The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-09-22

thoughts Of cold, icy water and a
rough sea flashed on my mind.
II heard foreign voice yelling out
away up above us on the bow of the
bark. 1 couldn't understand a word
he said. He was terribly excited.
"'Heave over the port dories!" our
skipper shouted started forward
along the port side after the rest of
the hands.
Our vessel lurched ahead on sea.
Then on came the bark, crashing into
us again. The planks even forward
to where we stood began to rip and
tear apart under our feet.
Were going down, skipper!' sang
out one of our fellows could see
from the way they fumbled the work
getting the dories overheard that
they were confused.
"'Hendry, you get line aboard Of
her quick, if you can't cried the skip
per to me. ] started back aft round
the cabin house, intending to get to
the other side, to where the bark had
cut into us, gram the end of any piece
of rope could get hold of on our
deck and climb up on the bark's
headstays Then l could make the
rope fast to help all hands up. But
my intentions miscarried.
81 threw my arms round in the
darkness for the bark's big chain
bobstay, the stay running from her
stem at the water-line UP to the end
of her bowsprit But l could find no
trace of it. l knew that it must have
been carried away when she struck
us. There were no other stays low
enough for me to reach them, knew
turned, and grabbing the end of our
main-sheet, lying loose on deck, stood
ready to jump at anything offering
me a chance to get aboard the stran.
ger.
THE noise of the two vessels grind
ing together, the roar Of the wind and
sea and the Stating of sails and
booms were deafening. l could hear
nothing above it but the wild yells of
the foreigner on the back. We lurch-
ed ahead again on a sea. felt some
thing swing hard against my back.
turned and grabbed it. Twas the
big iron chain, the bark's bobstay,
dangling in the air from the end of
her bowsprit. Gripping one of the
big links in my right hand, and TAX
ing turn in the main-sheet with my
left, sang out with all my might:
"'Cap'n. come round here! We
can all get aboard of her!'
mot word came back to me from
them I did not know whether to try
to go back to them or not. While
stood trying to decide, felt our YES
sci begin to fall away on big sea.
1t seemed to me that when the big
craft lurched ahead and struck up
again that she must bear us under.
The chain l held to with my right
hand suddenly grew taut. 1t began
to pull away from me, and knew the
two vessels. were drawing apart.
must let go either our own main-sheet
or the bobstay Twas hard to decide
which to do.
II felt our vessel shoot down and
ahead in the sea. The big, heavy
chain drew me along our deck to the
rail I braced my feet against 1t
and pulled back with all my strength.
l grew so confused in the next second
by the drawing apart of the two YES
sells, the thoughts of my duty to our
crew and the terrible roar all round
me that l seemed unable to think at
all.
The chain bid up taut and hard.
My feet slipped on the icy rail. my
knees wabbled. Then off | shot from
our, deck after the bark's stay. my
feet trailing along in the water. 1
roared out to our crew with all my
might.
THE main-sheet was still wrapped
round my left hand. I started to push
the frayed end Of 1t through one OF
| the links in the chain to take turn.
But l had no sooner pushed the end
| into the link than the rope drew taut,
so taut that couldn't get turn. l
took a firm grip ON it with my hand,
i
SO as not to lose 1t altogether.
"I heard the excited voice up above
me on the bark's bowsprit keeping up
a continuous yell. Then another join
ed him. looked all round me In
the darkness. to see If they had low
cred any rope to me. but could see
nothing.
81 began to call out to them to
come down on the bobstay. when
away drew the two vessels with a
lurch, the rope and chain grew hard
and tight, and l was raised up out
of the water. l hung there in the
air, clutching the rope in one hand
and the stay in the other.
while I hung there another voice
broke out above me on the bark. and
sung out:
"'You speak English? Speak
French? Speak German. or what you
speak?' And | knew right away that
| ha1n n