The Light Keepers: A Story of the United States Light-house Service

Frontispiece. LOOK OUT FOR THIS 'ERE ROPE!
BY JAMES OTIS AUTHOR OF THE LIFE SAVERS, ETC.
NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 31 West Twenty-third Street
Copyright, 1905 BY E. P. DUTTON & CO.
Published, September, 1906 The Knickerbocker Press, New York
If that 'ere ain't a boat, Cap'n Eph, I'll agree to eat this buff-skin, an' wash it down with a pint of Uncle Sam's best oil, and Mr. Samuel Peters, first assistant of Carys' Ledge light, flattened his nose against the glass of the lantern as he peered out over the surging waters which surrounded the light-house on every hand.
An odd-looking man was Mr. Peters (better known to his companions in the service as Sammy ), because of the fact that a bullet from the works of Petersburg had ploughed a deep furrow across his left cheek, and carried away a goodly portion of one ear. Thus indelibly branded as a veteran of the Civil War, Mr. Peters had been glad to accept the position of first assistant keeper of Carys' Ledge light, under the command of his old comrade-in-arms, Captain Ephraim Downs.
What good would it do you to eat the buff-skin, Sammy? Captain Eph asked in a mild tone, and without looking up from his task of polishing the lenses. It stands to reason that you'd have a fit of the dyspepsy after doin' it, an' then I'd be called upon to report that we'd lost a buff-skin, an' the best part of Number 12 from the medicine chest, for I'd feel it my duty to doctor you up to the best of my ability an' the printed instructions from the Board, even though you had been makin' a fool of yourself.
But why don't you look out an' see what's drivin' in here? Mr. Peters cried with just a shade of irritation in his voice. What's the use of bein' so pig-headed?
Now, Sammy, you know I ain't overly fond of bein' called pig-headed, an yet you throw that word at me in season an' out of season, Captain Downs said placidly as he polished the lenses carefully with the buff-skin.
Then take a squint to the east'ard, an' see what this 'ere muck of a beastly fog is bringin' us, Mr. Peters insisted, this time in such an imploring tone that the old keeper could do no less than comply with the almost tearful request.