Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-08-14
BOATSWAlN'S CALL.
When The Captain Asked for Him He Wa,
Ready to Pipe All Hands.

|
Ready to Pipe All Hands
A wild place, Aber Each, even on a
summers eve, but in a winter storm
more terrible than death itself To
the east the coast rises in cliffs, and on
the slope of the first can just be seen
the cottages of Penmarch AWAY in
land lies Gillestone hidden among
| trees.
But here, all around, are dismal
flats, broken now and again by rough
sand dunes covered with long, coarse
spear grass-the only thing which can
live under the breath of a winter gale
Beyond the flats stretches a broad
beach of limestone pebbles again, be-
yond this, lie rugged, fiat lodges of
rock, which only show when the tide
recedes, and which spread seward half
| a mile
On all this wild, wide expanse stood
but one little hut-a thing that had
once been a ships roundhouse. Some
of the ships timber lay about even yet
but this was only part of her which
stood intact
London Toms house." said my
friend the rector.
"A man lives there?" cried l in as
| tonishment.
He did till a few years ago. A
strange old man, full of the ancient
superstitions-if they are superstitions
and wild Methodist. In my cleri-
cal capacity, was, in his eyes, tainted
with the mark of the beast; but as a
companion he received me, and l often
brought him little flask of brandy or
some small comfort. He was past 80
when he died.
But what place for a man to set
tie down in" l said.
Yes. Perhaps so. But he had his
own reasons. Let me tell you the story
here, now, with the very place before
| your eyes. Your sea knowledge will
make you able to picture the scene and
the old mans tremendous exit. l saw
| all myself; and even now it awes me
| to think of it or tell it.
1T was in IS when, as if we had not
| enough to do with European affairs,
we must fight the American States. My
| old father-rector here before me-had
| lately sent me up to Jesus, and | was
| home for Christmas. What wild
| place Oxford was in those days, Drink
| ing, tOwn-an d-gown riots. badger bait
ing, cock fighting; but never mind
| that.
/ We were so used to bowling storms
| that, unless one of our smuggling lug
! gers were expected, we seldom took
note of weather, but sat snug and let
| it howl. Wrecks were rare, but when
! they did occur there was always, good
| chance CT plumber, and our coast men
were always on the lookout in sucn
| nights. This night it was roaring in
| the chimneys, and the channel drizzle
WIS driving up thick as a hedge.
Father and l sat over our mulled
| port; | heard shout, then voices call
/ ing, then a hurried tramp of footsteps
! and loud rapping at he door, and
| then, before l could jump up to see
| who it was-for the maid was abed-in
| the fellow rushed. | met him in the
! hall. 1t was old Hoel, our man of all
| work.
Master Richard,' he gasped, flick
! ing the wet from his eyes, ship ashore,
| sir Right on Breaksea point And it's
dead low water!'
Il was ready in a moment We
| quickly felt our way down the dark,
| narrow lane, and came out just where
we stand. 1t was full moon, and she
| was rising
There was q little crowd looking
| seward, and soon, in the growing
| light, | saw, away beyond the beach.
past the long stony reef, out in the
| roaring breakers, a dark patch. Even
| as l looked came a sharp to- que of
| fame then the dull thud of their guns
| report
NO help could reach them out
| there: half a mile of raging hell Of
/ broken surf divided them from land.
We could only stand and look, hazard
| ing opinions as TO what she might be.
| Il heard one ranting smuggler-Joha
Morgans-shout in his fellows ear:
She will be a ship-o'-war, yiss. sure,
Wass because of her tall spars, look
| you
| ANY one Of us-ay, even the most
| callous wrecker there would have
risked his life for them, ioyfully. had
it been possible But there was no
risk-anv attempt would have been in
| slant death, for the incoming tide.
crawling and laundering along the
reef, would have dashed any man to
pulp had he ventured there. In half an
hour, il she drove further up, we
might possibly do something. But
would she last? There was little hope
of it.
"As l stood there with Hoel, star
| ing full face out into the flashing rain
and spray, suddenly heard a bugle
call. In the lull OF the gale out rang