Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1897-09-30

les, admitted Billy. ut wOu' he a
| kind o dazzles"
Lets get him aboard" cried Teddy
resolutely, land give him lesson. We
can drift down Spithead way and come
On it kind o casual like Saturday night,
then If the fleets ablaZe. as the strang
er said. it would make Joe think judg-
ment day had come, and he'd likely
swear off and not touch rum any more
ITS worth trying" said Billy. and
anyhow. I'd like to see the fleet all lit
up We can pretend to Joe that we no.
tee nothing out of ordinar. and think
that will stagger the old man.
The two fishers without more ado
trudged off to Capt. Joe's cottage. The
skipper was feeling mighty bad and
rusty. He sat with his lead in his hands
and gave no greeting to his shpmates.
The prospect of getting him afioat did
not look any too cheerful, and perhaps
they would have been unsuc essful had
rot Mrs. Capt Rattlin told the men that
they ought to be ashamed Of themselves
coming after Il sick man who ought to
be abed. if he knew what was good for
him. He wasn't in fit state to 90 out
in boat. This at once aroused Capt.
Joe Rattlin. He'd show hel who was
In Il fit state. he cried, so bundling his
two partners out of the house, and
roaring de lance to his wife, who tried
10 stop his exit, he followed them
down to the beach, and in a short time
The Sober Jade was afloat on the salt
water again, heading out from Hast
ings. There was some shrewdness af-
ter all in the captains going to sea !:
the doctor had forbidden him liquor.
and now giving the wheel to Teddy
Luff. the skipper set himself industri-
ously at the consumption of what rum
there was aboard. No one dared say a
word to him, or eXpostulate. And thus
the three fishers sailed to the west as
the sun went down on Saturday after
noon.
There came up wild thunderstorm
which drove the captain below. for he
had not his oilskins on. and it also
gave Billy an opportunity of largely di-
luting the rum with water which the
captain was now too drunk to notice
Teddy began to fear that the old man
would be too far gone to notice the
fleet, even if it all blew up, but he
drenching he got before getting under
cover partly sobered him. and the dilu-
tion of his grog kept him from getting
much more intoXic, ted. AS Ia ',ncss
came on The Sober Jade had risen
the fleet" as Teddy p it. and getting
under the lee of the Isle of Wight, Billy
/ east anchor and there they lay.
! I'm afraid" said Teddy, that the
old man wont come up on deck again
of his own accord and | don't see how
we can persuade him to come up our
selves, for we can't pretend we see
anything
"Oh, that'r all right" said Billy
I've put the rum up for'ard and he
hasn't much more to go on. so we'll
! hear him sing out after bit"
At 8 o'clock the first of the illuminat
ed ships broke out in dazzling sp.en-
dor, quite taking away the breath of
the onloOkers, and shortly after the
! whole fleet was one gigantic ;play
of glittering starlike beauty as if the
! consultations of the heavens had fall
en- and shaped themselves into fairy
ships.
My eye" said Teddy. 81 never saw
anything like that before"
"Nor did ~ answered Billy.
Both of tho men were gazing with
such admiration at the scintillating
fleet that they forget all about their n
ebriated captain, until he suddenly
roared up at them:
Here you. Teddy Luff; bring ne
/ some more rum"
81 got something better to do"
growled Teddy. $50 and get it your
self: it's out forard.'
"If have to come up there" said
the captain. III throw you overheard.
Billy Capstan, bring aft the rum"
"Captain Joe Rattlin,' cried Billy,