The Seizing of the Alicia.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 3, 17 January 1912, Page 45

The Seizing of the Alicia.

By

HAROLD BINDLOSS.

IT was a summer evening when Tom and I lay under a blackberry bush watching the Alicia tugging at her cable in a swirl of the 'tide that poured out of the Conway. The tides run hard in that river, and the Alicia was a very pretty five-ton cutter. Tom was supposed to be preparing for liis matriculation, but as we had undertaken an affair of importance that evening had slipped away from his books. His face appeared a trifle dubious, while Arthur, Who sat close by, seemed unusually thoughtful. “I suppose it will be all right ?” said Tom. “Of course,” said Arthur, who had gone into business recently. “Harry has a claim upon the Alicia, and since the beast who owns-her won’t do what is right Harry is justified in seizing anything he can, per contra.” “Still, you are not Harry,” said Tom. “Well,” said Arthur, contemptuously, ‘Tin his brother.” Tom still seemed dubious. “It’s a pity we didn’t think of it earlier,” he said. “Then you could have told Harry before he went up to town.” Arthur laughed. “You needn't worry, because he would have told us to go ahead if we had asked him.” I said nothing, but thought over the affair, for while Arthur was ingenious I had seen his plans go wrong. We were tolerably capable small boat sailors, and had been racing with his brother when Ormond, of the Alicia, who had been disqualified for it by the committee, ran into us. Ormond said the committee. Was wrong, and refused to make good the damage done to Harry Leslie’s boat. Still, now we were about to put it into execution, Arthur’s plan for making him did not seem quite so simple as it had done. “Let us hear it all again,” I said presently, and looked about me while Arthur talked. Behind us rose the grim crags of Penmaenmawr, with the shoulders of the great Carnarvon mountains beyond them. One could not see their tops, because of the vapour which crawled down, sliding and streaming from slope to slope. The bay in front of us still shone faintly, though darkness was not far away, and it was very hot and still in the valley. I could hear the roar of a distant train vibrating along the dark rock's side, with a startling distinctness, and a splash of oars that told us we could commence at any time, because the Alicia's paid hand was rowing home. “It’s a beautiful plan,” said Arthur. “We get in through the boathouse window, and borrow Tomlinson's dinghy. If he knew we wanted it Tomlinson would be glad to lend it us. Then we go off to the Alicia and get hold of her big topsail, spinnaker, or anything we can, and write Ormond a letter. This is the sort of thing: ‘Dear Sir, —Referring to your last favour we have got your sails. If you want them for next race all you have to do is to settle our claim for damages and behave like a gentleman, if you can. Anticipating the favour of your further commands, yours faithfully? ” “And suppose he won’t? The last sentence doesn’t sound quite right,” said I. Arthur laughed. “Then we’ve got the sails, and as he can’t race without them, Harry will win the cup. The governor generally winds up that way, and he knows how to write a business letter better than you. Anyway, we may as well begin. I rather fancy there’s going to be some wind presently.” He crawled in through the window of the neighbouring boathouse, and prised out a staple on the door, while T fancy we scraped a good deal of varnish off Tomlinson’s dinghy as we ran her down the little slip. There was, however, some mud between the water and the end of it, and Arthur was always fastidious about his things. “I can't go through that with my new boots on,” he said. “Then 1 suppose you can take them off." said Tom. We Mt down and stripped our shoes

and stockings off, but we brought a good deal of mud with us into the dinghy, and it was almost dark when we reached the Alicia. That, however, was so much the better, because we did not want anybody to see what we were doing. I stayed in the dinghy, and had some trouble to hold her, when Tom handed me down the topsail still bent, to its yard. The. Alicia’s rail was slippery and the tide running hard. Her tall mast swung a little overhead, for there was a swell outside, and looking up I noticed the blackness of the clouds that drifted above it. Then I watched Arthur flit about the deck with another sail in his arms gathering up small lit tings. “You have got plenty now.” I said. Arthur laughed. “There’s nothing like getting to windward of the fellow you have a row with when you can.” he said. “Still, we have done pretty well, and my little plan is working out beautifully. Look out in the dinghy.”

