Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1905-05-26


calms"
Got TO have. Elisha. and il won't do
no good to talk about H."
In less than two hours the breeze had
fined down and died out. anl the Mary
Ann lay tossing on the ground swell.
The cargo was one TO be got into the
hands of the southern patriots without
delay, and at least n portion of ii was
something no skipper cared to have
aboard any longer than he could make
a port. As the calm came Captain
Elisha Hopewell fretted and fumed
and wondered II 1t would be his undo
ing. The British still held Charleston.
and from that port they patroled the
southern coast. Nothing had been in
sight when night closed i'm. but morn.
ing and breeze might find Il frigate in
his wake or coming >p the coast. At
the end Of an hour and rs he was still
pacing the deck Nancy joined him and
quietly said:
ELISHA, YOU may git ready fur a
thunderstorm"
"N-o-a" he fairly shouted as he flung
up his arms.
ITS comm. Elisha. | can smell n
thunderstorm ten miles off, as you very
well know"
"But the powder, Nancy-the hun
dred har'ls of powder, We shall be
struck by lightnin' and blowed to mincc
neat
"Mebhe we shall. hut we can't help
ourselves. That's all jest now. Elisha.
Better change your clothes ANA git
ready fur the rain
Five minutes later there came a flash
of lightning. followed by the rumble of
thunder, and within quarter of an
hour there was a terrific downpour of
rain which lasted for Il full hour At
every flash of lightning the crew Of the
brig shvered and tremhlCi. ana they
were a frightened and hWmbIed lot
when the storm finally passed over
The breeze did not come up as the
heavens cleared. and then every sailor
knew that the calm would hold until
sunrise. Midnight came and the cap
tain was just leaving the deck in
charge of his mate when Nancy. who
had declared her intention Of going to
bed half an hour before. suddenly ap-
peared on deck and began smiling ana
snufling Mt the air.
rs the wind a-comin'?" asked the
captain, with considerable interest.
NO wind, Elisha she answered
but I'll tell you what's what. | don't
know what's become of all your poses
that you can't smell Il whale close by"
~ whalew shouted the captain. But.
by Josh, then, your noac must have got
twist in it, If there was whale
within five miles of us
whale almost alongside of us. sir"
interrupted a voice from the bows of
the brig. And there WAS n hurrying
forward TO confirm the announcement
a whale fully sixty feet long had rs-
en- to the surface 50 quietly that no
wash of the sea betrayed his presence
He was lying head and tail with the
brig and almost rubbing her starhoard
side, and every man wondered that the
c'lbl VI lllt iCN ltltlltlll tl'lNl I'l tVil tt
his presence long before.
Il said a whale, Elisha" observed
Nancy as she looked over the rail up
on the great bulk, land | calkerlate
you'll acknowledge I'm right"
But what we goin' to do with him?"
asked the captain in bewidered way.
"Nothin' t all. Jest let him be. He's
old enough and big enough to take care
of himself"
But If he slaves in the brig he'll
stave in the powder"'
Cant be helped. You can't argue
with a whale. We'd better all keep
still and see if he won't 60 away"
The suggestion was followed, but the
leviathan did not take his departure.
He seemed to have come to the surface
to take a long nap. Now and then a
long drawn sigh escaped from his
spout hole, but so far as could be OBJ
served by the men, who moved about
in their bare feet and peercd over the
bulwarks at intervals, he never moved
fin. His queer hanging on made
everybody nervous, and the result was
that nobody slept. Captain Elisha paced
UP and down on tiptoe, and Nancy
got out needle and thread and found a
Jacket of his which needed mending.
An hour after midnight the captain de-
scended to the cabin to whisper to her:
Nancy, I'm jiggered if | know
what's to be done."
"Now, Elisha, what's the use of all
this stewin'?" she asked as she held
her needle suspended to look at him.
"A calm is a calm and is goin' to con-
timer to be a calm till the wind gifts
I'D. Pears to me that even Deacon
Taylor's oxen could tigger that out"
But it's the whale. Nancy-the
whale" he hoarsely whispered.
What about the whale? He hain't
hurt nobody yet, and | don't think he
intends to- I'm worryn' more about
our cat at home than l am about the
whale alongside
Jest one flap of his tail would bust
in the brig and the bar'ls of powder,
and away we'd go!"
"Waal, amt goin' to worry bout no
flaps. and it won't do you no good to
prowl around Better lie down on the
locker and git forty winks Of sleep"
The hours dragged on, and the calm
continued; 50 did the whale. When
dawn came stealing over the sea at
last he was rubbing the barnacles off
his side against the Mary Ann and TAX
| ing lots of comfort. The first thing
they all looked for was the whale. The
next thing was for sight of sail and
49,. .,.oin4.,l hor fnrnr, To the 81