Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-05-08

drag for her"
Dead easy If we kin git his line an
he knows how to rig bridle."
1--WE can show him If 1t comes to It.
What ye say, boys? If we steer her
into port we're entitled to salvage.
She's helpless; we're not, for we've got
jury rig under the bows. Hello!
What's he sayin' nowT Other flags
had gone aloft on the steamer, which
asked for the longitude. Then follow
ed others which said that the chronom-
eter was broken.
"Better'n everr exclaimed Elisha ex-
citedly. Cant navigate. Our chro-
nometer's all right. We never needed
1t, and don't know but It's big help In
a salvage claim. What We say? Can't
! We get our hemp cable to him with a
dory?"
Why not? A dory was thrown over;
and Elisha and Amos pulled to the
steamer.
Badly ratified" they reported on
, their return. '"Tiller ropes parted, an
not man aboard can put long splice
In a wire rope, an, O. course, we said
we couldn't. They'll take our line, an
we're to chalk up the position an the
course to New York. Clear case O. sal
wage. We furnish everything an sac
riflce our jury material to aid 'em.
There's anywhere from one to two hun
dred thousand-hull an cargo-that we
save. Well get no less than a third,
mebbe more"
They knotted four or FIVE dory rod
ings together, coiled the long length OF
rope In the dory, unbent the end OF
their water laid cable from the anchor
and waited until the wallowing steam
er had drifted far enough to leeward
to come within the steering arc OF a
craft with no canvas; then they cut
away the wreck, crowded forward, all
hands spreading coats to the breeze,
and when the schooner had paid on
steered her down with the wind on the
quarter until almost near enough to
hail the steamer, where they rounded
ed to.
Soon the steamers crew had the end
Of the cable on board. The bride, two
heavy ropes leading from the after
winch out the opposite quarter chocks
to the end Of the cable, was quickly
rigged by the steamers crew.
With q warning toot Of the whistle
she went ahead, and the long towline
swept the sea tops, tautened, strained
and creaked on the windlass bits and
settled down to its work, while the
schooner dropping into her wake, was
dragged westward at ten knot rate.
"This is bully" said Elisha gleefully.
Now I'll chalk out the position an
give her the course magnetic, to make
sure"
he did so, and they held up in full
view of the steamers bridge a large
blackboard showing in six inch letters
the formula: LAT. 41-20. Lon. 69-lO.
Mag. Co. W. half s."
A toot Of the whistle thanked them,
and they watched the steamer, which
had been heading little to the south
of this course, painfully swing her
head up to it by hanging the schooner
to the starboard leg Of the bride. But
she did not stop at west-half-south, and
when she pointed unmistakably as high
as northwest, still dragging her tow
by the starboard bride, a light broke
on them.
"she's goin' on her way with u.s."
said Elisha. mo, no; she can't. She's
bound for London" he added. "Hah-
fax, mebbe."
They waved their hats to port and
shouted in chorus at the steamer. They
were answered by caps fourished to
starboard from the bridge and out
stretched arms which pointed across
the Atlantic ocean, while the course
changed slowly northeast
"The rhumb course to the channel
groaned Elisha wildly. An I'm sup
posed to give the longitude every noon.
Why, boys, they'll claim they rescued
us, an like as not the English courts'll
allow them salvage on our little tub"
LET go the towline! Let 'em 60 to
blazesw they shouted angrily, and
yome started forward, but were stop
bed by the cook. His voice was little
higher pitched than usual; otherwise
he was the steadiest man there.
well hang right on to our bran
new cable, men," he said. Its ours,
not theirs. Course We kin turn her
adrir ag'in an be wuss of too. We
can't find de foremast now. But dat
amt de bes' way. John," he called to
the Englishman Of the crew, "how
many men do you country tramp
steamers carryT
John computed mentally, then mutt
tered: 1.-TWO mates, six ash cats (engi-
neers and fremen), two funkies, two
quartermasters, watchman, deckhands
oh, bout sixteen or seventeen, Mar
tin"
"Boys, le' g man de win'lass. Well
heave in on our cable, an If we kin
git close enough to climb aboard we'll
reason II out wild dat English cappen,
who can't fin his way roun' alone Wild
out stealin' little fishin' schooners.
Right they yelled. "Man the wind
lass. Well show the lime juice thief
who's doin' this"
"Amos," said Martin to the ex-engi-
neer, "you try an member all you for
got bout engines In case anything
happens to de crew O. dat steamer, an,
Elisha, you want to keep good track O
where we 60, SOS you kin find you
way back"
~Ill get the chronometer on deck
now. I can take sights alone"
They took the cable to the windlass
barrel and began to heave. 1t was
hard work, equal to heaving an anchor
against a strong head wind and ten
knot tideway. While the first shift Ia
bored the rest. watched the approach
of a small tug towing couple Of
scows, which seemed to have arisen
out of the sea ahead Of them. When
/ the steamer was nearly upon her she
| let 20 her towline and ranged up along
side, while a man leaning out Of the
pilot house gesticulated to the steam
er's bridge and finally shook his fist.
Then the tug dropped back abreast Of
the schooner. She was dingy little
boat, the biggest and brightest Of her