decoration to the beautiful landscape, not an offense. Wherever one saw a pile of gravel or a pile of broken stone, it was always heaped as trimly and exactly as a new grave or a stack of cannon-balls; nothing about those stations or along the railroad or the wagon-road was allowed to look shabby or be unornamental. The keeping a country in such beautiful order as Germany exhibits, has a wise practical side to it, too, for it keeps thousands of people in work and bread who would otherwise be idle and mischievous.  

As the night shut down, the captain wanted to tie up, but I thought maybe we might make Hirschhorn, so we went on. Presently the sky became overcast, and the captain came aft looking uneasy. He cast his eye aloft, then shook his head, and said it was coming on to blow. My party wanted to land at once—therefore I wanted to go on. The captain said we ought to shorten sail anyway, out of common prudence. Consequently, the larboard watch was ordered to lay in his pole. It grew quite dark, now, and the wind began to rise. It wailed through the swaying branches of the trees, and swept our decks in fitful gusts. Things were taking on an ugly look. The captain shouted to the steersman on the forward log:  

"How's she landing?"  

The answer came faint and hoarse from far forward:  

"Nor'-east-and-by-nor'—east-by-east, half-east, sir."  

"Let her go off a point!"  

"Aye-aye, sir!"  

"What water have you got?"  

"Shoal, sir. Two foot large, on the stabboard, two and a half scant on the labboard!"  

"Let her go off another point!"  

"Aye-aye, sir!"  

"Forward, men, all of you! Lively, now! Stand by to crowd her round the weather corner!"  

"Aye-aye, sir!"   

 Prev. P 17/48 next