The Tale of Timber Town

ellow

hed itself across an indentation in the coast-line, and the tail of which joined the mainland at lo

the shore, backed by hills which were dotted with painted wooden houses, nestling amid bowers of

the shore lazily, and the refracted atmosphere shim

ently over the surface of the calm, blue water the little craft skimmed. It passed through a small fleet of yachts and

ot of Timber Town a

mate o' yours temperate," excl

except across the Western Ocean, in an' out o' Liverpool and New York." They had approached the end of the island, and overlooked the harbour entrance. "Now, this is where I intend to place the beacon. What do you think of it?" Sartoris assumed the manner and expression of supreme interest, but said

ely little toy port, such as you see at the theayter. It only wants the chorus o' fisher girls warbling o

ou talk like a schoolboy that's fed on jam tarts and novelettes, Sa

not; not by tha

hat an appare

w plenty of ap

t is a most ingen

no d

ception." But while the Pilot went on to talk of base plates, lewis bats, and all the paraphernalia of his craft, the sk

d you get them islands from, Summerhayes? Are they occulting, rea

uffly as a bear, "That's no islands: it's but a bit of a mirage. Sometimes there's only one island, sometimes three, sometimes

e of the island, and looked long

, whose eyes were keene

to encourage a sharp lookout. The Ida Bell should arrive from London towards the middle of next month,

tched the big craft, sa

up her courses and pull

trifle far

ld hold anything. What did I tell you?-there you are-co

t in the strange vessel, but now he was shouting and

ain't blind, tell me what that flag is. Sure as I'm

alth Officer, Sartoris." And the gruff

boat, could see Summerhayes's crew standing about on the slip of the pilot-shed; and by the

s he goin' to make us hunt for him when he's

voice from inside the great shed. "I'm

e. "That furrin'-lookin' barque outside has hoist

by the aid of your telescope." The doctor came s

t, "you'll spare 'em the use o' that

iatica, Summerhayes, I'll

le fee. I know you. S

and; the skipper and the doctor sitting on either hand

ide, and there's plenty of water coming in at th

capacious trouser-pocket, and took out a sma

d key." The captain, in a moment, had opened the pad

zen of beer-quarts?

," replie

ttles o

es

ass

ou

corks

s he

mistake o' that. An' them sons o' sea cooks, forrard there, have

nto every stroke, for they knew "the ol

ot o' this h

inly," said

ster, in a mann

t's

in o' this

felt in the narrow tortuous channel. The bluff old Pilot put the steering-oar to port, and brou

shake her up

the tide. With another sudden movement of the steering-oar Summerhaye

t I'm ship's doctor as well, and in that capacity, since we're outside and there's easy going now under sail, I prescribe a good sti

bottle, and handed a

in medico, who had a colourless complexion and eyes th

. I drown no man and no rum with water. If a man must needs spoil h

e; Sartoris followed suit, and then the Pilot. The boat was now unde

yet found it to fail. Before encount'ring plague, or after encount'ring dirty weather, a glass all round: at other times the locker is kept securely fast

r sides badly needed paint; and as she rose and fell with the swell, she showed barnacles and "grass" below t

P. Lincoln, New York"-and a sickly brown man looked over the side. Soon he was

a menag'ry aboard,"

ite face appea

tain?" asked the

mate, wh

who ar

's ser

e's the o

d a wee

wrong on

Ten men are dead,

are you

nto

e you got pl

al, after being sick a long time. I guess yo

he side, and soon the doc

t sat quiet and fu

rd. "And I think, Sartoris, all hands 'd be none the worse for another dose o' my medicine." Again hi

grog he drinks shortens his life by a day or a week, as the case may be. But give me a glass o' liquor an' rob me of a

than his fellows, had attrac

t's the name of

" said Sartoris. But, just at that moment, the man who had described

ummerhayes, "who

Starb

is. "I know him." In a moment

u go aboard that vessel, you'll stay the

I says. He stood by me in the West Indies, when I had Yellow Jack; and I stand by him now." As he spoke

d from shipwreck, and he must plunge into a fever-den in order to be

he main-rail. He handed his bag to one of the

done with Sartori

doctor, "and there he sto

t's the

men. I should call it fever, a kind of barbiers or beri-beri. But

e Pilot's medicine

with your sail." The trim boat shot towards the sunny port