Middletown transcript., 1921-11-26
CHAPTER vl.-Continued.

The ship lay in the wind, shivering.
Mr.. Gibney was here, there, every
where. One minute he was dashing
along the deck with leading line, the
next he was laying out aloft. He or
dered himself to do thing and then,
with the pent-up energy Of thousand
devils, he did it. The years Of degra-
dation as navigating officer Of the Mag
gle fell away from him, as he sprang,
agile and haff-naked, into the shronds
q great, hairy demigod or sea-goblin
he lay out along the yards and sprang
from place to place with the old exul-
tant thrill Of youth and Joy in his
work. A word, gesture, from Mr..
Gibney, and McGuffey would pounce
on Il rope like bulldog. With the
fore-royal set, Mr.. Gibney ran back to
the wheel and put it hard over. There
being no after sail set the bark swung
off readily on to her course, slipping
through the water at nice eight-knot
speed. Ten miles off the coast, Mr..
Gibney hung her up in the wind again.
braced his yards with the aid Of the
winch and McGuffey, came about and
headed north. At three o'clock she
cleared the lightship and wore around
to come in over the bar, steering east
by south, half-south, for Point Bonita.
She drew the full advantage Of the
wind now and over the bar she came,
ramping full through the Gate with
her yards squared, on the last Of the
flood tide.
As they passed Lime point, Mr.. Glib
ney prepared to shorten sail and like
a clarion blast his voice rang through
the ship.
"Clew up them royals" He lashed
the wheel and they brought the clew-
lines again to the winch head. The
ship was falling off little before
the fore-royal was clewed up, so Mr..
Gibney ran back to the wheel and put
her on her course again while McGuf-
fey brought the main-royal clewlines
to the winch. Again Gibney made the
wheel fast and helped McGuffey clew
up the main-royal: again he set her
on her course while McGuffey, follow
ing instructions, made ready to clew
up the efore-tO'-gallan-sI. They were
abreast Black Point before this latter
sail was clewed up, and then they
smothered the lower top-s'ls; the bark
was slipping lazily through the water
and McGuffey took the wheel.
"Starboard a little! Steady-y-y!
Keep her as she heads" Gibney warned
and cast off the jib halyards. The
jibs slid down the stays, hanging as
they fell. They were well up toward
Meiggs wharf now and it devolved up
on Mr.. Gibney to bring his prize in on
the quarantine ground and let go his
port anchor. Fortunately, the anchor
was already cock-billed. Mr.. Gibney
sprang to the fore-top-sail halyards
and let them 60 and the fore-top-sail
came down by the run.
"HaFd-a-starboardl Make her fast.
Bart, an come up here an help me
with the anchor. Let 60 the main-top-
sail halyards as you come by an stand
by the compressor on the windlass."
The Chesapeake swung slowly,
broadside to the first Of the ebb and
with the wind on her port beam. Mr..
Gibney knocked out the stopper with
his trusty hammer and away went
the rusty chain, singing through the
hawsepipc. "Snub her gently, Mac,
nub her gently, an give her the thir-
ty-fathom shackle to the waters edge"
he warned McGuffey.
The bark swung until her bows were
Strengthened to the ebb tide and with
a wild, triumphant yell Mr.. Gibney
clasped the honest McGuffey to his
perspiring bosom. The deed was done
It was dark, however, before they
had all the sails snugged up shipshape,
although in the meantime the quaran-
tine launch had hove alongside, in
vesh6ated, and removed those Of the