Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-03-25

long line of crested breakers rose from
the sea and hurried her, pelted her,
thrust her toward the invisible shore.
She struck, and the masts and fun
mel toppel to leeward. Under the
directions the crew set to work to free
boat dashed on the forward deck.
With a mighty effort they finally
cleared it, lifted it to the rail, and by
the aid of a flooding wave launched
1t, half full of water. The fog was
rent for an instant by the blast of the
gale, and they saw stretching from
the reef on which the Oracle Jackson
was pounding a smooth sheet of water
rolling gently shoreward from the
caldron of the breakers The mate
pointed to it They understood. AS
the coaster settled heavily again on the
bottom, the sailors, led by the engi-
neer, tumbled into the boat, one by
one. The mate yelled to them to pull
away. The answer was a cry, "The
skipper" He caught it's purport, and
disappeared in the saloon companion
way.
Squatting on the rocking deck the
captain idiotically watched the antics
of a big saltcellar rolling about before
him as the steamer wallowed When
the mate entered he looked up, and
then his eyes reverted to the frollick-
ing piece of ware on the writing
deck A gap opened in the planks and
the water sucked through, noisily.
Another strain of the wreck and the
gap yawned wider and the saltcellar
was swallowed up. The old man
watched with fascinated eyes.
The mate shook him roughly by the
shoulder. An oath answered him. lie
dragged the drunkard to his feet and
held him swaying there till both
lurched dizzily to the deck The mate
got up again and strove to put life
into his superior. Then in his passion
he shrieked in the dull ears the truth
of their state.
The captain mumbled and his face
took on the livid complexion of terror.
Then reeling to the steps he scrambled
out on deck with the mate at his
heels. AS they thrust their heads out
in the air wave washed them back.
The mate showed on. pushed his captain
out on the careening deck, and then
swiftly dragged him to the pilot-house,
unroofed by the last breaker. The
men in the boat, now almost swamped,
shrieked another call. The skipper
looked down at them as the Oracle
clutched at something to hold him
while he fastened to the boat The
mate caught him back, thrust him
against a stanchion, and waved his
hand to the upturned faces below.
Pull away" he ordered
THE captain!" bawled the engineer.
"Lemme go! Lemme go." cried
the captain. 'Lemme go! We're
wrecked"
The mate looked seward. A long,
sharply crested comber was rising out
little, and as it sped in toward the
reef, he knew the imminent doom.
He turned to save the man who had
saved him. THAT boats overloaded, u
he said, tensely. Tell 'em to pull
away"
a fash OF courage lit the old man s
degradation. He threw out his hand
and gathered his voice into command
that rose above the tumult Of the sea
In response the boat swept shoreward
from under the crumbling steamer and
into the smooth waters in the shelter
of the reef The mate turned to his
superior. 1t was his last report
Boats away, sir. Shall we give EN-
a cheer?"
Capt. Flint raised his hand, and the
half-naked man beside him stepped
forward little. Above the plunginl
roar of the breaker that ended forever
the Oracle Jackson, the men toiling tt
safety in the overloaded boat heard {
feeble cheer.
The bos'n held up his arm an in
slant His face was reverent. "Th'
old man give us a cheer, mates" h
said, hoarsely. Give i'm one To-
goin' like man"
And. to the great peril of their frai
craft riding in unstill waters, the crew
of the Oracle Jackson rested on thei
oars to below last salute to the cap
tain perishing on the reef
The shippers honor was saved.-Sal
Francisco Argonaut