Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
one
N
77°
—te:GOLDEN DAYS+o=
November 11, 1882.
agreat many things he wanted him to
0.
When Pheenix came over to Hyson
Hall early the next morning, and told
Phil he didn’t believe his father intend-
ed to let him goon this jolly old trip,
Mr. Berkeley ordered his horse, Jouncer,
to be saddled, and rode over to the Poole
farm.
When he came back, he found, Chap
Webster with the other boys, and a
noisy indignation meeting going on. He
ut a speedy stop to the proceedings, by
informing the members of the smatl as-
semblage that Mr. Poole had consented
to let Phoenix join the tug-boat party.
This news was received with an unani-
mous shout, and the boys separated to
get ready as quickly as possible for the
expedition, for they were to start for the
city on the noon train,
“Take your heavy overcoats with
you,” said Mr. Berkeley, as Chap and
Phenix were bidding him a hasty good-
by; “for it may be cold on the water at
night, and you had better each take a
change of linen with you, and some un-
derclothes.””
“What! cried Phil; ‘fora little trip
like this?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Berkeley... “I aman
old traveler, and I know that a great
many things happen on these little trips.
One of you may tumble overboard, and
needadry shirt, and at any rate you
ought to feel that you may rough it as
much as you please, and yet look clean
and decent when you are coming home.’”
Hyson Hall was appointed for the ren-
dezyous of the boys, and, after a slight
luncheon, Joel drove them over to
Boontown. But before they started Mr.
Berkeley gave each of them a long, stout
tishing-line, suitable for salt-water fish-
nea
. ‘You may have achance to use these,”
he said, “¢and I don’t believe any of your
own lines are strong enough for deep-
water work.”
He gave Phila pocket lantern anda
tin box of matches, with a paper of extra
fish-hooks, and various other little arti-
cles, which might be of use.
. been going by myselt,”’ said
Chap, “ I’d have just clapped on my hat,
an started for town.’”
Yes,” said Phoenix, “and then, when
you got a chance to fish, you’d have
growled because you hadn't a line. T
teil you what it is, Phil, your uncle
knows what he isabout. I wish I knew
what he said to father.”
“Some magie words,” said Chap; * but
you needn't think anybody is ever go-
ing to tell them to you. You'd go round
slinging spells over your whole family,
and having everything your own way,
T rather think you’d have an easy time
of it.’”
“ Yes,’? said Phcenix, ‘you’re about
right, and when any_work turned up
that I wanted to do, I'd chuck a spell
over a long-legged fellow named Chap
Webster, and make him come and help.”
* Joel,” said Chap, ‘ hadn’t you better
touch up the noble beast? We don’t
want to be late, you know.”
“We'll get there soon enough,” said
Joel. “I drive on time, and I never
miss trains.”
“If you hurry up people that way,
Chap,” said Phil, “you'll have this trip
over sooner than you want it to be.’””
“You needn’t worry your mind about
that,” said Chap. ‘* When we get on the
real trip, I’m the fellow to help stretch
it out as far as it will go.”
The trip down the river and bay was
quite as enjoyable as the boys had ex-
pected itto be. The little tug was not
very commodious, and not very clean,
but there was a small after-deck, on
wien they could lounge quite comfort-
ly. .
‘ne boys had never been far below
the city, and the scenery was novel and
interesting to them. Chap would have
been glad to have the tug stop occasion-
ally, so that they could have a chance to
fish ; but he had sense enough not to pro-
pose anything of the kind to the captain.
They reached their destination the
3 , and it was then found that the
steamer with the broken propeller was
not quite ready to be towed up; and it
was decided not to start with ber on her
trip up the river until the following
morning,
In the course of the afternoon, how-
ever, some work appeared for the cap-
tain of the tug-boat. Far out to sea a
schooner was perceived, with her fore-
mast and part of her bowsprit gone, and
endeavoring, against a head-wind, to
make her way to the refuge of the Break-
water,
There was a strong wind blowing from
the north, with a chance of its getting
further to the east before long, and it
was considered doubtful whether the
disabled schooner would be able to get
in before a storm came on.
“Boys,” said the captain, coming aft
to where our friends were sitting, ‘I've
made up my mind to.go out and offer to
tow that schooner in. I might as well
be making some money for the company
as to lie here doing nothing. But I think
it’s going to be pretty rough, and, if you
fellows don’t care to go along, ‘ll put
you ashore.”
The boys, who had been so much inter-
ested in everything around them that
they had not even taken out their fish-
ing-lines, cried out at once that_they
would not think of going ashore. Noth-
ing would please them more than a trip
out to sea.
“The rougher the better!’ cried Chap,
*“T just want to feel what it is like to be
tossed on the ocean wave.”’
“All right!’ said the captain, with a
grin. ‘We'll toss you.”
CHAPTER II.
A SEA VOYAGE.
It was not long after this little con-
versation that the tug-boat was brave-
Vy puffing out to sea. The wind was
strong and the waves ran pretty high,
but the boat made her way over the
rough water without difficulty.
