The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-23
rHe sENrlMeNr oE 10 seA.

THE SENTIMENT OF THE SEA-
u was good breeze of wind We
picked up other proof Of It next day
Bill Johnson had slapped sail to his
Fannie and gone to the eastward.
and the skipper had decided to run
for Newport, and so we were on our
way The middle of the morning II
was, a fine day, and as we were still
hoping for fish, the lookouts we're
aloft. Ezra called out something and
pointed, and we all looked. It was
part of a drifting mast, the lower part
broken off raggedly from foot or
two above the saddle to the step
And then we saw dory bottom up.
"A yellow dory," somebody said. "A
yellow dory" somebody else said,
"and twas a white-painted saddle to
that mast a while ago" Everybody
repeated that, and then suddenly no
body seemed to be saying any more
about il.
The skipper also put off to get the
dory. 1t was some little trouble to
right the capsized dory from our dory
gunwale, but we did it after a while.
A part of a sword had been driven
through her bottom, which happens
often and meant nothing; but there
was the name on her bow-"Noko-
mis-" We took the dory aboard our
vessel and went on.
A dory, too could be washed off
the deck of fishing-vessel, so that
didn't prove anything; but the lower
end of the mast, and the oil-barrel
with the hole in the head-altogether
it didn't look kood. And then we
picked up part of a booby-hatch and,
close by, two hatch-covers. And then
Bill identified them as from off the
"Nokomis."
She's broke up. Good-by, "Noko.
mis-, 4" said our skipper, and Big Bill
went on to tell about John Pettipaw.
"Easy-goin', nothin' worrit him. The
finest kind of chap" said Bill. "Meb-
be he didn't worry enough"
And then we picked up the water
melon. Everybody knew that Petit
paws cook, Bill said, was a great fell
low to ship a few watermelons, and
always kept couple to cut on the
passage home. And men don't throw
watermelons overheard. This one
must have floated out of her hold,
which meant she had broken up: the
mast, the booby-hatch, the latch, COW
ers, and now the melon. 1t was John
who spied the melon from aloft, but
we would have missed it only for
Ezra. He made a flying leap into the
dory towing astern, and, leaning far
out to lay the dory on her side, he
spread wide his hands, and the melon
just naturally floated right over the
gunwale and into his arms, and Ezra
Rugged it to his bosom.
Bill took the melon when it was
passed up over the rail and tested it
for soundness. only one little soft
spot he announced, and without any
foolish delay got his dressing-knife
and cut it up. Poor old 'Nokomis,' !
wonder where ye be now observed
Bill, and cautiously tasted the melon
Not a touch o'A salt" he declared
and cut into it more deeply. Poor
old 'Nokomis, I'm sorry for yer" and
handed himself a fat slice. Three
melancholy bites of that and he threw
the rind over the side; and he had
another slice, and studied that rind
too, as it slowly sank under cur quar-
ter. Well, his old shipmates were
gone, that was sure. With his tongue
he worked the juicy shreds from the
far corners of his mouth He wa.
staring cupboard. Why be downcast
, He faced inboard, and cast side-lool
, at the watermelon. He contemplated
, what was left of that, by now a hollow
: shell. At last he spoke: Poor No
komis! But damn good-tastin' mel
= on warn't she?"-James B. Connolly
r in Harper's Magazine for March.