meetin'. Why, Mr. Ellery, I tell you:Em'lous Sparrow, the fish peddler, stepped up to our house a few minutesago. He's just come down from the shanties over on the shore by thelight--where the wreck was, you know--and he says there's a 'morphroditebrig anchored three or four mile off and she's flyin' colors ha'f mastand union down. They're gettin' a boat's crew together to go off toher and see what's the row. I'm goin' to drive over and I thought maybeyou'd like to go along. I told the old lady--my wife, I mean--that Ithought of pickin' you up and she said 'twas a good idee. Said my likin'to cruise with a parson in my old age was either a sign that I washopeful or fearful, she didn't know which; and either way it ought to beencouraged. He, he, he! What do you say, Mr. Ellery? Want to go?"
The minister hesitated. "I'd like to," he said. "I'd like to very much.But I ought to work on my sermon this morning."
Keziah cut in here. "Cat's foot!" she sniffed. "Let your sermon go forthis once, do. If it ain't long enough as it is, you can begin againwhen you've got to the end and preach it over again. Didama Rogers said,last circle day, that she could set still and hear you preach right overn' over. I'd give her a chance, 'specially if it did keep her still.Keepin' Didama still is good Christian work, ain't it, Zeb?"
Captain Mayo slapped his knee. "He, he, he!" he chuckled. "Cal'lateyou're right, Keziah."
"Indeed, I am. I believe it would be Christianity and I KNOW 'twould bework. There! there! run in and get your coat and hat, Mr. Ellery. I'llstep across and ease Hettie's mind and--and lungs."
She went across the road to impart the news of the vessel in distress tothe curious Mrs. Peters. A moment later the minister, having donnedhis hat and coat, ran down the walk and climbed into the chaise besideCaptain Zeb. The white horse, stimulated into a creaky jog trot byrepeated slappings of the reins and roars to "Get under way!" and "Castoff!" moved along the sandy lane.
During the drive the captain and his passenger discussed various topicsof local interest, among them Captain Nat Hammond and the manner inwhich he might have lost his ship and his life. It was now taken forgranted, in Trumet and elsewhere, that Nat was dead and would never beheard from again. The owners had given up, so Captain Zeb said, andwent on to enumerate the various accidents which might havehappened--typhoons, waterspouts, fires, and even attacks by Malaypirates--though, added the captain, "Gen'rally speakin', I'd ruther notbet on any pirate gettin' away with Nat Hammond's ship, if the skipperwas alive and healthy. Then there's mutiny and fevers and collisions,and land knows what all. And, speakin' of trouble, what do you cal'lateails that craft we're goin' to look at now?"
They found a group on the beach discussing that very question. A fewfishermen, one or two lobstermen and wreckers, and the lightkeeper weregathered on the knoll by the lighthouse. They had a spyglass, and agood-sized dory was ready for launching.
"Where is she, Noah?" asked Captain Zeb of the lightkeeper. "That heroff back of the spar buoy? Let me have a squint through that glass;my eyes ain't what they used to be, when I could see a whale spout twomiles t'other side of the sky line and tell how many barrels of ile he'dtry out, fust look. Takes practice to keep your eyesight so's you cansee round a curve like that," he added, winking at Ellery.
"She's a brigantine, Zeb," observed the keeper, handing up the spyglass."And flyin' the British colors. Look's if she might be one of them saltboats from Turk's Islands. But what she's doin' out there, anchored,with canvas lowered and showin' distress signals in fair weather likethis, is more'n any of us can make out. She wa'n't there last evenin',though, and she is there now."
"She ain't the only funny thing along shore this mornin', nuther,"announced Theophilus Black, one of the fishermen. "Charlie Burgess justcome down along and he says there's a ship's longboat hauled up on thebeach, 'bout a mile 'n a half t'other side the mouth of the herrin'crick yonder. Oars in her and all. And she ain't no boat that b'longsround here, is she, Charlie?"
"No, Thoph, she ain't," was the reply. "Make anything out of her,cap'n?"
