Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-02-17
CHAPTER XNIII.
THE EBB-TIDE RUNS.

know before I was done with her-was
u very safe boat for person of my
height and weight, both buoyant and
clever in a seGway; but she was the
most cross-grained, lop-sided craft to
manage. Do as you pleased, she always
made more leeway than anything else,
and turning round and round was the
Eaneuver she was best at. Even Ben
Gum himself has admitted that she was
queer to handle till you knew her
way"
Certainly l did not know her way.
She turned in every direction but one,
the one 1 was bound to go; the most
part of the time we were broadside on,
and l am very sure / never should have
made the ship at all but for the tide.
By good fortune, paddle as 1 pleased,
the tide was still sweeping me down;
and there lay the ''Hispaniola" right in
the fair way, hardly to be missed.
First she loomed before me like a
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
went the brisker grew the current OF
the ebb), 1 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 chattered like little noun
tain stream. One cut with my sea
gully and the 'Hispaniola" would 60
humming down the tide.
So far so good; but it next occurred
to my recollection that a taut hawsert
suddenly cut, is thing as dangerous
as kicking horse. Ten to one, If
were so foolhardy as to cut the His
PAMELA" from her anchor, I 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, 1 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 "IIispaniola" and forced heI
up into the current; and, to my great
Joy, I felt the hawser slacllen in my
grasp, and the hand by which held ii
dip for a 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 1 lay
quiet, waiting TO sever these last when
the strain should be once more light
ened by breath of wind.
All this time had heard the sound
of loud voices from the cabin; but, tc
say truth, my mind had been so en-
tirely taken up with other thoughts
that / had scarcely given ear. Now,
however, when had nothing else to do
began to pay more heed.
One l 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 1 was listening
one of them with drunken cry opegaf
the stern window and threw out some
thing, which OWNED to be an empty
bottle. But they were not only tipsy;
1t 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, L could see the glow of the
great campfire burning warmly through
the shore-side trees. Some one was
singing, duh old droning sailors song,
with droop and a 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 scventy-five."
And l thought it was II ditty rather
too dolefully appropriate for a company
that had met such cruel losses in the
morning. But, indeed, from what /
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:
/ felt the hawser slacken once more,
and with a good, tough effort cut the
last fibers through.
The breeze had but little action on
the coracle, and was almost instantly
swept against the bows of the 'His.
PAMELA" At the same time the schoon-
er began to turn upon her heel, spin
ming slowly, end for end, across the
current.
1 wrought like flend, for expected
every moment to be swamped; and