Evening journal., 1904-04-29
CHAPTER III.

TWO. Before MllDui hutW IL /
"a be had settled himself to his
new life, and woke one morn
ing to the realization that he was posi-
lively enjoying himself Daily the
weather grew warmer. The fifth day /
out from San Francisco II was actual |
ly hot. The pitch grew soft in the
Bertha Aillner's deck seams; the masts |
sweated resin. The Cinnamon went
about the decks wearing but their |
Jeans and blouses. Kitchell had long
since abandoned his coat and vest. !
wnburs oilskins became intolerable, |
and he was at last constrained to trade
his pocketknife 10 Charlie for a suit
OF jeans and wicker sandals such as
the coolies wore, and odd enough he
looked in them.
The captain instructed him in steer
ing and even promised to show him
the use Of the sextant and how TO take
nn observation in the fake short and
easy coasting style of navigation. Fur.
thermore he showed him how to read
the log and the manner Of keeping the
dead reckoning.
During most Of his watches Wilbur
was engaged in painting the inside Of
the cabin, door panels, lintels and the
few scattered holdings, and toward the
middle Of the first week out when the
Bertha Millner was in the latitude OF
Point Conception, he and three China
men, under Kitchell's direction, ratlined
down the fore rigging and affixed the
crows nest upon the for'mast. The
next morning during Charles watch
on deck a Chinamnn was sent up into
the crows nest and from that time on
there was always lookout maintained
from the masthead.
More than once Wilbur looked around
him at the empty coruscating indigo Of
the ocean floor, wondering at the neces-
sity Of the lookout, and finally express
ed his curiosity to Kitchell. The cap
tain had by now taken not a little TO
Wilbur at first for the sake Of q white
mans company and afterward because
he began to place a certain vague re-
lance upon Wilbur's judgment. Kitch-
ell had remarked as how he had brains
"Well, you see, son." Kitchell had ex-
planned TO Wilbur, "os-tensiblee we are
after shark liver oil, an so we are, but
also we are on any lay that turns up
ready for any game from wrecking to
barratry. Strike me, If haven't
thought OF scuttling the dough dish for
her insoorance. There's regular trade,
son, 10 be done in ships, an then
there's pickin's an pickins an pickin's.
Lord! The oceans rich with pickin's.
DO you know there's millions made out
of the day-bree and refuse Of a big
city? How about an oceans day-bree?
Just chew on that notion a turn. An
as fur a lookout, lemmee tell you, son,
cast your eye out yon." And he swept
the sea with forearm. "Nothin', hey
SO 1t looks, but lemmee tell you, son,
there amt no manner of place on the
ball of dirt where you're likely to run
up afoul Of so many things-unexpect-
ed things-as at sea. When you're
clear o. land lay to this here pree-cep'-
a million to one on the unexpected
The next day fell almost dead calm
The hale, lusty lunged nor'wester that
had snorted them forth from the
Golden Gate had lapsed to a zephyr
The schooner rolled lazily southwark
with the leisurely nonchalance Of q
grazing OK At noon, just after dinner,
few cats paws curdled the milky blue
whiteness of the CLASSY surface, and
the water once more began to talk be-
meath the bowsprit h was very hot.
The sun spun silently like a spinning
brass discus over the mainmast On
the fo'c'stle head the Cinnamon were
asleep or smoking opium. 1t was
Charles watch Kitchell dozed in his
hammock in the shadow of the main
sheet Wilbur was below tinkering
with his paint pot about the cabin.
The stiffness was profound. 1t was the
stiffness Of the summer sea at high
noon.
The lookout in the crows nest broke
the quiet.
"Hy-yah, hy-yahr' he cried. leaning
from the barrel and calling through an
arched palm. "Hy-yah, one, two. plen-
~, many tortle. topside wattah; by
yah, all same tortle."
Hello, hellow cried the captain, roll
ing from his hammock. Turtle? Where
away?"
Il tinkum bout quallah mile, meb.
bee, four piecee tortle all same weatha
bow"
Turtle, hey? Down y'r wheel, Jim
haul y'r jib TO win'ward," he command
ed the man at the wheel; then to the
men forward: Get the dory overheard
Son, Charlie and you, Wing, tumble in
Wake up now and see you stay So"
The dory was swung over the side
and the men dropped into her and tool
their places at the oars. "Give way,
cried the captain, settling himself IL
the bow, with the gaff in his hand
Hey, Jimg he shouted to the lookou
far above. Hey. lay our course FOL
us" The lookout nodded, the oars fell
and the dory shot forward in the direc
ton indicated by the lookout
kin you row, SOM" asked Kitchell
with sudden suspicion. Wilbur smiled
you ask Charlie and Wing to shiI
their oars and give me a pair" Tht
captain complied hesitatingly.
"Now, what" he said grimly-"now
what do you think you're going to do
sonnyw
'Pm going to show you the Bol
Cook stroke we used in our boat il
'95, when we beat Harvard" answered
Wilbur
Kitchell gazed doubtfully at the frs
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