The Republican journal., 1907-08-15
A CHRISTMAS OUTING.
BY F. H. BURYESON.
TCOncluded.l


she had broken off, and was now head
ing east-southeast. The sky to the
northeast and east was overcast from
the horizon to the zenith and had that
murky, suspicious, threatening look
which forebOdes blow. The seagulls
were screaming and circling around in
An uneasy manner. As yet the sea was
smooth, but the wind had increased
some, and she was making good six
knots, with the weather leeches lifting
When had been at the wheel An hour
or so she had broken off another point
and the whole sky had become over
cast. 1t was now beginning to drizzle.
A long, irregular swell set in from the
eastward, and every time she tipped to
windward a bit the wind would sough
through the rigging with an eerie,
moaning sound as of ghostly hordes at
play. At four-bells l was relieved by
Barney. She was then heading south
As Barney took the wheel from me he
whispered: We're going to have a
dirty southeaster tonight" Then he
added mysteriously, land it'll just suit
me-"
l had just reached the break of the
poop when | heard the skipper telling
the mate to get the small kites off her.
Accordingly we clewed up the skysails
and hauled down the upper staystailS
and balloon jib and made them fast.
At six-bells we took in the royals, miZ-
zen topgallantsail and flying jib When
the starboard watch came on deck at
eight-bells the mainsail and fore and
main topgallantsails were clewed up
and furled. 1t was now blowing hard
and she was cutting up all kinds of
didos. throwing the spray as high as
the lower mastheads. From my eX-
perience of southeasters on the Allan,
tic coast | knew, however, that the
gale would not reach its greatest fury
for several hours yet, and that in all
probability it would be all over before
midnight. Northwesters, on the other
hand, bear down in the beginning like a
sshot from gun and taper off to a
zephyr.
! Before seven o'clock we had her
snugged down to sngle-reefed foresail,
,single-reefed m n upper. top-sail,
double-reefed spanker and mizzen and
fore topmast staysails. At that she
had too much canvas on her, for 1t was
blowing almost a hurricane. The rain
beating against my oilskins made a
tnoise like hailstones pattering on a
fence. She was making an awful mess
of herself, shipping tremendous seas
and filling the maindeck from rail to
rail. Every time she took a dive into
comber l expected to see the anchors
washed off the bows. All hands were
on the poop, standing by for what
might come along. About seven bells,
as near as l could judge, noticed a
fearful looking roller to windward
bearing down on us as big as the side of
I oh tal t, l,a TO low
hold of something and scooted half
way up the weather main rigging. The
next instant the roller came tumbling
aboard abreast of the forecastle and l
heard a crash Looking down in the
lee scuppers of the main deck | could
see by the phosphorescent light of the
SWirling, sWishing water lot of chests
and mattresses washing about, and |
knew then that the forecastle had been
Quilted, and probably all our clothing
lost.
At the same time there was COM
motion aft which could be heard above
the roar of the elements. | rushed aft
to see what the matter was and found
the mate and carpenter grasping the
wheel The mate motioned to me to
lay hold of the spokes, shouting as he
did so: Full and by Full and by,
sir" | answered. ''Chips" then told
me that when the big sea struck her
the NewfoundlanGer, who was then
steering, had been thrown over the
wheel and washed overheard,
The gale was now at its height. The
darkness overhead and the thunderous
roar of the wind and sea were appal-
ling, but knew that break was soon
due, and so did the skipper, suppose,
or lie would have taken more sail off
her. She was now heading about south
by west, and drifting dead to leeward,
or nearly so. Tie first lull came along
shortly after eight O'clock. BY and by
| saw the mate take a heave with the
lead and heard him tell the skipper
that he had got twelve fathoms.
We've got to wear her round and
man said, ''or she'll be ashore on Jer-
sey beach before long. Put the wheel
up
Lay aft here, all hands.'' roared the
mate; Clover away the spanker and
haul down the miZzen Staysail! Stand
by the weather main and lee crossjack
braces"
Slowly she swung off before the wind
as the men kept squaring in on the af-
ter yards, point by point. When she
was nearly dead before it the mate
mustered his watch together and took
them forward to get the fore yards
round, and the fore topmast staysail
over to port. was alone at the wheel
now, tue carpenter lending hand on
the braces. | could hear the Tapping
of the foresail as she came up in the
wind on the starboard tack, and judged
they were trying to set it. She took
weather roll, and as she settled back in
the trough of the sea she careened over
to leeward until nearly on her beam
ends. OF sudden l heard a sharp,
ripping, tearing, swapping noise as
though a powder blast had been set off
in the bows of her, and l felt her
trembling under my feet. Then | heard
the carpenter yell: "The foremost is
gone Overboardr'
Get the anchors ready and let them
go as soon as you CAM the old man
shouted back. Put the wheel in the
beckets and go forward and help
them" he said to me. Lower away
on the main uppertopsail halyards as
you go along"
The wind had moderated considerably
by this time. The rain had ceased en-
tirely, but the sea was still rough. When
the foremost went she came right up
in the wind and the Wreckage acted as