The Seashore Book: Bob and Betty's Summer with Captain Hawes by George Bird Grinnell
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=By E. Boyd Smith=
THE EARLY LIFE OF MR. MAN. Illustrated in color.
THE STORY OF NOAH'S ARK. Illustrated in color.
THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. Illustrated in color.
THE RAILROAD BOOK. Illustrated in color.
THE SEASHORE BOOK. Illustrated in color.
THE FARM BOOK. Illustrated in color.
Books specially illustrated in color by E. Boyd Smith
IVANHOE. By Sir Walter Scott.
TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. By Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. By Daniel Defoe.
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
THE SEASHORE BOOK
BOB AND BETTY'S SUMMER WITH CAPTAIN HAWES
STORY AND PICTURES BY E. BOYD SMITH
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY E. BOYD SMITH
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCE
THIS BOOK OR PARTS THEREOF IN ANY FORM
_Published September 1912_
The Riverside Press
CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS
PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.
THE SEASHORE BOOK
THE FIRST ROW
Now I will tell you how Bob and Betty spent the summer at the seashorewith Captain Ben Hawes. Captain Hawes was an old sailor. After fortyyears' service on the high seas he had settled down ashore at Quohaug.
Bluff and hearty, and with no end of sea yarns and stories of strangeadventures, and of foreign ports and peoples, he was more interestingto the children than the most fascinating fairy book.
His home was a little museum of odds and ends brought from differentfar-away lands, with everything arranged in shipshape order. The biggreen parrot, who could call "Ship ahoy!" "All aboard!" delighted theboy and girl. And the seashells, which gave the murmuring echo of theocean when you put them to your ear. And the curiosities of strangesorts and shapes, from outlandish countries.
As their first day was fine and the bay smooth, Captain Hawes tookthe children out for a row in his "sharpey." How delightful it was,skimming so easily over the shining water. The shore, the docks, andthe vessels at the wharves were all so interesting from this view.
He told them all about the different craft they passed, the fishermen,the coal barges, the tramp steamers, how they sailed and where theywent to, and now, finding them such good listeners, for the Captainliked to tell about ships and the sea, he launched forth into a generalhistory of things connected with sea life, from the first men, long,long ago, who began poling about on rafts, to the coracle, and thedugout. The dugouts were canoes hollowed out of tree trunks.
"Down in the South Seas the savages still make them; I've seen themmany a time," he explained; "and of course you've heard of our Indians'birchbark canoes."
By and by the use of sails had developed, and boats and ships grewbigger, and now the day of the steamboat had come.
"Now, I want you to know all about boats and ships," he added; "I'lltake you to the yards to-morrow, if it's fine, and show you how theymake them, so that when you go back home, where they don't know muchabout such things, you can just tell them."
THE SHIPYARD
The next day Captain Ben, true to his promise, took the children aroundto Stewart's Boat Shop where a fishing-boat was being built, and showedthem just how the frame was made, the keel, the ribs, the stem, andsternpost, and how the planking was laid on. How everything was made asstiff and strong as possible so that the boat could stand the strain ofbeing tossed about by heavy seas.
Bob followed it all with enthusiasm, for he was fond of carpenteringand working with tools. He made up his mind that he would build a boatsome day.
And now the Captain, having made everything clear with this smallexample which they could readily understand, proposed a visit to theshipyard, where a real life-sized ship was being built.
Here they found a busy gang of men hard at work, some with "broad axes"cutting down the planks to a line, "scoring" and "beating off"; otherswith "adzes" "dubbing," and even whipsawyers ripping logs.
On stagings about the great ship, which towered up as high as a house,more men were at work planking. The planks, hot from the steam boxes,carried up the "brow" staging on men's shoulders, to be clamped intoplace and bolted fast.
And how big it all was! This made the children open their eyes inwonder. They had already seen such vessels in the water, but had neverappreciated how huge the hulls were, almost like a block of houses, orso it seemed to them.
Captain Hawes then showed them how this great ship was built on thesame principle as the small boat they had just seen. And now if thechildren didn't really understand everything it wasn't the Captain'sfault; the subject was rather a big one for beginners. But it was agreat sight, and it wasn't everybody who had seen a ship being built,they knew that.
On the way home they rowed past sloops with a strange contrivanceout on the end of the bowsprit; this Captain Hawes said was called a"pulpit." These boats went sword-fishing, and in the pulpit a man wasstationed with lance in hand, while aloft in the rigging a "lookout"sighted the fish. When the boat was near enough, the man with the lancestood ready, and speared the fish as it passed. He promised to showthem these big fish the next time a catch was brought in.
