Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-02-24

getting my eye once more above the
gunwale. l set myself 10 study how il
was she managed to slip so quietly
through the rollers.
found each wave, instead of the big.
smooth, glossy msuntaiB il looks from
shore, or from vessels deck, was for
all the world like any range Of hills on
the dry land, full of peaks and smooth
places and valleys. The coracle, left TO
herself, turning from side to side,
threaded, SO TO speak, her way through
these lower parts, and avoided the
steep slopes and higher, topping sum
mits of the wave.
"Well, now" thought l TO myself, at
Is plain must lie where am, and not
disturb the balance; but il is plain. also,
that I can put the paddle over the side,
and from time to time, in smooth places.
give her shove or two toward land"
No sooner thought upon than done.
There I lay on my elbows. in the most
trying attitude, and every now and
again gave a weak stroke or two to turn
her head to shore.
1t was very firing and slow work. yet
did visibly gain ground, and as we
drew near the Cape of the Woods,
though I saw l must infallibly miss
that point, l had still made some hun
dred yards of casting. l was, indeed,
close in. l could see the cool, green
tree-tops swaying together in the
breeze, and I felt sure l should make
the next promonotory without fail.
1t was high time, for l now began
to be tortured with thirst. The glow
of the sun from above. its thousand
fold reelection from the waves, the sea-
water that fell and dried upon me, call-
ing my very lips with salt, combined
to make my throat burn and my brain
ache The sight of the trees SO near
at hand had almost made me sick with
longing; but the current had soon car
ried me past the point, and as the next
reach of the sea opened out beheld
sight that changed the nature of my
thoughts.
Right in front of me, not half q mile
away, l beheld the ''Hispaniola," under
sail. | made sure, of course, that /
should be taken; but / was so dis
tressed for want of water that L scarce
knew whether to be glad or sorry at the
thought, and long before l had come
to a conclusion surprise had taken en-
tire possession of my mind and / could
do nothing but stare and wonder.
The "Hispaniola" was under her
mainsail and two jibs, and the beautiful
white canvas shone in the sun like
snow or silver. When 1 first sighted
her all her sails were drawing; she was
lying a course about northwest, and
presumed the men on board were go
ing round the island on their way back
to the anchorage. Presently she began
to fetch more and more to the west
ward, so that thought they had sight
ed me and were going about in chase.
At last. however. she fell right into the
~, --s---ss ,ass=i
stood there awhile helpless, with her
sails shivering.
"Clumsy fellows" said l, they must
still be drunk as owls" And I thought
how Capt. Smollett would have set them
skipping.
Meanwhile the schooner gradually
fell off, and filed again upon another
tack, sailed swiftly for a minute or
so, and brought up once more dead
in the winds eye. Again and again
was this repeated. To and fro, up and
down, north, south, east and west the
'Hispaniola" sailed by swoops and
dashes, and at each repetition ended
as she had begun, with idly Tapping
canvas. 1t became plain to me that
nobody was steering. And, il so, where
were the men? Either they were dead
drunk or had deserted her, thought,
and perhaps if / could get on board
I might return the vessel to her cap
tain.
The current was bearing coracle and
schooner southwark at an equal rate.
AS for the later's sailing, it was so wild
and intermittent, and she hung each
time so long in irons, that she certain
" gained nothing, if she did not even
lose. If only dared to sit up and pad
die I made sure that I could overhaul
her. The scheme had an air of adven-
ture that inspired me, and the thought
of the water breaker beside the fore
companion doubled my growing cour-
age.
Up I got, was welcomed almost in
stantly by another cloud of spray, but
this time stuck to my purpose, and set
myself with all my strength and eau
ton to paddle after the unsteered His
PAMELA" Once l shipped sea so heavy
that | had to stop and bail, with my
heart fiuttering like bird; butgradual-
ly l got into the way of the thing, and
guided my coracle among the waves,
with only now and then a blow upon
her bows and dash of foam in my face.
l was now rapidly gaining on the
schooner; 1 could see the brass glisten
on the tiller as it banged about, and
still no soul appeared upon her decks
could not choose but suppose she
was deserted. If not, the men were
living drunk below, where might bat
ten them down, perhaps, and do what
chose with the ship.
For some time she had been doing the
worst thing possible for me-standing
still. She headed nearly due south,
waving. of course, all the time. Each
time she fell off her sails partly filled,
and these brought her, in moment,
right to the wind again. have said
this was the worst thing possible for
me; for helpless as she looked in this
situation, with the canvas cracking
like cannon, and the blocks trundling
and banging on the deck, she still con-
tinued to run away from me, not only
with the speed of the current, but by
the whole amount of her leeway, which
was naturally great.
But now, at last, had my chance.
The breeze fell, for some seconds, very
low, and the current gradually turning
her, the "Hispaniola" revolved slowly
round her center, and at last presented
me her stern, with the cabin window
still gaping open. and the lamp over the
table still burning on into the day
The mainsail hung drooped like a ban
ner. She was stock-still, but for the
current.
For the last little while 1 had even
lost; but now, redoubling my efforts,
| began once more to overhaul the
chase.
l was not a hundred yards from her
when the wind came again in a clap;
she filed on the port tack, and was off /
again, STOPPING and skimming like
swallow.
My first impulse was one of despair,
but my second was toward joy. Round
she came. till she was broadside on to
me-roaud still till she had covered
half. and then two-thirds, and then
II s ha