Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-04-07

headed for her | bent one end of my coil
of line to the painter ring. Then, grasp
ing blight i'll my hand as the dory
grazed the schooner's sides, made Il
spring for tho rail and climbed or
board. Then | caught my line round q
cleat, checked the drifts 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
ly 20 minutes when the captain started
MS with the announcement that the YES
sci was rapidly filling. 1t was evident
that she had dragged from tine 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 l 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 peered through the
gloom caught sight Of boat attached
to a long warp that trailed over the taft
rail of the schooner. 1t was seine
boat. We quickly drew it up and got
into it.
Our drift in the dory had carried us
considerably to the leeward of Smutty
Nose, so that in our present position the
force of the sea was much broken. As
we crouched beneath the gunwale of our
new refuge, momentarily expecting to
see the abandoned schooner go down, q
light from Smutty Nose gradually shone
out over the waters.
We saw that fire had been kindled
upon the island Down at the water g
edge people were moving about among
the rocks. In little while boat seem
ed to leave the shore and drift slowly
toward us.
As her cratic movements seemed to
indicate that she had no one aboard, but
was drifting at the will Of the wind. |
attached no special significance to her
appearance, though glanced toward her
occasionally. Yet nearer she came. some
times directly toward lis.
AT times heave of the sea would
throw her far to one side; then she
would seem to linger moment, to
start off anew in our direction. Half
dazed from exhaustion, l watched her
with tagging interest until she was
close at hand. Then saw the captain
reach out and grasp her by the gunwale
and hold her fast alongside.
He shouted for us to get into her. No
sooner had we all obeyed than she start
ed swiftly for the shore. Then I per-
ceived that long warp led from her
to Slnutty Nose and that the people
there were pulling us toward them.
Owing to the direction Of the current
the boat could not be dragged back to
the point from which she started, and
we struck the outer edge Of the wide
reef Of rocks. 1t was nearly low tide,
and though the sea did not break upon
the reef every wave that rolled through
the narrow passage boiled up over it in
a swelling flood, submerging the rocks
many feet, to subside again, leaving
them entirely bare.
To run this gantlet was our next
trial. Waiting until sea retired, we
started over the slippery, weed grown
rocks and ran as fast as we could until
an incoming wave overlook u.s. Then
we flung ourselves fiat upon the reef,
while the flood boiled up over us, clutch
ing the rockwell with both hands and
clinging to resist the terrible undertow
backward.
When the refux left the reef bare
again, we rose and ran once more. Foul
times the flood passed over MS. Then,
breathless, bruised and half dead, felt
a grasp upon my collar, and was drag
ged up out Of the grip Of the sea, safe
at last. George Fl. Hosea in Youths
Companion.