A BOLD SKIPPER. 59 



It was a glorious sight to see the fleet get under way the next 

 morning. Many a close shave and more bumps but no serious 

 collisions were caused by the twenty or more vessels crowding 

 out together through the narrow opening, each eager to get the 

 first puff from the fair breeze outside the lee of the cliffs. The 

 whole fleet was bound up the coast, but before many of the 

 schooners had drifted far enough out to catch the breeze it had 

 failed, and only after an hour or more of annoying experience 

 with puffs from every quarter, did the strong sea breeze set in. 

 Sheets were trimmed flat aft, and all settled down to beating 

 up the coast. The Julia soon left the mass of the fleet and 

 before reaching Battle Harbor, where a long desired mail was 

 awaiting, had nearly overtaken the lucky ones who had drifted 

 far enough off shore to make a leading wind of the afternoon 

 breeze. During the calm a school of whales disported them- 

 selves in the midst of the fleet, chasing one another, blowing 

 and churning the water to foam about us, apparently as though 

 it was rare fun. 



Late in the afternoon we approached the entrance to Battle 

 Harbor, but with the wind blowing directly out of the narrow, 

 rocky and winding entrance we wondered how we should get in. 

 Our captain was equal to the problem, however, and undeterred 

 by the crowded state of the harbor, within whose narrow limits 

 were two large steamers, one or two barks and several fishermen, 

 performed a feat of seamanship the equal of which, we were 

 told, preserved in the traditions of the port, and only half 

 believed, as having been done once, thirty years before. 



Getting about ten knots way on the vessel, and heading her 

 straight for the steamer nearest the mouth, we just brushed by 

 the rocks of the entrance, sheered a bit and shot past the 

 steamer before her astonished officers could utter a word of 

 warning, and were traveling up the harbor at a steamboat pace, 

 the sails meanwhile rattling down, and some of us on board 

 wondering if we should not keep right on out the other entrance 

 to the harbor, while boats scurried out of our way, two men in 

 one fishing boat looking reproachfully at us as we missed them 

 by about two feet just after our fellow on lookout had reported 



