Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-09-29

and intermittent, and she hung each
time so long in irons, that she certain
ly gained nothing, if she did not even
lose. If only l dared to sit up and pad
die made sure that 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 l 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 mustered Ills
PAMELA" Once ! shipped sea so heavy
that l had to stop and bail, with my
heart futtering like a bird; butgradual-
ly | 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.
/ was now rapidly gaining on the
schooner; l could see the brass glisten
on the tiller as it banged about, and
still no soul appeared upon her decks.
l could not choose but suppose she
was deserted. If not, the men were
lying drunk below, where l 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,
yawing, of course. all the time. Each
time she fell off her sails partly filed,
and these brought her, in a moment,
rif = 4
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 dropped like ban
ner. She was stock-still, but for the
current.
For the last little while I had even
lost; but now, redoubling my efforts,
l began once more to overhaul the
chase.
l was not hundred yards from her
when the wind came again in a clap;
she filled on the port tack, and was off
again, STOPPING and skimming like a
swallow.
My first impulse was one of despair,
but my second was toward Joy. Round
she came, till she was broadside on to
me-round still till she had covered a
half, and then two-thirds, and then
three-quarters of the distance that
separated us. l could see the waves
boiling white under her forefoot. I'm
mensely tall she looked to me from nv
low station in the coracle.
And then, of a sudden, began to
comprehend. had scarce time to think
scarce time to act and save myself
| was on the summit of one swell when
the schooner came STOPPING over the
next. The bowsprit was over my head.
sprung to my feet, and leaped, stamp
ing the coracle under water. With one
hand 1 caught the jib-boom while my
foot was lodged between the stay and
the brace; and as 1 still clung there
painting, a dull blow told me that the
schooner had charged down upon and
struck the coracle, and that l was left
without retreat on the "Hispaniola"