Captain Zeb, who had been inspecting the anchored vessel throughthe spyglass, lowered the latter and seemed puzzled. "Not much," heanswered. "Blessed if she don't look abandoned to me. Can't see a signof life aboard her."
"We couldn't neither," said Thoph. "We was just cal'latin' to go off toher when Charlie come and told us about the longboat. I guess likely wecan go now; it's pretty nigh smooth as a pond. You'll take an oar, won'tyou, Noah?"
"I can't leave the light very well. My wife went over to the villagelast night. You and Charlie and Bill go. Want to go, too, Zeb?"
"No, I'll stay here, I guess. The old lady made me promise to keep myfeet dry afore I left the house."
"You want to go, Mr. Ellery? Lots of room."
The minister was tempted. The sea always had a fascination for him andthe mystery of the strange ship was appealing.
"Sure I won't be in the way?"
"No, no! 'course you won't," said Burgess. "Come right along. You set inthe bow, if you don't mind gettin' sprinkled once in a while. I'll steerand Thoph and Bill'll row. That'll be enough for one dory. If we needmore, we'll signal. Heave ahead."
The surf, though low for that season of the year, looked dangerous toEllery, but his companions launched the dory with the ease which comesof experience. Burgess took the steering oar and Thoph and "Bill," thelatter a lobsterman from Wellmouth Neck, bent their broad backs for thelong pull. The statement concerning the pondlike smoothness of the seawas something of an exaggeration. The dory climbed wave after wave, longand green and oily, at the top of each she poised, tipped and slid downthe slope. The minister, curled up in the bow on a rather uncomfortablecushion of anchor and roding, caught glimpses of the receding shore overthe crests behind. One minute he looked down into the face of Burgess,holding the steering oar in place, the next the stern was high above himand he felt that he was reclining on the back of his neck. But alwaysthe shoulders of the rowers moved steadily in the short, deep strokesof the rough water oarsman, and the beach, with the white light andred-roofed house of the keeper, the group beside it, and Captain Zeb'shorse and chaise, grew smaller and less distinct.
"Humph!" grunted Charlie.
"What's the matter?" asked Thoph.
The steersman, who was staring hard in the direction they were going,scowled.
"Humph!" he grunted again. "I swan to man, fellers, I believe she ISabandoned!"
"Rubbish!" panted Bill, twisting his neck to look over his shoulder."'Course she ain't! Who'd abandon a craft such weather's this, andProvince-town harbor only three hours' run or so?"
"When it comes to that," commented Burgess, "why should they anchor offhere, 'stead of takin' her in by the inlet? If there's anybody aboardthey ain't showed themselves yet. She might have been leakin', but shedon't look it. Sets up out of water pretty well. Well, we'll know in afew minutes. Hit her up, boys!"
The rowers "hit her up" and the dory moved faster. Then Burgess, puttinghis hand to his mouth, hailed.
"Ship ahoy!" he roared. "Ahoy!"
No reply.
"Ahoy the brig!" bellowed Burgess. "What's the matter aboard there? Allhands asleep?"
Still no answer. Thoph and Bill pulled more slowly now. Burgess noddedto them.
"Stand by!" he ordered. "Easy! Way enough! Let her run."
The dory slackened speed, turned in obedience to the steering oar, andslid under the forequarter of the anchored vessel. Ellery, looking up,saw her name in battered gilt letters above his head--the San Jose.
"Stand by, Thoph!" shouted Charlie. "S'pose you can jump and grab herforechains? Hold her steady, Bill. Now, Thoph! That's the time!"
Thoph had jumped, seized the chains, and was scrambling aboard. A momentlater he appeared at the rail amidships, a rope in his hand. The dorywas brought alongside and made fast; then one after the other the men inthe boat climbed to the brig's deck.
"Ahoy!" yelled Burgess. "All hands on deck! tumble up, you lubbers!Humph! She is abandoned, sure and sartin."
"Yup," assented Bill. "
Her boats are gone. See? Guess that explains thelongboat on the beach, Charlie."
"Cal'late it does; but it don't explain why they left her. She
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