The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1909-03-19

Jacobs Wonderful :
Voyage :
By Martin Anderson Nexol q.

thing was plain enough. In the niue
fishing hamlet people were not IN the
habit of taking to their beds because
they felt sick, and when a mar did, 1t
simply meant change. Mrs. Anderson.
therefore, began at once TO arrange the
necessary things with undertaken, sex
ton and butcher, while people began 10
look for another skipper for the sloop
Andreas.
There were men enough right there
who knew something about the sea;
every shopkeeper and tradesman coulu
tell Just what. should be done. 1t was
a pleasure to hear them in the even
ing criticising every vessel that came
in sight.
But here. where there was a respon-
sibility TO be taken, every one modestly
refused. All the real sailors were
away in the tropics or on sal ing trips
70 Greenland, and il looked very much
as if the Andreas would have to re-
main in port al summer Win IT'S cargo
of stone.
There was Jacob, of cOurse-he could
have done it as easily as he coulu
chew tobacco. Jacob had been on the
long VOYAGES during his youth, hau
been pirate captain and slave dealer
and caught whales-hiS name was on
| the blacklist in Copenhagen, it was
said. and when he spoke OF the sea
every one else felt insignificant ana
shut up. That was twenty years ago.;
now Jacob looked after his little sHop
and went fishing once in a while. out
he was like a stranded whale-there
wera ALWAYS breakers around him.
| When Jacob went down to the store
in the morning, summer or winter
with his hairy breast exposed, II was
% If a ship of the line passed by the
little windows.
Nobody knew anything about his ex-
~periences as a sailor but what he had
told himself, but, that was enough.
He was not the kind OF a man who dis
cussed things with any one or allowed
any one to doubt. Jacob had said 1t
was so. and that settled it, no matter
how unreasonable 1t might sound.
Everyone thought Of him while the
sid sloOp drew more more water
Jacob could take 1t to Germany II he
wanted to. But no one dared say a
word to him about 1t or even hint at 1t.
Andreas was no full rigger.
But one morning it came all by it.
self. No one knew where ii came from,
0Ut the rumor went all over that Jacob
himself would AXE the sloop to Ger
l'diys l. I was WY ~ N'' N'N'
one looked at Jacob who might have
something to say. But Jacob smiled
yco~rnfully-"to Germany! Mrs. Junge-
mann goes for milk every morning and
crosses two cutters, why did they
not ask her to do it,"
So people kept quiet and waited. All
the trips Jacob had yer made were
ike fairy tales-he would get some
thing out of his voyage, too.
Jacob took care of his shop as usual
until Saturday evening, hen he put
the key in his pocket and went on
BOARD with Niels Kaas, the old swine
herd, who had been a Goblin boy when
ne was young and knew something
about cooking. The whole town was
ast1r when they heaved the anchor.
At last Jacob was to be seen in his
proper element. And he was a sight,
indeed; he Numbered out orders and
made the old lame Kaas jump like a
rabbit.
When Andreas had got clear of
the shore and caught the wind. Jacob
'steered her only for a few minutes
longer, then he placed old Kaas at the
helm. you just steer straight" he
said; you go by the stars, and when
they set you have ~mastheads. And
when you see Germany, call me-"
Then he turned In as calmly as IL
he had been ashore.
Old Kaas steered and kept on the
lookout for Germany, He got a little
twisted on the stars, but he kept the
two mastheads In a line, and sent many
admiring thoughts to his wonderful
skipper below. All night he looked for
the German shore, and when day broke
with a heavy fog, so that he could see
rothing, he listened attentively. Kaas
understood a little German and had
no doubt that he could tell when he
was there.
A little later he heard indistinct
noises of traffic ahead. He stamped
his foot as q signal and soon Jacob
appeared on deck.
well, we are all right" he said,
"just as / knew we would be. Listen
Kaas, those are German voices. 7
think we had better drop anchor till
the fog lifts a little"
Kaas gave the helm to Jacob and
went forward to the anchor, but be-
fore he got II out the vessel touched
the bottom Say" said Jacob, I'VE
have got rather close to Germany, but
I know exactly where we are"
And Kaas looked at his skipper in
open-mouthed admiration and they
both Lit their pines end sat Gown on
the hatchway, waiting for the fog TO
raise.
Occasionally they talked about the
noises from land and how strange they
sounded.
NOW. really, that w~heelbarrow
squeaks just like Rasmus Kjoller's,"
Kaas suddenly exclaimed, straining his
ears. Il would give a good deal to be
home again."
They could hear people talk, but II
was impossible to catch the words.
That is German" Jacob said; those
Dutchmen always talk as II they had
a hot potato in their mouth
Now the church steeple appeared
above the fog. Look at that" Kaas
shouted: "the weathervane Is crooked
just like the one at home"
1T is, indeed. Kaas! And see that
breakwater; they have just ixed Il up
like ours and made 1t twenty feet
longer
Little by little the fog raised and
showed to the astonished men a town
exactly like their home. with the walk
along the short, Me-.hass Towering
e~iderberry bush and everything. II
was like a dream and Kaas opened his
mouth to say something, as did Jacob
too. But none Of them said q word;
they Just sat and stared. More and
more people appeared on the shore.
and they knew every one OF them.
A shadow crept across Jdeehsg Les,
! he arose slowly, went aft and irwtred
| the boat. Kaas dared not speak to him
he just crawled down into III boat
and roweu them ashore. There was a
| biz crowd on the shore, but Jacob
went straight through II TO his house
and no one dared say a word to him.
But as time passed n he recovered