Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-21

check In the braces q few points and
gave the customary order / heard the
mems feet shuffling about decks execut-
ing the order and then--I was overboardl
Someone had let 60 my stage line In the
hurry, for one Of. the after braces. Just
as l fell yelled to the man at the wheel
and instead OF putting his wheel up he cut
a preserver loose and threw it to me,
shouting, Man overboardr with all his
might l failed to get the preserver and
set myself to get my boots off, which l
did in quick time. I saw man run aloft
when the cry was given, and every time
came up on a sea 1 could see the ship
going, I thought. twenty miles an hour
away from me. / could see, too, the big
black dorsal fins of sharks all about me
and feared the sharks more than l did
drowning, for I was a good swimmer.
Fights for Life
Another great trouble was to keep
from being suffocated every time got up
on the cap of a sea. My only hope wae
to tread water and wait for the boat.
which knew would come soon. The
sharks darted all around me. but kept
my feet and hands moving and believe
that is why they did not nab me.
IT was getting chilled through and It
seemed hours till saw the boat coming
toward me, and as I raised on a sea and
saw the man in the stern got sight OF me
took courage. Every sea that took me
up to see the boat made 1t plain she was
on the right track and soon I could dis
tinguish the second mate at the steering
bar Then new fear came over me.
What II they should run over me with
the ,boat7 There was a ten-foot sea run
ning-twenty feet from crest to trough
and such blow would kill me.
The Rescue
"Just at the right moment the second
mate swung her off and hand grapped
me by the hair and in jiffy l was In
the boat and she was heading for the
shin l was exhausted and could not
speak. but l couli hear the second mate
as he 'cussed the lubber who let go OF
nv line. and 1t was thus I learned 1t
was my landsman friend who inadyert-
emily dumped me overheard. :.
"By the time got aboard again u
was lust thirty-seven minutes after
fell, and had been in the water ABOUT
twenty-five minutes: 1t seemed to be
hours TO me- I was not near SO badly
alarmed by my experience as was the
man who caused 1t all, and his white
face and bulging eyes told how he sur
fered. held no i'll feeling toward him,
and that fact seemed to tie him closer
to me.
when we crossed the line he was
shaved by the watch, as Is customary,
and stood the rough horse play so
cheerfully that he regained his stand
ing, and as he had mastered fear In
going aloft he became quite favorite
Ghosts Aboard
.rwhen we picked up the southeast
trades we began to change light and
bed canvass for heavier cloth to meet
~ 80
and my landsman became quite adept
in working aloft. One fine moonlit
night when everything was perfect, in
cluding the weather and ship, and every
rag we had was set and she was bowl
| ing off ten knots, rolling and going,
easy as an old shoe, had the watch
and sent him UP to stop up the bunt-
lines on the topsails to save chafing,
and ] walked fore and aft on the
weather quarter, my mind building the
air castles so common to seamen. Sud-
denly my landsman appeared in front
| of me, his face white with fear and his
| body quaking from the same cause.
| He made several attempts to speak,
and finally pointing toward the main
top blurted out:
sir"
BIood-chliIlng Noises
"I rallied him for the moment till I
could get my mental processes back to
earth again and then demanded in au-
thoritative voice: What's the matter
with you; have you seen ghost?' He
did not answer. but continued to point
to the cross trees. BY this time the
watch on deck got aft and were watch
ing me closely. No officer can hope to
hold a watch of men If he ever shows