The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1896-02-26


"Quick, quicki Give me the ax"
cried the captain.
In a moment he severed both cables at
the windlass, and we were drifting with
the gale. No vessel lay directly astern
of us. The captains hope was that we
might not only go clear of the coaster,
but drive upon small, sandy beach at
the end of Smutty Nose. But the heave
of the sea and the slant Of the wind
drove us to one side, and we went upon
the rocks instead.
There was a shock, grinding crash
as she struck. Then we seemed to stop,
and now the sea broke over us in fury.
"To the dory, boys! The schooner
will so to pieces |" shouted the captain.
Without much difficulty we got the
dory into the water to leeward. Jack,
my shipmate, flung his clothesbag into
the stern Of the boat, while [ threw
coil of small rope into her ere I tum-
bled in myself. There was but one pair
Of oars. These the captain took and be-
gan to pull toward Manana.
Away from the lee Of the schooner
we were exposed to the full fury of the
gale, and the course to which we were
compelled kept us in the trough Of the
sea. Every moment it seemed as though
we must be swamped, and in spite of all
that we could do we were drifting
rapidly toward Drunken Gut
Suddenly thole pin broke. Before
another could be put in the place we
were afoul of the standing rigging of
sunken vessel, the dory almost on her
broadside and we in imminent danger
of being washed overheard. But cling
ing instinctively to the uppermost gun
vale we succeeded in righting the dory
and working her clear Of the wreck.
Again we were adrift indeed, for we
had lost an oar and now had but one.
Our destruction now was apparently
but a question Of moments, for if we
escaped the reefs and boiling surf upon
one side we were almost certain to be
dashed against the iron sides of Manana
upon the other.
was in the bow, peering ahead,
when the hull of vessel suddenly
doomed up almost directly before us
and apparently at anchor. While the
captain endeavored to koop the dory
headed for her I bent one end of my coil
of line to the painter ring. Then, grasp
ing O blight in my hand as the dory
grazed the schooner's sides, made a
spring for the rail and climbed Oh
board. Then I caught my line round a
cleat, checked the drift of the dory and
brought her alongside.
We soon found that the schooner was
deserted. Her crew had sought safety on
shore. We thought ourselves exceeding
~ fortunate that their vessel had been
in our way.
But we had been upon the deck scarce
~ 30 minutes when the captain started
us with the announcement that the YES
sci was rapidly filling. 1t was evident
that she had dragged from the harbor,
and first striking upon the reef had
swung to her present position.
While the captain searched for spare
oar, grasped the line by which I had
fastened the dory and was Mortified to
find it slack. No dory was there-the
rope which had held her trailed away
astern and was lost in the darkness.
Our last hope seemed to have departed.
But no - as Z peered through the
gloom caught sight Of boat attached
to long warp that trailed over the taft
rail of the schooner. 1t was seine
boat. We quickly drew it up and got
| into it.