The boys were delighted with the mo-
tion of the vessel as it plunged over the
waves, and none of thein felt in the least
degree sick.
Chap wished to go out on the bow,
where he could stand and see the boat
‘breast the billows;’? but he was not
allowed to do this, for every now and
then a shower of spray came over the
bows, and he would have been drenched
to the skin in ten minutes. Even where
they sat in the stern, the boys were fre-
quently treated to a shower of spray;
but this, as they wore their overcoats,
they did not mind in the least. ~
It took them longer to near the
schooner than they had supposed it
would, for she was making very slow
headway against the wind, and in some
of her long tacks she seemed to the boys
as if she were trying to keep out of their
2
Wily.
At last, however, they. reached her,
and the tug steamed close enough to her
side to allow the people on board to be
hailed. But, to the disgust of the cap-
tain of the tug-boat, his offers to tow the
_ disabled vessel into shelter weredeclined.
Her captain believed that he could
work her in without any help, and he
did not wish to incur the expense of
being towed.
“All right, then!” said the captain of
the tug-boat to the boys, who stood near
him. ‘She can run in by herself, and
perhaps she’ll make the Breakwater in a
week ortwo. We have lost nothing but
some of our owners’ coal, and you fel-
lows have had aseatrip. And now we
will run back again.”
The captain made two mistakes that
day. One was when he thought he was
olng to inake some money by towing a
schooner, and the other was when he
thought he was going to run in again,
The tug-boat had not gone ten min-
utes on her returning course, when sud-
denly her machinery stopped, and in a
few moments the boat turned about and
began to roll in the trough of the sea.
There was now a good deal of confu-
sion in the engine-room, and there the
boys made their way, not without diffi-
culty, for the rolling motion of the boat
made it very hard for them to keep their
In the engine-room they found the
captain, the engineer, and one or two
others of the stall crew. Something
had broken, the boys knew not what, for
noone seemed to have time to explain
the inatter to them.
Efforts were being made to repair the
injury. There was a great deal of bam-
mering and banging and loud talking,
and presently the engine let off the
steam from the boiler, which made such
a noise it was almost impossible to hear
anything that was not shouted into one’s
ear.
Perceiving that they were in the way,
and could find out nothing, and were to
be told nothing, the boys prudently re-
tired into the inner cabin. Here Phil
and .Chap became quite sick. They
could stand the pitching and _ tossing of
the boat asshe rose over and phinged
down the waves, but this rolling motion
was too much for them.
The two unfortunates crawled into the
little bunks in which they had slept the
night before, while Phoenix, with an air
of brave resignation, braced ‘himself
against the cabin-door, and waited to see
what would happen next.
Nothing seemed to happen next. After
awhile the noise of the escaping steam
grew less, and then it stopped. The
hammering and banging had also ceased,
and thinking that everything was all
right now, Phoenix went forward to see
how things were going on.
It was not easy to see much, for the
engine-room was lighted only by a hang-
ing lantern, but he met the captain, who
informed him that they were in a bad
way. One of the connecting rods had
been broken, and as the engine was not
stopped soon enough, some other parts
of the machinery had been damaged.
“We have tried to patch her up,”’ said
the captain, ‘but it is no go. All we
can do is to make everything tight, and
lie here until some vessel comes along to
give usatowin. This has been a pretty
bad day for us, for we’re not going to
take any steamer up the river to-mor-
row.”
“¥ow long do you think you'll have
to stay here?” asked Phoenix.
“Don’t know,” answered the captain.
“Something may come along pretty
soon, and we may not be towed in till
morning. But you needn’t be afraid.
We'll inake everything tight, and though
we inay roll and pitch, we won’t take in
any water.’
*T suppose that vessel with a broken
mast couldn’t help us?” said Phoenix.
*No,” said the captains; “it is more
than she can do to take care of herself,
and she is out of sight now, although she
isn’t any nearer the Breakwater than we
are.”
“Perhaps some steamboat will come
out after us when they find we don’t
come back,’ suggested Phoenix. *
“That may be,” said the captain, will-
ing to give his young passengers as much
encouragement as possible. “ But you
fellows had better get something to eat,
and turn in. You'll be more comfort-
able in your bunks while we are rolling
about in this way.’’ i
But Chap and Phil did not want any-
thing to eat. The very idea was horri-
ble to them. nd so Phoenix ate his
hard biseuit and some cold meat, for
there seemed to be no intention of even
boiling a coffee, and then he
crawled into his little bunk. -
“ 's,’’ groaned Chap, ‘I don’t care
for a tug-boat as much as I used to.”
“Care for it!’ said Phil, in a weak
voice. “I ho may never—” ‘
And here his remark ended; he was
too sick to say what he hoped.
The night was a horrible one. Occa-
sionally the boysslept; butas they found,
whenever they dropped into a doze, they
were very apt to roll out of their bunks,
they were obliged to keep awake most
of the time. .As soon as daylight ap-
peared, they were all anxious to go out-
side, feeling that a breath of fresh air
would be better than anything else in
the world. This the captain, who seemn-
ed to have been up ali night, would not? in so many scrapes, and
allow.
