The Light Keepers Part 10

Another answer from the whistle, and the bow of the recklessly-steered craft came from out the fog not thirty feet away, while Captain Eph sprang to the oars, pulling the little dory for dear life out of the track of the steamer.

He worked with a will, and as the huge hull pa.s.sed, disappearing almost immediately in the vapor, the dory was hardly more than ten yards from the mighty paddles, which would, despite the fact that the course had been shifted, have crushed the little boat into splinters, but for the old keeper's exertions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "YOU LUBBERS!" CAPTAIN EPH SCREAMED.]

"You lubbers!" Captain Eph screamed as he leaped to his feet and shook his fist in the direction where the steamer had disappeared. "Get a scow the next time you go out sailin', for you ain't fit to run anything that goes by steam!"

It is not probable the words were heard by those on the wildly steered craft; but the speaking of them seemed to do the old keeper a world of good, although he was very nearly thrown over-board by the violent tossing of the dory on the swell raised by the wheels.

"I've been knockin' about at sea, man an' boy, pretty much all my life, except for the spell I was in the army, an' that's the closest shave I ever had!" Captain Eph cried as he pulled in the oars to wipe the perspiration from his face. "We jest squeaked out of it, an' that's about all you can say, holdin' to the truth!"

"Did you make out what steamer it was?" Sidney asked, raising the question not so much because he was eager for information, as to hide the terror which he feared might be read on his face.

"If I had, I'd pull this 'ere dory all the way to the mainland for the sake of reportin' 'em as a crew of lunatics what ought'er be locked up before they drown themselves! It was some pleasure craft, manned by a lot of idjuts who most likely think they are sailormen because of once havin' sailed a toy boat in a wash-tub," and Captain Eph took up the oars again. "I reckon we'll let that put an end to our fishin' for this day."

Sidney was by no means sorry to go back to the ledge; he had begun to realize what deadly dangers might lurk behind that dense, gray vapor, and was eager to be in the comparative security of the light-house once more.

Captain Eph did not cease scolding at the "imitation sailors," as he called them, until the bow of the dory was run into the narrow channel between the rocks, where Mr. Peters could be dimly seen at work on the motor boat.

"Did you find out what steamer that was which went past here a little while ago?" Mr. Peters asked without raising his head, and the old keeper remained silent, as if he had cause for complaint against the first a.s.sistant.

Then Captain Eph proceeded to haul the dory up into the cement boat-house, by the aid of the windla.s.s, Sidney a.s.sisting to the best of his ability, and Mr. Peters repeated the question.

Not until the fish had been laid out on the rocks ready for cleaning, and the boat properly cared for, did the keeper speak, and then he told the whole story to his a.s.sistant, concluding by saying:

"The master of that 'ere craft ought'er lose his certificate, an' spend the rest of his nat'ral life in jail, to prevent him from doin'

mischief. The idee of cruisin' 'round here without knowin' where this light was!"

"Most like he got mixed up by the fog, an' was goin' it blind," Mr.

Peters suggested so calmly that Captain Eph really lost his temper, and cried angrily:

"If you don't hold your tongue, Sammy, I shall begin to think you're almost as big a fool as the cap'n of that 'ere steamer!" and having thus apparently relieved his mind, the keeper marched stiffly toward the tower.

"Chafin' under the collar, eh, lad?" Mr. Peters said with a smile, to Sidney. "I allow he's had reason to get riled, an' it did him a whole lot of good to blow off on me. Wa'al, I'm glad I gave him the chance, for it didn't hurt a little bit, an' he'll feel a heap better."

Then Mr. Peters turned his attention once more to the work in hand, and Sidney was doubtful as to whether he should follow the keeper, or remain where he was, until Uncle Zenas came out of the tower, saying as he approached the lad:

"That 'ere fool steamer has riled Cap'n Eph so bad that I don't reckon there's any chance he'll raise his hand towards cleanin' these fish, an'

the whole brunt of the work falls on me, as it allers does. Come with me, Sonny, if you've got nothin' better to do, an' I don't reckon you have, 'cause there's precious little goin' on 'round here, 'cept when the inspector comes."

"How often does he visit you?" Sidney asked, thinking it necessary to do something toward starting a conversation.

"He makes a reg'lar inspection of every blessed thing four times a year, an' sometimes the tender comes oftener to pay us off; but we can't really count on that last."

"Don't you ever go to the mainland on a vacation?"

"Oh, bless you, yes, every once in a while. I was off three years ago last July, an' the year before that Cap'n Eph went; but Sammy sticks here pretty close. He allows that it makes a man flighty to go gallivantin' 'round as much as I do, but I tell him he's so flighty already that he couldn't well be any worse."