lie threw down his load, but unfortunately something hard fell upon me, and 1 lost my hold. Next moment the dinghy was sliding away from the Alicia. “Give her a sheer. I can’t get at the oars,” I shouted, and Tom jumped for the tiller. Now the ya ht was chained to a buoy, and when her rudder went over the stream swung her stern in my direction, which was what I wanted. Still, when I grabbed her side I noticed th it in place of standing still she was coming along with me, while the perch which marked the point astern scorned drawing nearer rapidly. Something Arthur had not counted on was evidently happening, and .scrambling on board I found him examining a piece of chain in tlie bows. “Some idiot.” he said, “hasn't s-rewe I up the ohacklu, aud when the sheer put

the strain on it shook out the pin. It’s fortunate, anyway.” “It’s a little difficult to see how that can be,” said 1. “Nobody,” said Arthur, “would expect you to see anything. We wanted a few sails, and we’ve got the yacht. She would have, shaken that shackle off, anyway, and now' we can make Ormond do whatever we want, or charge him for salving her.” “Hullo.” shouted Tom. “Never mind talking, but get hold of the yawl, and hang on while I get a rope on to her.” We drove into the yacht astern with a crash, and Arthur and I grabbed her shrouds but unfortunately he had already flung all the loose ropes about the Alicia into the dinghy and the tide was running strong. So while Tom groped for something to make her fast with, Arthur let go, and I sat down with a bang. “You’re a nice pair. Couldn’t you hold her?” said Tom. “No.” I said, gasping. “Ten of us couldn’t have done. Hadn’t we better sing out for that fellow?” There was a splash of oars. ami I could see a shadowy boat, but Arthur shook his head decisively. “Those beachcombers have no sense of honour, and that fellow would take all the credit if he got on board.” he said. “We’re going to do this little thing all ourselves.” It was a pity we listener, to him, be-

cause it resulted in our doing a good deal more than any of us bargained for; but in the meanwhile 1 ran forward to let go the Knchor. which Arthur might have done before. There was no great diiliculty in pitching it over the bows, but I go’t no further, because the chain would not come up out of the pipe. “Jump below ami clear it.” said Tom. 'I here was. however, a difficulty. The beautiful teak hatch was imbed, and we stared al it until Arthur pulled out the iron tiller. “We have got to get in somehow.” he said, and brought it down on the varnished wood like a battering ram. The hatch was a mass of splinters when I crawled thiongh, Iml it was very dark in 1 he tiin forecastle, which was full of ropes and racing sails, so that wo could not got at the chain. Tom looked somewhat Lkauk when we curnu

