Putnam patriot., 1912-10-18
THE PUTNAM PATRIOT October IS rora

tickled to death over what you said 10 Eben Hammond We think it's a mighty good joke. You didn't know. of course. and what you did was done innocent. Hel hei hei Did yoa lay him out. hey?"
 T think you'll find a good many of the society feel as l do. shocked and hum-ha,-sorry. I'm surprised tkey haven't been here to say SO
 T expected them." remarked the minister
 50 did l." chimed in Captain Feb. But I ealiate to know why they aint been. They're all too busy erowin' over the way Nat Hammond fetched the packet home last night. You ain t heard. Keziah. have you? Nor you. Mir Ellery? Well. I must tell you. Here's where I gain lap on Didama Rogers. Seems the Deborah S.-that's s the packets name, Mir Ellery-she hauled out of Boston night after last on the ebb. with q fair wind and sky clear ss bell. But they hadn't much more'n got outside of Minot's fore the fog shut down. thicker'n gruel for a sick man. The wind held till long to- ward mornin'; then she Hattened to a dead calm. Bic Perry. the mate. he spun the yarn to me, and he said twas thick and fiat as ever he see and kept gettin' no better fast.
 They drifted along till noon time and then they was somewheres out in the bay. but that's about all you could say. Zach. he was stewin and sput- terin' like a pair of fried eels, and La fayette Gage and Emulous Peters they're Denboro folks, Mir Ellery. and about sixteen p'ints t'other side of no aeeount-they was the only passsn- gers aboard except Nat Hammond. and they put in their time playin high low jack in the cabin. The lookout was forard tootin' a tin horn and his bell lerin' was the most eXcitin thing goin' on After dinner-corned beef and cab bage-trust Zach for that. though it's next door to cannibalism to put cab bage in his mouth-after dinner all Hush' he says. Don't l hear some thin?'
 They listened. and then they all heard it-all 'cept Zach, who's deef in his larboard ear
 Stand by!' roars Nat. It's a squall. dead astern and comin, abilin'l I'll take her. Bic. You look out for them topsls.'
 50 Nat grabs the wheel and 'Rije tears for'ard and sends the two fo'mast hands aloft on the jump. Zach was skipper, but all he done was race around and holler and trip over his own feet It hit 'em fore they got even one tops1 clewed down. That one, the foretops1 twas, split to rags. The main topsl was set, and when the squall struck. the rotten old topmast went by the board Kerrash-o!' Course splinters flew like all possessed. and one of 'em. about foot long. sailed past Mats head, where he stood heav- in his whole weight on the wheel. and lit right on the pinnacle. smashin' it 10 matches
 Well. there they was. afloat. but with their upper riggin' gone and the compass smashed flat howlin no'th- Zach was a whimperin'. fidgetin' old woman, Lafayette and Emulous was prayiu' in the scuppers-and that ain't an exercise they're used to. neither even Bic was mighty shook up and worried-he says he was himself But Nat Hammond was as cool and re- freshin' as the bottom of my well up home.
 Then Nat suggests gettin' the spare compass and, To and behold you there want any. Compasses cost money and moneys made to keep, so Zach thinks.
 50 there they was. Wind was fair, or ought to be, but twas blowin' hard and so thick you couldn't hardly see the jib boom. Zach he wanted to an ahor. then he didn't, then he did, and so on Nobody paid much attention to him.
 Whatll we do. Nat?' says Bic He knew who was the real seaman aboard
 "'Well, if twas me. wouldn't an chor till I had 10. Prob1y twill fair off tomorrow, but if 1t shouldn't, we might have to lay out here all day Anyhow, we'd have to wait for a full tide
 I'm afraid we're off the course says 'Biie. else we'd been aerost the bar by this time
 We'll Nat tells him, If We are off the course and too far inshore. we would have made the bar-the Bay port bar-if not the Trumet one. And if we're off the course and too far out. wed ought to have deeper water than five fathom, hadn't we? Course I'm not sure, but Whats that. lands man?'
 "'Three and a half. sir says the fel- Ter with the lead That showed they was edgin' in somewheres. Nat he sniffed. for all the world like a dog catchin' a scent, so Bic declares.