FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 221 



out. Up went the wheel, the vessel swinging quickly off until a light was 

 dimly seen on the weather bow, and the cry of, " Steady ! so," assured me 

 that we were heading all right. The next instant we went rushing by the 

 stern of one of the fleet, just clearing her main-boom. Hardly had we 

 passed that one, when a voice cried out again, " Luff ! luff hard ! " and we 

 swept by another schooner, almost scraping the end of her bowsprit with 

 our lee rigging. These were the outside vessels of the fleet, and having 

 kept a mental calculation of the distance run, I judged soon after passing 

 them that we were far enough to keep off and run out of the channel. 

 When out by the bar we jibed the foresail and hauled to on the starboard 

 tack. In jibing, the gaff was broken, and the peak-halyards caught over 

 the horns of the cross-trees. Notwithstanding this, we were able to range 

 ahead slowly up under the lee of the bar, close enough to it to make compar- 

 atively smooth water. Probably not more than fifteen minutes had passed 

 from the time our second cable was cut until we hove to outside of the bar. 

 At this time the anchor was bent, with the exception of the last seizing, which 

 was soon put on. We then took hold of the anchor and threw it over the bow, 

 but, in our hurry, did not lift the bight of the cable clear of the cat-head. 

 The result was that the anchor fetched up with the stock just under water, 

 and, as we were drifting off shore, it was important that it should be cleared 

 from this awkward predicament with as little delay as possible. The quick- 

 est way, of course, was to reeve the cat-stopper and cut the anchor ; but 

 this could only be done at considerable risk. But, without waiting for or- 

 ders, and only saying to the men about the windlass, "Look out that the 

 cable don't slip," Murphy slid down on the hawser, rove off the cat-stopper, 

 and was soon on deck again ; not, however, before he had been soused un- 

 der water several times. Having cleared the cable, we paid out sixty or 

 seventy fathoms, and rode out the gale. The following day we were almost 

 compelled to part with our last anchor. The high tide had floated off the 

 beach at the head of the harbor an old vessel which had been hauled up 

 there. Once afloat she went driving on down through the fleet and brought 

 up on the bar. When the tide rose about noon she floated off and came 

 drifting down straight for us. We made all possible preparations to clear 

 her, but when she neared us the current or untertow changed her course 

 somewhat, so that she passed by a little distance off, and driving ashore on 

 the cliff astern of us soon went to pieces. That afternoon we ran to Can- 

 so, where we refitted. 



In 1870 Murphy shipped with Capt. James Lunderkin, in the sch. William 

 F. Poole, but backed out. The vessel was lost on Georges with all hands. 



The same Winter, Murphy had another tumble overboard. He was then 

 in the Hiawatha, which lay at anchor on Georges. He says : "I went on 

 the house to cast off the fall of the main-boom topinglift, when, just as I 



