Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

88 “Five hands missing, sir.” And the mate said— “All right.” What else could he say? The hurricane blew on, yelling through the shrouds of that packet hidden in the snow and the spray, with her railing awash in the sea. The mate fought his way to the chart- house, and, leaning in, shouted to the skip- per— “Wheel’s carried away, sir.” And, looking up, the skipper said— “All right.” What else could he say? Day went like the night before it, and another night came with the same fury of wind and bitterness of cold. At nightfall a comber lopped over the waist and roared outboard to lee, taking the galley with it and the half-breed cookie, and his old fiddle too. We ate hard-tack that night, and knew no warmth or rest. The big seas pounded her. We were aching tired, and soaked with the cold sea. Our bunks and bedding were gone overside. The gale blew itself out by morning, and she lay rolling in the trough—her quarter boats and bridge gone in the darkness of the night. Willie Clegg blew his whistle; for he was skipper now. Skipper and mate were gone when, unseen by any one, the bridge went. We went aft to try to rig a jury wheel. Some went aloft to cut away rags of torn sail-cloth from the spars. She rolled in the trough;.no wind—just a Horn calm. No sky; nothing but a great coldness above and all around. Everything black—cloud and water; and a long, high swell to the sea. And always that far-away sound, that low moaning from under the sea rim. After a bit the snow came again, hiding the world from us, falling in great flakes like a shroud and covering the decks inches deep. Men’s voices, calling from aloft, sounded clear and cold—as the snow looked. Day passed, and evening came again—the dog watch; but no fiddling from cookie’s fiddle now. All hands sat shivering in the gutted fo’csle; huddled on deck, crowding together for warmth. Some slept. Some bound their bleeding hands. At eight bells we Adventure went aft, standing under where the bridge had been. We heard the man at the wheel repeat the course—the course for Frisco and round the Horn. “Wes’- by-no’th, half -no’th — wes’- by- no’th, half-no’th it is.” We heard the lookout man from the fo’csle head reporting to the officer of the deck, singing it out slow and filled with music— “AJ-1-1-1-I we-L-l-l, sir.” And Clegg muttered— “All right.” We went back to the fo’ csle, huddling together for warmth. ‘I % THE clipper lay in the sea trough, ee rolling like doom. Chains clanged against the masts, and _ spars groaned, I leaned out into the black night and listened to the sea moaning, and turned back to the fo’csle where~the hands were huddled together. One Eye was whining a song—a chantey tune— “Come all you young sailors wot follows the sea.” Toward midnight the swell got worse; and, lurching in the troughs, the packet rolled her railings under, groaning. There was a sudden great crash, quickly followed by another; a grinding and tear- ing sound. Clegg shouted to cut away the wreckage. The fore and main masts had gone overside—ripped out by the rolling. When morning came, still calm; but no snow now. ‘There was the Horn, black as the sea and the sky. We stood on deck, all that were left of us, and stared at the Horn. It was snowing over the land; a thin shroud falling, and merging sea and land together. Suddenly there was a shout from the lookout man, and we all turned to look. Coming across the sea, a few miles on the port bow, was a green-painted steamer with two buff funnels. We could see the ripple about her forefoot. She was crowding the steam toward us. Some one spoke. “One o’ them Aberdeen White Stars— home-bound from the colonies. Thank 9 There was no need for us to fly a signal. They could see—a dismasted clipper with bridge and boats and wheel gone overside, lying in the Horn troughs close inshore. Coming close to windward on our port, she dropped a boat. We gathered at the quarter rail and waited. There was no need - COmiCLOooks Go!