The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-03-23
CHAPTER IL.

1he name OF the boat ON Wilcn ne
found himself was the Bertha Millner.
she was two topmast, twenty eight
ton keel schooner. forty feet long. ear
rying Il larg spread of sail mainsail,
foresail, jib flying jlb two Saif top
sails and a stuysail She was very
dirty and smelled abominably Of some
kind OF rancid oil Her crew were chi
namen there was no mate-but the
cook, himself Chinanan, who APP
peared from time to titae Mt the door
OF the galley, potato mashcr IN ms
hand, seemed TO have some sort OF All
th0rity over the hands He acted in
manner us a go-between for the captain
and the crew sometimes interpreting
the formers orders and occasionally
giving one Of his own.
Wilbur heard the captain address him
as Charlie. He spoke pigeon English
fairly. OF the balance Of the crew, the
five Cinnamon Wilbur could make
nothing They never spoke. neither to
Captain kitcheil. to Charlie nor 10
=
took of Wilbur liz might easily have
been sack OF sand Wilbur felt that
his advent on the Bertha Alillner was
by its very nature an extraordinary
event, but the absolute indifference OF
these brown suited MuueoIs. the blank
ness Of their HAT, fat faces. tie dullness
of their sluntiug iishlihe eyes that new
cr met his own or even wandered IN his
direction. was uncanny, disquleting.
In what strange venture was he now
10 be involved, toward what unknown
vortex was this new current setting,
this current that bad SO suddenly
snatched him from the solid ground Of
his accustomed life?
lie told himself grimly that he was TO
have Il free cruise up the bay perhaps
az far as Alyiso Perhaps The Bertha
Mllner would even make the circuit of
the bay before returning to san Fran
cisco. lie might be gone a week VIII
bur could already see the scarehcads
Of the daily papers the next morning
ehroncllns the disappearance Of zone
Of Society's Most Popular Members
That's we'll, VIZ throat hayards.
Here. Lilee Of the Nallee give couple
Of pals On y'r peak halyard purchase
Wilbur stared at the captain help
lesaly
mo can tell. hey" inquired Charlie
from the galley. "pullum diSa lopc
sabe;'
Wilbur tugged at the rope the cook
indicated.
THAT'S well, y'r peak hayard pur
chase" chanted Captain Kitchell
Wilbur made the rope fast. The
mainsail was set aud hung Stating and
tapping IN the wind, Next the for'sall
was set in much the same manner and
Wilbur was ordered to lay out on the
jrboom aud east the gaskets off the
jib" He LAY out as best he could and
cast of the gaskets-hc knew barely
enough of yachting to understand an
order here and there-and By the time
lie was back on the fo'c'Stle head the
tuindiHtl Ntic Ht iht ilb Hoi9 diu NH'i
hosting away
That's we'll y'r jib halyards'
The Bertha Miilncr veerpd round and
played of to the wind, Juggling at her
anchor
Man y'r Windlass."
Wilbur and the crew jumped once
more t. the brakes
"Brakc down, heave y'r anchor to
the cathcad,"
II he anchor chain already taut, vi
brated ana then cranked through the
haWse holes as the hands rose and fell
Mt the brakes. 7 he ancho: came home,
dripping gray slime 4 nor'west wind
filled the schooner's sails; a strong ebb
tide caught her under foot
We're off" muttered Wilbur as the
Bertha Millner heelcd to the first gust.
Eut evidently the schooner was no;
bound up the bay.
Must be Vallejo or Beniela then, "
hazarded Wilbur as the sails grew
tenser and the water rippled ever
louder under the schooners forefoot.
Maybe they're going after hay or
wheat"
The schooner was lacking, headed
directly for Meiggs' wharf She came
i'm closer and cl0ser--so close that VIII
bur could hear the talk Of the fisher
men sitting on the strinepieces. lie
had just made up his mind that they
were to make a landing there when
stand by for stays" came the rau-
cous bark Of the captain, who had TAX
en- the wheel. The sails Slated furi-
ously as the schooner came about
Then the Bertha Nillner caught the
wind again and lazy over quietly and
contentcdly to her work The next
tack brought the schooner close under
AlcatIaz. The sea became heavier; tht
breeze grew stiff AMI smelled Of tbs
outside ocean. out beyond them tC
westward opened the Golden Gate. 8
bleak vista of gray green water rough
ened with whitccaps.
stand by for stays"
Once again. as the rudder went hard
over. the Bertha Millncr fretted ant
danced and shook her sails calling i'm
patiently for the wind. chatting at its
absence like a child reft Of a toy. Iher
again she scooped the nor'wester in th'
hollow palms of her tense canyasei
and settled quietly down on the new
tack, her bowsprit pointing straight