The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-05-25
A SEA CHANGE
NY FRANK r. BULLEN.

Night was unfolding her wings over the
quiet sea. Purple, dark and smooth. the
circling expanse Of CLASSY stiffness met the
sky rim all round in an unbroken line, like
the edge of some cloud-towering plateau,
inaccessible to all the rest Of the world A
few lingering streaks of fading glory laced
the western verge, rejecting splashes OF
subdued color half way across the circle.
and occasionally catching with splendid but
momentary effect the rounded shoulder of an
almost imperceptible swell. Their departure
was being noted with wistful eyes by a little
company of men and one woman, who, with
out haste and a hushed solemnity as of
mourners at the burial Of a dear one, were
leaving their vessel and bestowing them
selves In a small boat, which lay almost
motionless alongside. There was no need
for haste, for the situation had been long
developing. The brig was an old one, whose
owner was poor and unable to spare SUI
cient from her scanty earnings to her proper
upkeep. So she had been gradually been
going from bad to worse, not having been
strongly built of hard wood at first. but
pinned together hastily by some farmer
shipbuilder-f fisherman up the Bay of Fundy,
mortgaged strake by strake, like suburban
villa, and finally sold at auction for the
price Of the timber in her. Still, being
smart model and newly painted, she looked
rather attractive when Captain South first
saw her lying in lonely dignity at an other
wise deserted quay in the St. Katherine
docks. Poor man, the command of her
meant so much to him. Long out of employ
ment, friendless and poor, he invested a
tiny legacy. just fallen to his wife, in the
vessel as the only means whereby he could
obtain command of even such poor speci-
men of vessel as the Dorothea And the
shrewd old man who owned her drove
hard bargain. For the small privilege of the
skipper carrying his wife with him Sos per
month was deducted from the scanty wage
at first agreed upon. But In spite of these
drawbacks the anxious master felt a pleas
ant glow Of satisfaction thrill him as he
thought that soon he would once more be
afloat, the monarch of his tiny realm. and
free for several peaceful months from the
harassing uncertainties of shore life.
In order to avoid expense he lived on
board while in dock, and made himself hap
PLY busy by rigging up all sorts of cunning
additions to the little cuddy, with an eye to
the comfort of his wife. While thus engaged
came like thunderclap the first piece of
bad news. The DOrothea was chartered to
carry cargo of railway iron and machinery
to Buenos Ayres. Had he been going alone
the thing would have annoyed him. but he
would have got over that with good old
fashioned British growl or so. But with
Mary on board-the thought was paralyzing.
For there is only one cargo that tries a
ship more than railway metal copper ore
badly stored. Its effect upon a staunch
steel-built ship is to make her motion abom-
lnable-to take all the sea kindness out of
her A wooden vessel. even of the best
build. burdened with those rigid lengths of
solid metal. is like living creature on the
rack. in spite of the most careful storage
Every timber in her complains, every bend
and strake is wrenched and strained SO that
be her record for "tightness" never so good.
one ordinary gale will make frequent exer-
else at the pump an established institution.
And Captain South already knew that the
Dorothea was far from being staunch and
well-built. although, happily for his small
remaining peace Of mind, he did not know
how walty and unseaworthy she really was
A few minutes bitter meditation over this
latest crook in his lot and the man in him
rose to the OCCASION determined to make
the best of 1t and hope steadily for a fine
run into the trades. He superintendent her
slowing himself, much to the disgust of the
stevedores. who are never over particular
unless closely watched. although so much
depends upon the way their work is DONE
AT any rate he had the satisfaction of know
ing that the ugly stuff was as handsomely
bestowed as experience could suggest. and.
with sigh of relief, he saw the main hatch
es put en- and battened down for a full due.
In the selection of his crew he had been
unusually careful. Five A. BIS were all
that he was allowed, the vessel being only
500 tons burden, two officers beside himself
and one man for the double function of
cook and steward. Therefore, he sought to
secure the best possible according to his
Judgment. and really succeeded in getting
together sturdy little band. His chief
comfort, however, was in his second mate
who a Finn-one Of that phlegmatic
race from the eastern shore of the Baltic
who seem to inherit not only a natural anti
tude for sea life, but also the ability to
build ships, make sails and rigging. do
blacksmithing, etc.-all, in fact, that there
is to ship. as our cousins say. Slow, but
reliable to the CORE and a perfect godsend
in small ship. In Olaf Svensen, then, the
skipper felt he had tower of strength. The
mate was young Londoner smart and
trustworthy-not too Independent to thrust
his arms into the tarpot when necessary.
and amable withal. The other six members
of the crew-two Englishmen and three
Scandinavians-were good seamen, all sail
ors-there wasn't a steamboat man among
them-and. from the first day when in the
dock they all arrived sober and ready for
work. matters went smoothly and saltwater
fashion.
1t was late in October when they sailed.
and they had no sooner been cast adrift by
the grimy little "jackal' that lowed them
down to the More than they were greeted nv
a bitter nor wester that gave them a sorry
time of it getting round the Foreland. The
short, vicious channel sea made the loosely
knit frame of the brig sing a mournful song
as she jumped at it, braced sharp up. and
many were the ominous remarks exchanged
in the close. wedge shaped folksle on her
behavior in these comparatively smooth
waters. coupled with gloomy apprehensions
of what sort of fist she would make of the
western ocean waves presently. Clinkety-
clank, bang, bang went the pumps for Is
minutes out of every two hours. The water
rising clear as though drawn from oversize,
and deeper shade settled on the shippers
brow. For merry IA days they fought
their way inch by inch down channel, get
ting their first slant between Ushant and
Scilly in the shape of hard north easter
that drove them clear of the land and 300
miles cut into the Atlantic. Then it fell