The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-07-07


while Doris and Edith rugged the sail,
| poled the Mallard through the rush
field and out upon the rough waters
of Big Fish. The wind was blowing a
stiff breeze straight down the eight
mile stretch Of open water, but the In
dian canoe was already mere speck,
going into the teeth Of the wind and
bobbing like distant water fowl.
Doris handled our sheet rope, I the
tiller, and Edith, who was a light,
slender girl, stood at the mast, where
she could watch the quarry and report
progress. We ran far enough away
from the wind to get speed, and after
twenty minutes of swift, though rough
sailing, Edith gave the order to tack.
Port your helm little, Ross.' she
called, presently; and a little later,
"Wre're going to catch them on the
third tack" she announced, gleefully,
land we can easily upset them if they
don't heave our roots abOard"'
But soon there came one Of those
March squalls which made the issue
doubtful. The wind did not change,
but suddenly low clouds came flying
out of the northwest. The water ahead
of us grew black and tumbled. and in
time our sail was cracking in spring
Northwestern.
1t did not seem at all certain now
what we should be able to do in that
rough water The Mallard was stout,
well built boat, but at that moment
she sadly needed ballast The pound
ing at her bow would soon have
knocked a lighter boat to pieces. The
gusty wind blew the tops off the curl
ing rollers and the spray fell like rain
upon us. Doris and I could see nothing
at twenty yards. Edith still stood
clinging to the mast and with hand
shielding her eyes from the wind.
Were catching them nowv' she
called to us after a. little. They're
having hard time-they've broken a
paddle, l think. Oh, goodness! They're
overheard, all of themv'
| gave the tiller to Doris and got to
my feet. Greatly to my surprise, I
saw how near we had been to overtak-
ing the canoe.
Not fifty yards ahead. and almost di-
rectly to windward, 1 saw three black
heads roll up, three pairs of arms
thrown over a birch bark bottom I
stood for some seconds, wondering
just how we could manage to pick up
the three, and what could have be-
come of the fourth We were close
upon them when 1 saw, almost under
our bow, but out of reach, blue grass
shirt and moccasined foot thrust out
of an oncoming wave.
"Starboard, quick! Let go the sheetv
| shouted to Doris, and instantly. in
that chopping sea, my sister obeyed.
We veered upon the crest of a wave,
were thrown up by the wind and
bounced over, but somehow lighted
bottom side down. l was tumbled back
ward under the sail, and Edith was
pitched into the bow, with her face
and one arm outside the gunwale The
maneuvre was successful and Edith S
fall lucky one, for as I scrambled
forward, heard her shouting for help,
and found her clinging to the skirt OF
the drowned or drowning woman.
In moment, although shipping tubs
Of water, we had hauled aboard the
limp and lifeless body Of girl of four
teen or fifteen. For the instant we
could only lay the body across a seat,
while | took pair OF oars and Edith
bailed for dear life. We managed to
work the Mallard alongside the drift
ing canoe, the birch bark bottom OF
which, as could plainly see, had been
stove in at the bow.
Little Hawk-for it was he-and his
~, and they used excellent caution in
getting aboard, although we were half
swamped when the last one, his fat
wife, rolled over our gunwale. They
were as much at home as muskrats
in the water, and knew the young
girl must have gone down.. as excel
lent swimmers sometimes do, strang-
led in backward and sudden plunge.
Little Hawk seized the bailing buck
ct and quickly showed himself an ex-
pert with it. I managed to get into
the stern and exchange places with
Doris, where, with half sail out, I
let the Mallard go before the wind.
The drama inside our little boat was
now a strange and exciting one. Doris
and Edith, upon the stern seat, held the
body of the girl across their laps and
busted themselves, as well as they
could, in trying to bring her to life.
The Shappeway father threw out wa
ter in bucketfuls, while his women, in
the bow, sat bumped over, Wailing lu-
gubriously, with faces buried in their
arms, for they believed that their
young relative was dead.
The wind howled, the tops Of waves
broke over US, and spume and spray