The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-18

Mistress Mary" ne said. will you
be pleased to come on deck? The mo-
ton is easier, and methinks the air viii
Go you good.
He spoke with a courtesy which was
certainly new and strange. My mother
lifted her head and answered, Il thank
you with a little motion Of the head
which was strange to see. 1t was
taught to all we'll bred maids in my
mothers time, and was considered Of
the highest breeding before the inven-
ton of the more graceful courtesy Of
modern times.
And then what a sight I saw l.
town bred boy, whose view of the sea
had never been more than might be
gotten from a rowboat in a harbOr, or a
glimpse of the white-dotted blue plain
of the sea from a fOrth-lOOking noun
tain top, saw nothing on every side of
me but the chasing blue pillows tipped
with white, and far away to the right
the loom of the land through the mid
day heat.
And the Corramantee which, last
night. had been only a turmoil Of tor
turned blackness, was now a beautiful
ship. square rugged before, schooner
rugged aft. with a clean cut bow,
broadi6h beam, a shape that tapered
aft She sat low in the water, leaning
over a little in the light wind. Then
what a mountain of snowy canvas
loated above. How long and beautiful
" tapsring was her mainmaSt, how
staunch and sturdy her bOwsprit and
foremastl And then the winking
brasses. each was a new poem. The
decks were SNOW white as those Of ore
of her n7ajesty's ships. For, to do him
Justice Provost Gregory had spared 10
expense On ner outfit. and the imperiou5
angeTn of Captain Stansfield and TIE
seamanzhip Of Saul Mari; kept all in the
DrimeEt order
When the COrTamantee put into port,
as every vsaseI in the world must soon
er or later, all this was changed. The
white sails were replaced by others
patched and brown. The masts were
painted 20 represent WOTm-eating and
dry rot The fine long guns were
shrouded in taTpaulin with a debris of
boxes and bales on top scattered every
way. The glistening carTonadef were
disguised or truudled out Of sight.
Nothing save the taut and perfect
cordage betrayed to the eye that one Of
the smartest ships of her size in the
world, with as daring a crew as ever
trOd deck plank, was lying peacefully
at anchor amid a score of peaceful
merchantmen.
Those things. Of course I mostly
learned afterward. for at first l was
too much taken up with anxiety as to
our position on beard and concerned
about my mother to ask any questions.
And. indeed. of incident on our out
ward cruise there was hardly any.
Once / was on deck when the look
out away UP on the high crOsstrees
cried out something sharply, which the
mate 4 thick-sat Scot from TillcOuf-
try. made him repeat. No sooner had
he gTasped the puTport Of the message
than he clutched a brass telescope and
swung himself up into the shrouds
with the agility Of a monkey Then a
few moments afteTward Saul Mark and
the captain came on deck. All sail
was crowded on, and I shall never for
get the look Of alertness on all the
mems faces as they crowded forward
and grazed across the blue leaping sea
toward that unseen something which
had been reported on the horizon. For
me I could distinguish nothing save
the unstable plain OF ocean and the
white balancing wings of sea birds.
Then CAPTAIN Stansfield. with a gall
liant air, asked that he might be al
lowed TO escort my mother below,
WhereupOn 1he took my arm, as doubt
lCss She had done when he had come
as a young wOoer to her fathers manor
Anna. Mark was to have gone along
with her but with def alacrity she
hid herself behind a carronade which
still wore its harbOr rigging.
7 went forward among the men. and
though one of these ordered me below
and saw me leave his side Of the deck
no further notice was taken OF me.