Arizona silver belt., 1896-10-22
CAPTAIN NABB.
BY JAMES BUCKHAM.

Great was the seafaring fame of Capt. Nabb, in the little village back among the Connecticut hills, from which he had first gone forsh with his bundle slung on stick. Since that day, 90 years past, when he had set forth 10 seek his fortune, the captain had been four times around the world, twice in his own ship, and had visited d. most every known port in civilized and uncivilizcd countries; had command ed the largest merchantmen in the West India trade, and had won the repu- tation of first rank among expert and daring nayigators.
 What wonder, then, that all Top sham was agog when the captain, one fine evening in June, lurchcd out of the rocking old stage and announced in hearty tones to his former tOwnsfok the majority of whom were assem- blcd at "thc stoTe"-that he had come home for a two months vacation. It certainly seemed like an act of unpar- nlelled c0udcscension on the part of the great navigator, and Topsham felt duly hanorcd.
 IL did not take the boys of the village l-rg to discover that Capt. Nabb was a oily soul, and particularly open to ad- Trccs from them; and soon, in spite the great mans awful fame, they occedrd to take posseJsiOn of him, n it vas rarely that Che old mans -urdv figure cru:sed about the village .tt-ut teinr attended by a fleet of
 ~rL admirers, hanging to him as
 -Gttve canoes under the bows a.gJ J.l sea trader.
 Thus it naturally came to pass that, when Penny Boarlman and his younger brother, Carl, became the owners of a small saiI5oat on Duck pend, the first thing that occurred to them was 70 as'. Capt. Nahb to accompany them . .a their maiden cruise. The old sea I.Hn consented, after glance at the -.-.r o.uts of the compass, and an in- ..rr sniff of the fresh inland air. ut first, he said, he must go for his '-.rster, and his oilcloth suit, and .a other things. There was no -~ what sort of weather might . up before night.
 .t the appointed time Capt. NGbb a-- down 10 the little wharf at the .l of the pond. He carried in his ra.a h.s waterproof garments, a large, 70 ned spy-glass, e compass as Jig t1e ra!u.s Of your two hands, q speak ~-trmrrct and sextant. q never go } so- without my tools, boys" he said, n though it be in a washtub." He -.3 down into the little catboat,
 I'd h.s burden and himself in the
 -Ed proceeded to instruct the
 the art of making sal. After
 -'!e buEgling, Ben and Carl
 ..eir naiEsail, the captain cast
 d away they skinned before a
 freeze down the bay.
 amt much of a sheet of water
 -ra cruising on, 10 be sure. The
 -e. about q mile long and half .-6", perhaps; very irregular in
 vi.h many little bays and
 .r. where the water set Eacl;
 id oats and swamp-grass. Near .d a large brook entered, after
 r u.Ediug8 through the marsh, 'ha other end a brook, as like
 -r as the next pea in
 .rod the outlet of the pond. IL ..3 . hard to say which was which
 rC.ther brook had any Fercept.blc . -.rN, unless you observed the sur. t TT shores. On the whole, Duck
 @g not pretty; Lut it was use- Fer .t gs full of pickcrel and bass, q .8 t1c shooting season the marshes Js E.cd with wild fowl and blower.
 Cart EaLb showrd the boys how to 0c.. and i.be, how to come up into the .rd, how o reef and cast anchor, how 'nr6'7 the helm and stow ropes, tie
 i.'s iuot, ballast the beat. and
 "n meeting, passing or cross
 9E,s of another craft. Ec had
 'n nautical code Gt his tor "uc's
 .b the practice of scamaush D in
 ocr-tips; and if the boys did not . gl hc had to teach them, it was au-c the limitations of q catboat odc it impossible.
 "Why! rless my eyes!" exclaimed the ca"tain, suddenly, as he finished an exciting tale about walrus hunt among the icclcrr5 of the North sea. Whats become of the sun?"
 ''It's get," replied Benny Hoardman. 'I saw it go down behind the pine hill, half Gn hour ago."
 "Are you sure?' cried Capt Nabb, leyeling his five -jointod telescope to- ward the pine hill. Tt can't be more than fcu- o'clock"
 "EUt heard the whistle blow for six, '-ng age" vCntured little Carl.
 "Elcsa ne! the Lcys are right!' cx- claimed the old navigator, as he pulled out hug, silver watch, almost as large as sGrccpau. "yya must be getting under way for home ot once. Now then all ready to go about!'
 The captain threw over his helm, and the Iitne lcat came slowly up into , the light breeze, which had been stead fly falling for aL hour. IL was almost minute before the laz.ly-allng sail drew on tac oruoetc tack, Caqt Nabb