The Sandman: His Sea Stories Part 9

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Its wings were enormous. Little Sol thought they were almost as long as the main-top-gallant yard if you could measure them spread out, as the bird was sailing. And little Jacob looked very wise and he said that he didn't know how long the main-top-gallant yard was, but he should think they might measure two fathom and a half from tip to tip. And little Jacob felt rather proud when he had said that, because he had guessed in fathoms.

Little Sol looked rather scornful and said "Huh!" And then little Jacob asked him what kind of a bird it was, and little Sol didn't know. Then little Jacob said "Huh!" So they went to ask Mr. Steele or Captain Solomon. Captain Solomon was standing right behind them, and he was smiling because he had heard what the boys said. And he said that the bird was an albatross, and that little Jacob was pretty nearly right about the length of its wings. Little Sol was taken down a peg and didn't say anything.

Then Captain Solomon went on to say that albatrosses often followed ships for days together, and the sailors never could see that they had to move their wings, but they sailed along just as fast as the ship sailed. He had seen lots of them in his time, but he had never seen them do anything else but sail, just as that one was doing then. And how they managed it, he didn't know, and n.o.body else knew, so far as he had ever heard.

Then little Sol asked what the bird was following the ship for. And Captain Solomon said that he supposed that the albatross was following the ship to get the sc.r.a.ps that the cook threw overboard. At least, he didn't know any other reason, and the albatross took the sc.r.a.ps, anyway. They were like sharks in that way.

Then little Sol asked him if they couldn't catch the albatross with a hook and a piece of pork, as they had caught the shark. And Captain Solomon said that they could, but that Sol had better not try it, if he knew what was good for him; for the sailors thought that it always brought the worst kind of luck to a ship to kill an albatross, and he didn't know but they were right. And little Jacob was glad Captain Solomon said that, for he didn't want the albatross killed, but he would rather watch it sailing along with the ship.

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So n.o.body tried to do any harm to the albatross, but the men were all glad that it was there. And the little boys watched it almost all of that day. And the next day it was there, and they watched it, and they watched it the day after the next, too; but the morning after that it wasn't there.

Little Jacob was sorry that it had gone, and the sailors were sorry, and they said that there would be a change of weather. And little Jacob went down into the cabin to write all about the albatross in the log-book and to see the barometer, to see whether it said that the weather would change. The barometer was what Captain Solomon called "the gla.s.s," and people could tell, by looking at it, whether it was going to be stormy or not.

And that's all.

THE DERELICT STORY

Once upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great ships came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep hill to that wharf, and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go down the steep hill on the narrow road, for there wasn't any other way.

And because ships had come there for a great many years, and all the sailors and all the captains and all the men who had business with the ships had to go on that narrow road, the flagstones that made the sidewalk were much worn. That was a great many years ago.

The wharf was Captain Jonathan's and Captain Jacob's, and they owned the ships that sailed from it; and, after their ships had been sailing from that wharf in the little city for a good many years, they changed their office to Boston.

Once, in the long ago, the brig _Industry_ was tied up at a wharf in Boston. The wharf was much longer than any wharf in Boston is now, for they have filled up the dock that was there with stones and dirt, and they have put more stones and dirt on the top of the old wharf and under it, and they have built a street there, so that the wharf is not half so long as it used to be. And Captain Jonathan and Captain Jacob had their office on India Street, not very far from the head of the wharf, as it used to be, so that they could go to their ships easily and the captains could go to them.

The _Industry_ had aboard all the things that the sailors would eat and the water that they would drink; and the cargo was all stowed, and the sailors were all on the ship and the sails were loosed. And Captain Solomon came from the office of Captain Jonathan and Captain Jacob, and he walked down the wharf and he went aboard the ship. Then the sailors cast off the ropes that had held her, and they hoisted the sails and sailed away. They sailed out of the harbor and past the islands and into the bay and then into the great ocean, and Boston was left far astern.

And, when they had been gone from Boston nearly a week, the sailors fixed the sails so that the wind would blow on them the right way, and then they didn't have to change them for a long time, for they were in the part of the ocean that the trade winds blow over. In this part of the ocean the winds blow nearly always from about north-east, so that they are fair winds for a ship that is going south. That is one reason why ships don't always go the way that you would think would be the shortest, for it may be that, by going a way that is a little longer, they will be helped so much by the winds that they will get to the place where they are going sooner than if they went a shorter way.

