"OUR RUDDER'S GONE!" 87 



calling, "Come out and help us with the rudder!'* 

 There it was, fast by guy ropes and tackle, diving from 

 side to side like a dolphin or a great skate; plunging out 

 of sight, swinging itself out of water, sounding for the 

 propeller like a monster chafing at its bond and bent on 

 destruction. Soon we had a line on it to pull it forward 

 on the port side, and an Eskimo lance ready to cut the 

 starboard guy line at the word of command. The 

 "Abler" lay to, wallowing in the sea on the port tack, 

 making leeway so fast that all lines were taut as wire 

 stays. The cursed thing had managed to wrap its guy 

 ropes several times around the propeller and now tried 

 its best to stave in the ship's planking. But the 

 "Abler" sUd off too fast for it to get to her. At last 

 the Captain sUced the guy rope, and hke a hooked tarpon 

 the rudder ripped the forward hne out to windward and 

 fought it there, hanging broadside to it and running back 

 and forth deep under water. A bight of this Hne was 

 taken to the tackle on the foremast head and hauling on 

 this brought the rudder up near the surface, but several 

 fathoms to windward, worrying at the ropes until the 

 foremast whipped it out of water as the schooner rolled 

 in the trough. We threw a hne around the tackle and 

 httle by little warped the demon in near the ship's side, 

 then took a fresh bight with the tackle and presently had 

 it lying Ufeless on deck; a cold mass of steel and wood 

 six feet deep, four and a half feet wide and six inches 

 thick, weighing seven hundred pounds. It had cost us 

 three hours of ceaseless work after it broke free, to bring 

 it in. 



The engine turned and chewed the ropes on the 

 propeller to oakum and once more we straightened out 

 on our course, holding it fairly well, but obliged to steer 



