A TALE OF THE SEA
The boat, urged by strong arms, fairly flew over the water.
Quartermaster Schultz served out breakfast to the crew in relays, for no
time had been taken for eating before they started. Jack felt in high
spirits. The morning was clear and quite cool. The scorching heat of the
day would not come till later, when the sun rose higher.
“Ach, idt vos a badt ding to be on a lighdthouse midout help from der
supply boat undt not knowing if you vill lif or die,” said the old
quartermaster, as he sat in the stern sheets with Jack. “I rememper ven
I vos younger vunce I vos tired of der sea undt ships, undt I take idt a
yob on a lighdthouse off der coast of Oregon on der Bacific.
“Der Big Boint Lighdt vos its name. It vos known as vun of der loneliest
of all der lighdts on dot rocky coast. Budt I didn’t care about dot, or
I dought I didn’t. Der pay vos goodt undt dere vos annunder keeper, an
oldt man, oldt enough to be mein fadder, I reckon.
“Vell, der supply boat idt take me to der lighdt, budt a badt storm came
up after dey hadt landed me, undt dey had to go avay again. To get to
der lighdt from der schmall boat dey sendt me ashore in, I hadt to be
hoisted oop in a sordt of basket from der boat by a derrick. Der lighdt
vos just as lonely as I hadt heardt idt vos. Idt stood on a big rock
vich formed der endt of a sordt of peninsula of rocks dot ran out two
miles from der shore.
“Idt vos buildt of stone undt lookedt strong undt substantial. Idt
needed to pe so, I dought, as I lookedt aboudt me undt sized der place
oop.
“Der oldt man on der lighdt, his name vos Abbott, velcomed me. He vos a
fine-looking oldt man, midt pale blue eyes undt a long white beard.
After de boat hadt left, pecause of der rising sea, der oldt man toldt
me dot ve vos in for a badt storm.
“‘Let idt come,’ said I, ‘dis tower is as strong aber der rock idt is
built on. Nuddings can harm idt.’
“He didn’t say nuddings, budt showed me my quarters vich vos in der
lower pardt of de tower. Den he took me oop to show me der lamp, an oil
burner midt a two minute flash.
“‘Many a poor sould vill bless dis lamp to-nighdt,’ he saidt to me, undt
den he vent on to tell me dot his son vos a sailor on de China run on a
pig tea clipper.
“‘He is homevard boundt now, undt ought to pe off dis coast to-nighdt,’
he said. ‘His ship runs into Portlandt.’
“Vell, ve cooked our supper undt ate idt vhile der sea oudtside kept
rising undt der windt hadt a sordt of a moan in idt dot made you dink of
somepody in bain. I couldt see dot ve vere in for a mighty badt nighdt.
After ve had eaten, der oldt man, his name vos Abbott, climbed oop der
tower undt lighted der lamps.
“Den he sedt in motion der clockvurk dot kept der lighdt revolving all
t’rough der nighdt giffing oudt der regular flashes, as sedt down on der
charts. Ven dot vos done dere vosn’t much to do budt to smoke undt talk.
Der oldt man vosn’t much of a handt for talking, budt aboudt his son he
had a lodt to say. Vot a fine poy he vos, undt how he vos going to try
to gedt him to leave der sea after dot voyage, der oldt man knowing der
sea undt how efery voyage may pe a sailor’s last. He showed me his
picture, too. A fine figure of a poy. Ach, yes, undt to dink of vot vos
to happen dot night! Poor oldt Abbott, dot vos many years ago, budt I
can hear him still telling me aboudt his poy Harry, undt vot a fine poy
he vos.
“Vell, py der time idt vos my turn to go to bed der vind vos howling
undt tearing roundt der lighdt like a pack of wolves. Der sea vos
gedtting oop, too. You could hear idt roar like vild beasts roundt der
place. I foundt myself being mighty gladt dot der tower vos of solidt
stone. Nudding else couldt have stoodt idt.
“Outside der lighdt vos a small stone shanty. In dis vos der boiler vich
made der fog-horn blow. Oldt man Abbott toldt me pefore I go to bedt dot
I hadt bedder start der fires oop undter der boiler, so dot if anyting
happened to der lighdt ve vould still be able to varn der ships.
“Ven I open der door to go to der boiler room der vind almost knocks me
off my feedt. Der spray blows in my face like knives. Der sea vos all
vhite, like idt vos boiling. I dell you, dot vos a nighdt, budt idt vos
nudding to vot vos to come.