And there is another reason why ships do not always go the shortest way.

In some parts of the ocean the ocean water is moving in one direction and in other parts of the ocean the water is moving in another direction. So, if a captain knows about these ocean currents, he can sail in that part of the ocean where the water is moving in the direction that he wants to go, and the ocean and the winds will both help the ship. Every captain of a ship knows about these ocean currents and these winds, and chooses the part of the ocean where they will help his ship along. Captain Solomon knew all about them.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "CAPTAIN SOLOMON ... WAS WATCHING THE MOON"]

So the _Industry_ sailed along, and she had got almost to the place where she would be past the trade winds; and it had got to be the evening of that day, and the sun had set a long time, but the moon had just risen. And Captain Solomon was standing by the rail, and he was watching the moon and the reflection of the moonlight on the water, and he was thinking that he wished the _Industry_ could sail right up that broad path of moonlight forever; for it was very beautiful. Captain Solomon had such thoughts sometimes, but he didn't tell anybody about them, for they would think he was crazy, and the mates and the sailors wouldn't like to sail in any ship that he was the captain of. And while he was thinking these thoughts he was startled by the cry of the lookout who was on the forecastle near the bow.

"Hard a-port! Hard a-port!"

And Captain Solomon gave one great jump for the wheel. "Hard a-port, you lubber!" he cried. "Can't you hear?"

And he grabbed the wheel and whirled it over, and the ship swung off, but she didn't swing very quickly, for the _Industry_ wasn't very quick at minding her helm. But she did mind it in time, and just as she swung off she shot past something floating. And Captain Solomon looked and he saw that the floating thing was the hull of a great ship. The masts were all gone close to the deck and the hulk barely showed above the water, so that the waves washed over it, although there wasn't much of a sea and the waves weren't high at all. And when he saw that they were safely past the wreck, he turned the wheel the other way, and brought the _Industry_ back again, and he had the sailors change some of the sails so that she wouldn't go ahead.

Then he called the sailor who had been on the forecastle, looking out, and he gave that sailor a blowing up, and he was very angry and he blew the man sky-high. He said that it was nothing but luck that they weren't all sent to the bottom, for the _Industry_ was heading straight for the floating hulk, and if they had struck it, their chances wouldn't have been worth one of his grandmother's cookies. And he said some other things; and the sailor didn't answer back, for it is not a good plan to answer back to the captain, especially if that captain was Captain Solomon and was angry. But he seemed ashamed and slunk back muttering that he wasn't blind and he was keeping as good a lookout as could be expected, and n.o.body could have imagined that there would be that old hulk right in their course, anyway. But Captain Solomon didn't hear him, which was lucky for him.

Then Captain Solomon ordered the mate to have out a boat and go and see what the hulk was, and whether, by chance, there was anybody aboard of it, or anything to tell when she had been abandoned. And he told the mate to take with him a good supply of oil and some oak.u.m and to set fire to the wreck as soon as he was through with her. And the mate had the sailors get out the boat, and he took the oak.u.m and a big bucket of oil, and he was rowed away to the wreck, that was about a quarter of a mile away by that time and shining in the moonlight. And Captain Solomon saw the boat come near the wreck and make fast under her stern, and he saw the mate go on board.

The mate went a little way down the cabin stairs, but he couldn't go all the way down because the cabin was full of water that washed to and fro as the hulk rolled in the ocean. And n.o.body was there. And the mate looked everywhere that he could go, and he found n.o.body. He couldn't look into the cook's galley, because the galley had been washed overboard; but he looked into the forecastle, and that had water in it, too, washing to and fro over the floor. But he saw that the clothes of the sailors were all gone except one thing which was washing about in the water on the floor, that looked as if it had been there a long time, and he couldn't make out what it was.

So he went back to the stern and asked the sailors if they could make out the name or the port of the ship on the stern; for every ship has its name and the name of the city where it belongs painted on the stern.

And the sailors said that there wasn't enough of the name left to tell what it was, but it seemed to be a French name. So the mate went back and he put three piles of oak.u.m, one up in the bow, and one in the stern, and one half way between the two. And he soaked the oak.u.m with oil and he poured oil on everything that was dry, and he set fire from the lantern which he carried. Then he hurried to get off and into the boat, and the sailors cast off. And, before they got off, the mate saw that there was seaweed high up on the hulk, which showed that she had drifted about, as she was, for a long time. And the fire blazed up, and they hurried to get away from the wreck.

