Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-10-31

the poop the fog lay over Us ana
round US, cold and damp. One horn
was being worked on the fo'castle-
head and another on the poop. The
noise was appalling
That's too much! Make 1t once
in two minutes and alternately"
shouted the skipper to the boat
swain.
AYE, aye, sir" replied the boat
swain, briskly.
Then, aside to me, What do he
mean by dat?" he asked.
'One at a time-turn and turn
about" 1 whispered.
Halyard and l stood side by side,
with our hands on the windward rail
and the fog smoking round us. The
old bark pitched to the gray valleys
and climbed again up the gray, un.,
stable hills.
mo need of the lead to tell us
we're in soundings," remarked.
We're on the Banks-just on the
edge of them," replied the skipper.
Queer we don't hear horn or
two In answer to the row we're max
ing" said, leaning over the iron
,, rail of the poop and straining my
eyes against the thickening fog.
"Hark" said the skipper, with a
hand on my shoulder. turned an
attentive ear to the wind.
Don't you catch that?" he asked.
His voice was low and eager.
| shook my head. could hear
nothing in the lull between the bel.
lowings of our horns except the
tumbling of the seas and the com
planning passage of the ship.
There! Dead to windward!" ex-
claimed Halyard, after minutes 81
lence.
This time 1 caught something
hardly more than a suggestion of
sound-like "a faint strain of music.
Then the. horns gave tongue again,
like pack of unearthly hounds hunt
ing in the fog.
When their clamor was done, the
skipper glanced at me shyly.
Wasn't 1t music?" he asked.
II am not sure that l heard any.
thing" replied.
7. He had nothing to say to that.
4 Presently heard the noise again,
loud enough to be sure of 1t.
!. Its an accordion" said.
"See here, Mr.. Burke" said Hal
yard, whats a man about, playing
an accordion off there in the fog!
Is he Just amusing himself? Or is
it signal? Or is he trying to keer
up the hearts of himself and his dory
mates?"
THE last two reasons seem likely
enough, SIR replied. 1.-THE playing
sounds pretty weak, too"
Take the port life-boat, Mr.. Burke
and men from your own watch. Wei
:, lay to-"
nodded, and started down the lad
, der to the main-deck.
, The port life-boat was soon swung
out and lowered My four men O
Harbor Grace pulled her up to wind
! ward with every ounce of muscle
from toes to shoulders. in the stroke
glanced back The bark loomet
, like s shadow in the fog.
The waves swelled above us witt
, dizzy regularity. Now the rover.
! were under me. with their red, SCI
/ faces turned upward Now they were
high above me, with all their weight
on their feet. But they pulled as
steady as clockwork, with Bill Dun
can giving them the stroke.
Suddenly the accordion sounded
again, close in front.
Bow-oar turned his head.
Easy, ALI" cried.
i A crest of gray sank under our cut
I water; and there, in the valley, lay
a dory. She was drifting sullenly be
fore the wind. A figure crouched
astern, steering with fragment o.
: of board. A second figure sat for
i ward, feebly closing and expanding {
. battered accordion!
al The story was plain. The dor!
/ mates. fishing from a Banks schoon
. er, had been lost. probably for days
in the fog-a common enough acct
I dent there.
; The dory wallowed to meet us. W,
4 drove along her gunwale, knockin,
i the piece of deal from the steers
mans hands. In less time than In
t taking to tell 1t we dragged the veal
n and bewildered yoyagers into thu
boat, and pulled away from the dory
/, 1t was cleverly done, though l hav
g say it myself.
|, We pulled back to the ship witt
b only two oars. The others of tn,
crew held each half.conscious fish
r erman, and forced brandy between
a their blue lips. We ran under tn
q lee OF the bark and tackled on, for
p and aft, in short order. Then l CAV,
n the men the word, and they wen
y up the falls" like monkeys, an
:, over the side. Anxious faces stare,
# down at us under black sou-westers
1 held the boat off with an oar. TIL
d rescued fishermen lay between tn
). seats.
Q Hoist away" shouted.
y Up we went, clear of the bulwarks
d and were swung in by eager hands
d jumped to the deck, and in so DOM
Il collided violently with the skipper
He shouldered me aside without
+ glance, and caught up the limp fig
e ure of the youth with the accordion
il "Jack!" he cried. Jack, boy, 1T
e your old daddy"
a We made way for him as he start
ed aft with his burden. At the cal