up and told him. “Then* fie «nd, “we must tow her back with the dinghy.” This, however, was a good deal easier said than done, for. after several times almost upsetting the dinghy, we found the Conway tide defied our efforts, and saw the sandhills behind us fade into the gloom. We pulled until our hands were blistered, and the perspiration blinded us, and then returned dejectedly to the yacht. It was very dark now, and the lights of Conway blinked a long way off across tin* bay, while a hillside we could faintly see seemed creeping up in our direction. It was also very hot, and there was scarcely a breath of wind, but the y icht was lurching unpleasantly on the long smooth heave which worked into the bay. ‘This is nice.” said Arthur, meiully. “ We can’t anchor her, and we can't tow her, while she's drifting out to sea. Of course we could leave her in the dinghy, and she wouldn’t be any worse off than she was before.” “I don't know,” said 1. “There’s a hatch battered to splinters, and the great holo Tom tore in the sail cover. It wouldn’t look well to knock a man’s boat to pieces and then clear out of her.” “ No.” said Arthur. “ I was coming to that if you had let me.” “Of course,” I said dryly. “ Well.” said Arthur. “ I thought it, anyway. Lots of fellows would go homo in the dinghy, and nobody would blame them, especially if they didn’t know who they were.” Now', I fancy that if I had got into the dinghy the others would have fol lowed me, but 1 did not, and Tom said quietly, “We will wait a little, and I’ll put my boots on in the meanwhile. Where have you fellows hidden them?” We looked at each other, and 1 laughed a little as the truth dawned on me. “Somebody,” I said, •‘must have forgotten them.” “It seems to me that we have made asses of ourselves,” said Tom reflectively. We sat still and waited, for what we did not know, because there was no wind. Nor did we know where we were going, except that it was out to sea, for we could hear the roar of surf more loudly, and guessed that the groat head which guards one corner of the bay was not far away. We also grew more anxious when the dim lights of Conway we.r* suddenly blotted out as the rain came hissing down. It lashed our wet fa es and roared upon the deck, while al! thought of trying to find the shore in that blinding deluge was out of the question, and the yacht appeared a gon/T deal more comfortable craft than the dinghy to spend the night in. We crawled into the little cabin, and sat there in the dark, finding something strangely dispiriting in the drumming of the min and growl of the ground sea. “If we drift on to the ()rme« Ileal we’ll be smashed before we can crawl out,” said I’om. ‘’You may as veil light the compass, ami then if the wind doe* come wp can see where we are going.” We found some matches, an I wasted half of them before we lighted the binnacle lantern, and afterwards sat there for what seemed a very long time. Then I stuck my head out of the hat h, for the rain ceased suddenly, and there was a curious moaning which seemed to come from the invisible hills. ,\ murmur mingled with it, an I the sound which increased until it tilled all the darkness sent a shiver through me. “Wind!” Baid Tom. “It’s time wo got some sail on to her.” It was a relief to do anything, and we scrambled for the raffle of ropes about the foot of the mast. There wore a good many of them, and we could not see where they led, but were struggling with the mainsail when there was a roar from Tom. “Let the peak go with a run!” Then the great sail swung out with a bang, and our feet slipped from under ih as the yacht fell over on her side, with the water washing high along her deck. The wind had come with a vengeance, and the big sail would not come down. For a moment or two 1 clung to the shrouds, wondering if the Alicia was going over bodily, until she lifted her deck out of the sen, and drove away into the darkness like a steamer. Then J scrambled aft to the corkpit. Tom was blinking it the compass, and his face seemed very white whin tlas light touched it. “ It’s blowing right out of *>he hay, and we can only run before iv,” he “Look out fur the he&J. *

I said nothing, because worn* would scarcely have expressed my feelings, and I had no breath to spare, but 1 clung to the combing, with the spray blowing about me, and wished I had never seen the Alicia, until Arthur shouted. Then a great black rock with the wash of the ground sea white about its feet rose out of the night, anti there was a shout from Tom. “Stand by to jibe her!” Arthur and I grabbed a wet rope, and held our breath as the black mainsail swung up above our heads. Beyond ( could see a confusion of froth and t fave of a crag. Then the sail went over and it seemed that the Ali« ‘a was going over too, for half her deck was in the water. She shook herself upright, however, and diove away, with the great shadowy crag towering high above our heads. It was, 1 knew, four miles long. ‘Tide’s against us!” gasped Tom.

** It wdi soon kick up the sea, ami we can only keep her running until we get round the head. Ormond might have a kedge anchor somewhere, and you may as well look for it, unless you’d like to pleer.” I did not feel the least desire* to steer. The Alicia was running very wildly, while J knew’ that to let the big sail swing over would take the mast out of her. ifihe was carrying far too much sail, but while we could handle a small boat’s canvas in daylight, to grapple with that mass of sailcloth in a wild breeze was a very different afTaid. Accordingly 1 crawled below, and managed to light a lamp, then pa infull y pulled up the flooring*, because a ya hl’s kedge anchor is often stowed away where it is most ditliriilt to get at. in the bottom of her. I also upset the oil-stove, and other things, but that did not seem to matter if I could only find the kedge. I was not sii-k when 1 came upon it, but it is not pleasant to crawl about inside a piling ing boat, and I sympathised with Arthur who bad not helpe I me greatly. “ Let’s get out of this. I’m not feed Ing very well,” he said. “ There was a funny taste about the pie at dinner, and 'l'om would have thought about the kedge before if he’d had any m< use.’’ We tore our clothes on the scuttle getting out. though neither of n*» thought much of clothes just then. 'the sea was getting up. ami the Alicia Vas going through it with a shadowy wall of <lifl apparently rushing close past her. We watched it anxiously, until the eragw suddenly fell away and

