Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1914-08-27
A GHOST
PILOT
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

Icin Singleton. to use Il humely eZ-
preston. was boating inebriate. He
spent all his vacations on Casco bay
on the Maine coast There is some.
thing more in that bay than handling
Il boat, and that is handling what the
boat is liable to bring up against. The.
waters are literally full of rocks.
Tom early fell in with fisherman
named Wilkins-Captain Wilkins he
was called, as all men who sail their
own boats in that region are-who
took fancy to the youngster because
they both loved the water. Wilkins
usually went out after dark. set his
nets and returned about sunrise the
next morning. Tom was so in love
with the water that he would go out
with the captain one or two nights In
the week. That's what made the cap
tain love Tom. Both were awed by
the solemn grandeur of the starry dome
above them. Both loved the mystical
mconlight-so Tom named it-and
when they got caught in a rising wind
and all was black about and above
them, if there was not pleasure in IT,
there was pleasure in getting ashore
and in the memory of it.
But there was one weather condition
that appalled, Tom. and it was this
that caused him to confine his excur
sions alone to short sails in fair wealth
er-he dreaded a fog.
And why shouldn't he? Often when
the sun shone brightly on partly SUBJ
merged rock and the foam of a gigan-
tic wave breaking over it he would
eXclaim. Just think of running on to
that of dark night or in fogw And
the captain would say. i've been sail
ing in this bay for thirty years in dark
nights, in foggy nights, in all kinds
of nights. and l never struck one of
EN- yet"
How do you do it?''
Il dunno. Reckon do it as you git
out of bed in the middle of the night
and go downstairs for a drink of wa
ter or something. without light"
One day whenIthe two were sailing
together Tom said that so long as he
lived he would spend his vacations on
Casco bay and if he grew rich he
would spend the whole of each season
there.
II won't be with you when you're
running your own yacht, Tommy" said
the captain but if you ever get in a
bad fix I'll help you out"
What! After you're dead?'
NO one dies We simply change
conditions: we don't need legs and
boats and such like"
When the mackerel became so scarce
that it didn't pay the captain to go
out nights he and Tom would cruise
about among the beautiful islands of
the bay, living aboard the boat They
had butterfish for breakfast. cod or
lobster or CLAIMS for dinner and mack
erel for supper And as for sleeping
when at anchor in cove, with the
wavelets soothing them to slumber
against the sides of the boat. they kept
awake only because it was so delight
full
gleton was able to keep small yacht
of his own and spend the greater part
of the summer cruising in her he
took her to Casco bay-he owned a
cottage on Bailey's island-and enjoy
ed sailing to his hearts content.
But, though he knew a great deal
more about navigating boat than
when a youngster. he was not up to
the rocky bottom of Casco bay. More
over. he didn't have Captain Wilkins to
rely on. for the captains old hulk was
buried in the cemetery on the highest
part of Orr's island, where one can see
the ocean in many different parts. So
Singleton was obliged to sail his own
boat, continuing himself to fair weather.