DIGGING CLAMS
Though there were so many interesting things to see and learn by theseashore, it was also an ideal place for play, and just now it seemedto our boy and girl as though nothing else could compare with it.
Clam-digging was such sport. Captain Hawes took them down at low tideto the soft mud and showed them how to dig the clams. And then the funof roasting them in the driftwood fire, and the picnic clam-bakes, withthe delicious chowder!
It was here the children met a future playmate, Patsey Quinn. CaptainHawes jokingly called him a little water-rat, for Patsey had beenbrought up along the shore and knew all about things. He proved to be amost valuable companion to Bob and Betty, and the Captain could trusthim to look after them, for of course he knew just what was safe andwhat wasn't.
He took them on many expeditions along the beach, knew just where thebest clams and mussels were to be found, and where the crabs lived,and how to catch them. Wading among the seaweed-covered rocks they hadlively times, occasionally getting their toes or fingers nipped, forcrabs object to being caught.
Patsey taught his new friends how to fish, though they never got to beas good fishermen as he was. They seemed to catch more sculpins thananything else, and though sculpins were wonderful looking creaturesthey were not, Patsey explained, very good eating; flounders and eelswere better. But Betty was afraid of eels. They squirmed so.
The seaweeds and shells interested the children, and the many-coloredpebbles, so nice and round, from being rolled by the sea, Patseyknowingly explained
He showed them how to throw flat stones along the surface of the water,until they, too, could make them skip a number of times before sinking.
There was no end to the variety of amusements; every day seemed tobring forth new ones, and the sunburned, healthy children enjoyed itall to the full.
THE SAIL LOFT
Nights, especially dark nights, the children watched with unfailinginterest the great flash-light from the lighthouse out on the point.Captain Hawes had explained the uses of lighthouses, how they showedthe way to ships at night, like signs on street corners or crossroads,and also warned them to keep away from the rocks. One day he rowed themout, and the light-keeper took them up in the tower and proudly showedthem the powerful lamp with its complicated reflectors, and explainedit all. Betty admired the bright, shining appearance of things, and wassurprised to learn that the man himself looked after all this: she hadthought that only a housekeeper could keep up such a polish.
Another time Captain Hawes took the children to Barry's sail loft,where the sails for the new ship were being made. He had already toldthem something about sailmaking, but knew they would understand betterby seeing the real things. The sail loft, like everything connectedwith ships, proved interesting,--the broad clean floor, the men ontheir low benches sewing the seams of the heavy canvas, forcing theneedles through with the stout leather "palms," instead of thimbles.And all their neat tools, the "heavers," "stickers," "fids," "grummetstamps," and such odd-named things.
On the wall in one corner of the loft was a varied collection of bright"clew irons" and "rings," "thimbles" and "cringles," which aroused thechildren's curiosity. These, it was explained, were to be sewed intothe corners of the sails to hold the ropes for rigging. Here and therecompact, heavy rolls of canvas, sails completed, were lying by, readyto be taken away and rigged to the tall masts and broad yards of theship; sails which later would look so light and graceful when carryingthe ship along.
The summer days were passing quickly to the children, and Captain Hawesinsisted that they must hurry and learn to swim, and with Patsey's helpthey were at it daily. After the first cautious wadings and splashingthey enjoyed it immensely, and before the summer was really overthey had learned to keep their heads above water: not to swim far,that would come with time and greater strength, but they had made abeginning, and felt justly proud of the accomplishment.
THE LOG BOOM
The two children, under the Captain's instruction, learned to row,after a fashion, though the oars of the sharpey were rather heavyfor them, and sometimes would catch in the water with disconcertingresults. The Captain called it "catching a crab." But it was all greatfun, in spite of this.
Often Captain Hawes took them sailing in his catboat, the Mary Ann, andone day ran up close to the log "boom" which belonged to the shipyard,and showed them where the lumber came from, for the building of theship. He explained how it had been cut far up in the back forests andrafted down the rivers to the sea. The great raft was now held in placeby a frame of logs outside the others fastened together with "dogs"and chains. Here the children saw the men picking out the speciallogs they needed, and doing various stunts, paddling and balancingwith boathooks. Some would even paddle off to the shipyard on a log,balancing much like a tight-rope walker. But once in a while accidentswould happen, and they would get more than wet feet, to the great gleeof their comrades.
When the logs reached the shipyard they were sawed into planks by the"whipsawyers," or the machine saws, cut into shape, as they had alreadyseen, by axes and adzes, and fitted to their places in the building ofthe ship.
