Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-08-05

way"
Certainly did not know her way.
She turned in every direction but one,
the one was bound to go; the most
part of the time we were broadside on.
and am very sure never should have
made the ship at all but for the tide.
By good fortune, paddle as pleased,
the tide was still sweeping me down;
and there lay the "Hispaniola" right in
the fair way, hardly to be missed.
First she doomed before me like
blot of something yet blacker than
darkness, then her spars and hull be-
gan to take shape, and the next mo-
ment, as it seemed (for the further I
went the brisker grew the current of
the ebb), was alongside her hawser,
and had laid hold.
The hawser was as taut as bow
string-so strong she pulled upon her
anchor. All round the hull. in the
blackness, the rippling current bub-
bled and chartered like little noun
tain stream. One cut with my sea
gully and the "Hispaniola" would go
humming down the tide.
So far so good; but it next occurred
! to my recollection that taut hawser,
suddenly cut, is thing as dangerous
| as kicking horse. Ten to one, if /
were so foolhardy as to cut the Ellis
PAMELA" from her anchor, 1 and the
coracle would be knocked clean out of
the water.
This brought me to full stop. and
if fortune had not again particularly
favored me, should have had to aban-
don my design. But the light airs
which had begun blowing from the
southeast and south had hauled round
after nightfall into the southwest. Just
while l was meditating, puff came,
caught the "Hispaniola" and forced her
up into the current; and, to my great
joy, l felt the hawser slacken in my
grasp, and the hand by which held it
| dip for Il second under water.
With that made my mind up, took
out my gully, opened it with my teeth,
and cut one strand after another, till
the vessel swung by two. Then l lay
quiet, waiting to sever these last when
| the strain should be once more light
ened by a breath of wind.
All this time l had heard the sound
of loud voices from the cabin; but, to
say truth, my mind had been so en-
tirely taken up with other thoughts
that l had SCARCELY given ear. Now,
however, when had nothing else to do,
1 began to pay more heed.
One recognized for the cockswain's,
Israel Hands, that had been Flint's
gunner in former days. The other was,
of course, my friend of the red night
cap. Both men were plainly the worse
of drink, and they were still drink
ing; for, even while l was listening,
one of them with a drunken cry opened
the stern window and threw out some
thing, which OWNED to be an empty
bottle. But they were not only tipsy:
it was plain that they were furiously
angry. Oaths flew like hailstones, and
every now and then there came forth
such an explosion as thought was sure
| to end in blows. But each time the
quarrel passed off, and the voices grum-
bled lower for awhile, until the next
crisis came, and, in turn, passed away
without result.
On Shore I could see the glow of the
great campfire burning warmly through
the shore-side trees. Some one was
singing, dull old droning sailors song,
with droop and q quaver at the end Of
every verse, and seemingly no end to it
at all but the patience of the singer.
! had heard it on the voyage more than
once, and remembered these words:
'But one man Of the crew alive.
What put to sea with seventy-five"
And thought it was ditty rather
too dolefully appropriate for a company
that had met such cruel losses in the
morning. But, indeed, from what I
saw, all these buccaneers were as cal
| lous as the sea they sailed on.
At last the breeze came; the schooner
| sidled and drew nearer in the dark;
| I felt the hawser slacken once more,
and with good, tough effort cut the
| last fibers through.
The breeze had but little action on
| the coracle, and I was almost instantly
swept against the bows of the Ills
| PAMELA" At the same time the schoon-
er began to turn upon her heel, spin
ming slowly, end for end, across the
| current.
wrought like 1iend, for I expected
every moment to be swamped; and
since I found I could not push the cor
acle directly off, I now showed straight
astern. At length was clear of my
dangerous neighbour; and just as gave
the last impulsion, my hands came
across the stern bulwarks. Instantly
1 grasped it.
Why I should have done so I can
hardly say. 1t was at first mere in
| stinct; but once I had it in my hands
and found it fast, curiosity began to get
the upper hand, and I determined
should have one look through the cabin
window.
I pulled in hand over hand on the
cord, and, when I judged myself near
enough, rose at infinite risk to about
half my height, and thus commanded
the roof and slice of the interior of the
cabin.
By this time the schooner and her
little consort were gliding pretty swift
ly through the water; indeed, we had
already fetched up level with the camp
fire. The ship was talking, as sailors
say, loudly, treading the innumerable
ripples with an incessant weltering
splash; and until got my eye above the
window sill I could not comprehend
why the Waterman had taken no alarm.
One glance, however. was sufficient;
and it was only one glance that burst
take from that unsteady skiff 1t