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The fire blazed up, higher and higher, as the boat went back to the _Industry_, so that it was roaring by the time the sailors climbed aboard. And they hoisted the boat up, and put it in its place, and Captain Solomon had the sailors change the sails so that the ship would go ahead on her course. And the mate was on the quarter deck, telling Captain Solomon what he had seen. When the mate had got through Captain Solomon thought for a long time.

"That's the Frenchman that was abandoned off Hatteras more'n a year ago," said Captain Solomon at last. "They thought she was sinking. She must have been carried by the currents up towards Norway, maybe, and then down past the west coast of France and Spain. I've heard of derelicts doing that, but I've never seen it before."

And the mate didn't say anything, but they watched the wreck burning. It burned fiercely, but the flames didn't blaze very high, for she hadn't any masts nor any rigging. And the light of the fire made the moonlight look pale and white. And they watched her getting farther and farther away as the _Industry_ sailed on her course.

"I hope," said Captain Solomon, "that there's something aboard of her to sink her."

And just as he said that they saw the light of the fire go out suddenly, and where it had been there was nothing but some smoke in the air and the moon was shining brightly all around.

And that's all.

THE LIGHTHOUSE STORY

Once upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great ships came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep hill to that wharf and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go down the steep hill on the narrow road, for there wasn't any other way.

And because ships had come there for a great many years and all the sailors and all the captains and all the men who had business with the ships had to go on that narrow road, the flagstones that made the sidewalks were much worn. That was a great many years ago.

The wharf was Captain Jonathan's and Captain Jacob's and they owned the ships that sailed from it; and, after their ships had been sailing from that wharf in the little city for a good many years, they changed their office to Boston. After that their ships sailed from a wharf in Boston.

Once the brig _Industry_ was coming back from far countries to that wharf in Boston, and little Jacob and little Sol were on her. And, when she was nearly in sight of the end of Cape Cod, a great storm came up, and the wind blew like Sam Hill. It blew harder than it had blown at any time while the _Industry_ was sailing over the wide ocean to the far countries and back again. So, at last, Captain Solomon had to turn her around and run for it. But he ran as slow as he could, for he wanted to get to Boston; and he growled and grumbled all the time because he had to go the way he didn't want to.

Little Jacob had been feeling rather excited and very glad because he was so nearly home again. But, when the _Industry_ turned around and sailed away from Boston, he didn't feel glad any more, but he felt rather mournful. And he was just a little bit frightened at the great wind and at the great waves; for Captain Solomon hadn't turned around until he was obliged to, and that was the last minute that it was safe to keep on. It was getting dark, and Captain Solomon thought it would be a pity to run the risk of getting wrecked on the Cape when the brig had gone all the way to Manila and back safely. So little Jacob crept into his bunk and held on tight, because the ship was pitching and rolling so much, and he tried to go to sleep. At last he went to sleep; but he had horrid dreams.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "AT LAST HE WENT TO SLEEP"]

Captain Solomon was on deck all that night, and he had on his oilskins and he was sopping wet outside the oilskins, but inside them he was dry as a bone; for oilskins keep the water out beautifully. And the spray was flying high above the rail and, once in a while, the top of a wave would come aboard in solid green water. But Captain Solomon didn't mind the water. He was only very angry at having to sail away from Boston.

The storm kept on for nearly three days and little Jacob was pretty miserable but little Sol enjoyed it. Little Sol wasn't so anxious to get home as little Jacob was. And, at last, one morning when little Jacob woke he didn't feel the ship pitching as she had been, and he was surprised to find that he was a little bit excited once more. And he went on deck as soon as he could, and he found that the wind was still blowing pretty hard but not so hard as it had been blowing, and the ship was headed for Boston again. And all the sailors looked cheerful. And Captain Solomon was the most cheerful of all, although he needed some sleep.

"Well, Jacob," he said, "we're headed for home again. I guess you're glad."

"Yes, sir," said little Jacob, smiling, "I am glad. When shall we get there?"

"If this breeze holds," said Captain Solomon, "we'll get in before dark to-night. But I'm afraid it won't hold."