“I got steam oop undt banked der fires. Den I turned in till oldt man
Abbott should rouse me for my vatch. I didn’t sleep much, vhat vith der
devils howling of vind, and der roar of der sea. Ven oldt man Abbott
vake me, he say dot I shall come oop into der lantern.
“I hurried on a few clo’es and climbed oop. Himmel! At der top of der
tower you couldt feel dot stone shake, der vind vos so fierce! Oldt man
Abbott, he vos yust sitting dere saying nudding, budt staring out. He
didn’t turn ven I came in, budt yust kept on staring. Budt at last he
turn round to me undt holdt oop vun of his vingers, solemn like.
“‘Hark!’ he say.
“‘I don’t can hear idt nuddings,’ I saidt.
“He shook his oldt vhite head.
“‘Don’t you hear dem calling?’ he saidt. ‘Listen!’
“I began to dink dot der oldt man hadt gone crazy, as lighdt keepers
sometimes do. For der life of me I could hear nuddings budt der vind
undt der sea. All at vonce a vave came crashing against der glass of der
lantern. You could hear der vater swish undt crash on der lenses.
“Der tower shook as if idt hadt been struck a blow. I pegan to feel a
bidt scared. A few more vaves like dot undt nudding dot man buildt could
standt idt. Budt oldt man Abbott, he say nudding. Py undt py I saw his
lips move undt I dought maype he vos praying.
“I not interrupt him budt come downstairs again. I know I must see to
der furnace under der boiler in der vistle house. But ven I opened der
door I vos blown in again. Dot vind vos so strong dot idt drove me
righdt back, undt I vos a strong young man den, too, midt my muscles
hardened on ships all ofer der vurld. I saw dot if I vanted to endt idt
my life, all I had to do vos to try to gedt to dot boiler house. So I
gif idt oop, undt come in py der tower again.
“I go oop py der lighdt. Ach, it vos terrible oop dere! Der seas vos so
pig dot dey sweep righdt ofer der tower. Small rocks undt stones
hammered against der lenses till you vould haf dought dey must be
smashed in! Budt dey vere of t’ick, strong glass undt dey stoodt idt.
“Oldt man Abbott, he asks me to go pelow undt gedt him some coffee. Py
dot time idt is gedtting on toward morning. Der storm is schreeching
undt howling undt ramping like ten t’ousand teufels. Sometimes ven a big
vave hit der tower idt shake like dere vos an eart’quake gotd idt in its
teef!
“‘Schultz,’ I say by meinselfs, ‘you are one pig fool, mein fine fellow,
to leave der sea. Aber idt is bedder to die on a goodt ship dan in der
wreck of a lighdthouse.’
“I haf youst aboudt godt der coffee ready ven der oldt man comes down.
Dere vos a vild look in his eyes like he hadt seen a ghost.
“‘Dere’s a ship, a fine ship, she’s driven ashore on der Squabs,’ he
said. Der Squabs peing vot ve called der long neck of small rocks
petween der Big Lighdt undt der shore.
“‘Impossible!’ saidt I. ’Ve vould half heardt idt der rockets aber der
guns if such hadt been der case.’
“’Pelief idt or nodt as you like,’ he said, ‘budt dere is a ship ashore.
I heardt der poor soulds on her screaming undt praying.’
“I looked at him, dinking he had suddenly gone crazy. Budt he looked
quite sane undt serious.
“‘Idt is a terrible ding,’ he said, ‘to die like dot midtoudt a grave
budt der sea to lay your headt in, till der judgment day ven der good
book tells us dere shall pe no more sea.’
“‘Mr. Abbott,’ I saidt, ‘I dink you hadt bedder dake your coffee undt go
to bedt. You are overtired.’
“‘I shall keep oop till der storm dies oudt,’ he saidt, undt I shall
nefer forget his voice as he saidt dot. ‘I must see vot ship dot vos dot
drove ashore.’
“Suddenly, above us, ve heardt a terrible noise as if der lighdthouse
vos peing torn to bits. Idt came from der oopper pardt of der tower. I
rushed to der foot of der steps undt vos medt py a rush of vater.
“As idt swept py me idt almost knocked me off my feedt! Righdt avay I
know vot hadt happened. A big vave hadt smashed in der light, or more
likely a big rock, hurled py der vave, hadt done der damage.
“Midt oldt man Abbott close behindt me, I fought my vay oop der steps.
“Himmel! I nefer forget vot ve findt!
“Der whole top of der lantern, idt hadt been cut off as if py a knife!
