The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-11
rhapter xvI.-Practica1 seannanship

Tie OIlQi1Ily VI lSe3CIlIllS d Sl4I WIN d
romantic face and a beautiful figure the
art of steering a full-rigged ship. Though
the sailor lis often in the company of
ladies at sea he is kept very severely for
ward, whilst the ladies are kept very
severely aft; and If they formed q ser
aglio imprisoned on soft couches and
famed by eunuchs, behind walls ten feet
thick, Jack at sea could not know less of
the ladies at sea-
Hardy's job was therefore a delightful
one, and the more delightful because the
ship was now homeward bound, and the
morning fair and the sea courteous and
graceful in caress.
DO you see that black mark on the
white under the glass?"
''Yes," answered the girl.
ut IS called the lubbers mark; it is
| the business Of the helmsman to keep a
point of the compass aiming at it; that
point is the ships course. Do you ob-
serve that the point is leveled at the lub-
! bers mark is north-by-east?'
If you call it so L shall remember it.
| answered the girl
THE lubber's point" Hardy continued,
represents an imaginary line ruled
| straight from the stern into the very
eyes of the ship where the bowsprit and
| llobooms point the road If, then, I tell
| You to keep that point called north-by-
| east pointing steadily as the swing
serve that the point leveled at the lub-
therss mark, then am asking you tozsteer
| the ship in the direction l wish her to
| co.
She frowned a little in contemplation
of the compass card, and said: 'I be-
| lieVe [ understand you"
! II will teach you to box the COMPASS
| presently, Hardy went on You will
easily get the names, and will not be at
| loss II l should say the course is
| northeast or nor nor'-east, and SO on,
| And now see here; the action Of a ships
wheel exactly reverses the action of q
boats tiller. Look under that grating;
| that is the tiller, and when you revolve
! the wheel the chains which drag the
| tiller sweep the rudder on one side or
| the other, so that when 1 tell you to put
| your helm a-starboard you reVolve your
| Wheel to the left, which will bring the
| ruddeT over to the left; and when I say
| port your helm you revolve your wheel
| to the right, which carries your rudder
| over to the right. If you steered by the
| tiller, then TO the order of starboard
| your helm, you would put your tiller to
| the right. Do you understand"
The machinery of the compass, the
wheel, the t!ller and its chains girdling
! the barrel, was all before her, and she
would have been a blockhead if she had
not grasped the simple matter speedily
| but you, madam, who are a lady ard
| read this, may be puzzled; possibly you
are not, but if you are 1 do not wonder
| Now he said, 81 want the ship to be
| off her course; mark what / do; she shall
be little to oleeward of her course.
He put the helm by few speles over,
and the pinnacle card reYOlVed two
points from it's course as the ships head
rounded away with the wind.
"Now,' said Hardy, 1 bring her
again to her course; observe what 1 do;
we call this putting the helm down"
He brought her to her course and ar
rested her al 1t, and the girl cried eager
! ly: "Yes, yes, L see. Let me hold the
wheel, George"
She grasped the spokes, a swelling,
| beautiful, conQuering figure, q delight TO
! the eye, a triumph of British girlhood,
| one of those women who are the moth
ers of the gallant and glorious sons that
man the signal haliards Of our country.
"INow bring the ship to windward OF
her course" said Hardy.
81 do not understand you," she answer
ed, reproachfully.
! Make the bowsprit yonder point there,
| he exclaimed, as he indicated with CUT
! stretched hand a part of the horizon to
windward of the bow.
"Why didn't you speak more plainly?
I can do it"
SHS ISNOlVSQ In0 WHEEL ny llIlOC VI ApNt
spokes, and hailed with eyes of transport
and conquest the response Of the COM
pass card.
'Do you understands" said Hardy.
my DEAR she answered, 81 can steer
your ship perfectly"
mot yet, he said, ''but you are not
far off,
Thus proceeded this pleasant tuition,
and for half an hour Hardy stood beside
IL, hi sJUapt6naTt how
to steer. The Newfoundland sat along
side of them and seemed to listen. for
! his loving eyes were often on Hardy s
face whilst he spoke lie tried the girl
again and again, and in the end of half
an hour she was expressing keen appre-
citation of the delightful lecture by duti-
full movement of the wheel. But, indeed,
the ship did not need much steering that
fine day. Had the helm been lashed it
is probable that, braced as the yards lay,
| and pulling in steadfast accord as the
sails were, the ship would have made a
tranquil passage of an hour with no 9TH
er check to the dull kicks of the rudder
than a ropes end.
He left the girl to steer whilst he taut-
ened here and there a brace with the
watch tackle; then entered the galley, saw
to the fire, the coppers and their con-
tents He was accepting an enormous OBJ
legation: could he discharge it? He felt
the heart of a dozen men in his pulse, and
he knew that if God did net snlite her
with sickness the spirit of this heroic girl
would make her the match of any man,
| able bodied or ordinary; so, though the
York might be undermanned, her crew
of a man and a girl, with a dog for a
lookout, would carry her home.
The weather was so fine that he did not
mean to make job of seamanship He
did not intend to keep a lookout for ships
unless it was to escape collision, because
no ship that hove in sight however will
ing, should be allowed to help him. The
York was to be his own and the girls for
tune, and much as he respected the sail
or no man afoat would be permitted to
share in this estate.
He stood a minute on the fOrecastle to
admire the beautiful fabric, and to pity
the powerlessness which held imprisoned
the cloths whose lustrous spaces would
have climbed to the trucks in bright
breasts yearning for home. Afar trem-
bIed the pocket handkerchiefs of the sod
den brig The naked vision could no
longer distinguish their appeal. She
broke the continuity of the girdle, that
was all, and she lowered on the skirts
of the deep like a gibbet beheld afar.
Hardy went right aft to the wheel; it was
in the afternoon, and the speed of the
ship was about four miles an hour.
1--WE will make ourselves happy" said
he This is yachting, and If you strain
the Imagination of your eyes you shall
see close aboard the white terraces of
the Isle Of Wight"
She laughed and answered, 1--WE shall
be off that island some day."
mo fear" he replied. Don't suppose