THE CRUISE OF THE RESTLESS. 



99 



on deck for unloading stone. We then took 

 turns dangling from the end of a rope, up 

 to our necks in water, trying to repair the 

 damage, and finally dropped the wrench in 

 the drink, just before dark, without accom- 

 plishing anything. The vessel was going 

 to pull out, so we dropped the boat in the 

 water again, and began to do some deep 

 thinking. There were several summer ho- 

 tels and boarding houses near, and we de- 

 cided to sleep ashore that night. We start- 

 ed to find a bed, as we were tired and wet. 

 We knew the hotels would refuse us ac- 

 commodations if they saw the disreputable 

 looking gang, so we delegated the one man 

 with a necktie left to make arrangements. 

 Even he got the marble face at one rather 

 swell house, until he told a thrilling tale of 

 shipwreck which softened their hearts. 

 We had to drive across the island to get 



Our stay was cut short by the time we 

 had lost, and we had much less time than 

 we wanted. There was plenty to do, vis- 

 iting the yachts and launches of all kinds 

 from everywhere. Steamers center there 

 from every direction, bringing crowds of 

 excursionists every day. The kind-locked 

 bay is beautiful, and an ideal headquarters, 

 from which short runs can be made to the 

 many islands close at hand. Good hotels, 

 wine cellars, natural caves, and amusements 

 of all sorts made our stay of 2 days alto- 

 gether too short. 



We wired Cleveland to have gasoline at 

 dock on our arrival, and weighed anchor 

 early in the morning for our return trip 

 over the same course. It was blowing a 

 moderate gale, and we stuck our nose out 

 past a sheltering point of the island. We 

 decided to put her through to Marblehead, 



A RACE MEET IN 190*. 



a machinist to make a new spanner, and 

 engaged several men to haul the boat out 

 at a dock with an overhead trestle. After 

 much pulling and hauling, we got fixed 

 by noon, and started on the last stretch of 

 our outward voyage. 



The Marblehead life savers had taken our 

 names, value of boat, etc., to make report 

 to Washington, and one of our members 

 thinking reports would be published in the 

 newspapers, telegraphed his wife that he 

 was safe. Whether the anxiety was for 

 her, or for fear she would get the news and 

 he would return from his voyage like Enoch 

 Arden to find her married to a handsomer 

 man, we will never know. 



Put-in bay, on South Bass island, was in 

 sight, 7 miles distant. There was a heavy 

 beam sea running, and at times we could 

 look through the port lights straight toward 

 the bottom. We headed for the narrow 

 passage between South Bass and Ballast is- 

 land, or where we thought it ought to be 

 according to the chart, and soon reached our 

 destination, 5 days out from Buffalo. 



15 miles, and run in there to get the weath- 

 er reports. There were vigorous protests 

 from some of the members of our party 

 about the foolhardiness of trifling with 

 Davy Jones. Our little craft plunged along 

 bravely, half buried in the smother, as the 

 water at that end of Lake Erie averages 

 only 25 to 30 feet, and the seas are choppy. 



We learned afterward that our friend the 

 watchman at Marblehead had his eye on us 

 all the way over. We landed at the life- 

 saving station at Marblehead, and received 

 courteous treatment from all hands at the 

 station, but we regretted landing there, for 

 the minute we struck the dock our gallant 

 cook "ratted the shin," mutinied outright, 

 and declared the railroad track was good 

 enough for him ; that the skipper was a long 

 eared son of a sea cook, and took a fiendish 

 delight in trying to sink the ship. 



Weather reports predicted change of 

 wind, which would be off shore. This oc- 

 curred while we were there, and we imme- 

 diately put to sea again in the open lake 

 with more water under the keel. A big 



