The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-02

away over the head rail- about two points
on the weather bow
Wheel ,therei''e be reared. s.t'Starboard
your helm. Let her sgo7off five points"
/ "Starboard it is, sir came back the an
| swer
"see that sheen out to starboard there,
| sir?' rang out voice which sounded
| clear through the barking of the dog.
Hush! Sailor. Down, sir. Hush, my
beauty cried Hardy, and the dog was
! instantly silent. "Harl1! now
+ A sort of oozing of light, dimly scarlet,
wild and weak and wet, as some ghos ly
| star of death hovering over q grave was
visible to windward, a trife forward Of
the fore rigging. "Hark!" cried Hardy,
and sure enough, amid the greasy slop-
! ping of water, falling laZily from the
| thrust of the ships bow, they could hear
distant noise Of shouting, Of cries re-
echoed as from one part of a deck to the
other, with deeper threading Of some
| throat hoarSe in a speaking trumpet.
rs the mate forward?' sang out the
voice Of the ships carpenter.
| Fire one rightsaway off, shouted Har-
| dy, knowing what the fellow had got and
meant.
| In few heart beats a stream Of aun-
| bright fire was pouring like water frcln
! a hose over the bow; but it's lightning il
| Elimination touched but a narrow stretch
! Of the dark water. - The foresail turned
! of a sickly yellow. and the stays IL
scared wan as the wing of the albatroSs
in dying moonlight lAll above and abaft
and then forward to the flying jlbboJn
end yards and sailcloth lay stepped in
| the impenetrable. smother, and within the
area of the light the fog drove slowly in
| very milky way of silver crystals But
| the men could see one another and, help
ed by the light, Hardy sped aft to be near
the Wheel and there he found Capt. Lay
| ard.
There's ship off the starboard bow,
| SIR" answered the commander. 'They re
| burning flares, or we shouldn't see her.
foreigner, by the row. Hows she head
| ing?"
That question was answered even as
! he asked it by the revelation Of a ship.
1t had the suddenness of magic Ian
tern picture flung swiftly. They saw
| at the range of pistol lurid shape,
which they easily distinguished as
barque with painted ports, a tall poop,
and tall topgallant forecastle. She
was burning flares upon her main deck
! and waist and the red flames, winding
| tongues of fire into feathers of SCOT
| black smoke, jeweled the whole appari-
| ton with red hot stars They pierced
| through the fog like sunlit rubies from
| glass and brass, from wet plank and
mast, and the grease of spars. She
was so close that she Shone out clearly,
and made light enough for the people Of
the York to see by. Her helm was hard
| up and she was slowly paying off, but
/ her flying jibboom must catch the miz-
zen rigging of the Australian clipper. You
! heard the splintering of wood aloft, the
F, crash of nearer timber broken off car
rot like betwixt a lazy roll of both ships.
The barque's decks were sight for the
! gods Figures of men could be seen rush
ing frantically here and there. They
were all shouting; men on the poop were
screeching orders and nothing but the
| helm gave heedg men on the forecastle
were roaring and fOurishing their fists.
| The flames duplicated the shadows of the
! running figures,f painted lines of the
rigging upon thee pla9lks writhed between
the water ways like serpents shaking
| their acknowledgements overheard. New
er did any seal light flash up a more
| startling, q wilder, ba more CHASTITY ta-
/ pestry Twas like painting in flames
and ruddy stars upon the black canvas
Of the fog, ands thei hull, with it's lines
| of ports like the keys of plano, reeled
slowly off on the lift of the brine, yard
arm to yard arm, the beating canvas Of
each red as the powder flag, and dying
out up aloft like thesreflection Of burn
! ing ship upon 81 cloud.
1t was all too breathless for action
aboard the York. Before brace could
| be let go, before an order could be
yelled, the strangers flying jibboom was
cracking and gone, and her topgallant
mast, with It's canvas, was plaisterlng
the topsail; and then it was almost chan
mel to channel, and the barque's poop was
abreast of the York's quarter deck.
Great Godr' cried Hardy
A figure standing near the strangers
mizzen fell, and another figure fed aft,
but at that instant some back iraught
/ of breeze thickened the crystals of the
fog smoking close to the strangers taf-