The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-05-02
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE EBB-TIDE RUNS.


was a very safe boat for a person of
my height and weight, both buoyant
and clever in a seaway; but she was
the most gross-grained, lop-sided craft
to manage. Do as you pleased, she al
ways made more leeway than anything
Rise, and turning round and round was
the maneuver she was best at Even
Ben Gum himself has admitted that
she was queer to handle till you knew
her way =
Certainly I did not know her way.
She turned in every direction but one,
the one I was bound to go; the most
part of the time we were broadside on,
and I am very sure I never should
have made the ship at all but for the
tide. BY good fortune, paddle as l
pleased, the tide was still sweeping
me down; and there lay the His
PAMELA" right in the fair way, hardly
to be missed
First she doomed before me like a
blot of something yet blacker than
darkness, then her sparS and null be-
gan to take shape, and the next mo-
ment, as it seemed Qor the further I
went the brisker grew the current of
the ebb), was alongside her hawser,
and had laid hold
The hawser was as taut as a bow
String-So strong she pulled upon her
anchor. All round the hull, in the
blackness, the ripping current bub-
bled AMI chartered like a little noun
tain stream. One cut with my sea
gully and the "Hispaniola" would go
humming down the tide.
So far so good; but it next occurred
to my recollection that taut hawser,
suddenly cut is a thing as dangerous
as a kicking horse. Ten to one, if 1
were SO foolhardy as to cut the His
PAMELA from her anchor, l and the
coracle would be knocked clean out of
the water.
This brought me to full stop, and
If fortune had not again particularly
favored me, I should have had to
airs which had begun blowing from
the southeast and south had hauled
round after nightfallt into the south
west. Just while 1 was meditating, a
puff came, caught the "Hispaniola'
and forced her up into the current;
and, to my great joy. felt the hawser
slacken in my grasp, and the hand by
which 1 held it dip for a second under
water.
With that I made up my mind, took
out my gully, opened it with my teeth,
and cut one strand after another, till
the vessel swung by two. Then l lay
quiet, waiting to sever these last when
the strain should be once more light
ened by breath Of wind.
All this time 1 had heard the sound
OF loud voices from the cabin; but, to
say truth, my mind had been SO en-
tirely taken up with other thoughts
that l had scarcely given ear Now,
however, when I had nothing else to
do, I began to pay more heed.
One I recognized for the cockswain's,
Israel Hands that had been Flnt's
gunner in former days. The other was,
Of course, my friend of the red night
cap. Both men were plainly the worse
for drink, and they were still drink
ing; for, even while I was listening.
one of them with drunken cry opentd
the stern window and threw out some
thing, which 1 OWNED to be an empty
bottle. But they were not only tipsy;
it was plain that they were furiously
angry. Oaths flew like hailstones, and
every now and then there came forth
such an explosion as I thought was
sure to end in blows. But each time
the quarrel passed off, and the voices
grumbled lower for awhile, until the
next crisis came. an, In turn, passed
away without result.
On shore, could see the glow of the
great campfire burning warmly
through the shore-side trees. Some one
was singing, a dull old droning sailors
song, with a droop and a quaver at
the end Of every verse, and seemingly
no end to it at all but the patience of
the singer. 1 had heard it on the
voyage more than once, and remem-
bered these words
But one man of the crew alive,
What put to sea with seventy-five"
And I thought it was a ditty rather
too dolefully appropriate for COM
pany that had met such cruel losses in
the morning. But, indeed. from what
l saw, all these, buccaneers were as
callous as the sea breeze sailed on.
AT last the breeze came; the schoon-
er sided and drew nearer in the dark;
l felt the hawser slacken once more,
and with good tough effort cut the
last fibers through.
The breeze had but little action on
1.-THE coracle, and I was almost instantly
swept against the bows Of the His
PAMELA" AT the same time the schoon-
er began to turn upon her heel, spin
ming slowly, end for end, across the
current.
l wrought like fiend, for expected
every moment to be swamped; and
since l found could not push the cor
acle directly off / now showed straight
astern. At length I was clear of my
dangerous neighbor; and just as gave
the last impulsion, my hands came
across the stern bulwarks. instantly
I grasped it.
Why should have done SO I can
hardly say. 1t was at first mere in
stinct; but once I had it in my hands
and found it fast, curiosity began to
get the upper hand, and L determined
I should have one look through the
cabin window.
I pulled in hand over hand on the
cord, and, when.I judged myself near
enough, rose at infinite risk to about
half my length, and thus commanded
the roof and q slice of the interior Of
the cabin.
BY this time the schooner and her
little consort were gliding pretty swift
1ly through the water; indeed, we had
already fetched up level with the