FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76  
77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   >>   >|  
Augustine. "She went into that inlet," said Washburn. "But there isn't water enough in it to float the Islander," I replied. "I think she did not go in far, if at all. The wind was off shore yesterday, and under the lee of the land there is no sea of any consequence, except what is caused by the rollers. If the captain of that schooner has given the time correctly, it shows that the Islander went to sea about an hour and half before we did. That will put her thirty miles ahead of us," Washburn explained; and his reasoning seemed to be correct. "The Islander put in somewhere, or she would have been two hundred and forty miles farther on the way to Key West than we are," I added. "She did not stand off to sea, as there was not the least need of that, for the wind has been off shore since we came out of the St. Johns." "I am confident we are right. Now the question is, shall we chase her?" asked Washburn. "She is thirty miles ahead of us; and we have nearly three hundred and fifty miles to make to reach Key West." "There is no wind to-night to help us, and it will take as much coal to get the two extra knots out of the Sylvania as it will to make the ordinary and regular ten knots an hour, to say nothing of the wear and tear of boiler and machinery," I replied, musing. "But the Islander will get to Key West before Cornwood does, if she puts in there, and we may miss her altogether." "I should like to get near enough to her to watch her movements," I added. "I think if we crowd the Sylvania for six or seven hours we shall get a sight of her. I am inclined to hurry her." "I am decidedly in favor of it, for she may escape her owner altogether if we don't follow her up." "Eight bells! All the port watch!" called Buck Lingley, who had been relieved at the wheel. I went on deck, and when Ben Bowman came up I told him I wanted him to give the vessel all the steam she would carry. There was a light breeze from the westward, but not enough to help the speed of the steamer, and we did not put on any sail. I took my place at the wheel while Hop Tossford was the lookout on the topgallant forecastle. In a short time the screw began to buzz, and when Buck and Dyer Perkins went below, after heaving the lead, the Sylvania was making eleven knots. I expected her to do better than this. At four o'clock in the morning, when the starboard watch were called, we were off Indian River Inlet. Nothing had been said about
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76  
77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Islander

 

Sylvania

 

Washburn

 
thirty
 
hundred
 

called

 
replied
 

altogether

 

decidedly

 

inclined


vessel
 

wanted

 

Lingley

 

Bowman

 

escape

 
relieved
 

follow

 

eleven

 

expected

 
making

heaving

 
Indian
 

Nothing

 

starboard

 

morning

 

Perkins

 

steamer

 
westward
 

forecastle

 

Tossford


lookout

 

topgallant

 

breeze

 

explained

 

schooner

 

correctly

 

reasoning

 

farther

 

correct

 

captain


Augustine

 

yesterday

 

caused

 

rollers

 

consequence

 

boiler

 
machinery
 

musing

 

Cornwood

 

movements