The Republican journal., 1897-05-27


cawing of a crow was heard on the
weather beam and that was answered by
another directly on the lee. | threw the
lead and finding only five fathoms, called
to the second mate to let go the anchor
while every sail was still set; that did not
matter as the wind was then very light.
AS she swung to the anchor we could be-
gin to see the shade of the land on both
sides and very near, from which the
crows had been calling. Bless the crows
they had put me more promptly on my
guard. The captain leisurely came on
deck and asked, "Where are you now?"
From the depths of humility l answered:
Don't know, SIR The fog soon clear
ed away and found us snugly settled in
the town of Brooksville, below and inside
of what, | believe, is called Holbrook' S
Island. A fish boat came alongside and
we bought thirty large Holsters for a
quarter. The price has changed since then,
| believe. The wind bleezed up quite
fresh from the northwest and l had to
run a kedge anchor with a half mile of
ropes out into the bay and warp out to
where we could fill away with safety.
The wind freshened and we went gaily
down the bay. AS we passed within a
couple of miles of my home | made promis-
ed signals, which were seen by none who
knew them except the mother. No Won
der that her eyes are growing dim-they
always saw everything worth seeing and
were always expecting anyone worth look
ing for.
The fair wind carried us only clear of
Isle au Haut and then it came in from the
south with fog. When outside of pilot S
limits | was glad to give up my charge to
the rightful master and re- assume mate S
duties only; did not believe there would
be anything in that duty to bring such
shame as had come with the first part of
my attempt at plotting, but was mistak-
en-. For dead reck oning' | had taken
my ''depdrture, in due form, from Sad
die Back. We saw nothing more: beat all
the way out South Channel in the fog,
and were a long time crossing the Gulf
Stream. When down in the latitude of
30, it came out in conversation, that with
my reckoning had passed to the west of
Bermuda while the captain and his chro-
nometer had come down to the eastward
of it, and yet we had not been separated.
AS the chronometer was unimpeachable
the phenomena could only be accounted
for by admitting that my work must be
considerably at fault. | had been we'll
taught how to keep reckoning by all the
different methods, but mistaken speed,
erring courses and unknown currents had
ruined any possible value that the work
might have had, as we'll as the reputation
of the young navigator. He has never
Lad any faith in that kind of thing since ;
and it is always amusing to see how close
an honest mate can keep the latitude
(Which he can correct every day. and yet
be so far out in his longitude, which he
cannot correct except as he is given the
time from the chronometer
Before reaching down to Sombrero the
Fourth of July came, and ON that day we
fell in with an old New York brig under
the British flag, which she kept set all
day. The vessel was probably one of
those that had been ''whitewashed' dur
ing the war; that IS, confdentially deed
ed to foreign party, in order to protect
her from confederate privateers while
still actually owned by the same Ameri-
cans who held her before. There was
good deal of that done during the war,
and when it was over the owners thought
to bring them back under the flag but it
was not allowed except in individual cases
and by special act of Congress.
The master of the English American
brig spoke us, and, conyersing for some
time, it was first interesting, and then be
came tiresome, to listen to what passed
My captain, ever courteous, with a clear
pleasant, unstrained voice and master of
English; the other, loud, coarse and az
rogant, with dialectic shadows in his
voice which betrayed that he at best was
not an own child of the Fourth OF July
country, though some kind of poor Eng
lish may have been his native tongue He
loudly called our attention to the facl
that, though under the English flag, he
was celebrating the day; and in exchang-
ing meridians which did not agree (they
seldom ever do) he coarsely assumed
great faith in his own declared position.
suggested to our captain that we haul
up couple of points and get out of that
atmosphere. He assented by promptly
giving the order to the wheelran. At
sea or ashore no comp any is very much
better than poor company; but at sea one
gets into society 50 seldom that when not
agreeable it is all the more Disappointing
Nothing further OF note occurred on the
passage and we arrived safely in Chris
tianstadt, without noticing how shallow
and narrow was the channel nor how
small the harbor. Since that time vessels
have grown up while harbors of this
kind continue their baby like dimensions.
The average longish vessel of these days
days needs to be almost crooked, and to
step quickly and very lightly, to enter here
in safety. On that long ago voyage the
balance of arriving day was given up to
setting awnings and to preparations for
discharging cargo. All my previous ex-
perience regarding ship work in foreign
ports had been to make the laboring day
as long as any degree of daylight would
permit. That evening | asked the cap
tain if | should commence on the cargo in
the morning and he said, Eyes, about
seven o'clock" Before seven o'clock
came, all hands had been scrubbing and
at other general work for couple of
hours. The master came up and explain
ed that the permits for discharging
were all in order, bnt that he had
named that hour as being early
enough to begin hard days work :;
ten hours a day he said was long enough
l made no comments, of course, but
thought there couldn't be much done in
that length of day. We had remarkably
good crew-regular sailors. They came
from Liverpool to Bangor in a British
ship, and then aboard of our vessel
"loaded'' to the scuppers with Queen
City whiskey. Il suppose that is faith
fully prohibited there now Although ST.
Croix Santa CRUZ is said to produce the
best rum in the whole world, none Of it