The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-03-30
THE LONG TRIP oF:Tnt GAME cock

III.
say. She needed big spread and tn
wind point or two aft of the beam
then she could leave ordinary coasters
as If they were anchored. Her skinner
often Dragged that with everything
right, she could perform that net mira,
Gle of speed among own-easters-
"show the way to the Bost'n boat"
But her last trip out of Bangor was
drearily long, and the shippers of the
cargo, knowing her to be good sailer.
wondered what had become of her,
When they found out, they swore long
and loud. but everybody else laughed.
Capt. Ja6ez simply grunted, and, gaz-
ing placidly through cloud of smoke
curling from a short, black pipe, re-
marked that it did beat all how some
folks wanted to go rushing through life
ana "a-Wearln' of 'emselfs out for moth
NJ"
1t was in the mild September when
the Gamecock, with dry pine in the
hold and her decks piled boom-high with
red cedar shingles, lowed out Of Ban
gor to Fort Point cove, whence she was
to spread her more or less snowy wings
and speed away to bingham, on Cape
Cod, where a builder needed those
boards and shingles the worst ways
The passage sho uld, with fair chance
have occupied anywhere from two day,
to a week; but, although the chance
was more than fair, Capt. Jabez Lin
coin let it slide. He found so many
entertaining people and so many COM
Portable stopping places on the way
that he decided not to be in any rush. To
his mind, there were in this life many
things OF more interest and Importance
than hurrying shingles to bingham.
At the end of two weeks, when the
Gamecock had not been reported at
bingham, the consignees began to in
qulre OF the shippers, and the shippers
asked the ship reporters about it. But
there was no news of the Gamecock.
| Weeks passed, and the Gamecock was
still missing. There had been no rough
weather, and no reports came in from
anywhere of a vessel Oh the rocks. In
qulrles were sent to every place on the
bay, and west as far as Portland, but
the hancock was not to be found.
October came and went, and bingham
folk were still waiting for the shingles.
When Oh the tenth OF November the
Gamecock had not been reported tine
shippers and nearly everyone else gave
her up as mysteriOuly lost. But on the
18th of November this line appeared III
he ship news:
bingham, Nov. 16-Arr, Schr Game
cock, Lincoln, Bangor
a week after that the Gamecock came
| flying into Bangor with ''everything on
her. having made the run down from
bingham in about 36 hours. Capt.
JabeZ, who owned her, and was also
something of trader, was in hot haste
this time, for he wanted load of coun-
try produce before the Penobscot froze
up.
"Where in thunder did you put in the
time on that last trip asked the ship
reporter.
Time: Time: Where did put it in??'
repeated the skipper from Cape Cod.
Jest let me git this pipe filled and III
tell ye.''
Having poked the pipe bowl full of
black plug with his fat foretnger. the
against the fore boom and told of his
leisurely trip to bingham.
eye see, when the tug dropped us in
Fort Point Cove we got under way to
oncet, intendin' to keep right along; but
it petered out from a light air to dead
am when we got to Northport, an
shut in thlcker'n mud. There want no
chance to git no furder then, SO down.
ed anchor an we turned in. Mex day
and mex twas jest the same. Then a
middlin' smart breeze come up, but, it
bein' still thick, | says to myself, says
l. There's a big camp meetin ashore
here, with a-p!enty of fun an some
preachin' throwed in, an here's where
| stay till it scales up.
$50 there we stayed a week or two.
Never see any fog like that one. You
could lean against it. Ever hear O the
fog down east that was SO thick that a
teller shingin' his barn laid three
courses right out onto the fog afore he
knew what he was dom? Well. this
was about that kind of a fog. Got into
a argument with d minister there: al
most promised to marry a wilder with
$4,000 an six children; ate SO much
ice cream it made my stummick ache
for two days, and learned four new
hymuS an a new card game.
along about the 18th day Teller
came over frum Crow cove with boat
load O tinker mack I'll - fattest and
sweetest ever see. Said the cove was
full of EN-. over we CO. says | to the
mate. Let's git that anchor. Well we
got over to Crow cove all right an SIGH
mack I'll tiShin' you never see. Didn't
have to tish-they cum right aboard the
boat. Was invited ashore to harvest
supper an met some of the best folks
ever see.
"Got into an argument there with a
deacon about what kind O. fish the
apostles ketched in fresh water. Well,
we had it hot an heavy, an finally, l
bet him $40 he was wrong, an we agreed
to leave it to the minister in Gilkey's
Harbor. Got a team an vent down
there, but the minister wasn't to home
gone over to Swans Island to marry
cupple. Left word with his wife to
send him up to Crow cove the minnit
he got back. Next day the minister
come. He rubbed his hans, looked
kinder s'prised and skeeIt-lke, an said
he didn't know just what kind they
was-no more did anybody else. Prob
ably they was some kind of fish in
diginous to them waters, au' tho the
Bible said nothin' bout it, probably
they was fresh water fish. So, tho we
was still some in the dark about it,
won the bet, an give the $40 to the min
lister. He said somethin' bout the sin
O. gamblin' and bettin', but | noticed
he was tickled to get the ten.
'Well, we hung around there a few
weeks longer, cause I'd traded for
some truck that hadn't quite got its
growth, an wasn't ready to De dug. 1t
was pretty well long into October