Gilpin observer., 1913-01-16
cHAprER N-(contInued.)

CHAPTER [-(Contlnued.)
"'Stand by!' roars Nat. It's
squall. dead astern and comm abilin'!
II take her. Bile. You look out for
them tops'ls.'
80 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 holler and trip over his
own feet. 1t hit 'em fore they got
even one tops'l 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 'em, 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, afloat 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
prayfn' 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. 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 lib boom. Zach he wanted to an
chor, then he didn't. then he did. and
30 ON. Nobody paid much attention
to him.
"'whatr we do. Natr says Bile
He knew who was the real seaman
aboard.
well, II twas me. l wouldn't an
chor till I had to. Prob1y twill fair
on tomorrow. but II It shouldn't, we
might have to lay out here all day.
Anyhow. we'd have to wait for full
tide
"T'm afraid we're OF 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
II we're on the course and too far out,
hve fathom. hadn't wei Course I'm
A~A h,,t AhAt L., -
man?'
""Three and a half. SIR says the fel-
ler with the lead. That showed they
was edgin' in somewheres. Nat hs
sniffed. for all the world like a dog
catchin' scent. SO Bile declares.
"'Tell you I smell home,' says Nat,
calm and clipper. and I'd know that
smell II met It In Jericho. Ha!
there she deepens again. That was
the bar and we're over IT,
THE wind had -one down to . stiR
sailin' breeze. and the old Debby g.
slapped along afore 1t. 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 laugh!' hollers Zach.
''Tain't your vessel you're runnin' in.
20 danger. You amt paid out your
good money
MAT 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. 4 cal1ate the skipper's right.
This 10 Horsefoot and we're right be-
tween the shoals. Yes. sir. and l hear
breakers. Lively therel'
"They hove over the mudhook and
dropped the sails. Nat shook his
head.
"'Breakers or not says he, I tell
you I've smelt home for the last half
hour. Now. by the 1umpin' Moses. I
can taste III
"And inside Of a couple Of shakes
come the rain. It poured for q while
and then the fog cleared. Right across
their bows was Trumet. with the town
clock strikin' ten. Over the fiat place
between the hills they could see the
light on TIE ocean side. And they WAS