The San Francisco call., 1897-07-25

gale in their folds, and iron taut gear
Changed like maddened bells to the wind
hend's furious shifting. Then death stood
watch on deck as well as in the sick bay.
Its all right, Jack" Fisher would say,
leaning over the old white face on the
pillow; ''shes dead on her course, bowlin'
straight into Frisco. with fores'l a-pullin'
IKE team of bulls an bit OF main topsI
a-haulln' Its mast over tn bow. Four
seamen at tn wheel an TIL officer Nv th'
| oecK on tn bridge with so many lifelines
around I'm he looks like q lashed ham
MICK In Oh boat is a.runnin away so
last that tn uncoupled propeller rolled
three blades off las night. Fore storm
stays'l went in tn midwatch, but we bent
new one, an that'll stand till hell
freezes over. thank tn Lord. HoP to-
gether, Jack, an Well have ye at the
navy-yard an buried under th weeos,
with tn dickybirds a-chirpin' th' retreat
over your grave before next bean day"
"Hof together, mate; she's a-stepping
off he meridians Nv longitude like tramp
countin' ties," said Sake, and through
the open port came the seething and pour
ing song OF ocean as the ship lean ed down
to her work-grand, intense, immeasura-
BILE in the eagerness of ber fight.
Lord. how she is fyin' After five
years a-picking up barnacles, tereeders
and other sea vegetables in Chiny she
travels like her bottom was 5lackleaded
for a regatter. How th' farmers-th'
bloomin' farmers in ther' parlors-wilI
stare when we drive up tn bay. It'll be;
TEN shun - present pitchforks' - hey,
Jack?"
Then the faithful fellow went up the
ladder singing in an inharmonious extern
porized air:
Sez tn bo'sun to tn Admiral,
His trousers I'D a-hltchin',
"We mus' on erpon the briny,
Be a-rollin' an a-pitchin'."
One evening lie came down with breez-
mess that was painfully affected, and in q
loud pitch of voice-doubtless to silsnce
the tongue of his own conscien ce-saying {:
"Gettin' tn anchors eff tn foe Sill head,
Jack, an shacklin' tn cable. l hear"
But he said no more. The silver cord
was growing mute, the old wreck was
drifting into the cloud loom. Gill had
lost all sense of the swing of the ship and
the sobbing sound of water as 1t broke un-
der the bows and swept bubbling astern.
No more need of the surgeons weak eva
sion and Fishers gentle deception. His
anchors were off the forecastle- head and
the clank of the cable was in his cars.
'We're almost in. Sax" he whispered,
''fur can smell tn land just off-there-
behind that smudge of mist. I've served
my country boy an man fur years-an'
years, an now I-go out w commission
an rot with-otber OF hulks in tn navy
yard. Tn farmers in ther'-will see the
Oh sailor come ashore-come ashore.
"Fisherp' once he called, 'let tn car
penter's gang break out them plank in TO
forepeak-fur tn coffin. l hear tn per-
peiler goin'-un bend sail and unreeve
runnin' gear, tn engines III pull her tn
anchor. Hear tn guns - saiutin'
th' admiral? Who is he? Wins
low? Wuz with him that day ou
Chere bourg when we put th' Alabam' to
sleep in tn sea. I'd like to look at tn oil
man-an' at tn flag at tn peak again,
Sax, an than tn graveyard"
1t was in the last dogwatch with light
new wind brushing into ri2ples of silver
the starlit sea when old GiIl's ensign came
down forever.
Sax" he said. 81 see tn Pensacola
pendence. An there's tn Hartford, with
tn signboard go ahead on tn break Nv
TIL poop-'Damn tn torpedoes, 60 ahead
sez Farragut. Sax, I'll go ashore when
tn anchor goes down. Guess I'll turn in
fur bit Nv sleep till tn cutter is manned.
Pipe DOWN.
On the main the yards shivered aback
and the waves eddied and sparkled around
the stationary ship as the bugle sounded
the retreat from the burial, and out in the
sea the foam bells rang their soft har-
monies above the spot where the dead
had passed to the deep. Then the mighty
mid Pacific suress swept over the place of
Sc pulture, majestic, obliteratinr. trium-
phant. Presently the yards were swung
around, the head-sheets hauled aft, the
wheel put up and the vessel paying-off
found her course. and the Benicia gath
cred steeringway homeward bound.
This is only an incident, an episode in
the life of those who go down to the sea
in ships. Dust unto dust, and the wind
and the wave go on and that is all.