The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-09-26

an outer sand bar that blocks up VIVA
ought by natural rights to be the open
ing, and SO the sunken points run By
each other, and to stranger it's as com
plicated as "pigs-in-clover" puzzle
But when you get close up to the broker
water on the end of the inner sand bar,
just recall that told you to turn sharp
and quick, either at right angles to q
most-north course into the swash, or else
quarterin' to S. E. course into the
main channel, and work your way into
the deep water through the middle OF
one channel or t'other, accordin' to the
conditions for that day as you find 'em
-dependin' on the wind and tide, too, OF
course. Them that tries to go straigh,
out or in is the fellers that don't git by.
We goes for 'em when we sees EN-, or
picks 'em up on the beach next day
sonnet times.
''I've looked at that yere bar every
mornin' for all the years I've been in the
service, from the top O. the tower.
like to know how she's shifted over
night, if any, and where the buoys be,
an l tells the tender if they ain t
in place. FIR instance, l had a
good squint at Der this mornin' when the
haze lifted after sunrise, just as was
coming down off duty, and since that last
blow the buoys amt to be depended on at
all, no more n if they want there; for
the channel buoy is in about one foot of
water and the red is out O. sight. The
Teller that tends 'em will git out by-and-
by an cut 'em loose from the old num-
buoy tops they're moored to, and which
sink too deep in the sand to getup again,
an he'll shift 'em to where they'd
oughter be and moor 'em to new buoy
tops like mushroom anchors. But you
can't wait for that. So you go right out
tomorrow and have look at it anyway.
If it scares you, why you can always
come back.
'Now it's time for me to go on watch,
so III cut across the point. Your boat
lies off that-away, down the beach. IN
tell you what to do: you-all jest climb
up inter the tower soon as it's daylight
enough to see. It'll be low water then
an you can see the sand spits m the
outer bar n the whole business from
up there jest as plain as if twas laid
out on the kitchen table. I"ll be up
there alone an kin pint out to you how
to do the trick, an make DRAWN of
it for you, if you want. Then you kin
get started afore them damned pilots is
up to bother you, or know how you found
your way out either, and you can lay
down off the mouth ready to dodge
across soon's the tide'll admit We.
"You got one good thing in your favor
too, that is, you're going out and not in,
and you can turn back if you don't like
it. In a shallow draught boat with
power in her, that's easy. To come in
over them bars is the hard job, for when
1ko
turn back if the wind and current is
agin you, or if it's too rough out there
to stay. You jest gotter get in or drown.
Them fellers in the oil steamer had to
come in, even though they fetched up and
an hour sooner if they'd stayed out
only half on 'em."
barney, he continued, 81 bet on your
maxim out O. K. Jest keep cool and
don't lose your head when it begins to
boil round you feather-white. Jest keep
her goin' an free of the shoal water,
and turn her sharp into one channel or
t'other accordin' to, when you get to the
outer bar. You can tell good deal by
the amount of sand that's been stirred
up from bottom and colors the water red
or brown which of the two channels is
deeper"
After saying all he could to encourage
me, "By the way" he concluded, 'I'll
send my big stison wrench over by one
o. the kids to you-all. l sometimes get
as much as a tenner for the use of it
over tide an what can do with it, but
it won't cost you nothing. And you're
one O. them damned Yankees, too, he
added refectively. ''They come down
here with their war an they spoiled our
trade with Boston. Why, before the
war there used to be thirty sail O. three
and four masters in here loaded with
live-oak and waiting for wind and tide
to get over this same yere bar. Old
Specetti, he was Collector of Customs
an Licensed Pilot in them days an he
had a lot to do too. Everybody raised
all they wanted to eat in their own gar
dens and they had slaves to do the work,
and they lived in plenty. Now the live
oak amt no longer in demand, cause
they use steel and iron instead, and
young Specetti, he's araisin' oranges for
his mothers boarding house, which is full
of damned Yank aes that's as thick round
here now as niggers used to be, and not
so good for the country as they was
neither" And he yodeled to the boys,
who, working in circle of light with
their slender spears and nets, still cast
grotesque shadows up the beach, and off
they all trudged with good breakfast
for mother and the girls"
Next morning we were up and through
our breakfast before dawn, but in spite of
our early start pilot was on hand to in
tercept us and was most solicitous about
our welfare, finally offering to take US out
for SIS, instead of the regular SIS, rather
than have US endanger our lives and give
the little town bad name on account of
its dangerous harbor bar" He 'felt
responsible, he said, "for all strangers
who came here in boats, and it was get
ting worse out there every minute" but
l thought I'd fixed things in my head
pretty we'll, however, and knew the lay
of the land, and the water too, by this
time and Charlie would have none of
him either. So l thanked him politely
and we started the engine and chugged
out into it with the happy result record
ed in the last chapter.
UNCLE EZRA SAYS
1T don't take more'n gill Nv effort to git
| Ia 10 I