118 NOVEMBEU IN BROADLAND, 



1 There she sucks ! ' for how cud she face the heavy seas with her hold more'an half 

 full o' water? 



1 Tired and jaded, some on us went below agin, steadyin' ourselves as best we 

 could as the wessel plunged an' lurched some on us prayin' tu Him whose only 

 Son settled the gale on the Sea o' Gralilee, an' axin' Him tu bless the wives and 

 little 'uns as was worryin' at home for dad a-tossin' on the ocean.' (The hard horny 

 hand brushes away a tear from the good fellow's weather-beaten cheek). 



' A awful crash on deck agin made us hurry up the companion-way, an' a terri- 

 ble sight met our eyes. Many a ton o' water had struck us. The wessel wor pretty 

 well clean swept, boat an' everything gone barrin' the mast an' the rag of a sail ; 

 and some o' the bulwarks for'ard was knocked clean away. Well for old Billy Har- 

 den as he'd lashed hisself tu the tiller, or he'd a-gone with 'em. As it wor, he'd 

 broke a rib or tew, an' we had tu carry 'im below. I took the tiller, prayin' Grod 

 tu help me tu du it, while some hurried tu set another jibsail. We kept burnin' 

 flares, but law ! who cud help us ? iveryone else had enough tu du tu look after 

 theerselves. 



' An' then, good Hivins ! a wuss crash follered ! We'd been run intu by another 

 craft as wor in wuss plight 'an ourselves. It wor the affair of a moment, when a 

 young feller, Grod only knows how he managed it, jumped clean off her intu ours. 

 Afore we cud git on our feet agin for we was all knocked down by the collision 

 we lost sight o' her. She must ha' sank directly. The poor chap said as she wor 

 the Persewerance, trawler, waterlogged, and in a sinkin' state, all hands had bin 

 swept overboard except him, and the mate who'd steered for us. Poor fellar ! the 

 mate had gone down with her. We wor now in wusser state than iver: for we'd a 

 big hole stove in the bows as let in any amount o' water, and it wor only by keep- 

 in' the pumps agoin' we floated. Fortunately the storm lulled a bit, and we ran- 

 afore the wind till we sighted Caister. Burnin' flares agin, we sune had the life- 

 boat arter us, and them brave Caister men, Grod bless 'em ! took us off, puttin' as 

 many o' theer own men aboard as cud be spared, and standin' by her, reachin' Yar- 

 m'uth harbour with us with the wust o' the gale over, and the daylight a-breaking 

 east'ard. Yow know now what mischief wor done, and how many a brave feller 

 niver sailed intu port agin.' 



By the time our friend's yarn is ended, we have drawn up at the Broadland 

 Station. And as our road lies in the selfsame direction, we continue to chat in a 

 friendly sort of way until we reach his cottage, standing in a well-kept little garden. 

 Evidently he had been expected home, for a trio of merry youngsters, flinging 



