Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-12-13

try it again. Everything was made
ready for the cast; word was given to
leave when, hardly a moment later, the
man in the main rigging shouted out in
alarm:
1T has touched bottom, sir'
'Impossible! Haul in the line!' l
cried
Il dashed up to him, and snatching the
lead from his hands, ran aft to the bin
nacle light. 1t was too true; the tallow
arming at the bottom of the lead was
thick with sand, a sure evidence that it
had touched bottom, and | held the ten
fathom mark in my hand!
"At the same instant, the man at the
wheel pointed toward the shore excitedly
Look, captain, there's a signal on
the shore
Heavens, is it that bad' gasped the
captain, but we looked toward the shore
and saw dimly but Enthusiastically red
light being waved by some one ashore,
as warning to us to keep off To keep
oil! We had been trying to do that for
hours!
But not an instant did the captain
waste in useless debate at this time In
voice that sounded clear above the din
be shouted out his commands:
'HaI6 down the jib, haul up the main
sail and foresail, and Mr.. Wharton, look
cut for the anchor and see that nobody
is in the way of the chain Make haste,
make haste, for heavens sake; the wind
is veering in our favor!'
Il OWNED at once what he had deter
mined to do; he was going to club haul
maneuyer performed only in times of
utter extremity and danger, in anticipa-
tion of which the starboard anchor had
been dashed to the cathead, the chain
urshackled and taken off the windlass,
and its end dashed to the foremost |
dashed forward as we'll as | could over
the icy deck, took one man with me. and
lcaped upon the topgalant forecaste, a
dangerous perch in the very bow of the
| ship.
"'All ready l cried.
| "The captain, standing on the forward
| part of the quarter deck. awaited the
i favorable moment \ hull in the wind
and he shouted out:
"'Put down the helm in an instant
we were all aback!
"'Let 90 the anchor!' came the words
with electric effect.
THE huge anchor plunges down and
! takes hold of the bottom; it holds us
| our stern swings around like weather
cock, and struggling and Juggling. is held
| down to the very eye of the gale. 1t
seemed as If her bows would be torn out
of her by the tremendous jerking at the
anchor. our bows are entirely buried and
the main deck swept of everything NOV
able 1t was terrific!
Hardly a second thus, and the captain
shouted, Haul in your port braces, men
/ pull for your lives! Mr.. Wharton, cut
the laShings and let the chain go.
My heavens shouts the captain in
delight, the sails are filling. Thank God!
she pays off, she pays off! Hurrah!
Run up your jib Set the foresail and
mainsail'
"The wind seizes the sails, fills them
instantly, and we are off on the Other
tack, with a good stiff breeze driving Us
away from the cursed shore toward the
safety of the open sea"
"Yaas,' resumed Eph Ludlam. lit was
me that burned that there signal; We set
that ship for more'n an hour, and we
thought sure she was comm ashore
But talk about Providence. it was :
Providence the way that wind got aroun,
so quick to the northward and westward
that saved her sure. The ledge didn
tell We, did he, that the next Christmas
he come down here with the little girl
ana gave lis men at the station the big
gest Christmas dinner we ever eat? w
eat that Christmas dinner for a week,
laughed Eph. there was so much of it
but he's give mp the sea now, ans tut
to the law-that's how he's jedge. -
Newark Call.