T 2 o'clock on a winter's night,
the Narka, a fresh flBherman of
about 00 tons, snrcndlng her
sails to n brisk nor west breeze, slid
'between the high bluffs nt the mouth
of tlie little cove, nml putting her
bows Into n heavy southeast swell
'the aftermath of a recent gale
plunged out to sen.
The night was clear and crisp. Over
head an oval moon shone bright and
cold in a star-studded sky. On the
starboard bow, Chcbucta Head, grim
and forbidding, lifted Its bald crown
against the stars, while the big comb
ers, rolling In from the Atlantic, broke
.against Its granite base with a dull,
ominous roar, and leaped in furious
fountains of Hashing foam, high up Its
gaunt sides.
Ahead, half a mile or so, seven or
eight small schooners, their sails
gleaming white In the light of the
moon, were standing out to sea. The
fishing licet out of Herring Cove were
bsund to the fishing grounds.
The Narka had been the last to
leave.
As the schooner passed out by Snm
bro, the skipper relinquished the
wheel to the cook and went forward
to the fo'cas'le, where the rest of the
crew, having finished their early
morning coffee, were sitting around on
the lockers enjoying a smoke.
"Fine night, boys," observed the
skipper, as he poured himself a steam
ing mug of coffee. "Quite a change
since this time yesterday. If this
weather will' only hold for a while
and let us have a few days' good fish
ing, we'll be able to celebrate Christ
mas in proper style, an' stop home for
three or four days, whether It blows,
high or low.
The Narka was a trawler, carrying
four dories and a crew of twelve, oil
told skipper, cook, eight dory-men,
and two boys. A slpgle trawl lino is
usually about forty fathoms In length
and is provided with obout sixty
hooks. At intervals of about four
;feot along the main lines, smaller
lines, about three feet In length, are
spliced; these are called "snoods" and
support the hooks. The Narka's crew
lhandled from seven to ten miles of
trawl lines, and from 30,000 to 1(5,000
'hooks. They started to bait up about
3 o'clock, and by the time they had
their gear snugly coiled In the tubs
ready for use, It was getting along
toward daylight. Meanwhile the
schooner had passed the rest of the
ileet, and run off shore about thirty-five
miles. Presently she luffed up In the
wind, and the second hand, taking a
cost of the lead, reported a depth of
fifty fathoms.
"Put the starboard boats over, boys,"
Two boots were hoisted over the
roll, lowered into the sea, and their
gear trawl tubs, anchors and buoys
were placed In them. Their crows
two men to each sprang aboard. The
schooner filled away, leaving one boat
oehlnd, and towing the other. When
alio had' run obout three-quarters of a
nllo to the eastward, she dropped the
other boat. She put out her remain
ing dories in like manner, some dis
tance opart, and then, coming about,
fitood bock to where she had loft the
first boat.
So, while the East grew gray with
the dawn, the men In the dories, toss
ing erratically over a confused tumble
of ragged seas, went to work to set
their trawls. The boot skipper, tjio
Nftor oarsman, throws out a little
anchor, to which is nttached the main
trawl lino, and a conical buoy with a
staff through It, bearing a flag. Then
the bowman rows, the skipper pays
out the trawl, dexterously throwing
the hook clear of the main line.
A man, unaccustomed to the work,
would soon have half a dozen hooks
caught in his hands and the trawl In
a hopeless tangle, but an export fisher
man will coll up or pay out mile nfter
mile of tnnvls without pricking a
finger or entangling a snood. As the
lino goes over the stern, the boat skip
per, at Intervals of forty fathoms at
taches a small weight, usually a small
stone of about ten pounds, prepared
for the purpose, and when he comes
to the end he throws over another an
chor and buoy. Ifcch dory sets about
two miles of trawl In one string; and
by that time It Is sun-up. Tho schoon
cr picks up her boats In tho same or
der she dropped them; and tho men
have breakfast. Then, almost immo
dlately she drops her dories again to
"under-run," or look, the trawls.
Tho nor' west wind is raw and cold,
and tho water Is not warm, but tho
bowman, though his hands bo numb,
Is soon sweating with his exertions,
because hauling a trawl In fifty fath
oms of water, In a sen way, Is hard
work.
