Evening star., 1928-12-23

second mate gained the poop in stride
and a Jump and fought like a devil
with what remained of the wheel.
We youngsters ran forward, gather
ing up the aroused deckhandS as we
went, and fastened onto the gear of the
rioting fOresail. One voluminouS tlap
snapped the chain foreStack like pack
thread, Just as SvenSen, Scandinavian
deck hand, was about to take a turn
with the lazy tack to allow the chain
to be unlocked, and the iron clew of
the sail whipped past him. 1t did no
more than flick his Sou'weSter crown
but it lifted the top of his skull from
him as the top is lifted from an egg. .
Tragedy struck the ship, but we had
no time to appreciate its grimness. We
fought the swapping. murderous clew of
the fore-courSe, yelling and curS1ng on
the clewline; dodging as we hauled; and
after strenuous effort we got the thing
quiet.
x*-* X
RUT> instead of furling the sail and
~ leaving it at that, the skipper, dis
gruntled probably at the interruption to
his Christmas feasting, ordained that a
new sail should be got up and bent
forthwith, as, the wind continuing fair,
we must needs take advantage of its
yigor. FurthermoSe, the damaged wheel
would be repaired forthwith by means
of handSpikeS laShed across what re-
mained of it, and all thought OF
Christmas celebrations would be slowed
away until the ship was once more in
fighting trim.
We moved about the necessary labors
like men moving through tragedy; with
memory of dead SvenSon to Sadden us.
He was q good man. strong as a bull,
fail nil WQtah q
yard, a good shipmate, able to sing a
sentimental song with the best In the
second dog watch, with trick OF
carving ship models and a prediction
for talking in the seas lingua franca OF
q flaxen-haired maiden awaiting his re-
turn in some stark Morse ford. And he
was dead-Snatched from life like the
blowing out of match.
Bending Sail-especially such a heavy
one as fore -courSe-iS no light matter
even in fine weather; with the ship
going mad and white water striking
everywhere, the task became night
program of toll settled down on the
Christmas ship. We forgot our recent
bonhomie, our careless jests and our
| heart-warming memories. Christmas
The pitilesS sea recognized no such
| truce: 1t probably thought it had caught
us in an unguarded moment and was
anxious to wreak retarded vengeance
on the men and the fabric who had
braved its rigors for many battling
years.
Daylight faded prematurely from the
glooming sky as We labored. Ere the
| final yellow, livid streaks died We, work
ing aloft, saw a heart-stopping picture
down to leeward. A first-rate battle
IL
| er troughs, her tunnels had gone by the
| board; she was washed fore and aft
like half-tide rock. We scudded on;
| 1t was impossible even to read her sig
| nails, suppOsing she had flung any bunt-
| ing to the gale. If 20,OO0-ton battle
| ship could suffer SO, what chance had
we-a mere wisp OF 1900 tons, with nc
steam to help us?
Worn, disappointed, sore and salt
soaked, we ultimately descended-to q
fresh orgy of toll. There was. so much
to be done-so terribly much. For the
gale was increasing still and the ship
was imperiled Everything, so We gath
cred, depended on that rag OF a top
gallant SAIL would it hold together suf-
ficiently to keep us Scudding away from
those devastating seas? 1t was now i'm
possible to think of bending substi-
tute: human toll could not master the
hostility of the furious wind.
/ 0K EEP aft here, all hands!" was the
~ order. Four men were at the
wrecked helm, stripped and sweating,
as they humored the riotous fabric
through her worst fiurries. White water
roared up aStern, lowered, fell-miSsed
us or caught us. The ship writhed,
but she was splendid in her frenzies OF
battling effort. She scudded like a
scalded cat, hurrying with tremors from
the savagery of the tumultuouS waves.
watch below. Go below and get your
dinner! Keep handy for CALI! We
of the starbowlines fought way below,
rayenous The cold and unpalatable
ruins of Mr. Murphy had been spilled
from the bunk wherein they had been
cached and. together with the puddingS,
were swilling about the door in foot
of greasy, filthy brine! Gloomiiy We
realized that our Christmas dinner was
to be feast of Dead Sea fruit, no more:
We recovered what We could, cleansed
it as best we might. and as We COM
menced to eat the ship suddenly stopped
dead: there was a roar, blow!
Look out; she's going down! open
that door!' The door refused to open.
iammed fast by the weight of water
that filled the decks. Those who had
remained in the open told us afterward
thav were certain the end had come;