A TEMPESTUOUS CRUISE. 





ebb tide took us slowly toward the 

 open sea. After awhile, however, a 

 gentle south wind began to fill our 

 sails, and the yacht responded quick- 

 ly to the light pressure. It came 

 irom the worst possible quarter for 

 us, for it was dead ahead. 



Slowly we passed the anchored 

 vessels in the harbor and headed for 

 Cape Elizabeth. As the day ad- 

 vanced a the wind increased to a 

 moderate sailing breeze, and we 

 passed the Cape at fair speed — even 

 with a slight heel. We crowded 

 everything on the schooner that we 

 could make draw, in windward 

 work, for although we went through 

 the water at a lively clip, we were 

 not making much way along the 

 coast. By midday we could see a 

 bl".e line of hills, far inland, that the 

 pilot cold us were in New Hamp- 

 shire; so we began to think we had 

 at least got pretty near to the Maine 

 line, and that we could consider that 

 State behind us, at least. We passed 

 a number of large schooners, and 

 other workers, during the early part 

 of the day, but the most interesting 

 thing we saw was a school of whales 

 that came up and spouted on all 

 sides of us. They remained in our 

 vicinity for sometime. 



We passed near the reefs and 

 shoals made famous by Longfellow's 

 "Wreck of the Hesperus," and when 

 we saw the breakers on the " Reef of 

 Norman's Woe," we stopped our 

 jokes for a time, to look with some- 

 thing akin to awe, upon the patch of 

 floating snow, " that thawed not in 

 the summer sunshine." Although not 

 a word was spoken, we all knew 

 the thoughts of each wandered back 

 to that Christmas eve so beautifully 

 portrayed by the poet. 



When lunch was over, we lay 

 around in the sunshine on deck, and 

 took our turns at the wheel. About 

 the middle of the afternoon, and 

 while the pilot was in charge of the 

 deck, he called out, "Ahoy forward! 

 Keep a sharp lookout for Boon Is- 

 land light slightly on the weather 

 bow." We all strained our eyes to 

 their utmost, but nothing was visible, 



except one unbroken sheet ol water. 



Another hour passed m quiet, 

 when a shout from forward an- 

 nounced thai an object, looking al- 

 most like a pole, \\a^ just visible, 

 rising out of the wat< r nearly i 

 ahead. We gol the glass mi it 

 found it was a large light tower, ; 

 sibly 150 feet high, but s,, i.,, away 

 as to resemble a stake. ( >ur man .it 

 the wheel said it was doubtless Boon 

 Island, of which he had spoken be 

 fore; that lrom there he would gel .t 

 bearing tor Portsmouth, and that he 

 hoped to carry us in before mum'I. 



But this was not to he. For some 

 time we made good progress until, in 

 fact, we could plainly make- out the 

 tower and even sec the bluffs of the 

 island itself; but about this time 

 a dark bank that had been hanging 

 just above the horizon seaward, 

 gan to roll in toward us, and it be- 

 came evident that we would mm. 11 be 

 enveloped in a tog. 



"Can we make Portsmouth in 

 this?" 



The pilot doubted it. Then there 

 was but one thing lor us to do 

 to sea and get a good offing. 

 about we came and steered for the 

 open water. Scarcely had we 

 her on the other tack when the light- 

 house disappeared, and we v. 

 again enveloped in a curtain ol va 

 por so dense, that it was difficult 

 see one end of the little vessel from 

 the other. ( m and on we pluri 

 into the unknown world oi wal 

 Even those w ho St< >< d man I 

 looked like the ghosl indent 



mariners; and now 1 1 1 which 



had been smooth and tranquil all d 

 with only that tnaiblcd 

 breathing swell that the ocean 

 ways exhibits, < \ en in its , aln 

 moment^, began to heave wildly 

 to toss our vessel like a shell, in all 

 direction-; so that 1! was almost im- 

 possible- to keep anything lik< 

 steady course. Ever) tl 

 began to roll about as though in a 

 mill hopper; and the strai 

 of it all as that tin- wind d 

 rise at all in proportion * 

 te the contrary; for altho 