Comes the head of a cod. "Dog-fish
about," grunts tho bowman. The skip
per, In sllenco, unhooks it, throws It
overboard, and renews the bait. The
bowman jerks a limber, but villainous-
looking fish into tho boat This glut
tonous rascal, a member of tho shark
tribe, generally swallows tho bait,
and, owing to tho peculiar formation
and position of Its mouth, It requires
considerable skill to extract the hook.
Tho skipper grasps tho snood with his
left hand, thrusts the gob-stick down
tho ugly throat, and with a dexterous
twist or two removes tho hook, and
throws the writhing squalus overboard.
Then, for an hour the bowman,
grunting disgustedly, hnuls In dog
fish after dog-fish, and now and then
the head of a cod, whoso body had
provided a banquet for tho marauders
'THE LITTLE DORIES
BOUNDED AND
SEAS."
of the deep. The skipper's exaspera
tion steadily lncrcoses.
The Nnrha comes nlong, and the
captain hails: "How are they comin',
boys?" The boat skipper straightens
up, and abjures the luck, in language,
lurid and emphatic. Tho captain's
face darkens; then he calls out, quiet
ly: "Toko up your trawls; we'll try
somewhere else."
When at last they got her boats and
trawls aboard for the night, tho short
December day had long sinco drawn
to a close. Tho weather continued
moderate and clear, but the sky, which
had boon of a deep blue color, had
taken on a pale, sickly hue. A change
was Imminent, but it wouldn't be Im
mediate. Tins Narha remained outsido all
night, hove-to, with 'two men, relieved
at intervals, on watch on deck. At .'5
o'clock all hands were called, and nfter
coffee, went to work, baiting up the
gear. And before daylight tho dories
were hoisted out, and sent off to mnke
a set.
After daybreak the sky began to look
gloomy, and was soon overcast with
grayish vapor. The nor'west wind
freshened in gusts, nnd lifted up a
short, swift running lop of a sea.
When the dories went out to tho un
der running, they found tho trawls
fairly loaded with fine cod and had
dock. They returned to tho schooner
dangerously deep before they hod un
dorrun half their linos, forked tho
catch aboard, and went immediately
to look tho rest of their lines.
Tho day wore on, growing gusty
and cold. Tho othor vessels of tho
floor, distrusting the look of tho wooth,
or, began to take up their gear, and
start for home. A big borkontlnc,
bound In to Halifax, passed under a
press of sail, burying hor dcep-ladon
hull In the short-plunging sens.
At noon tho Narha was alone under
tho lowering sky, on the gray wasto of
sea. Sho kopt her boats out and short
ened her trawls. At any moment u
snow squall was liable to swoop down
upon them, but tho fishing was good,
and tho men toiled on cheerfully. Tho
little dories bounded and bucked madly
In tho seas. When laden with fish, tho
scumming surges dashed In spray over
them, and sheathed them outside and
In with shell Ice. Tho men, desplto
tholr oil-skins, wcro wet to tho skin,
and very cold; and over them, llko tho
shadow of death, hung tho leaden sky.
But they worked on, careless of cold
and danger, wresting a hard harvest
from tho miserly and treacherous soa.
Christmas was coming was only twc.
days off and they would mako it a
merry one for Uiclr folks ashore.
In tho northwest, tho heavens crowd
ed up with dense, blue-black, hard
edged masses of cloud, which, twist
ing and turning, spread zcnlthward,
rapidly. Tho air grew colder tho
wind blew harder and a thin frost
fog rose froih tho sea. A snow storm
was sweeping down out of tho north.
Tho Narha signaled her boats to pick
up their trawls without delay.
She had taken three boats aboard,
and filled away to pick up tho fourth
and lost. She fairly flow, but It soon
become evident that the snow squalls
would bo upon her before sho could
reach tho boat.
"If they'd hung on to their nnchor,
we'd Burely have run across them. I
had tholr bearings and steered a
straight course. They must havo let
go, and drifted to lcoword. Anyway,
we're past whero they ought to bo.
Haul down your Jib. Then I'll let her
como about."
