From Mrs. Arkell's we walked back to Clancy's boarding house. Clancy
wanted to see how they made out with the punch. We found several of
them up in the wind, and so no great danger of them. But two or three
of them, Dave Campbell particularly, were running wild. "Boomed out
and driving," said Clancy, and began to remonstrate with Dave on the
evils of intemperance. He went on quite awhile, but Dave showed no
signs of remorse. "Wait and I'll fix him," said Clancy, and obeying a
motioning with his head two or three of the sober ones followed him
out.
He led the way to the wood-shed next door where there was a goat, and
the goat we carried up three flights of stairs to Campbell's room. He
was a big, able goat, and we had quite a time to get him up stairs. At
last we got him tied to the post of Campbell's bed. Then we went down
stairs to the kitchen and Clancy persuaded Campbell to go up stairs to
bed, which after awhile he did. It was not yet morning and there was
no light in the bedroom. We took our position on the landing outside
where we could hear everything that went on in Campbell's room, which
was just at the head of the stairs.
Dave went in and we could hear him falling over something in the dark.
"What's it?" we could hear him, and acting as if he was feeling
around. Taking off our shoes we crawled nearer. We could barely make
out his shadow in the dark, but we could easily hear him talking to
himself. "What's it? Eh, what?" He must have been feeling the horns
then, and the goat must have butted him. Again, and once more, for out
the door and down the stairs went Dave. We ran in and cut the goat
loose and down he went after Dave. The whole three flights they
raced.
"He's got me at last," hollered Dave, bolting into the kitchen,
slamming the door behind him and bracing himself against it.
We took the goat and put him back in the wood-shed and came back to
the kitchen by way of the window. Dave, who was still braced against
the door, did not know but what we had been in the kitchen all the
time, and that gave Clancy a fine chance to take up his lecture on
intemperance just where he had left it off,--at the very beginning.
"Intemperance, Dave, is an awful thing. You'll have to be doing
something for it soon, I think. Yes, when the devil himself gives you
a call it's time to do something. You'd better come with me and take
the pledge. Come up now to Father Haley."
"I'm a Pres--a Pres--a Pres--by--ter--ian, Tommie."
"Well, come with me to your church then--any church at all. What's the
odds, so long's you reform. Here, we'll do it right here now. Come,
hold up your hand," and then and there Clancy was about to get Dave to
promise not to look a glass of liquor or punch in the face for a year
again, when who comes bouncing in but Eddie Parsons.
"Hurroo!" said Clancy, forgetting Dave and grabbing Eddie by the
shoulder, "and the Duncan's home?"
"She is," said Eddie, "and four hundred and fifty barrels of mackerel
coming out of her hold. A dozen lumpers getting 'em out from both
holds and two at a lick they're coming onto Duncan's Dock. And what
d'y'think, Tommie----"
"But what kept you so long, man? We've all been getting heart disease
waiting for you."
"I know. We ought to've been in yesterday mornin', or in the
afternoon at the latest, for we swung her off Tuesday night
midnight--plenty of time with a fair wind. But on Wednesday afternoon,
coming like a race-horse--wung out--we sighted a dory and two men in
it signalizing. Astray they were, and we took 'em aboard, and all
that night we stood by. And warn't it chafing? Oh, no! Daylight came
thick and we waited for it to clear, keeping the horn goin'. It
lifted and we got another dory, but it was late afternoon then.
Then their vessel came along with all the others accounted for, and we
turned over our two and went on our way. And maybe she didn't come!
Oh, no! Blowing? A living gale all the time, but the skipper kept her
going. You'd hardly b'lieve if I told you where we was yesterday
afternoon and we here now. A no'the-easter and a howler all the way.
At four o'clock we passed in by the bell-buoy. Man, such a blow!
Are we in the race, you say? Are we! And oh, the skipper says for you
and Joe to be down after breakfast. We all knew you'd get home and be
all right with Tom O'Donnell. So be down after breakfast--the skipper
will be looking for you both. But say, let me tell you. What
d'y'think? Coming into the harbor a while ago who d'y' s'pose was
out in the stream with a lighter alongside his vessel? Who but Sam
Hollis and the Withrow. Yes, and the gang putting ballast back in
her."
"No?"
"Yes. And some one of them sees us going by in the dark. And we did go
by, too! 'Lord!' says somebody--'twas Withrow himself--'but if that
don't look like the ghost of Maurice Blake's vessel!' 'Yes,' hollers
back the skipper--and they must've been some surprised to hear
him--'and the ghost'll be with you to-morrow in the race. Yes,' the
skipper says, 'and we're all ready for it. Four weeks since we've been
on the ways and maybe a scrubbing wouldn't hurt her, but if it keeps
a-blowin' who'll mind that? Not the Johnnie.' Oh, Tommie, if you'd
seen her comin' across the Bay of Fundy yesterday afternoon and last
night. Did she come?--did she come? Lord--O Lord----"
"And so that's Withrow--got his vessel tuned up like a fiddle and
now he's putting extra ballast in her. Blast him and Hollis for
schemers!" said Clancy. "And that's how it comes they're so ready
to bet--stiffenin' her so stiff for to-morrow that they know
something'll happen to the others first. But the Johnnie's a bit
stiff, too--and there's no ballast out of her. And, as the skipper
says, maybe we ain't been on the ways for a few weeks now, but Lord,
the Johnnie ought to be able to drag a few little blades of sea-grass
on her hull in this breeze. And so we're in the race, heh? Dave, I
can't stop to give you the pledge now--
Oh, the Johnnie Duncan fast and able,
Good-by, dear, good-by, my Mabel."
And Clancy was the joyful man as he awoke the echoes in the gray of
that stormy morning.