The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-09-30
HEMMED IN BY THE SEA.
A BOYS ADVENTURE IN The FARCE
STANDS.
ny DAVID KER.

ny DAVID KER.
ThDr is no finer sport than to be
out in boat upon the open sea, on a
fine breezy morning, when the rlpples
a-e sparkling in the sunshine. and
there is cloud in the sky. BIT il
is a very different thing when the
whole heaven ID black as k, and the
great wave, come foanirg o. b.
fore the blast of roaring nor caste
and your poor little boat, banged
about like a ball, and half full Of
water, is driving straight upon Ii
line of grim black rocks several
hundred feet high.
This is the kind Of thing you M,
see any day, if you go boating among
the islands Of Orkney, or Shetland,
or Farce, when the equinoctial gales
are blowing; but the islanders are
not bit afraid. So long as a b)lt
can swim, these hard fac d old fel
lows are qnit ready t. go in her;
and not thew only, but their children
Likewise. Often enough you may
SEE a boy ten years old working d
boat along in teeth of wind that
seems to lift the very lair eff his
head, and laughing all the tine as
IT he thought it the Fl lest fun 10 the
world.
Such boy was f 'ic Svednson,
who liv d with his father on the Isle
OF Westeroe, in queer little cottage
built of driftwood, and hidden away
in nook of huge back cliffs, Just
like a seabird's neat. The father
was a grim old fellow, with face
so rough and weathar-worn that it
looked very much ike the fig ire
head of some battered old ship; but,
with all his strange looks, ha was
a first class seamen, and so was his
son, too.
Indeed, little ETC looked every
inch 81 Tor, when he stood out to sea
by himself in the tiny fishing boat,
as he very often did; for his father
was beginning to grow old and rheu-
matte, and was not always fit for
hard work.
Thin was the time to sea the bov
sailor at his best, with his hand
firm on the tilIer, aud his bright
blue eyes ,oking keeuls out to wind.
ward, and his long hair tapping
around his fac { which was as brown
as a nut from wind ard weather }
laughing m rrily as he pretzs dash
ed the flying spray over VIII It little
clothes he had.
Although he was obliged to wrap
himself up Warmly when the winter
came, in summer he wore nothing
but tattered red shirt and a pair of
canvas pants, and they were very Of
ten wringiug wet from one weeks
ecd to another.
Well, one tiue morning in the be.
ginning of August Eric went alone
In the boat, for his father, who had
got another touch Of rheumatism,
was indoors knitting stockings, at
which old sailors Of these islands are
very handy.
But on this particular morning
Eric was not going fishing, as usual
On their last trip he and his father
caught more fish than they knew
what to do With; 80 he made up his
mind to take a holiday and pay a visit
to the "Shark's Nose"
This Sharks Nose was huge spike
OF black rock, standing all by itself
far away out in the sea.
The name was certainly not a bad
one, for if you could imagine sh rk
mile AID half long standing bolt
upright in water, his long STOUT
would look very much a. this rock
did.
Good climbers as the Yves ero men
were, none Of them had ever yes
scaled it; for, although the higher
part was not SO diff ;ult, it had BEEN
worn 30 smooth 'sf a b we the water
edge that a Cat couldn't have climb, d
It, and Eric knew well enough that
he couldn't.
But when he got n ar it he saw
scmething which made him wish
very much thai be could, Two large
birds came sailing along and perched
upon the rock, oae going into a
narrow cleft, while the other hovered
just outside.
Eric saw at once thai there the
nest must BE-, and he saw, too, that
these birds were of a sort whose eggs
we're very much sought after, and
that he conId get more money FIR
ono such egg than his father aud he
together could earn in several
months.
But how was he t, get them?
Not an inch Of foothold-,r hand
hold elther--was to be seen anywhere
upon the SIN ,othy, slippery rock; and
as the birds flew away aga;n, one o.
them uttered shrill cry abpve his
head, just as if to cay:
"Ab! my boy you won get hold
OF our eggs in hurry"
Eric. however, WAS MT the b,y to
be easily beaten; and as he row, ID
around the foot of the rock, looking
carefully for chance of getting up,
ne suddenly noticed that a long
crack had lately opened in the sur.
face, and that at one point part of