Tho schooner cruised about for half
an hour, showing a llare-up,and sound
ing the fog horn. Suddenly the squall
slackened its force; tho snow thinned,
and tho horizon widened around. And
as tho men on tho schooner looked
about them, they saw down to lee
ward hardly a hundred yards away,
tho dory rising and sinking bruvely to
tho swing of tho smoking sens. Tho
schooner ran down, rounded to, nnd
the dory rowed under hero lee. Tho
little craft was badly lcod-up, and tho
men, to lighten her, had Jettisoned
fish and trawl gear. As she was hoist
ed aboard, tho captain came forward
BUCKED MADLY
THE
and fronted tho men who a moment
before had been fighting for tholr very
lives, and who but for a whim of the
wind that mnde tho snow to lift, would
havo gone down to death In the deep
the skipper faced them angrily:
"Why didn't you fellows hold on to
your anchor?" ho demanded, irately.
"Expect me to pick you up rowing
and drifting all round tho ship?"
"Wo wcro hanging on to our moor
ing, skipper," nnswered tho boat skip
per. "But the rope parted, and be
fore Gordon could get his oars out sho
nearly filled on us. I had to throw
everything overboard, and bale.
"Well, you're mighty lucky," he ob
served. "If It had kept on snowing
half an hour longer, we'd never havo
got you. It's going to bo a
wild night I'm thlnkln', an' we'll havo
a Job to beat her in. Turn to now,
and close reef her foro and aft. It'll
come down again In a few minutes,
blowing hard enough to lift us out of
tho water, and cold enough to freeze
Icicles. So we'd better get hor reefed
down before everything Is froze hard."
As tho night wore on, tho gale devel
oped Into u blizzard. Tho schooner,
hold up to it by the shred of try soli,
wallowed wildly In tho Infuriated sea.
The tops of tho sons, torn off by tho
wind, swept over lior In icy showers,
and now and then bodies of broken
water tumbled aboard and surged
around tho decks. Sho mado lco ov
orywhero. fast and hard, and tho
weary, half frozen crow had to pound
continuously to keep her clear to
keep her from sinking under tho
weight of It. At times, despite their
efforts, three Inch ropes grow as stout
os a man, tho bowsprit became as big
as a church steeple, the bows, as far
us tho foremost, filled up level with
the rails, and her sides above tho wa
IN
tor lino sheathed over with lco three
feet thick.
At dawn tho blizzard blow Itself out
suddonly, tho sky cleared off, and tho
wind dropped dead. In tho clearing
light, the Narka's men saw, half a
mllo to windward, a barquotlno, under
closo-rcefed mainsail and main stay
sail. She was In a sorry plight, hor
masts, yards and rigging bolng coated
with congealed spray, and sleet, nnd
her hull from Jib-boom to taffrail, ap
parently a mcro ma83 of whlto Ice.
"That's tho fellow who passed us
yesterday," observed tho skipper.
"He's been making bad wcathor of It.
Tho poor beggars aboard of her suf
fered some last night, I'll bet comin
right out of warm weather."
Tho schooner's sails wcro cleared of
ice and hoisted, and presently a light
breeze bringing up from the north, alio
trimmed her sheets for a beat to har
bor. Tho barquontino, after a time,
got hor fore nnd aft sails up, and sent
men aloft on tho yards to clear tho lco
off tho gear. Tho Norka, making a
short tack, passed under her lco, and
tho skipper sang out:
"A wild night, Cap'. You must have
been pretty near In when It struck
down, wasn't you?"
"Ayl" answered tho master of tho
barqucntino, a big, bearded man. "I
was abreast of Snmbro, when I got
It. Couldn't stand up to It, at all.
Thought I'd havo to run hor off for tho
Gulf Strenm. She's got a llttlo lco on
her, hoy? Got to rig up dummy braces
to got my yards round. Think I'll get
a chanco to buck her In to-dny.
"It doesn't look too promlsln', Cap.
Looks to mo as If wo wcro goln' to
havo some moro dirt boforo night So
long."
Tho schooner forged ahead out of
ear-shot of tho old lco wagon, but bo
foro sho had proceeded far tho wind
died out again and loft her rolling Idly
in tho sen.
