Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-11-28
CHAPTER N-lcontlnued.)

CHAPTER N-(Continued.)
"'Stand by!' roars Nat. It's
squall dead astern and comm abilin 7!
II take her, Bile. You look out LOT
them tops'ls.'
so Nat grabs the wheel and Bile
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 boiler and trip over his
own feet. 1t hit 'em fore they got
even one topsl 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 EN-, 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' 1t
to matches.
well, there they was, afoat, but
with their upper riggin gone and the
compass smashed fat A hOwlin' moth
wester BLOWN and fog thick as ever
Zach was a whimperin fdgetin old
woman, Lafayette and Emulous was
prayin in the scuppers-and that amt
an exercise they're used to, neither
even Bile 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
ompass and, 10 and behold you! there
want any Combasses cost money
and moneys made to keep, so Zach
thinks.
$50 there they was. Wind was fair,
or ought to be, but twas BLOWN hard
and so thick you couldn't hardly see
the jib boom. Zach he wanted to an
Choir, then he didn't, then he did. and
go on Nobody paid much attention
to him.
'What'n we do. Nat?' says Bile
He knew who was the real seaman
aboard.
well, IL twas me. wouldn't an
,clior till had to. Prob1y twill fair
VII lOllOIIOW, DuL IL IL u We
might have to lay out here all day
Anyhow, we'd have to wait for full
tide
I'm afraid we're off the course,
says Bile, else we'd been acrost the
bar by this time
Well Nat tells him. II 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
II we're off the course and too far out.
we'd ought to have deeper water than
FIVE fathom, hadn't we? Course I'm
not sure, but What's that, lands.
man"
"'Three and half, sir says the fell
Ter with the lead. That showed they
was edgin' in somewheres. Nat he
shifted, for all the world like a dog
catchin a scent, so Bile declares.
Tell you smell home says Nat,
calm and clipper and I'd know that
smell if met 1t in Jericho. Ha!
there she deepens again. That was
the bar and we're over it,
The wind had gone down to stiff
sailin' breeze, and the old Debby s.
slapped along afore 1t. Sometimes
there was twelve foot under her keel
and sometimes eight or nine. Once
twas only seven and a half. Zach and
Bile both looked at each other, but
Nat only smiled.
"'Oh, you can taught hollers Zach
''Taint your vessel you're runnin' in
to danger. You amt paid out your
good money
NAT never answered; but he stopped
Bmilin'.
And all to once the water deep
ened. Hammond swung her up into
the wind.
"'Now you can anchor says he
"'And bout time, TOO, ! guess says
Bile. 4 cal'late the shippers right
This is Horsefoot and we're right be
tween the shoals. Yes, sir, and heal
breakers. Lively there!
"They hove over the mudhook anC
dropped the sails. Nat shook hi
head.
breakers or not says he. I tel
you I've smelt home for the last hal
hour. Now, by the jumpin' Moses.
can taste it, -
"And inside Of couple of shake
come the rain. 1t poured for Will,
and then the fog cleared. Right acros
their bows was Trumet; with the tow
clock strikin' ten. Over the fiat plac
between the hills they could see tn
ueht ON the ocean side. And they wa