You may be sure the children had to try this game of logging, andthey built themselves a raft, of loose boards lying along the beach,and while Betty was the passenger Bob vigorously poled his raft aboutin the shallows. Patsey Quinn, more ambitious, and used to frequentwettings, boldly imitated the log-men in their balancing feats, notwithout coming to grief occasionally, though it worried him but little;being in the water to him was much the same as being out of it.
These were busy, happy days for the children; there was always plentyto see or do. Patsey was curious to know about the things of the city,but Bob and Betty felt perfectly sure, at least just now, that theseashore was a much more interesting place.
THE LAUNCHING
The children were always hearing about lobster fishing, for that wasan important industry at Quohaug, so Captain Hawes took them out inhis boat to see the fishermen at work hauling in their traps. Thefishing-beds were dotted with little buoys, each fisherman having hisown, with his private mark. To each buoy a trap was attached by a longline. Down on the bottom the lobsters would crawl into the traps afterthe bait, and then could not get out.
But Bob and Betty were disappointed to find these lobsters as they cameout of the water a dull green instead of the beautiful bright red theyexpected. Captain Hawes explained that they would come out red afterthey were boiled.
To-day was the day set for the launching of one of the new ships thechildren had seen almost finished in the shipyard on their first visit.High tide was the time set, and the whole village turned out to see theevent. Captain Hawes had told them that they would soon see the shipfloating out in the bay; but this was hard to believe; how would it bepossible to move that big mass? "Just you wait and you'll see," theCaptain assured them.
At the yard everybody was eager and excited. Captain Hawes put thechildren up on a tall wooden "horse" where they could get a good view.
The ship, all decked with gay, fluttering flags, had been wedged intoher "cradle." The ways down which she was to slide were well greased,and the builder was waiting for the tide to be at its highest.
At last the moment had come. The signal was given. Busy workmen withsledges, under the ship struck blow on blow, setting up the liftingwedges, and knocking away the few remaining props; then scampered backout of danger.
Slowly at first, the great ship "came to life," then began to move.Slowly but steadily gaining speed, she began to slide down the ways.Fast and faster, gaining momentum, she rushed, as though reallyalive, gracefully sliding, into the sea. Then sped far out into thedeep water, where she floated on an even keel. From being a mass ofplanks and beams she now seemed to be a great living creature, andthe lookers-on cheered her and waved their hats, as she proudly tookher place on the sea, where she would pass the rest of her life. Boband Betty were so impressed that even the yacht race they saw thatafternoon, though a fine sight, seemed tame after the launching.
THE WRECK
To the children the restless sea with its many changes was a new sight.One day it would be flat and calm and shiny, like a big mirror. Againquickly changing with a breeze to blues of various shades. Again itwould be broken with white-caps and spray, as the wind grew stronger.
And it was so big! And Captain Hawes assured them that it was evenbigger than it looked, telling them that if they went away out there tothe distant edge by the sky, they would still see another just as faroff, and so on for many, many days before they would get to the otherside of the ocean.
When the winds blew high and the waves dashed against the rocks andtossed up the white spray, he would take them down to the beach towatch the storm, and see the surf roll in. Of course this was a timefor rubber boots, "oilskins," and "sou'westers," such as the seafaringpeople wear.
One day during a gale, a "nor'easter," when they could hardly standalone, they saw a schooner wrecked out on the rocks. Everybody onshore was greatly excited. And the life-boat with its hardy crewput off to the rescue of the sailors, who could be seen clinging tothe rigging, waiting for help. They were all saved, but the vessel waslost, and dashed high up against the rocks.
A few days later, when the storm had passed and the sea became calmagain, Captain Hawes rowed the children out to the rocky point to seethe wreck. Here the stranded schooner lay firmly wedged among therocks. Her masts were
Such was often the end of a good many stout vessels, the Captain toldthe children; this was the chance of the sea. And then, once started,he told them long and thrilling tales of his different voyages andadventures, and the wrecks he had known, and been in.
THE RIGGERS
This life by the sea made an endless appeal to the children'simagination, and offered a never-failing amount of wonderful things tosee and learn about.
"Now," said Captain Hawes one day, "we'll go over to the wharf and seethe riggers fitting up the new ship we saw launched."
You may be sure the children were willing. Captain Hawes, who kneweverybody and was welcome everywhere, took them on board and showedthem everything, from the bow to the stern. And all about the ship wasso neat and well made it was a constant marvel to the children. High upin the rigging men were swarming, "reeving" on "stays" and "shrouds,"and no end of "running" rigging, doing the most wonderful circus stuntsin the most matter-of-fact way, far up on dizzy heights. The childrenfairly held their breath to watch them.