The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-08-05

seas at every roll. The old man was
at the wheel all this time, though
Johnson had tried to get him to let
60 He didn't seem to sense any
thing, except that we were laying
our course Then the mates for
once talked with us men, and we all
spoke for trying to head her up and
get the poles bare if we could. The
mates preached it to Malone, and of
course he wouldn't listen. They
were maneuyering to grab him and
stow him below. but he whipped our
big army revolver.
Stand off or I'll kill ye,' he hol-
Tered, and remember I'm captain of
the George Fl. Brandt
I'VE could all hear him above the
gale and every man of us knew the
capn had gone stark, staring mad.
1t was death for us to leave him at
the wheel and we knew it was death
for any man that tried to take it
from MIN. If he kept on steering
the Brandt, or rather if he stayed
at the wheel and tried to steer, for
with every sea that struck the rud-
der the spokes spun like a pinwheel.
We hoped it would knock the old
man down but it didn't. Three men
couldn't have held on to the spokes
heading the way she was and how
the crazy old man kept her there
none of us could tell. Johnson and
tried to get around behind him to
fell him with capstan bar, but he
saw us and ordered us forward.
CHI n
ute, we began lashing ourselves to
matches and anything that would be
apt to float, when suddenly, in
lull, we saw the cap'n putting his
helm to porto port, understand
Well, her head fell off and we made
up our minds our time had come. 1t
seemed as if the old man had some
crazy notion Of jibing, but of course
the sheets hadn't been touched and
we weren't surprised when the main
mast crumpled and went down in d
tangle. Two of us went with it. a
couple of Scandinayians out of Mus
kegOn they were We cleared away
the best we could and marveled that
the foremost, with the foresail and
what was left of the head sails, still
stood. The old man seemed to be
running now and though things went
easier we knew it couldn't last And
Johnson finally asked him where he
was making for.
I'm thinking of putting into
White lake says the old man, as
she's come on to blow bit and
don't take any chances
Chances! Great Lord! What
kind of a chance did we have, short
handed and djsmasted, running for a
port ON a lee shore in a gale and
sea like that and expecting to make
the channel?
we were dumb with wet and cold
by this time though, and so aston
ished that we were alive that we did
not say anything or do anything eX-
cept to lash ourselves as high up as
we could in the foremost rigging, in
Guiding the cook, Mrs. GustavsOn
The old man kept her at that all
through the rest of the night. He
had his course all right, for when
daylight came there was the yellow
low tower with black lantern away
beyond our bows, White lake en-
trance all ship shape and tidy. 1t
only remained to shoot through the
channel, which now looked like a
bare possibility with the wind as
she was.
But when we got in closer it then
looked like the old man wasn't for
heading her dead for the entrance.
Still closer and it was plain that he
wouldn't make it by hundreds of
Yards. Johnson hailed him to ask
how about it.
We're going in by the old chan
mel, the same as we did before the
- government interfered, the
old man shouted back, swearing fer
vently, though it wasn't his custom.
And I'll thank you to remember
--- - - that I'm the
captain of the George II. Brandt
Now all the old channel there
was was a sort of a creek where the
fishermen had their fish houses, but
it didn't have any entrance, as the
outer end had been filled in to make
the current keep the new channel
clear. And it couldn't have been
made one time in a million under
such conditions, even if it had been