"Could you go oftener if you wanted to?"

"Bless you, lad, yes, so long as two were left behind to look after the light; but 'cordin' to my idee we're away as much as is good for us."

"Don't you ever get lonesome, especially in the winter, when no one can land on the ledge?" Sidney asked, and Uncle Zenas replied as if in surprise.

"Why should we? Ain't three of us enough for company? When all hands get to loafin' 'round the kitchen I think it's reg'larly crowded. The fact of the matter is, Sonny, we don't really have time for anything of that kind. What with keepin' the place cleaned 'cordin' to the rules an'

regerlations, an' doin' the odd ch.o.r.es, about all the time is so took up we couldn't be lonesome if we wanted to; but we don't."

Uncle Zenas had been industriously cleaning the fish while talking, and the task was nearly finished when, after a long time of silence, Sidney asked timidly:

"Had you just as soon tell me why all the crew call me 'Sonny,' when my right name is Sidney?"

"Wa'al, I can't say, 'cept that Cap'n Eph is allers talkin' 'bout his little Sonny, what died ever so many years ago, an' when he gave the name to you, it come kind'er nat'ral for Sammy an' me to use it."

Sidney dimly understood that Captain Eph had done him a great favor by calling him Sonny, and from that moment, while he remained on Carys'

Ledge, he felt in a certain degree slighted when any other name was bestowed upon him.

Uncle Zenas explained that only a few of the fish would be cooked at once, while the remainder were to be put into pickle until the sun shone, when, spread out on the rocks, they could be cured.

"Then they'll be somethin' worth talkin' about," the cook said as Sidney helped him carry into the tower such of the morning's catch as were to be served for dinner. "Folks ash.o.r.e will eat most anything that looks like a salt fish, an' think it's jest what it ought'er be, the poor, ignorant things! I'll show you some with pork sc.r.a.ps that'll make your eyes water, if you stay here long enough."

At this point Captain Eph came down from the upper portion of the tower looking as calm and contented as before the experience on the shoal, and, noting the change, Uncle Zenas asked as he set about frying the fish:

"Feel better now?"

"Indeed I do," the keeper replied emphatically. "I've writ down in the log all I know about the lubbers what came so near stavin' in our dory, an' if the Board don't do somethin' toward stoppin' sich recklessness, it'll be because they don't care anything 'bout Government property an'

them as are hired to look out for it."

"But how can anything be done when you don't know the name of the steamer?" Uncle Zenas asked in perplexity, and Captain Eph replied sharply:

"It ain't for me to show the Government how things should be done. I've let the Board know how they came near to losin' a light keeper, an' it's their business to put a stop to sich fool work as runnin' full speed between the buoy an' the ledge. Wa'al, Sonny," and the keeper turned toward Sidney, "what's your idee of deep-sea fishin'?"

"There's lots of fun in it; but I believe that I'd rather not go out again while the fog is so thick."

"The fog ain't half so bad as imitation sailormen; but it isn't likely we'll need to go again very soon, because Uncle Zenas has got all the fish he can take care of for quite a spell. We'll have fresh cod for dinner, corned cod for breakfast, an' so on till there's a chance for boiled salt cod with plenty of pork."

When a lad is eager to be of a.s.sistance to those around him, there is always ample opportunity, and during the remainder of this day Sidney found something with which to occupy his time. More than once was he able to render valuable service in the work of repairing the boat; Uncle Zenas declared that the lad had "helped him out wonderfully," and Captain Eph discovered that the visitor's penmanship was very much more legible than his own, therefore the "report" to the Board relative to the coming of a boat belonging to the schooner _West Wind_ was copied neatly, with much advantage, so far as the general appearance of the doc.u.ment was concerned.

At the supper table Mr. Peters announced that his task would be completed by noon of the next day, and proposed that Sidney try the motor to make certain it was in running order.

"Don't undertake to leave the cove, Sonny," Captain Eph said quickly, "unless it so be that this 'ere fog mull lifts, in which case I'll go with you."

"I'll undertake to run that boat to the mainland, fog or no fog!" Mr.

Peters cried. "Do you mean to say, Cap'n Eph, that you allow to wait for clear weather before we take your report ash.o.r.e?"

"If you can run the motor, Sammy, you're at liberty to make the trip any time you please; but I won't allow Sonny to take chances," the keeper said very decidedly.

"Perhaps you think I can't be trusted to steer for him even in fair weather?" Mr. Peters cried impatiently.

"So far as runnin' a boat from here to the mainland, I'd trust you, Sammy, in any weather, day or night, for there's n.o.body who could do it better; but for all that, when Sonny runs the motor, I shall be at the helm every time, for I ain't takin' any chances."