The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-12-03
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ing smooth, as If cut from solid glass,
No two waves were ever alike, so one
wave kept its form a second, but dis
tances between them seemed not 10
vary by q hands broadtn as the surges
miles in length, swept toward the
shore.
A quarter Of a mile from the beach,
well outside the breaks and little af.
fected by the swell, was a small boat
with big sail, carrying four people
in bathing dress, evidently men, as
| they were bareheaded. Timothy
watched them, wondering idly why
they had hauled the sheet aboard while
sailing dead before the wind. AS he
looked the helmsman put the tiller
down and the little craft rounded up
to port and heeled over as the breeze
caught the sail, still hauled close,
"What do you suppose he thinks he's
trying to do2" laughed a man sitting
near Timothy.
Slowly the boat Strengthened up as
the man at the helm put her before
the wind, Still he kept her close
hauled, and shifting his helm again,
he jibed her over. AS before, the sheet
was held fast; but this time a puff
Of wind caught the sail and the boat
turned over. The four persons who
had been aboard made a good deal of
splashing as they found places by
which to hold on to the overturned
| craft.
A ripple Of laughter can along the
shore. At Santa Monica a tip-over
is not considered serious, for every
body who goes out in a sailboat rather
expects wetting. Even the fishermen
change their ordinary clothes for bath.
Ing suits before going through the
surf.
At high tide the surf is so high that
no small boat can live in it, and then
start can be made and a landing
effected only at one Of the pleasure
wharves or at the Long Wharf Of the
Southern Pacific Company, four miles
below town, these structures extend
ing seward beyond the surf line.
So when this boat turned over the
crowd looking on laughed, and ex-
changed good-naturedly contemptuous
remarks concerning the skill of the
boatsmen as they waited for the crew
to right the craft and take to the oars
to work her out to sea, for the wind
was driving her toward the breakers.
But the men made no attempt to
right the boat Clinging to the almost
submerged sides, they seemed to be
waiting to drift ashore.
"If they let her get into that surf"
said the man sitting near Timothy,
that boat'll 90 to pieces like an egg
In an ore crusher."
One Of the men clinglng to the boat
waved his hand to the people on the
shore, and Timothy stood up.
THAT'S a pretty stiff surf" he said,
"but | guess I'd better go out and
tell them to keep off till the tide turns
and the surf goes down"
Timothy was swimmer, and Injured
to surf work by his month at the shore
Although he had never battled with
waves so heavy as those before him,
he felt little doubt Of his ability to
make his way through them.
He walked slowly seward, follow.
ing a receding wave and meeting an.
other coming, and Owed into greenish- |
brown water seeming as steep and |
high as the wall Of house. He had |
taken a good breath and needed It all |
before he had another opportunity to
breathe; but he caught the undertow |
and felt himself scraped against the |
sandy bottom as he was swept sea.
ward. He came to the surface a few |
seconds later thirty yards from shore
and in the middle Of the trough be.
tween two waves; thus he had time
to empty bis lungs and to fill them
again before the next roller was upon
him.
He dived again, and again the under.
tow swept him from the shore, and
again he rose in the trough Of the
sea, well In advance of the oncoming
wave. He shook the water from his
eyes, and then Strengthened out to
take as deep a breath as be could
force into his lungs. The wave before
him was q "double-header," and even
stronger swimmer than Timothy
might admit that he was afraid with.
out exposing his courage to suspicion.
A double-header is only half as high
as the waves series of which 1t is an
irregular member, but Its menace to
the swimmer is much worse. Between
two ordinary waves Is q trough of
fiat water, allowing the swimmer a
chance to breathe; between the halves
Of a double-header there is also
trough, but It is filed with lather and