The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1913-02-07
CHAPTER A-(continued.)

CfAP Elk N-kContInueu')
"'Stand by!' roars Nat. It's
squall, dead astern and comm abilin''
II take her, Bile. You look out fol
them tops'ls.'
80 Nat grabs the wheel and Bile
tears for'ard and sends the two tomas
hands aloft on the jump. Zach wal
| 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 tops1 was set. and when the
squall struck, the rotten old topmast
went by the board 'Kerrash-o! Course
splinters few like all possessed, and
one Of EN-. about a 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
to matches.
well, there they was, afioat, but
with their upper riggin' gone and the
compass smashed fiat. A howlin' moth
wester BLOWN and fog thick as ever.
Zach was a whimperin', fidgetin' old
woman, Lafayette and Emulous was
prayiu' 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 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.
$50 there they was. Wind was fair,
or ought to be, but twas BLOWN hard
and so thick you couldn't hardly see
the lib boom. Zach he wanted to an
Choir. then he didn't, then he did, and
so on Nobody paid much attention
to him.
"WhatIl we do, Nat?' says Bile,
He knew who was the real seaman
aboard.
well, IL twas me, | wouldn't an
Choir till had to. Prob1y twill fair
of tomorrow, but IL 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 Bile, else we'd been acrost the
bar by this time.
"'Well,' Nat tells him, II we are on
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,
we'd ought to have deeper water than
five fathom, hadn't we? Course I'm
not sure, but What's that, lands
MANI
"'Three and half, sir, says the fell
ler with the lead. That showed they
was edgin' in somewheres. Nat he
smiled, for all the world like a dog
scent, so Bile declares.
"'Tell you l 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 a stiff |
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 a half. Zach and |
Bile both looked at each other, but |
Nat only smiled.
"'Oh, you can taught hollers Zach.
faint 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 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. I callate the shippers right.
This is Horsefoot and we're right be-
tween the shoals. Yes, sir, and I hear
breakers. Lively there!'
They hove over the mudhook and
dropped the sails. Nat shook his
head.
Breakers or not says he, 4 tell
Tou I've smeit home for the last half
hour. Now. by the jumpin' Moses, 1
an taste it,
And inside Of a couple Of shakes
come the rain. It poured for a while
Ind then the fog cleared. Right across
heir bows was Trumet. with the town
lock strilin' ten. Over the fat place
between the hills they could see the
light on the ocean sids- AID ney was