The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-03-18
THAT ONE DAY ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN
We Started for Ducks but what We Found was Near
ShipWeck and Long Row
By Thomas Foster-In Outing


ried it for hundred yards and yet in my
heart knew that those maniacs would have
made her try it. Sailing friends are great
trial at times.
Just when was saying to myself,
"This isn't so bad after all" new terror
developed. The rowboat towing behind
with Tommy aboard suddenly developed an
abandon of manner and conduct greatly to
be deplored in craft of its age. Its fiat
bottom gave it the buoyancy of a board in
the grip of the big waves and it coasted
down their foaming. sides in way that sug
gested long experience on Coney Island
roller coaster. Tommy liked it at first and
was singing loud praises of his own foresight
in selecting the best berth for the cruise.
Then the Fates stepped in. Probably they
heard him singing.
At any rate great grandfather of a
wave lifted him high on its curling crest
and down he came, rushing straight for us
like racing automobile. There was wild
aboard That wild, dissolute devil-may-care
rowboat, thwarted in its intent to ram us,
slid over our stern and came to rest balanced
with half its length projected over our cock
pit.
There it hung for an instant with Tom
my yelling "Push her off! Give me more
rope! Throw her up in to the wind Give
me an oar!" and similar commands all in
one breath. The rest of the things he said
shall not be printed here under any crcum-
stances. This is family magazine and shall
remain so.
We can smile now, but it was touch
and go for second and half. Hip boots
and macknaw with couple of boxes of
cartridges in the pockets do not make for
easy swimming in any kind of sea, and
that was distinctly the wrong kind. How
ever, some of the things that Tommy so
earnestly desired were done and he towed
free once more, this time with a longer line.
AS Daisy Ashford would put it, will
now end this chapter. That was all that
happened on the way over any way. The
rest of the time we were recovering our
breath and thanking the good Lord that
breath was all that we had lost. l noticed,
though, that Tommy stopped singing Even
he knew when he had gone far enough.
The shooting on the New York shore
was almost as poor as the sailing. The wind
was too high for the ducks and they were
staying close out of sight in the sheltered
coves where we couldn't get at them.
have had great respect for ducks ever
since. There were few shorebirds around
that didn't know any better. What hap
pened to them should be warning to all
shorebirds to stay close at home in bad wea-
ther.
In the interims s-that days shooting was
mostly interims- had been keeping one eye
on the weather and wondering just what the
immediate future held in store. At one time
when the wind seemed freshening medi-
tated shooting myself in the foot or feigning
insanity or otherwise lodging the draft.
Then the breeze slackened and l decided
that in such an emergency it was the duty of
every man, ETC., etc.
When it came to put back the wind was
much lighter, but the sea was still running
and Isle la Motto looked long way to
windward. If had known then what was
fated to know later it could have stayed
there. The sailing problem was nice one.
If we could put the Zaza up to the highest
point she could possibly reach and hold her
there every minute there was just chance
that we might at least see the island as we
went by. Otherwise we were likely to hit
the rockribbed state of Vermont in its ex-
treme northwest corner.
Things being as they were, Tommy
looked at me with sardonic CLEAN in his
eye and announced that he would take the
stick as he was probably the worlds greatest
expert at close sailing. Before we were q
hundred yards on our way knew the rea-
! son for the CLEAN. 1t was then that the
helmsman remarked casually, oh, very casual.
ly, Zone of you fellows will have to get ar
). oar out to leeward if you expect to keep hel
head within a mile of the island"