Palisadian., 1920-04-17

rubbed on rough flesh from below
made steady undertone to the click
nick of the knives in the pens, the
wrench and schloop of torn heads,
the flap of ripped-open fish falling into
the tub on deck.
At the end of an hour Harvey
wanted terribly to rest, but also for
the first time in his life he was one
OF working gang of men; and so.
beginning to take pride in the thought.
he held on grimly. Not till the last
fish was slowed below did man rest.
But when that moment came! Disko
and Old Salters rolled toward their
cabin hunks, Manuel and Long Jack
went forward. Tom Platt waited only
long enough to slide home the hatch.
All hands were below and asleep
except the two boys; they had to
stand watch; so by and by the moon
looked down on one slim boy in knick-
erbockers, which was Harvey, stag
gering around the cluttered deck;
while behind him, waving knotted
rope, walked another boy, which was
\ Dan, yawning and nodding between
taps he dealt the first boy to keep him
awake.
The "Were Here" was on a salt
fishing trip which meant four months
away from home; so there was time
for Harvey to learn many strange new
things if he cared to. After a time,
as the pride in honest work well done
began to grip him, he cared. He
learned to fish from q dOry; to make
his way in safety around heaving
vessels deck to know what each rope
and sail aboard vessel was for.
Disko allowed him, when the wind was
light, to steer the vessel from one
berth to another, and wonderful was
Harvey's sense Of power when he first
felt the vessel answer to his touch of
the wheel. Almost did he come to
understand, as a fisherman under
stands, the never-absent dangers of
the banks, the eternal fogs, the tides,
the gales, the wicked seas; and
learned, too, fishermen's opinion Of the
officers of the great steamers who,
after cutting vessel down, raise high
| hands to heaven and swear with
unanimity that the careless fisherman
had never-absolutely never-shown
so much as a single light.
He saw one day foul, draggled, un-
kempt vessel heaving up past the
"We're Here" for all the world like
blowsy, frousy, bad old woman sneer-
ing at decent girl, saw her sail off
and into batch of watery sunshine
and-go under, taking all hands with
her! He saw, while his hair stood on
end, whiteneSS moving in the white
ness of the fog with a breath like the
breath of grave; and then he heard
a roaring, plunging and spouting; that
was his first iceberg. He saw the surf
break over Virgin Rocks; and the fish
strike in so thick on shoal that scores
of dories stood riding gunnel to gunnel
while their crews battled for the catch.
He saw gale break so sudden and
fierce that everywhere on the sea were
men in dories cutting riding lines and
never making their vessels.
4 lA-So he passed four busy, wonderful
Emonths, growing in body, mind and
soul with every hour that passed; and
then came the great day when they left
the banks for home. Toll hardship
and danger were now mostly behind
them; there was left little to do but
stand watch and study the folding and
packing away of the morning mists,
the hurry of winds across the open
spaces, the glare and blaze of the high
sun; to harken to the grinding of the
booms against the masts, the creaking
of the sheets against the bits, the sail
filling to the roaring winds.
Now about the time the "We're
Here" a hundred quintals of fish in
her hold, was laying her course for
Gloucester, Harvey's father was be-
ginning to wonder in his mahogany
offices in Los Angeles if it wasn't a
better game to drop the ceaseless
struggle for more power and wealth.
What was the use of it all-with no
son to hand it to? He was still Won
dering when one day an excited Sec
retary brought him a telegram.
1t was from Harvey, safe in Glouces-
ter. Mr.. Cheyne laid his face down
on his desk, breathed heavily for
awhile; and then, heaving orders
right and left, started that run of
which railroad men talked for many
day. Three days and half it was
from coast to coast, with railroad spe-
cialists along the way dividing huge
bonuses; for 1t was the great Harvey
Cheyne who was racing East to see
his rescued boy, and the boys mother
was with him.
Not without fear did he meet that
boy. He had a memory of pasty-
faced, bad-mannered lad. What he
met was a boy with toughened figure
and keen, clear eye.
Railroads, lumber, mines-such
things did not interest young Harvey.
What his heart yearned for was to
some day manage his fathers newly
purchased sailing ships on the Pacific
Coast. The ships he got when he was