The Romance of the Coast | Page 2

bright buttons of the
railway officials the thought of the police came instantly into his mind,
and he said, "Here, now, you needn't be taking me up; if I've done any
damage to your engine I'll pay for it." At another time he was bringing
a ship northwards when he was invited by the captain to run down
below and help himself to a nip of brandy. After taking his brandy he
proceeded to light his pipe at the stove. Now the captain possessed a
large monkey, and the creature was shivering near the fire. The pilot
said, "A gurly day, sir;" and the monkey gave a responsive shiver. Tho
pilot went on with affable gruffness, "The Soutar light's away on the
port bow now, sir;" and still the monkey made no answer. Not to be
stalled off, the pilot proceeded, "We'll be over the bar in an hour, sir."
But failing to elicit a response even to this pleasant information, he
stepped up on deck, and ranging himself alongside of the captain on the
bridge, said, "What a quiet chap your father is!"
The first time I saw my poor friend I liked him. We lived in a lonely
house that stood on the cliffs at a bleak turn of the coast. One wild
morning a coble beat into our cove. It looked as though the sea must
double on her every second; but just when the combers shot at her most
dangerously the man at the tiller placed the broad square stern at right
angles to the path of the travelling wave, and she lunged forward safely.

By dexterous jockeying she was brought close in, and the men came
through the shallow water in their sea-boots. They were blue with cold,
and begged for a little tea or coffee. Hot cakes and coffee happened to
be just ready; so the fellows had a hearty breakfast and went away.
With prolonged clumsiness the pilot shook the hand of the lady who
had entertained him; and in two days after the boat sailed into the cove
again amid nasty weather, and the master came ashore with a set of
gaudy wooden bowls painted black and red. These he solemnly
presented to the lady of the house. He had run thirty miles against a
northerly sea to bring them.
When I next saw the pilot he had fallen upon very hard times. The
system of keeping "privileged men" had obtained great hold in the
north. The privileged pilot does not need to go out and beat about at sea
in search of vessels; he can lie comfortably in his bed until he is
signalled, and then he steps aboard without any of the trouble of
competition. However good this system may be in a general way, it
bears very hardly on the poor fellows who have to lie off for two or
three days together on the chance of getting a ship. We were passing by
Flamborough Head in a large steamer when the mate came down below
and said, "There is a pilot-boat from our town astern there, sir." The
captain shouted, "Tell them to stop her directly and take the coble in
tow." We then blew our whistle, and the pilot-boat drew up alongside.
My friend stepped aboard, and the captain said, "Come away down and
have some breakfast." The pilot tried to speak, but his voice broke. He
said: "No, I can't eat. When you passed us, we baith started to cry; and
when you whistled for us, maw heart com' oot on its place, an' it'll gan
back ne mair." The poor men had had no food for two days. In spite of
his tragic statement, the pilot recovered, and ate a very good breakfast
indeed; and his boat towed astern of us till he placed us at our
moorings.
He met his end like a brave man in the great October gale which all of
us remember. He was down on the pier smoking with his friends in the
watch-house and looking out occasionally for distressed vessels. The
great seas were hurling themselves over the stone-work and shattering
into wild wreaths of foam on the sand. Strong men who showed

themselves outside full in the face of the wind were blown down flat as
if they had been tottering children. The wind sounded as though it were
blown through a huge trumpet, and the sea was running nine feet on the
bar. A small vessel fought through, and appeared likely to get into the
fairway. She showed her port light for a time, and all seemed going
well. Suddenly she opened both her red and her green lights, and it was
seen that she was coming dead on for the pier. Presently she struck hard,
within thirty yards