea clear away from
was peterii.g ont just in front Of the
Woe.
All his work was to keep of the
rock till he'd get chance to run fol-
yon graveiiy beach Ia nearer Glouces
ter. But twas no go. The reef was
bound to have him. The gale was
more against him every minute. and
SO the tide was TOO.
When ! catched sight of that ca
noe, / was!' t noways pleased. There
was Round Rock shoal and Dog bal
for the Minnie Mincheever to get
past to anchor safely, Twas wet and
hungry AM mad, and my sister was
crosser'n me, for she'd wanted me tc
start in an hour earlier Scared
Geewhitaker, mol She can sail a
boat with any man on this coast.
What made her'n me mad was to
See the Woe would get that canoe in
10 minutes if we didn't. There
wasn't another rag of sail out but
Our'n. l couldn't think what had
possessed the man 10 he canoeing in
such weather He'd a drifted ashore
III two minutes If he gave the wind
his broadside and tried to run past
the Woe. All he could do was pad
die straight Mt the wind, and yet he
wasn't half holding his own.
No arms could a made head
against that gale and tide and sea to-
gether-he was just working for a
few minutes more life at best.
We'll, sir, was ! going to risk my
sister and my boat trying to pick up
crazy young chapi 1t would be a
desperate risk. There might be room
for us where he was, and then there
mghtnt. / was treble reefed-not
sail enough to get round half lively.
couldn't seem to feel we'd any clear
call i'll there, put 1t hurt my feelings
terrible to let him be lost right under
my eyes.
Il was holding right on for Glouces.
ter when my sister catched sight of