Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-01-03

fered some last night, I'll bet-comin'
right out of warm weather"
The schOOners sails were cleared of
ice and hoisted, and presently light
breeze bringing up from the north she
trimmed her sheets for a beat to har-
Dor. The barquentine, after q time.
got her fore and aft sails up. and sent
men aloft on the yards to clear the ice
off the gear. The Narka, making a
short tack, passed under her lee, and
the skipper sang out:
"A wild night Cap. You must have
been pretty near in when it struck
down, wasn't you?"
"Ayv' answered the master of the
barquentine, a big, bearded man. ST
was abreast Of Sambro, when 1 got
it. Couldn't stand up to it, at all.
Thought I'd have to run her off for the
Gulf Stream. She's got little ice on
her, hey? Got to rig up dummy braces
to get my yards round Think I'll get
a chance to buck her in to-day.
1T doesn't look too promisin', Cap.
Looks to me as if we were goin' to
have some more dirt before night. So
long"
The schooner forged ahead out of
ear-shot Of the old ice wagon, but be-
fore she had proceeded far the wind
died out again and left her rolling idly
in the sea.
''Talk about misery luck" growled
the skipper lugubriously. eve seem
to be having a fair share of it, But
there's one consolation-we won'E
have to wait long for wind hereabouts
this time of year. Like as not it'll be
dead ahead when it comes, but wheth-
er or 10 I'm goin' to buck her into
port. l promised the wife I'd be home
for Christmas eve, and home I'm goin'
to be if this packet holds together long
enough to take me there"
At noon nOr'east wind came blus-
tering down, and it started to snow.
The schooner, under her four lowers,
crashed through the choppy seas. reel
ing off twelve knots an hour. The
skipper grew good-humored, and start
ed to sing cheerily-
"Strike eight bells, cal 1.-The watch,
Relieve the wheel and chain!
Oh, won't we have a merry time
When we get home again.
Night came again-a black blind
night. The schooner was working into
smoother WATERWAYS getting we'll in
shore; and man could not see his
hand before his face. She was crawl
ing up to a coast, fringed with outly-
ing shoals and isolated rocks; feeling
her way through the utter dark with
the lead. Ordinarily the skipper would
have waited for the weather to clear,
and let him see where he was; but to-
night was Christmas eve and he had
promised his wife to spend it at home.
So he beat her in through the smother,
cropping his way by luck and lead up
Chebucto Bay.
Presently, as she roared along on the
starboard tack, they heard the report
Of gun and the sound of a tug whis-
tie coming family through the whir-
ring snow.
'Chebucto head, boys" cried the
skipper. "Tack ship. Well make the
cove next leg" The schooner stood
away on the port tack, for a few miles.
Then, as she came about and stood in
toward the land again, the snow thin
ned, and they saw ahead, a point on
her lee bow, the glimmer Of a red light
the harbor light of Herring Cove.
And presently the Narka shot between
| the high bluffs at the harbor entrance
out Of the boisterous fury Of a mid
winters gale into the calm Of her de-
sired haven.
A fortnight thereafter the Yarmouth
barquentine, battered and leaking,
with half her sails blown away, and
| half her crew frozen and helpless in
the fo'castle, crept YEARLY into the
| harbor Of Halifax.-Montreal Star.