Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-05-26
DICK 100

o., lie Adventures Of
An E!;.t:o,!.n Boy.
nY yRMEs GRANT.

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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
In circles on q road are exactly on the
same principle as those mighty phe-
nomena which become tornadoes. cy-
clones, and water-spouts when they
reach the ocean, where they may cas-
ily dismast and perhaps sink the larg-
est line-of-battle ship. Y.
These spouts rise from the sea ex-
actly like the moving pillars Of sand
which the whirlwinds sweep from the
hot and arid deserts of Africa and
Arabia. al 35 II B. A @
About six bells Il. e., Z o'clock p. nj
this escape was followed by q dead
calm, which lasted till midnight. and
during that time we talked Of nothing
but the skill with which we lad got
the weathergage Of that column Of
foam. Az the sun set, with rapidly
peculiar to these ATTITUDES, the bril-
liant tints he shed on sea and sky
changed with equal speed from gold
to saffron, from that to vivid purple,
and from thence to the hue Of sap
phire.
The sensation Of loneliness which
the departure of the sun excites In the
breast of landsman at sea Is Pc
culiar; but this was soon changed from
mine by the splendor Of the rising
moon, which changed the sapphire
tints Of sea and sky to liquid sill
yer and the clearest blue.
Above, no cloud nor even the tiniest
shred OF vapor was visible. Sea blend
ed with sky at the horizon, and seemed
to melt into each other, SO that no line
was traceable. Save planet or two,
twinkling with less light than usual,
there seemed to be no stars in heaven,
for the glory Of the full-orbed moon
eclipsed them all; her light fell bright
.ly on the white sails of the Eugene,
and in it the features Of our faces were
distinct as at MONDAY, and now 1t
was the noon OF night.
About IL o'clock fresh breeze
sprang up, and the ships course was
resumed.
by keeping the weathergage, and
beyond the circle Of the spout's attrac-
ton, we escaped without shipping a
drop of water! said Weston, for the
twentieth time. "Let me see how you
enter all this in the log, Hislop."
1T is no uncommon thing for a craft
at sea to be deluged by a spout Of
fresh water, which the whirlwind has
torn up from an inland lake." said
Hislop; "and houses, far in-shore, have
in the same fashion been deluged by
salt water absorbed from the sea-and
hence the showers Of dried behring's,
of which we have heard SO much at
times. Now, Rodney. you will perhaps
be surprised when tell you that It Is
the winds which produce a calm like
that we have had tonight"
The windsw reiterated, surprised
at such a paradox from our theorist.
Eyes. The opposition Of the winds
will at times produce perfect calm,
and then when rain falls 1t is always
gentle and equable; but when clouds
seem to move against the lower winds,
or when streams of air denote q va
riety of the aerial current, and conse-
quently the approach Of rain" 4.
What strange sound is that ahead,
or. at least, forward?" said Weston. in
terrupting Hislop, who would perhaps
have theorized for an hour.
1T is Antonio. grooming in his sleep
in the forecastle," said Ned Carlton,
who was at the wheel.
II wish the ship were rid OF him and
his Dreams added Hislop, testify.
"Well, as I was saying, when the ad-
verse movements of the clouds seem
to denote"
Light ahead" cried a voice from
the bow.
rs that you, Roberts?" asked Wes-
ton, while Hislop stamped with vexa-
ton at the second interruption.
Eyes. SIR"
"How does it bear?
''East-north-east." ,y3.
Then it is Cape st. Antonio light,
the most western point Of Cuba" said
Weston. II thought could smell the
land with the first cats paw, before the
breeze freshened."
The light, dim and distant, like q
star, was now seen to twinkle among
the waves at the horizon.
For more than an hour I remained on
deck, with my eyes fixed upon that
feeble but Increasing beacon, which in
dicated foreign shore; then l went
below and turned in, with sigh of
pleasure that the voyage was nearly
over, and a hope that when / tra-
versed those waves again / should be
on my return home-home to my
father and mother, to Sybil and Dot
to the old rectory, with its shady oak
grove. its green lawn and the masses
Of ivy, woodbine and honeysuckle that
shaded its time-worn walls.
CHAPTER XVI.
Cuba.
When day dawned we had rounded
Caybo San Antonio, and were running
along the northern shore OF Cuba. s
B !. d - p .L~.- $500 81 E q