Adventure Magazine Cover — page 160: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

152 ‘‘Are you sure of it? Sure it was a boat you saw?” “Aye, twas a boat, sir, sure enough.” ‘Probably the back of a whale, or a black- fish,” growled Tattersall. ‘“‘Beg pardon, sir, ’twas a boat; white painted, plain as my nose, sir.” The bark lay lifting idly to the swell, her main yard aback and men gathered in groups about the decks peering through the haze. Tattersall tramped impatiently up and down the bridge, anxious to fill the yards and lay her on her course again. ‘“‘Fair winds are scarce off the Horn, sir; better be getting along,” he said. ‘‘An open boat off the Horn’s- ,’ an- swered Dowser. “I guess we’d better lay to awhile and watch.” Suddenly he shouted: ‘“‘There she is!” adding, “Tattersall, get a boat cleared away at once.” Through the lifting haze they saw, a mile on the bow, a ship’s boat; a man standing in her, and waving a rag of canvas lashed to an oar, endeavoring to attract their attention. The wind was freshening a little. “Better go off to her, Shoofiy. Take three men who can put weight on an oar. Look alive—weather’s changing.”’ Tattersall dropped into the boat. “Make it lively,” he said, as the sailors lay back on their oars. The wind was blow- ing up. From the other boat a man was franti- cally waving. As they drew near they heard him shouting and Tattersall waved a reply. They came up with a steamer’s boat, the name Tekoa painted on her bow, and, pull- ing alongside, found four men in her; two oi them lying prone in her bottom, huddled under a sail; one sitting on a thwart, list- lesslv, paying no heed to them. The man who had waved seized his shoulders, shak- ing him, crying: ‘Wake up, wake up, it’s all well. We’re picked up.” Rising, staring at the boat from the Fe:cy Nan, curiously, as if half awaking from a dream, he clambered toward her. ‘““—__!”?, he muttered, ‘“‘ain’t it oa His hands were frozen and he stumbled upon frozen feet. They helped him aboard, and two men from the bark’s boat, boarding the derelict, raised the men from her bottom; lifting Adventure them with difficulty, for, wind and sea rising, the boats rose with quick rolls on the chop. Looking about his boat for a moment the man who had waved, shaking his head, said— “Got to quit her, I guess,” and, climbing over the gunwale, fell and lay as if ex- hausted in the bottom at Tattersall’s feet. ‘““Give way men, make it lively,” cried Tattersall, heading for the bark. The wind was rising fast, a cap whipping over the crests, and beyond the bark the sea was hidden in a scudding mist. “Give way, make it lively—use your weight,” cried Tattersall, as, drifting over the water, the mist half hid her, her sails looming faint and phantom-like through its wet folds. Suddenly she was gone, lost in the fog; and they were alone upon the cold Horn sea. From over the water they heard, faintly, above the lap of the sea, voices crying. Tattersall, leaning forward, peering into the mist, cried constantly— “Lively, make it lively.” Climbing to a thwart the man who had waved from the steamer’s boat grasped an oar, pushing it out, every movement racking him. The voices were growing closer, and Tattersall, a hand to his lips, answered. The shape of the lost bark loomed suddenly above them, and in another moment they were under her side. The rescued men were tended in the cabin of the Fancy Nan; the skipper’s daughter bringing them food and steaming coffee. The young man, who had waved from the boat, told their story. “Tekoa, sir. Greenock to Puget sound. She struck in thick weather off Magellan somewhere, about a week ago. I was sent with the boat to try to see the damage, when she backed off. Dense fog set in and we lost her. I was second mate, sir.”’ Recovering slowly from their exposure, room was made for the three men forward; while a bunk was fitted up for the second mate in the room occupied by Moses. His name was John Lowrie, a Britisher from Cornwall; a quiet sort of man with deep-brown eyes and reddish hair, a clean- shaven face, and regular white teeth that showed when he smiled. He was a man of medium height, but of unusual width, even for a sailor. They took a liking to himn— a reticent man who had nothing to say about himself. © (Cc DOOKS C@