A Sportsman 103 



up so I could run my boat on its side with a baling-out 

 bucket to throw out the surplus water I took in. Occa- 

 sionally I would come near being blown out to sea from 

 the harbor mouth, and on one occasion had to wreck my 

 boat as night approached on the last point of land to 

 save going down, as the chopping sea water-logged my 

 boat, which with its several thousand pounds of pig- 

 iron ballast would have soon gone under. Going 

 down one day to the wharf I saw an auction sale going 

 on of a fine trim sloop yacht of between thirty and 

 forty tons capacity. Few were present and no bids 

 came in, and at a venture I bid three hundred dollars, 

 little expecting to buy so fine a yacht at that price, 

 but as it was a peremptory sale, and no other bids came 

 in, I became the owner, and upon looking it over 

 thought I had reason to be well satisfied, as it was not 

 far from new, and was completely equipped with sail 

 and jib, anchor and ropes, and a good cooking stove 

 forward, and a fairly good cabin with four bunks, and 

 dining-table with adjunctive furnishings. It was the 

 Charlotte Cushman, and had a set of colors given by 

 that distinguished artiste. It seemed quite unlike a 

 white elephant, and I communicated an account of 

 my purchase to my two friends, Poor and Lane, clerks 

 in the wholesale establishment of James Read & Co., 

 and invited them to join me in the venture, which they 

 did. As they were not overburdened with funds, nor 

 I inclined to the possible lavish expenditure which 

 might be entailed by the luxury of a yacht, it was agreed 

 that we should pursue an economical course, as fol- 

 lows: To hire a good skipper and allow him let our 

 boat for pleasure and fishing parties, using it when 

 convenient for our own pleasure. This we did, getting 



