The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-04-24
DICK RODNEY;
Or. The Adventures Of
5 An EtOn Boy.
hr JAMES GRANT

by JAMES GRANT.

DIis beautifully. That uely snaniard
81 me wheel was worth his weight in
gold just now."
for nearly an hour the sea vac
greatly agitated: but as the Euyenie
sun praced sharp to the wind eew
IRON n long roller to another We
rapidly got into smooth water The
barometer rose quickly; the vapors dis
persed' and when the setting sun gave
Us a parting smile from the far hori-
+on the storm-cload and its gater-spout
mad disappeared together or melted
away in the distant sea.
The little eddies of wind which an
a me summer morning NAV be seen
"hiriing up the dust and dry leaves
IN circles on a road are exactly On tho
same principle as those mighty pbe-
homena which become tornadoes cy-
clones, and w~ater-spouts when thev
reach the ocean, where they may cas-
lily dismast and perhaps sink the larg-
est line-of-battle ship.
These spouts rise from the sea az
actly like the moving pillars of sand
"hlch the whirlwinds sweep from the
not and arid deserts of Africa ana
Arabia.
About six bells ii. e., Z O'Clock D. M
this escape was followed by a dead
calm, which lasted till midnight. and
during that time We talked of nothing
but the skill with which we had got
the w~eathergage Of that column of
foam. As the sun set. with a rapidity
peculiar to these ATTITUDES. the brill
liant tints he shed on sea and sEv
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 a 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 c~learest blue.
Above, no cloud mol 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 a planet or two,
twinkling with less light than usual,
there seemed to be no stars in heaven,
for the glory OF the fulI-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 it
was the moor Of night.
About u o'clock a 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 l tell you that it is
the winds which produce a calm like
that we have had tonight"
The Winds l reiterated, surprised
at such a paradox from Il theorist.
yes. The opposition of the winds
will at times produce a perfect calm,
and then when rain falls it is always
gentle and equable; but when clouds
seem to move against the lower winds,
or when streams of air denote a va
riety of the aerial current, and conse-
ouently the approach Of rain"
what strange sound is that ahead,
~ at least. forward?" said Weston, in
terrupting Hislop. who would perhaps
have theorized for an hour.
TT is Antonio, groaning in his sleep
in h f~orecastle." said Ned Carlton,
who was at the wheel.
~ wish the ship were rid of him and
his Dreams" added Hislop, testify.
well. as l was saying. when the ad-
verse movements of the clouds seem
TO denote
Light aheadF" cried a voice from
the bow.
Us that you. Roberts," asked Wes-
TON while Hislop stamped with yexa-
tion at the second interruption.
Eyes, sir"
GLOW does it besr?"
"East-north-east."
aThen it is Cape st. Antonio light,
.ha most western point OF Cuba" said
Weston. q thought l could smell the
land with the first cats paw, before the
breeze freshened.'
The light, dim and distant IKE .
,..r was now seer to twinkle among
,he waves at the horizon.
For more than an hour | remained on
,..T with my ewes fixed upon that
ss.bls hut increasing beacon, which In
S;cated a foreign shore; then l went
so,ow and turned in, with a sigh OF
nlsasure that the voyage was nearly
pee "a . hone that when l ira