Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-12-03
CHAPTER v.-(continued.)

CHAPTER V.-(continued.)
"'Stand byu roars Nat. It's a
Equall, dead astern and comm abilin!
II take her, Bile. You look out for
them tops'ls.'
so Nat grabs the wheel and Bile
tears for'ard and sends the two fo'mast
hands aIoft on the jump. Zach was
skipper but all he done was race
around and holler and trip over his
own feet. 1t hit 'em fore they got
even one topsI clewed down. That
one. the foretops1 twas, split to rags.
The main tops1 was set, and when the
squall struck, the rotten old topmast
went by the board 'Kerrash-on Course
splinters few 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.
We'll, there they was, afioat, but
with their upper rlggin' gone and the
compass smashed fat A howlin' moth
wester BLOWN and fog thick as ever.
Zach was a whimperin', fidgetin' 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-
treshin' as the bottom of my we'll up
home.
Then Nat suggests gettin' the spare
ompass and, 10 and behold you! there
want any. Compasses cost money
and moneys made to keep, so Zach
thinks.
so 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
so on. Nobody paid much attention
TO him.
What1l we do, Nat?' says Bile.
He knew who was the real seaman
aboard.
Well, if twas me. wouldn't an
Choir till had to- Probly 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,
Gays Bile, else we'd been acrost the
bar by this time
I" Well Nat tells him, If we are of
the course and too far inshore, eve
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
aot sure, but What's that, lands
mann
Three and half, sir says the fell
Ter with the lead. That showed they
was edgin' in somewheres. Nat he
smiled, for all the world like a dog
catchin' a scent, so Bile declares.
Tell you l smell home,' says Nat,
calm and clipper. and I'd know that
smell II l met 1t in Jericho. Ha!
there she deepens again. That was
the bar and we're over IT.
THE wind had gone down to stlff
sailin' breeze, and the old Debby S.
slapped along afore IT, Sometimes
there was twelve foot under her keel
and sometimes eight or nine. Once
twas only seven and half. Zach and
Bile both looked at each other. but
Nat only smiled.
"'Oh. you can Taught hollers Zach.
''Tain't your vessel you're runnin In
to danger You amt paid out your
good money
NAT never answered; but he stopped
smilin
And all to oace the water deep.
ened Hammond swung her up into
the wind,
Now you can anchor says be.
And bout time, too. | guess. says
Bile. L callate the shippers right.
This is Horsefoot and we're right be
tween the shoals. Yes. sir. and hear
breakers. Lively there!'
They hove over the mudhook and
dropped the sails, Nat shook his
head.
Breakers or not says he, 7 tell
you I've smelt home for the last hall
hour Now, by the iumpin' Moses.
can taste it,
And inside of a couple of shakes
come the rain. 1t poured for while
and then the fog cleared. Right across
their bows was Trumet. with the town
clock strikin' ten. Over the fat plac<
between the hills they could see the
light on the ocean side And they wa:
anchored right In the deep hole inside
the breakwater. as sure as I'm knet
high 10 q marlin spike,
Bile just stared at Hammond with
his mouth open.
Nat says he. you're a seaman. i
do say it. / thought l was q pretty
good bay pilot, but l can't steer yes
sci without 2 compass through nigh
as black as Pharaoh's Egypt. and in
thick fog besides. and land her. sauar,
on top of her meorin's. If my ha
want sloshin around thirty mill