The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-03-27

kG@z1 was in the middle distance,
JSSYsE with the lighthouse top shin
ing black against the sky and the little
cluster of fishing shantieS showing
brown amid the white sand dunes and
green beach grass. The life saving sta
ton was perched on the highest of the
| Dunes and its cupola was almost as
conspicuous as the lighthouse. The
thick cloud. apparently of mosquitoes,
lowering over the point was in reality
the flock of mackerel gulls that are al
ways hunting for sand eels on the fat.
Low down across the horizon miles be
yond was smeared the blue and yellow
! streak that marked the mainland OF
/ the cape.
To the right, only half a mile away.
| but through the darker water that in
Dictated the ship channel, four mast
| ed schooner was moving swiftly. the
sunshine flashing sparks from her cab
| in windows and marking high lights
and shadows on her swelling canvas.
Ahead of her. against the sky line was
the lightship that markell the turning
point in the course. Behind, not quite
SO far away, was the other ligatship
that she had just passed. More schoon-
ers were following her, strung out in
long line, and others. bound in the OPP
! posite direction, were standing inshore
or heading out to sea as they beat up
in the face of the brisk wind An oc-
| caSiOnal steamer or an ocean tug with
a tow Haunted dingy streamer Of
smoke here and there amid the grace
full schooners.
Along the edge of the channel and
] sprinkled amid the blue were patches
! of light green water where the waves
ran higher and broke occasionally.
/ There were the shoals-the Razor
back" the "Boneyard" and the rest If
1t were possible and fashionable to
erect tombstones for lives lost at sea
/ these hidden sand bars would bristle
with them. Not winter month that
passes but vessels are driven ashore
here and the wicked tides and winds
scatter their timbers far and wide The
Setuckit life saving crew have few
restful hours from October to May.
On the edge of one of these shoals.
just over in deep water, little
schooner lay at anchor. rocking and
plunging necessarily. Her sails were
down, and only one man was aboard
Half mile away, just where the tail
of the shoal made out into the chan
mel, two dories were moving slowly in
parallel courses. trailing rope be-
tween them. The schooner was the
Lizzie; the man aboard her was Bar
ney Small. once a stage driver. but
now, forced out of business by the new
railroad. back again at his old trade
wrecking. Captain Ezra Titcomb was
rowing one dory and Bradley Nicker-
son the other. They were "anchor
dragging
The two dories moved slowly down
the edge of the shoal, separated by
distance of perhaps a hundred yards.
The line between them, weighted with
lead sinker at each end, was drag
ging along the bottom.
They were dragging for an anchor
lost by the coasting schooner Mary D.
| month before She had been caught
by the tide. and the chain had been let
/
aboard-Eldredge by name-was an
Orham man, and he had had the pres
ence of mind to take the ranges"
which information he had sold to Cap
tain Titcomb for five dollar bill.
Bradley and the captain began row.
ing once more. They had gone but
little way when, slowly but surely, the
! n 10 RI
other. Bradley, looking over the side,
saw that the drag line'' no longer
hung straight down, but. tightly
stretched by whatever was holding it
on the bottom, led off diagonally
astern.
They kept on rowing easily, and in
few minutes the pressure on the line
had brought the dories side by side.
Then Bradley passed his end of the
rope to his partner, who began haul
ing in with care. BY this operation
the shippers dory was soon brought
directly over the spot where lay the
hidden object Bradley rowed his own
boat alongside.
"Now, them" said Captain Titcomb,
"let's see if she's got the right COM
plexion."
He leaned over the side and, taking
one end of the line in each hand,
pulled them tight and sawed vigorous
| ~ back and forth, thus drawing a Sec
ton of the rope again and again under
the treasure troye below. Then he paid
oft one end Of the line and hauled in