ran backwards into the sweep of a bay where the lights of Llandudno blinked out at us from along me dusky shore. Others were dotted like stars aliout the head, and a line of radiance marked the iron pier, while the strains of a band, eame oil’ the lighted pavilion. It Was all so close to us, and, sitting drenched and shivering in the Alicia’s cockpit, I laughed excitedly from very relief. "Let her come up,” said Arthur. “All •we have to do is to tie a reef down, and then beat her in to where we can anchor.” "Is that all!” said Tom. grimly. ‘ You’ll find lots of things will happen if you're not able to.” He was correct. The manoeuvre needed more muscular effort than we were capable of, and while we held on by our toes as we struggled to haul the reef down, a wild blast smote the Alicia. She

fell over on her side with half her deck in the water, ami we fell off the boom. We let the half-lowered sail swing outboard, and the Alicia, picking herself rip a little, drove away before the wind, while we felt very helpless and lonely. There were the lights of Llandudno less than a mile away, but since we could not reach them with sail half set they might as well have been forty. "We can only keep her running,” said Tom. ■‘There's no place we can get into until we fetch the Dee, and that’s twenty miles away.” "Your plan,” I said to Arthur, “was a beautiful one.” The lights faded behind us, and we were alone, and driving through what was probably really a nasty sea. As we watched the white crests come racing after us out of lhe darkness it appeared terrific. There was, however, nothing to be done but watch for the Hash from the Dee lightship, ami hope that we might roach it. It was a long time coming, but I'om clung to the tiller, and at last a pale twinkle blinked through the spray ahead. “The Dee ship!” ho said, wearily. “I don't know if 1 can hold out until we reach Iter.” Tile twinkle grew higher and brighter, until we could see the black hull beneath it roll across the tide pouring out from the estuary. As we swept through it a great blaze lieat across the dripping )«>at. It showed Tom’s wet and weary face, as with lips set tight and eyes staring furaaid he leaned upon the tiller.

and dying out left us in black darkness. Then a streak of weird blue radiance flared out, and I saw a dark figure in the lightship’s shrouds. The blue fire streamed about it, and it was evident that the man was gesticulating. After that a white flash from the reeling lantern beat into my eyes, and 1 saw nothing further. "That means look out. Sands close ahead!” said Tom. “We’ll have smoother water in a few minutes if you can get the boom over.” We did it somehow, and it was with intense relief that wc ran out of the tideway into smoother water. Shadowy hills rose above us, and there was a blaze from the blast furnaces some miles away, while by and bye Tom ran us on the mud abreast of them. We dropped the sails anyway, and then sat down, wet through and weary, but very glad to feel the bottom under the Alieia’s keel. "We might wade shore to Mostyn, and come off at high water,” said Tom. "That is, unless you would sooner stay on board her.” "I’ve seen a good deal too much of her already,” said Arthur, and Tom grinned. "Then see if you can jump ashore,” said he. “The bank seems steep, so the water should be shallow.” Arthur did not appear especially anxious to make the experiment, but he dropped in almost waist-deep, and as we could not have been wetter than we were we followed him through mud and water until I sank to the knees. The glare from the blast furnaces showed that there was almost a mile of it -between, us and the shore. "I think,” said Arthur, shivering, "wc might as well have stopped on board the yacht. It would have been a good deal cleaner.” We went back, and managed to find some sardines and pickles,'as well as a little condensed milk. They did not make a very nice .mixture, but we were

glad to ger them, and presently made ourselves as comfortable as possible in the Alieia’s new topsail and racing spinnaker. They were beautiful in their creamy spotlessness when we crawled in among them, but. not afterwards. "Put the light out, and go to sleep,’* said Tom. "I’d sooner be here than out at sea, but it would have been better still if we had never heard of Arthur’s beautiful plan!” We went to sleep, and rested so well that it was well on in the morning when we crawled out on deck barefooted, damp still, and very muddy. The mire had got all over us, as it had done with the Alicia, and there was sooty paraffin from the stove in the saloon as well. A boat, with a coastguard and two other men in it, was pulling towards us, and the former appeared astonished when he sprang on deck. "This is the yacht, and there’s the dinghy. Where’s the man who brought her in?” he said. "There wasn’t any man. We did it all ourselves,” said I. “But don’t you ask permission when you board a gentleman’s yacht?” The coastguard laughed. “You did! Everybody wouldn't be proud of it,” ho said. “Was there no one with you when you stole her!” "Now,” said Tom, sternly, "don’t make a pitiful ass of yourself. Do we look capable of stealing anybody’s yacht?” "You look capable of anything,” said the men. "You’re dirty enough. No doubt you was only borrowing her?” "We were salving her,” said Arthur. One of the men laughed. "It was ai lot more like wrecking her by the look of things,” he said. “Road them the telegram.” The coastguard cleared, his throat, and read: “Report if you see anything of small cutter ‘Alicia,’ and varnished

