Evening star., 1938-08-28

the hell anybody chose to be out on night
like this. Step by step he worked himself up
the companion ladder. The gust of wind that
struck him in the face as he poked his head
through the scuttle, made him duck, but
curiosity overcoming his better judgment, he
crawled through the scuttle and stood up.
He found himself Immediately engaged in
fierce encounter with the wind. The Falcon
took one of her frequent rolls to leeward.
The deck left his feet. He clawed the gale
wildly to regain his balance, made the weather
railing and hung on. drenched by deluge of
spindrift. 1t was very dark. Through vision
blurred by the sting of salt water, he traced
the Falcons white wake astern, and in the
middle distance, the helmsman's ghostly face
suspended above the pinnacle light He wiped
the brine from his eyes and stared aloft, where
the schooners bare topmasts lunged at the
swinging stars. A short distance away, he
made out the huge oiskin-coated figure of the
skipper, braced against boat davit on
the deck.
On hands and knees he made his way there,
clawed himself to his feet, wrapped both arms
and legs around the davit and shouted in the
shippers ear: Are we gonna DROWN"
Captain Blum jumped, almost losing his
hold on the davit Get below" he beloved.
Il WON'T" Matteo screamed above the
gale IF I'm gonna drown want to see it
coming!'
"Oh, you do! Tough guy' The skipper
took turn with ropes end around the davit
and Matteo's slim form and tied him securely.
"All right You stay here with me for the rest
of the watch" he shouted.
You're nuts staying out in this kind of
weather." Matteo howled back at him.
He said good many other things to the
skipper during the next hour or rather
shouted them. His remarks, clipped short by
the gale, reached the Captains ears in lurid
fragments. He dwelt at length on the shippers
unfortunate heredity and probable future;
and went into details of the fate reserved for
him and MIR. McGroarty upon their return
to New York. His teeth chattering with cold,
he finally subsided from the sheer physical
effort of outshouting the wind.
When the helmsman struck eight bells, the
skipper united him. dragged him below,
poured hot coffee into him and dug out dry
clothes from the slopchest, including suit
of oilskins.
Better get some Sleep" he advised. you
go on deck again on the midnight watch"
IVA - watch! What for?" Matteo chat
tered. 'Nobody'd high-jack this scow."
Captain Blum tried to project himself into
the mental processes of his stowaway, but
gave it up as too complicated. He turned in,
himself, and slept soundly.
Fortified by hot coffee and dry clothes,
Matteo went on deck and annoyed Mr..
McGroarty The Mate did not take so kindly
to having his ancestors maligned. In the
pauses of the wind he bore down firmly with
ropes end upon certain portion of Matteo's
anatomy, then hauled him off to the sail
locker, dumped him, and shot the bolt.
There were days of calm seas and brilliant
sunshine. after that Of porpoises and flying
fishes, of being initiated however reluctantly.
in the ways of the sea. Matteo made the
acquaintance of suji-muji and holystone,
until his back ached and blisters the size of
blimps came and went on his tender palms.
He polished brass binnacles and hawse bits