"Talk about miserly luck," growled
tho skipper lugubriously. "Wo seem
to be having a fair sharo of it. But
there's one consolation wo won't
havo to wait long for wind hereabouts
this time of year. Llko as not It'll bo
dead ahead when It comes, but wheth
er or no I'm goln' to buck hor Into
port. I promised tho wife I'd bo homo
for Christmas eve, and homo I'm goln'
to bo If this packet holds together long
enough to take mo there."
At noon a nor'eost wind came blus
tering down, and It started to snow.
Tho schooner, under her four lowers,
crashed through tho choppy seas, reel
ing off twelve knots an hour. Tho
skipper grow good-humored, and start
ed to sing cheerily
"Strike eight bells, cnl ltho watch,
Believe tho wheel nnd chain !
Oh, won't wo havo a merry tlmo
When wo got homo again."
Night came again a blnck blind
night. Tho schooner was working Into
smoother Avntor was getting well in
shore; and a man could not seo his
hand boforo his face. Sho was crawl
ing up to a coast, fringed with outly
ing shoals and Isolated rocks; feeling
her way through the utter dark with
tho lead. Ordinarily the skipper would
havo waited for tho weather to clear,
and let him seo whero ho was; but to
night was Christmas ovo and ho had
promised his wife to spend it at home.
So ho boat her in through tho smother,
groping his way by luck and lead up
Oiobucto Bay.
Presently, as she roared along on tho
starboard tnck, they heard tho report
of a gun and the sound of a tug whis
tle coming faintly through tho whir
ring snow.
"Chebucto head, boys," cried tho
skipper. "Tack ship. We'll mako tho
cove next leg." Tho schooner stood
away on the port tack, for a fow miles.
Then, as she camo about and stood in
toward tho land again, tho snow thin
ned, nnd they saw ahead, a point on
hor loo bow, tho glimmer of a red light
tho harbor light of Herring Covo.
And presently tho Narka shot between
tho high bluffs at tho harbor entrnnco
out of tho boisterous fury of a mid'
winter's gnlo into the calm of her de
sired haven.
A fortnight thereafter tho Yarmouth
barquontino, battered and leaking,
with half hor sails blown awny, and
half hor crew frozen and helpless in
tho fo'castlc, crept wearily into tho
harbor of Halifax. Montreal Star.
For Sveut Charily' Sake.
Mother I left 10 cents on this bu
reau. Did you take It, Tommy?
Tommy Why cr yes'm; I gavo It
to a poor lame man that has a wlfo
and four children to support.
Motnor indeed.' wuoro old you
seo this poor lomo man?
Tommy Why, ho was out in tho
street sollin' popcorn an' candy.
Catholic Standard.
A Rood Start.
Mamma Gracious, Harold! What
are you doing with tho dictionary.
Harold You know, mammn, I'm go
Ing to bo a doctor when l grow up,
and I thought I'd begin by cutting out
tho appendix." Judge.
When a wedding is described as
"simple," it means there wcro at least
six people In Uio parade, and that
there wos uu orchestra, and a dotec
tivo to guard the presents. 4
AGES OF RAILWAY CHIEFS.
AiillcnUon of Onlcr Theory to OreM
" Amcrlcnn Iniltialry.
Application of Professor Oslor's
"age" theory to tho prcsklenta of sev
enteen of the greatest railroad sys
tems of tho United States, fiayu the
Now York Evening Post, discloses the
Interesting fact that every ono of thceo
executives must have long passed the(
limit of constructive usefulness, and
thnt seven of them, including Jnmos J.
Hill of tho Great Northern; A. J. Gaa
Bott of tho Pennsylvania nnd Edward
T. Jeffrey, president of tho Itlo Grande
and Georgo J. Gould's personal rail
road ndvlBcr, havo already lingered,
sovornl years beyond Professor Oslor'a
limit of rotlromont. E. II. Hnrrlmau
of tho Union Pacific system escapes
this fata by throo years, having had
his fiTth birthday on Feb. 25 last
An odd fact brought to light by tho
examination of theso prominent rail
road men's ages Is that not ono of the
Bovonteen was born after tho war o
tho robolllon. Nono of them la under
CO years of ago.