Only ragged edges of stone showed vhere idt hadt been. Der lighdthouse
vos no longer a lighdthouse, undt vos of no goodt to varn ships of der
danger.
“As ve stoodt dere annuder big vave come sweeping ofer undt half drowned
us. A big rock just missed mein headt, undt der vater go pouring down
der stairs like a cascade.
“‘Ve must go pelow undt shut der door at der bottom of der stairs,’ I
say; ‘uddervise ve pe drowned oudt.’
“Der oldt man nodded as if he only half understoodt.
“‘Yah, yah; drowned, drowned, drowned,’ he saidt to himself; ‘drowned
like der poor folk on der wreck.’
“I got him down der stairs pefore annuder big vave come, undt den shut
der door so dot no more big vaves come into der room. Budt der place vos
a sight! Dere vos six inches of vater in dere vich hadn’t flowed oudt
unter der door. Budt liddle by liddle idt drained oudt.
“No more big vaves come. Idt look as if der storm, hafing wrecked der
lighdthouse, vos content to lie down undt pe quiet for a vhile. Bimeby,
ven der vind drop, I go out py der boiler house.
“Idt hadt gone! Vere idt hadt stood dere vos nudding! Dose vaves hadt
taken idt off der rock as if idt hadt been a shellfish!
“‘Ach, dis is badt,’ I say to meinself. ‘Der lighdthouse is wrecked undt
I lose my yob!’
“Der storm died down fast, undt py der time idt vos daylighdt, dere
being nuddings to do budt to sit round undt vait for der supply boat to
come back, I dropped off into a soundt sleep. I vakened oop an hour or
two later. Der kitchen vere ve hadt been sitting vos empty. I vent up
into der ruins of der lamp, budt oldt man Abbott vos not dere eidder.
“I call for him budt dere comes no answer. Den I go oudtside on der rock
undt I findt him. He is lying very still on der edge of der vater. Close
py him is a big log vich look like part of der spar of a ship. Preddy
soon I see dat dere is someting on der spar, undt I look undt see dot
idt is a man. He is quite dead, dat I see by a look adt his face.
“Den I look again. Undt den I see vy oldt man Abbott lies so still on
der edge of der rock. Der face of der man on der spar vos der face of
his son Harry! Undt oldt man Abbott is deadt.
“Der ship dot der oldt man, in some mysterious vay, heardt drive to her
death on der rocks, vos his son’s ship, der vun on vich he vos making
his homevard voyage. Vell, for a day I stay on der rock midt der dead
fadder undt der deadt son, undt den der relief ship come. Dey bury der
oldt man undt der boy side py side der next day, undt I leave dot part
of der country; undt since den I nefer see a lighdthouse budt I dink of
oldt man Abbott undt der homevard bound son he never saw.”
Not long after the conclusion of the old sailor’s story, which left him
glum and taciturn, the white spiral of the Sombrero Island Light came
into view, sticking up like a finger on the sandy islet whose name it
bore. As they drew closer, Jack could make out a solitary figure on the
beach. It was the light keeper, who was soon greeting them with
heartfelt gratitude. He was probably a young man, but the anxiety he had
been through had aged him in a few nights.
While the sailors were unloading the provisions and water, for drinking
water on that desolate island could only be caught in tanks when it
rained, Jack visited the other light keeper. He found him much better
than he had been when the wireless message was sent out. In fact, after
some of the remedies Dr. Flynn had sent had been administered, he
declared he would be strong enough to go about his duty that night.
The light keepers explained that they were doubly anxious for a sight of
the relief ship, for her appearance meant that they would go on a
month’s vacation, their places to be taken by two other men the relief
craft was bringing out. Before they left the island, Jack had the
satisfaction of spying a distant sail on the horizon. The light keeper,
who was up and about, scrutinized it through his glass. He broke into an
exclamation of thankfulness the next minute.
“It’s the old _Solitaire_, sure enough!” he cried. “She must have been
delayed by storms.”
“Looks as if one of der top masdts, idt has been carried avay,” declared
Schultz, who had borrowed the glass.
“Is the _Solitaire_ the relief ship?” asked Jack.
“Yes; the same old schooner that always comes. Oh, won’t Barney be glad!
It’ll be better to him than medicine.” And the keeper of the light ran
toward the tower to tell his companion the good news.
And so, as they rowed back to the ship, they left the light keepers
happy, but nevertheless old Schultz shook his head as he spoke of them.
“Aber, I’d radder pe a sea-cook dan a keeper py a lighdthouse,” he said
with deep conviction; and added, nodding his head solemnly, “I know.”