The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-07-29

there was no chance of reeang the fore
sail down. and it needed all on
strength to hold the Algaroba in con
troi SO that none of the combers SHOULD
crash over her and wash the men a
work over the side. Suddenly the mar
shouted. He dropped one arm swift,
from the wheel and an instant late,
TANNED a soft body against nv legs
between us on the grating. I looked
down quickly It was the Twin Peters
the boy huddled in the small and wirv
arms OF the monkey. There they stav-
ed during the last hours of darkness
with the dawn we saw our plight
The mate came dripping aft. waving
his arms feebly. When he reached the
poop he looked sharply at the skinner
and then stumbled against me. shes
leaking like a sieve he beloved
Opened up." His voice died hoarsely.
The wind dropped, The seas rose
less threateningly. But the old Aga
rooa did not recover. Her leaps were
springless; she rolled sluggishly. the
water running OILY across the deck.
Inc sun came up and we grew drv
in its warmth. The captain came over
to the wheel and stared into the com
pass. We're off our course" he said
futilely. "Huh?''
We're sinking" said the mate "She
won't last an hour We must provision
the boat. We must get away"
think she's making better weather
of it, the captain continued slowly.
Don't you think so? Huh?''
We looked at each other, the mate
and 1. He went forward again. calling
to the men to get the boat slowed over
the galley ready to launch
In an hour they had the long boat out
OF her chocks and balanced on the rail.
now only a few feet above the sea. We
had tried the pumps They We're use
less against the inflow. ''All that saves
us is that foreho.d full of empty oil
barrels said the mate Shed have
gone down long ago. She'll go yet
He got the boat over. The time had
come. The cabin boy and the cook
ran wildly out with provisions and
tumbled them into the boat. The crew
came up on the poop. now but bare
fathom out OF the water. The Twin
Peters chung TO the dashed wheel The
captain stumbled around the little
deck, his ungainly form coming be-
tween us and our work. his mouth
opening continually to emit puzzled.
distracted "Huh,'
Wed better get away" said the
mate. Those oil barrels are keeping
her for US. But she's going by the
stern, fast. There amt no time to
ose''
Everything stopped for a moment.
Captain Finn stood outside the huddled
crew. He stared knowingly up at the
.opsails bundled against the masts, his |
eye ran along the deck, clear to the
ibboom forking OFT wildly as the |
schooner widowed in the |
sea. We waited. He was the captain |
There was not a sound except the |
'crape of a boot on the deck as we
ried to keep our balance. The skipper
eemed at a loss. He scanned us ques-
ioningly, shifted his hands Still we
waited for him to give the word for
Is to take to the boat. 1t came at
asst, slow, inquiring!y. as if the prob
EN- was too deep. Huh ?" Then.
gain. HUH
We piled ourselves down into the
oat like school boys. We tumbled
yer the seats, we pulled frantically at
he lashings of the oars. We seemed
anic stricken. And on the deck above
he old man Ioitered, undecided, quite
blivious to the haste that the mo-
lents called for. He even gaZed down
n US, profoundly, as if he would read
ur souls. We shouted up at him,
hook our fists wildly, swore tumul-
lously. We could not leave him. It
as seconds. He still stayed
The Algaroba careened far to lee
ard, her rail dipped underneath our
cat, then the stern rose ponderously,
1ckng US under the counter shes
oing!" beloved the mate. We pull
/ frantically away. -
We rested on our oars a cables
,ngth away. The schooner was still
float, her masts still stiff against the
KY. We saw the big figure on the
oop and shouted at the top of our
pes. He made no response. A sailor
God UP in the rocking boat and toss
l his arms up. THE Peters, he 1
led ''the Twin Peters,"
tt was true. We had forgotten them
hey were on the sinking schooner
Te padded about, headed our boat
r the wreck, and struggled over the
gh seas.
We were helpless. Suddenly we saw
lie schooner roll her tall masts far
Continued on page 3
MN g4.xS%s4SAEA.