James J. Hill Is tho oldest of tho ex
ecutives enumerated, having boon
born in 1S3S, but his activity In North
western Railroad affairs Is undhnln-
shed, in spltq of tho "ago" theory. A.
J. Cassatt ranks second, with GO yoars.
to his credit, nnd Marvin Hughltt,
president of tho Chicago $z Northwest
ern road, follows Mr. Cassatt, bolmf
04 years old. E. T. Jeffroy, Roswoll
Miller, cluilrmnn of tho St Paul, and
Thomas Lowry of tho Minneapolis, St
aul & Sault Sto. Mnrlo admit oa
years each. E. P. Ripley, president of
tho Atchison, Is 00 years old, whllo
Samuel Spencer of tho Southern Rail
way, W. II. Newman of tho Now Yorlc
Central, and Oscar G. Murray of the
Baltimore & Ohio, nro 58. Joseph
Ramsey, Jr., who Is pushing tho Wa-
ash through to tho Atlantic sonboard,
is 55, and so Is Frederick D. Undor
wood of tho Erie.
W. II. Trucsdnlo, who has boon
called upon for vigorous planning and
nitiatlvo In reconstructing nnd mod
ernizing tho Lackawanna, Is 54, which
Is also tho ago of President O. S. Mel
lon, lately brought to tho Now Havon
to Introduce up-to-doto modern meth
ods. Stuyvcsont Fish of tho Illinois
Central is in tho Borne rank. James
M. Barr, ono of tho highest salnrlod
oxceutlvcs of tho country, having re
ceived a bonus of $100,000 to como to
tho road, Is building up tho Seaboard
Air Lino as tho youth of sovontoon
representative railroad men, bolng only
50 years old.
In view of tho fact that "railroad
ing" is regarded an a peculiarly wear
ing and exhausting occupation, this la
a very romarkoblo showing. It lias a
bearing, also, on a favorite "Oslorlsm"
of industrial philosophers somo years
ago, to tho effect that tho day had1
como when young men must bo put In
charge of our great enterprises, be
cause men past middle llfo could not,
keep up tho pneo.
NURSES IN THE NAVY.
Snrgcon General Itlxny Uonomnicnilii
Employment of Women.
Tho surgeon general of tho navy haa
made a strong plea for tho employ
ment of women nurses in tho naval
medical service. "That womon nursea
aro by natural endowment and apti
tude," says he, "superior to malo
nurses for much of tho duty required
In tho enre of sick and Injured men la.
generally admitted. Every war ofl
modern times has demonstrated thisi
fact Tho medical department of tho
army Is now provided with a crops of'
tralndd ,womcn nurses, and their adap-'
tablllty to sorvico conditions In the!
naval hospitals, insures for the sick,
of tho navy as careful nursing as la'
now given to tho sick of tho army.
"Valuable assistance, moreover, in,
teaching nnd training tho men of tho
hospital corps their special duties of
attendance on tho sick could bo ren
dered by them, and, In tho event of
war, besides being utilized on hospital
ships, they could, in largo part, tako
tho place of tho men In tho naval hos
pitals, thereby releasing tho latter
for sorvico with tho forco alloat whero
they would bo needed. In the opinion
of tho bureau, provision should bo
made for ono superintendent of nurses
to .supervise tho discipline of tho
corps, and as many ehipf nurses,
nurses nnd reserve nurses as may bo
needed, In tho discretion of the Secre
tary of tho Navy. In time of poaco
tho number of such trained womon
nurses would be very small, but tho
organization should be such ns to ad
mit of ready expansion to met extra
ordinary needs without delay or con
fusion. Tho recommendation of tho
bureau that Congress bo asked to au
thorize tho uppolntmont of trained
womon nurses hns heretoforo met
with tho approval of the department,
but necessary legislation has so far
failed of enactment, tho bureau has
renowed its recommendation that leg
islation authorizing tho employment of!
trained womon nurses for tho navy,
bo requested of Congress." Washing
ton Star.
Tho white man's burdeu: Tho llllea
of tho field who toll not, neither dx
they spin, and yet llvo well.