The daily Alaskan., 1914-10-03
A GHOST PILOT
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

on the Maine coast. There is some thing more in that bay than handling a 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 a 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 moonlight-so Tom named it-and when they got caught in rising wind and all was black about and above them. if there was not n pleasure in 1t, 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 contine his eXcur- sions alone to short sails in fair weath- er-he dreaded Il fog.
 And why shouldn't he? Often when the sun shonp brightly on a partly sub merged rock and the foam of Sigan- tic wave breaking over it he would exclaim, Just think of running on to that of a dark night or in fOg| 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 never struck one Of 'em yet"
 How do you do it?"
 'T dunno. Reckon do it as you git out of bed in the middle of the night and % downstairs for q drink of wa ter or something. without a light
 One day when the 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.
 "I won't be with you when you're running your own yacht, Tommy" said the captain. but if you ever get in a had fix I'll help you out"
 What! After you're deadT
 No one dies. We simply change conditions: We don't need legs and boats and such like"
 When the mackerel became so scarce that 1t didn't pay the captain to go out nights he and Tom would cruise about among the beautiful islands O! the bay. living aboard the boat. They had butterfish for breakfast. cod or lobster or clans for dinner and mack srel for supper. And as for sleeping when at anchor in cove. with the wavelets soothing them to slumDer against the sides of the boat, they Kept awake only because it was so delight fsl
 Well. the day came when Tom Sin cleton was able to keep a small yacht of his own and spend the greater part of tle summer cruising in her. He took her to Casco bay-he owned a cottage on Bailey's iSland-and eNjoy- cd sailing to his hearts content
 But, though he knew great deal more about navigating a boat than when a youngSter, he was not up 10 the rocky bottom of Casco bay. More orer. he didn't have Captain Wilkins to rely on. for tho captains old hulk was buried in the cemetery on the highest mart of Orr's island. where one can see the ocean in many different parts. So Singleton was obliged to sail his own boo: conining himself to fair weather.
 Eut if the yachtsman could tell about .vhat the weather would be he couldn't Is-edict freedom from fog The coast of Maine Is nearly as bad for logs as thy. banks of Newfoundland. Ihey ror.e suddenly. and sometimes they st:,y a long while.
 Ore bright morning Singleton start ,.d with his wife and children andSa frs friends from Bailey's island for Psrham beach. They bad made the e., lSe outward and were returning ,.s>t Seguin light when a fog bank ca,:Ie rolling in from the eastward and enveloped them. Singleton could steer only by compass. and what is com pass .i.-,ring on the coast of Maine? The To. was heavy and promised to be of lung duration.
 Tom heard a swish of waters to port. He knew the sound and steered just in time to avoid one of the big sub merged rocks of that part of the bay. The party passed couple of hours in terror; then 1t began to grow dark.
 The women and children were most ly in the cabin or on the forward deck. Tom had the tiller. He began to feel A resistance when he turned 1t, and, this continuing. he yielded to the force. He heard waters surging to port and ptarboard. but seemed to pass, by some unseen seamanship. between or around all dangers. He let go the tiller, and 1t moved not by tue waves, but appar- ently by the unseen force.
 What was Toms astonishment at last to find himself in the narrow
 TN.,s