iit/nghy, stolen last night, Conway. Detain anybody on board her.” “There,” he said. "Get Into the boat, and come along with me.” We got a boat, and were landed at a little quay, where a crowd of curious Welshmen stared at us, and we caught some of their eomnients. "Deah! Deah! They -was very young to take to stealing. It was offul sad,” said one. “Indeed, they are ofTul dirty,’’ said another man. Tom grew red in the face as he glanced

at his naked feet and -bedraggled attire. "I’m not going to be marched through the town—like thia—to please any man,'’ he said. "If nothing else will content you, put us into yonder shed, and we’ll stay there until you send a magistrate or somebody sensible.” “And you can send off the telegrams I’D send you, and -bring us something to eat,” said Arthur. The coastguard, wii-o was commencing to appear dubious, complied; but he locked the shed, and when he went away the populace flocked about the window for a sight of us. until Tom banged the shutters to. "It’s disgusting, and I’m not a peepshow,” he said. "I’d like to

smash some of those gaping idiots if I could only get out.”

As it was he could not, until the coastguard came back with provisions soma time afterwards. "The gentleman who owns the yacht seems to know you. and here’s a message for you,” he said. “You ean come out now, if you like.” It was an hour later when the coastguard helped us to bring the Alieia into the harbour, and after a not very successful attempt to straighten her up we sat down to talk things over. “I think,” said Arthur, “we had better not say too much about that plan of mine when Harry comes down. Now we have got the pull on Ormond for salvage, it isn’t necessary.”

Harry Leslie and Ormond come on board together that eveuipg, and Leslie seemed somewhat grim, though Ormond’s eyes twinkled. “It would save everybody trouble if you asked permission the next time you borrowed a yacht,” he said.

We all commenced to speak at once, but Arthur silenced us. “If you don’t believe me you ean look at the shackle, which is still on the chain,” he said. "Tn the meanwhile, I want an apology, Mr Ormond, and a promise to make all damage good, or we’ll turn the Alieia over to the Customs until you've paid our salvage claim.” Harry Leslie glanced at Ormond, and smiled curiously. "It’s all right about the chain —at least I’ve scon It,” said he. Then he turned to us. “When I want your assistance in a dispute with my racing opponents I’ll ask for it. What •have you to do with the question of damages to my boat?” "Nothing,” said Arthur, “if you put it that way. Still, I think it’s beastly ungrateful after all we’ve done for you.” He appeared about to say some more, but seeing his brother glance at us curiously’, I kicked him under the table, because it seemed desirable to change the topic. “Well, Mr Ormond, what are you going to do?” said I. “It was we who salved your boa» and not Mr Leslie.”

The Alicia’s owner sat down and laughed quietly. “I’ll apologise. You deserve it for your impudence,” said he. “I don’t see anything especially funny,” said Arthur. “It isn’t very amusing to be locked up after going through all we did to save your boat for you.”

“I don’t know that I do, either,” said Ormond, drily. “By the time I’ve had a new hatch made and put my boat to rights I shall probably’ find your way of salving her almost as expensive as buying a new one.”

He went away presently to get lea at the hotel, hut Harry Leslie waited a minute or two. “There’s one point I’d like to know a little more about,” said he. “How did you come to be about when the Alicia’s chain came adrift?” “Has Ormond squared up with yon?”

asked Tom. “He will do,” said Leslie. “What has that to do with it?”

“Nothing now,” said Tom. "But I wanted to know. When there’s any chance of getting myself into a beastly mess for nothing I generally 'happen to be around. It isn’t my fault. 1 can’t help it.” “Well,” said Leslie, drily, “we needn’t go into it any further, especially as I fancy you will have to give a better account of yourselves when you got back to Conway.”