La Junta tribune., 1898-11-12
THE BOATSWAIN.

d:st can just be seen the cottagcs Of Pen
march Away inland lies Gii.estone. hid
den r-onp trees
But hero. all around, arc dismal fnfh,
broken now and again BY rough sand
duncs covered with l"ng. coarse spear
grass. tho only thing which can live under
the brcath Of winter gale Beyond tho
Oats stretches n broad beach of limestone
pebbles Again. beyond this lie rugged.
flat Lodges OF rock. which only show when
the tide recedes, and which spread sea.
ward half milo.
On all this v idc wild expnnse stood but
one little hut. a thing that had once been
. ships roundhouse Some Of the ships
tiinbers lay noout even yet. hut this was
the only part of her whit h stood intact.
London Toms house." sid my friend
tho rector.
"A man lives there" cried ] in aston.
ishmcnt
He did till few years ago-n strange
old man, full of the ancient suEerstitions.
II they arc superstitions. and n wild Meth
odist. In my clerical capacity was in
his eyes tainted with the mark of the
beast, hut as companion he received me.
and often brought him n little flask Of
brandy or some snail comfort He was
past 80 when he died" 4
But what n place for y man to settle
down int" said -+' ~
.Yes; perhaps 80 But no had his own
wild reasons Let me tell you the story
here now with the very Tlnce before your
eyes Your sea know ledge will make you
able to picture the scene ard the old mans
tremendous exit saw all myself. and
even now IL awes me To think OF it or tell 1t
1T WAS In 1918. when. a. II We had not
enough 20 do with European affairs. We
must eight the American states My old
father, rector here eeioro me, hn't lately
sent mo up TO Jesus college. and was
home for Christmas What wild place
Oxford was In those days-drinking.
town and gown riots, badger batting.
cockHgh,ing, But never mind that.
We were so used to bowling storms
that unless one Of our smuggling llggers
werc expected We seldom took note Of
weather. but sat snug and let 1t howl
Wrecks wcre rnre. but when they did &C.
cur thcrc wis always good chance Of rlun.
der, and our coast men were always on
the lookout on such nights This night 1t
waa roaring In the chin ncys, and the
channel slrizzie was driving up thick ass
heGgc
Father and sat over our mullcd port
heard n S..afit. then voices calling, thOn
. hurrictl tramp of fOotstcps and loud
rnrping Mt the door, and then. before
could Jump up TO sec who IL was. for the
nnid was nbed. I'm the fellow rushct..
met him in tho hall 1t was old Hocl. our
man Of all work.
master Richard he r.nsped. flicking
the wet from fis eyes, 'sI.i, ashore, sir!
Right on Breaksea point. ard It's dead
low wntcri'
II was ready in q moment We quickly
felt our way down the dark, narrow lnne
and camo out just where We stand II
was frll moon. and sho was rising
There wns little crowd ioo..inR sen
ward. aEd foGn In the growing light saw
away beyond the beach. ast the long
stony reef. OUT In tho roaring breakers
dark parch Evon a. looked came .
fharp tongue of fame, thCn the dull thud
Of their guns rrport.
mo help could rench them out there
Half . mile of o ragirg he'll Of broken
surf divided them from land We could
rs TO what tho might bc
Morguns. shout In Ills fellow = enr: she
will bon ship o'-war, yiss. surei Wass bs.
cause Of her tall sparS. look you J.
Any one Of us-sye. even the most cal
Ions wrccker there-would have rtsked his
life for them joyfully bal IL been poxsible
But there YVES no risk-uny ntseDIpt would
have been instant death. for tho incoming
tide, crawling and thundcrIng along tho
reef, would have dashed any iiian to pulp
had hc vcnturcd there. In half an hour,
II she drove farther mp, We might possibly
do something. But would she last1 These
was little hope of It.
'.Aa stood there with Hoel. staring
full face out into the lsshing rnin and
4 lxy hnu Snn
the lu.l Of the gale out rang the "nssem-
bly," The last 'ta-rn " swept by like the
wall Of feeling spirit Hardly had IL
ended when wicked squall drove up.
When it had passed, when again the
moon pcc-cd through the flying rnck, the
dark patch which was : ship. had al but
disappeared In the roaring breskera And
- I still stared eo- ward came q huge.
white wall Of foam ID struck her, 60
quilted her. and when II swept By shs was
xonei
In rubbed ths tida Many standing
there still hoped that some Of tho poor fl.
iuws mighs yes Win to innd aiive. None
Of us thought Of going hor'e, for even II
10 men raochesl the shoee salvage might
sweep in.
'surc snough. pfcasntly came . daek
object through, the white waste Of fonlp
Il drove In slowly. nov standing station
asy moment a. u caught some stone u
ths reef. now surging inward, and steE
sWops by the fierce waves. A. lasa it drove
right mp 20 tho beach. and Ne al rushd
down ~ sTsB IN 4 -
4,"H was . hues fragment q the degk.
with this roundhodss attached. aud clfr
lnw within Il were four nSen. one ~ whQ9
carried child In bis arsns. We had tAS
up 70 tie village. she naapIwh9. .hela -
child cnming 10 my aAAr9f
'.Erl we gos hiia 70 sh1- b0uas hs wGnt
sains snd had 70 bs carfied took -
yssrp rhs other was . smart hooking ~.
NJ. with ebavsu facn ses In fring4pf
bisck whistler. and with his hair ticd iRs
- y lahbonawhieA hsd nearly dtsd - !,
RepnA ~ nesk. on : silver chain. ~,
: b6afSaaxh'S Whts4les vi
I'VE na,h fhani hn4h n hnd. PralQn1R4