‘You'd be washed overboard,” he said,
“and things are bad enough as they are,
without any of you getting drowned.
There’s a regular Fe off shore, and
we haven’t sighted an inward-bound
steamer yet.’”
In the course of an hour or two, it was
very evident that a vessel ought to be
sighted very soon, for the tug, which
was not built for such rough work as
this, had, in spite of the efforts of the
crew to nake everything tight on the
decks, shipped a good deal of water, and
it was necessary to work the pumps.
But this did not help matters, for it was
found that a leak had sprung some-
where,. and the water came in faster
than it could be pumped out.
he tug was now far from the land,
and in the path of coastwise steamers};
and before noon the welcome sight of a
line of smoke appeared on the horizon.
It was a steamer which was approaching
thein, but, unfortunately, it was going
southward, and not northward.
‘‘She’s a Savannah steamer,” said the
captain, ‘‘but we’ve got to git on board
of her, no matter where she is going; for
this old boat can’t stand this sort of thing
much longer. We've been blowing out
from shore all night, and there's no time
for anything to come out after us now.”
The boys looked aghast.
“Savannah !” they cried. “We don’t
want to go to Savannah!”
the bottom of the ocean,” said the cap-
in.
It wasa bad bargain for the boys, but
they had to make the best of it.
“What are you going to do in Savan-
nah ?”’ asked Pheenix,in a tone of dismay.
“Tt can’t take us more than a couple
of days to get there,’’- said Phil, “and
then we can telegraph home, AS soon
as our folks know where we are, I shall
feel that everything is all right.” -
“T shan’t feel that anything is all right
until we know where we are ourselves,”’
said Chap, looking out of one of the little
windows of the cabin. “Did you ever
see such a pokey old steamer as that is?
I believe we shall sink before she gets to
s
3.”
But this unfortunate event did not
happen, although the tug was very deep
in the water and rolling heavily when
the steamer lay to, with her bow to the
wind, afew hundred yards away from
them.
A large boat was speedily lowered and
rowed tothetug. In less than half an
hour, the unfortunate occupants of the
sinking tug-boat had been’taken onthe |
steamer.
A few articles were brought away from
the tug, and the boys were allowed to
carry with them their valises. .
As soon as the boat-load of people was
on the steamer, and the boat hauled up
to its davits, the vessel. put about, and
proceeded on her way. .
As the boys looked back, they saw the
little tug, with her smoke-stack very
much on one side, and but little of her
hull visible, tossing and pitching on the
waves. .
‘She isn’t good for another half-hour,”’ -
said the engineer, who stood by.
The party rescued from the sinking
tug-boat was very kindly received on
board the steamer, but it was quite evi-
dent, even to the hopeful and enthusi-
astic Chap, that there was no intention
of putting back forthe Breakwater. -
The boys had never been on an ocean
steamer before, and would. have been
greatly delighted with their present ex-
perience had it not been for the feeling
that every movement of the ponderous
engine beneath them was taking them
further and further from their homes,
It would be impossible for their friends
to hear from them for at least two days,
and the news that the tug-boat had gone
out to sea,and never returned, would
probably reach Boontown very soon.
All three were very much dejected .
when they thought of the misery and
grief which the intelligence would cause
In their families, and Phoenix seemed
more downcast than either of the others.
“Tf father believes I’m drowned,” he
said, “it'll be just his way to go about
grieving that he worked me too hard.
know I made him think that, but I did-
n’t do so much after all.”
_ “If my folks look at the thing in that
light,” said Chap, “they'll grieve that
they didn’t get more out of me before I
was drowned.” . .
“T don’t believe there’ll be as much
mourning as yon think,” said Phil.
“Uncle will be on hand, and he’s been
pulled through
them all, that he knows just about how
things willturn up. I bet it won’t be half
an hour after he hears the news before he
thinks out the whole thing, and has
made all your people see that it’s as clear
as daylight that we’ve been carried out
to sea, and picked up by some steamer,
and that we’ll be heard’from soon after
she gets to her port. Fle’ll know that
there wasn’t storm enough to wreck a
good, stout tug-boat, and that something
must have got out of order, so that she
was carried out to sea.”’
_ “If that one-masted schooner ever got
in,’’ said Pheenix, “ she’d let them know
there was something wrong with us, for
she must have seen or heard us blowing
off steam.”’ . .
“1 don’t know about that,’’ said Chap,
‘for before I turned into my sick bed,
that vessel was pretty well out of sight.
We were going in opposite directions, as
well as I could make out.” :
“That was because she was sailing
against the wind, and had to make long
tacks,”’ said Phoenix.
Do you suppose I didn’t know that?”
asked Chap, drawing himself up in such
an erect position that a great lurch of the
vessel liked to have thrown him off his
eet. - .
., {We might as well make the best of
it,” said Phil, “and haveagoodtime. In
a couple of days we will be in Savannah,
and when we have telegraphed home,
“It’s a good sight better place than
everybody’ll. be all serene, if they are
not now.” . -