The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-06

:gss::::::::z: B
ekZsesSHss
nkSAE 9 by Albert W. roIman. q
eeeessossssoo
Look sharp"
1T was 5 o'clock in the morning.
Captain Ben Treat stood in dripping
oilskins by the windlass of the Glou-
eester schooner Emeline, riding out
the wild February gale that had
roared down all night over Georges.
AS he heard this warning shout srom
Sam Lombard, who was holding by
the throat-halyards on the fore-gaf
ten feet above deck, he Rugged his
1left arm tightly round the bits, and
strengthened his grasp on the Ak that
lay over his right shoulder.
A huge green roller reared its crest
In front of the bowsprit. The schooner
rose abruptly, and surged back from
the assault of the sea. The nine
inch Manila cable twanged like a big
violin-string, and in the lantern-light
from the fore-rigging dwindled a
third under the tremendous strain.
The windlass shrieked as the leather
shield ground into the whelps.
Over the bow burst a foaming
deluge. Captain Ben, buried deep,
hung on for dear life, while the tor
rent swept sternward and. out
through the shattered bulwarks.
Then he pulled himself together and
relaxed his hold. 1t was perhaps his
hundredth experience Of the sort in
the last seven hours.
Light on the starboard bowl"
Although he was only ten feet
away, Lombard's hoarse voice sound
ed family in the roaring gale. The
captain glanced to the right with eyes
substantial wrath, the smothered
star between her fore peak-halyards
dimly revealing rope and spar, fitted
by at a ten-knot gait, and vas lost in
the gloom astern. Thirty such spec
tiers, some running before the wind
with the peak of a three-reefed fore
sail. some scudding under bare poles,
had passed to port and %starboard
since 8 o'clock, their cables parted
by stress of storm or cut in fear of
collision, strewing the sea bottom
with thousands of dollars in good
hemp and anchors.
At sunset n hundred and twenty
sail lad lain moored on the Banks
In a fvc-mile circle. The Emeline
was near the southern circumference,
SO that, when the northeast gale burst
at 8 o'clock, the greater part of the
fleet lay to windward of her. She
was directly in the path of drifting or
running vessels.
AS the violence Of wind and sea
steadily increased, the captain set a
double watch, and stationed himself
by the windlass with a sharp ak,
ready to cut his cable at short no.
tice. There he had stood for hours,
his face stung by level sleet, hearing
the blast whistling through the
shrouds and the halyards Shaping the
masts, while the schooner plunged
heavily from crest to trough and
labored up from trough to crest. The
breaking seas drenched him with
brine; again and again the cable
snub almost threw him off his feet.
At 4 in the morning lit was blowing
q hurricane; the vessels to windward
that had held on all night began to
part and cut their cables and drift
down on the Emeline.
"a schooner, broadside on, a little
to port"
Captain Ben strained his eyes
. through the smother, and grasped his
ak more tightly. Heaved on an i'm
mense billow and blowing down
upon him, he saw another Banker.
The stranger was coming at a six
knot rate, absolutely helpless. The
crew lined her rail. To cut would
mean that he must lose several hun
dred dollars in cable and anchor, be
blown miles to leeward off the fish
fairgrounds, and u to Gloucester
to reft. If he did not cut and a col,
lision resulted, thirty lives and more
than twenty thousand dollars would
be sacrificed. In such a disaster both
vessels generally so down with every
man on board.
The captain hesitated, weighing
the chances. Nearer drifted the
schooner. Now she was only thirty
feet from the end of his bowsprit. A
great waves lifted her so that he
could almost look under her keel.
"Cut, cap'n, cut!" shouted LON,
bard, in alarm. But still the captain
waited. His experienced eye saw
that the drifting hull would not touch
his vessel. But the long main-boom
extending twenty feet beyond the
others stern, was almost sure to rake
his rigging. 1t was a question which
would yield frst-spruce or hemp.
The craft were now close together
He swung the ak above his head. One
blow, and the humming cable woult
spring asunder.
Cut! CUT" yelled Lombard
again. But Captain Ben had decided
to match his foreshrouds against thu
dancing spar.
Down past the Emeline's bowspri
swept the newcomer, her boom-ti]
gyrating wildly. The captain hell
his breath, almost regretting his de
, cision.
Four feet from the end the boon
struck against the shrouds. TIL