Beadle's Dime Novels No. 94: The Mad Skipper — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

THE FOUR LETTERS. 93 masts creaking and snapping with a noise like that made by the discharge of several pistols. Overbead, the sky was cov- ered by leaden-colored clouds, Which were swept with tremen- dous velocity by the force of the gale. The foremast hands were soon forced to seek the quarter- deck in order to escape the drenching seas which, rising higher and higher every moment, would have swept them overboard had they remained in the forward part of the vesscl. “Bad weather, lads,” remarked old Ben, turning to his shipmates. “I hope itll clear off directly, for we're a-losing time by it.” “Ay, ay,” replied Tom White, a young sailor with remark. ably broad shoulders and eoal-black hair. “ It’s bad weather, and is going to last for several days, in my opinion.” He had scarcely spoken, when a tremendous sea came crashing and booming over ‘the weather quarter-rail, fairly burying the vessel in its watery folds. Every man of the watch was lifted from his feet and car- ried to leeward, and all would have been swept overboard had they not grasped the mizzen ratlines. Some of the latter, however, gave way at once, and two of the men were hurled, shrieking and screaming, into eternity. The rest swung themselves to the deck, shaking the water from their pea- jackets like Newfoundland dogs. “This is too bad!’ exclaimed Tom White, mournfully. “Oh God! yes, it is too bad! My chum Jack Warren is one of those who are lost. Poor Jack!’ And the tears rose to his eyes. “ Never mind, lad; cheer up!” cried old Ben. “ We must all die sooner or later; and while I pity them that’s gone, I can't help thinkin’ that they'll all go aloft, as they’ve always done their duty like men.” “ Ay, ay, and God bless ’em !” muttered Tom, as he wiped his eyes, “ but this is the third chum I’ve lost since I began to go to sea.” The storm raged for three days, at the end of which time the gale subsided to a moderate but fair wind; and in the course of a month the topsails were reefed for the intended cruise. The vessel cruised a long time off the coast of Norway connicloooks.com