Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-25
A NOVEL,
By JOSEPH C.. LINCOLN.
CHAPTER XVI-Continued.

CdA11Eh Av4x"COuC1uueO.
We beat in through Long Point reach.
The life-saving station is on the point.
just abaft the lighthouse. l see the Teller
in the station tower open the window and
lean out to watch us. / cal'late he won
dered what asylum had turned that pair
of lunatics loose.
Past the point. and now we come about
for the run afore the wind up the mar
rows. Wapatomac village was in plain
sight.
with any sort of luck" says I. I'VE II
be alongside the dock by quarter-past
five. The down train leaves at twenty
five minutes to eight. You can thank
your stars, Mr.. Hartley"
Twas a pretty cock-sure thing to say.
and I ought to have known better than
to crow afore we was out of the woods.
But we'd come through SO far enough
sight better than a reasonable man could
expect.
The narrows is wicked place. The
channel is fairly straight, but scant
width and on each side of 1t is stretch
of bars and rips that are bad enough in
decent weather. Now they was as good
an imitation of salt water Tophet as 1
ers with lines of billing. twisting sticks
and whirlpools between. And the tide
tearing through.
1 sentsHartley for'ard to look out for
shoals He had one knee on the edge of
the cabin roof and was climbing up,
when I happened to glance astern. There
was an old che wave coming-a regular
deep-water grayback.
Look OUT" I yells. "Stand by!'
That wave hit us like a house tumbling
way. ready for it, but Hartley want. He
was knocked for'ard on his face. Then.
as the bow jumped up, he was chucked
straight backward. landing on his Shout
der and left arm against the center
board we'll. He turned full somerset
and his feet knocked mine from under
me. Down I went and the tiller was
yanked out of my hands.
Waves like that hunt in droves, gener-
ally speaking: The next one was right
ways like railroad train. Then down,
bump" on the bottom.
Up again and down. ''Thump! Crunch!"
That time we struck with all our heft.
The Dora Bassett shook all over. She
riz, still shaking. and the next wave
threw her clean over the bar. We was
in deep water for a minute. but just a
little ways off>was another line Of. break
ers. And astern was the rudder, broke
clean off, and floating away.
Twas no time for fooling. Hartley got
to his knees, white, and holding his left
arm with his right hand. I jumped and
cast off the sheet. She fioated then on a
more even keel. Then 1 yanked loose the
oar from it's cleats alongside the rail and
got 1t over the stern to steer with.
This got her under control. and down
the lane, between them two lines of
breakers. we went, me with the sheet in
one hand. the oar braced under t'other
arm. and the tmee-reefed mainsail well
out. The cockpit was half full of water.
The lane of deep water narrowed up
ahead of us, and there was a kind of
gate, as you might say. at the end Hart
ley looked at me and / at him.
Can your" he asks He was white
was sure. His left arm hung down
straight and he kept rubbing it.
Lord knows" I says. Are you hurt %
He didn't answer: just shook his head.
On went the Dora Bassett Bless the old
girls heart! She was doing her best to
pull us through.
The gate was just in front of our nose
set my teeth and headed her for the
middle of it. A jiffy more. and the crazy
breakers jumped at us from both sides.
Their froth flew over us in chunks. Then
we was through. and 1 fetched my first
decent breath.
We was in kind of pond now. where
we had elbow room.
Martin looked astern. Here comes a
boat" says he.
Twas the lifeboat from the station
They'd seen our trouble and was coming
full tilt. I hadn't ever been took off my
own boat by no life-savers, and I want
going to begin.
"Heave to- halls the crew cap'n from
off,
didn't answer.
"Heave to- he yells again. "Heave
to!'
l turned my head little ways.
Go home and get your breakfast 1
sings out Were busy"
They kept on for a ways, and then they
give it up. I ran two or three more of
them lanes and then, when I had the
chance, 1 dropped my mainsail and histed
picked my way for another spell. in and
out and betwixt and between. At last
we slid past the Wapatomac breakwater
and up to the wharf. A nice piece of
Hartley seemed to think so, too. for
says he, skipper. that was beautiful.
You're wonder"
Twenty minutes of SIX says /.
Were on time"
There was an early bird lobsterman on
the wharf. come down to see how many
Of his pots had gone adrift In the night.
He stood and stared at us.
God sakes!" says he. "Where'd you
come from?"
"Wellmouth." says I, making fast to
I'm herr" he says. pointing to the sloop.
I'm this gale? Never In the world!'
"All right Then We didn't l hadn't
no time to waste arguing.
Good land Of lover he says. kind of
to himself Say! she must be something
of boat
1 looked at the poor old Dora Bassett.
Rudder gone. centerboard smashed, rail
carried away and hull nigh filled with
water.
"She was" says I. considerable of
boat
CHAPTER XVIII.
poor Padnv