The state herald., 1910-05-20
CHAPTER X.
In Which Hear the Tale Of the First
Officer.

In Which Hear the Tale Of the First
Officer.
Tuttle required while getting
started, pulling aside his dangling
coat-tails to sit down facing me, and
then twiddling his long fingers with
his gaze bent on the deck. take It
that his intellectual operations were
naturally slow, although he was swift
enough in all matters appertaining to
seamanship. Anyhow. he sat there for
so long. his whole appearance so sleek
and oily that lost all patience, shut.
fling my feet on the deck. The noise
served to arouse him.
1T commenced somethin' like over
two years ago SIR" he began, mouth.
ing each word with care, "a little
earlier in the season than this is now.
was master OF the whalin' bark
Betsy, sailin' from Province town,
an we were homeward bound after
about is months cruisin' in the South
Pacific. carryin' fair cargo OF oil an
whale trimmings. We were roundup
the Horn, being about 10 degrees west
and Sc degrees south when the real
trouble began. | know that was rath.
er low latitude. but we had been
bnckin' against head winds an high
sea for more'n a week. an besides
were short'handed. Ave OF the crew
havin' skipped out at Somers island.
where we put In after fresh water.
Anyway. II was about there that a
storm hit us from out the nor'east.
guess II must have been one end OF a
hurricane. never see nothIn' fiercer.
even In those seas. There was nothin'
to do but turn tail an scud. the ropes
and canvas being so stiff with Ice.
Well. we battened down. an took
chances. but for while I thought
every wave was goin' to do for the OIL
hooker an send us all to Davy Jones'.
| couldn't see Ave feet from the rail.
an had TO keep diggin' Ice out o.
my eyes to see at all The wind had
the feel of a solid wall. SIR"
Tuttle was leaning forward now. his
elbows on the table. His lean, solemn
countenance had lost its listiessness.
and also noticed the eager interest
imprinted on the faces OF his two com.
rades,
We was Jest roundin' the point"
he went on Ms soon as he took n long
breath. the Betsy keelin' over SOS
her deck was half awash. an with no
more than maybe 100 yards O. clear
water TO the good. Back o. an ugly
"a h..
fall away sudden into n sort o. cove.
which was piled high with great Ice
hummocks. behind which the ice wall
rose mp sheer almost TO the top o. the
rocks. There WAS a sorter shelf along
the edge OF II. an a.scttin' up there In
full view was the damndest Iookin'
vessel ever | saw In so years o. sea.
farm. So help me God. sir. I saw
II with my own eyes. as plain as I'm
Iookin' nj you' II was h'isted up all
o 20 feet above the lower ice.ncld. an
sort o. carcencd over where II was
froxe fast 80 aa TO show the decks
amidships clear TO the inner rail. You
remember them ships what Columbus
sailed I'M Well. this hooker was that
kind, only blame sight bigger. I
guessed her nj $50 or 300 ton. but nha
had the same sort o. build-a big high
stern. with nm aftcrcabin clear Acrost
II. the waist sunk down In curve, an'
the focnstlc raised up like house.
with blunt bows. an a monster bow.
spirit forltin' straight up into the air
The whole outft was 30 cascd with
Ice an slitiercd 80 In the sun that II
seemed like n part o. the lee ciifr.
which had took that queer shape from
thawin' an frccxin'. Damme II I
didn't think II was Homcthin' like that
for mlnu,o-a blame freak o. natur.
blu, when grabbed the glasses. an
go, good look through them. II was n
ship NIL right the kind you read
about In the books what nnyiRatod
these waters hundred or more years
ago ! was still a,Htafin' Mt II with nil
my eyes when We raised the stern.
which stood h'iatcd up n bit higher
than tho bow, an where the steady
dash OF the waves didn't break clcan
over II. an the sun fell Just right no
J read tho hookefs name. Dy 0od. I
did. sir' II was there plain as day.
Donna isabel. CHdix."
GRO uF cONTtSUEDl