The Red Cloud chief., 1914-01-29
THE WRECK OF
THE COD-SEEKER
BY COLIN M'kAY

But before either OF US lost con.
sciousness something snapped
thought It was something giving way
In my brain. The schooner's head
rose swiftly, the water receded and
we found ourselves able to breathe
again. oh, but the air was good
Trembling, dizzy. exhausted. we
stretched ourselves along the face
boards and rested.
What had happened was this:
When the schooner was hove on her
side the anchor chain. slowed In a box
on deck, went overheard, and present
ly, as she swept along with the tide,
the end fouled the bottom and drag.
ged her head under water. Then a
miracle occurred; the big link in the
shackle of the other end near the Wild
lass broke and allowed her head to
come up again.
The schooner wallowed on her side.
She rose and fell to the heave of the
swell, in a heavy. sickening way, but
she did not roll much Often we
were ducked under; and the noises
were frightful; roaring. snarling
sounds OF surf; blood-thirsty gurg-
lings. the dull booming sound Of
things beating against the skin of the
hold.
was numb with cold, and awfully
weary and before long. In spite OF the
noises. the fear OF slipping OF my
perch. the horror of 1t all. I dropped
OF into a doze. And as l dozed
dreamed the schooner was hove down
while I was on deck: dreamed that I
saw my chum Will Kenney washed
overheard and dived after him.
Thirst, Cold and Horror.
Then woke up to find myself
struggling under water. It was was
still pitchdark and for a moment or
so l had no idea where was As
my head came above the water
struck something hard, and down
went again before I could get my
lungs full Of air. Half stunned I strug-
gled up again. and rammed my head
through small opening, so small
that / could not get my shoulders
through My mouth was Just above
water. When I tried to struggle
through the opening. the thing resting
upon my shoulders would lift q lit.
tie and then press me down till
could not breathe. I struggled fran
tically. and the harder I strove to
keep my mouth above water the more
I oanuaA tn hn PnrDaA do,vc
could not imagine what kind Of q
trap had got into, and my imagina.
ton was mighty active: just az they
say Of drowning man. A moving
picture OF my whole life seemed to
flash before me. Every deed OF sin
full nature I had ever done seemed to
rise up against me. crowding out all
hope OF salvation.
At the same time my mind was
wildly searching for an explanation
OF my plight, and at last. when l was
nearly done for, 1t struck me that the
thing that was drowning me was the
step.ladder of the forecastle- gangway
That was It; the ladder was floating.
and ! had got my head between the
steps. l knew what to do then, but
1t was not easy to draw my head
down and out. for the bevel Of the
steps held my head as In trap.
But at last managed 1t. and hook.
cd my arms over the floating ladder
till got my wind.
yelled for Sam, but got no answer.
OF course could not tell what part Of
the forecastle I was In. but padded
around and finally. as a sea lifted me.
got hold OF the bunk side-board and
hauled myself up inside the bunk. At.
wood was still sleeping. touched
him. but he did not wake. got hold
of some pieces Of boards floating Just
below me, and propped them across
the mouth Of the berth 30 would
not fall through. and soon l guess ]
went to sleep again.
Tho Yankee Captain Volunteers.
When the schooner was flung on
her ends. one dory took the wa.
ter right side up and somehow Capt
Brown. Nat Knowles the cook and
John Smith managed to get into 1t
Whether they tried to row back and
pick OF any Of the other men left
clinging to the weather rail l don't
know; probably 1t would have been
madness to have tried It In the sea
then running. Anyway. they drove
before the gale for several hours. and
then. after passing through a quarter
OF mile OF surf. landed on the south
ern side OF Cape island. How the,
managed to live through the surf hal
always been a mystery: but they die
and were soon at the house OF Pelicl
Nickerson telling their tale.
Nickerson soon carried the news t
C!ark's Harbor, and the hardy fisher
men OF that place were reused from
their slumbers to consider means O
rescue. The American fishing schoon
er Matchless. Capt, Job Crowell, wa
lying In the harbor, where she ha,
come for shelter from the gale, an,
when told Of the disaster her sk.ppe
was quite as ready to go to the res
cue as the men OF the port.
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