The Delta independent., 1913-01-31
CHAPTER vi.
In Which Captain Nat Picks Up 4
DcreIict

1t Is probable that John Ellery nev-
er fully realized the debt of gratitude
he owed to the fog and the squall and
to Captain Nat Hammond. Trumet, all
ways hungry for a sensation, would
have thoroughly enjoyed arguing and
uuarreling over the minister's visit to
the Come-Outer meeting, and, during
the fracas, Keziah's parson might have
been more or less battered. But Cap
tain Mats brilliant plotting of the old
packet was bit OF seamanship which
every man and woman on that foam
bordered stretch of sand could under
stand and appreciate, and the minis
ter's indiscretion was all but forgotten
In consequence. The Daily Adyertis-
ers" gloated over it, of course, and
Captain Elkanah brought it up at the
meeting Of the parish committee, but
. there Captain Zeb Mayo championed
the young mans course and pro-
claimed that. fur's he was concerned,
he was for Mr.. Ellery more'n ever. "A
young greenhorn with the spunk to
cruise singlehanded right into the mid
die of the Come-Outer school and give
an old bull whale like Eben the gaff
is the man for my money" declared
Zebedee. Most of his fellow-commit-
tee agreed with him. mot guilty, but
don't do 1t again." was the general
verdict.
Keziah watched anxiously for hint
concerning her parsons walk in the
rain with Grace, but she heard moth
ing, SO congratulated herself that the
secret had been kept. The tide at Tru-
met, on the bay side, goes out for a
long way. leaving uncovered a mile
and half of flats, bare and sandy, or
carpeted with sea eed. Between these
fats are the channels, varying at low
water from two to four feet in depth,
but deepening rapidly as the tide flows.
The best time to visit the fats-tide
serving. of course-is the early morn
Ing at sunrise. Then there is an inspi.
ration in the wide expanse, snap and
tang and joy in the air. Ellery had
made up his mind to take a before
breakfast tramp to the outer bar and
so arose at five, tucked borrowed
pair of fisherman's boots beneath his
arm, and. without saying anything to
his housekeeper. walked down the
lawn behind the parsonage, climbed
the rail fence, and "cut across lots" to
the pine grove on the bluff. There he
removed his shoes, put on the boots,
wallowed through the mealy yellow
sand forming the slope of the bluff,
and came out on the white beach and
the inner edge OF the flats. Then he
splashed on, bound out to where the
hsh weirs stood. like webby fences, in
the distance.
A cart. drawn by a plodding horse
and with single individual on its
high seat. was moving out from be.
hind the breakwater. Some fisherman
driving out his weir. probably. The
minister had been on the bar a con.
siderable time before he began to
think of returning to the shore. He
was hungry. but was enjoying himself
too well to mind. The fats were all
his that morning. Only the cart and
Its driver were in sight and they were
half mile of. He looked at his watch
sighed. and reluctantly started to walk
toward the town; he mustn't keep Mrs
Coffin's breakfast waiting too long.
The first channel he came to was
considerably deeper than when he
forded 1t on the way out. He noticed
this, but only vaguely. The next, how.
ever. was SO deep that the water
splashed in at the top of one Of his
boots. He did notice that, because
though he was not wearing his best
clothes, he was not anxious to wet
his "other ones" The extent Of his
wardrobe was in keeping with the size
of his salary.
And the third channel was SO wide
and deep that he saw at once 1t could
not be forded, unless he WAS willing
to plunge above his waist.
He hurried along the edge. looking
for shallower place. but found none.
At last he reached the point Of the
dat he was on and saw, to his dismay,