Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-04-30

destined to perish. But when one has
risled ones life one is very strong to
defend it. if possible
AT first | had dived several times TO
escape their last shots. Then. when
certain | was no longer perceived, |
kept myself on the surface and directed
myself out to sea. My clothing troubled
me little, being light and fitting closely
10 the body.
at must have been half-past nine in
the evening. According TO my reckon
ing. | swan for more than an hour ina
direction opposite from the coast, thus
removing myself from Rovigno whose
lights disappeared one by one in the
distance.
Where was going then, and what
was my hope? / had none, Pierre, bus
| felt in me strength TO resist, II TENT
city. superhuman, sustaining will.
1t was not only my life which l sought
to save. but my work in the future. And
even nj this moment, If any fishing bark
had passed. l would have dived to avoid
it. On this Austrian seaboard, how
many traitors might / not still find,
ready to deliver me up in order to
receive their premium, how many Car
penas for an honest Andrea Ferratol
1T was oven this, that happened at the
end of the first hour \ craft appeared
in the darkness, almost unexpectedly
She came from far out at sea and ran
near rs if to touch land. Being already
fatigued, / lay upon my back but
instinctively, turned over again, III
readiness to dive. \ tishing-bark
which lay to in one of the Istrian ports
could not but suspect me.
Il was almost certain rs 10 this.
One Of the sailors cried ont in a Dalma-
ton language to tack about.
"Of a sudden dove, and the vessel,
before those in command could base
seen me, passed above my head.
after deep respiration, | breathed
freely and continued on my way west
ward.
"The breeze fell lighter, the waves fell
with the wind, and i was carried out to
sea on the wide sweeping surge.
Sometimes swimming, sometimes
floating, | kept ON farther and farther
for about another hour. / saw but the
object to attain, and not the road to
reach It, Fifty miles TO cross tho
Ad1atic Yes And | was willing to
swim them Yes / would swim them.
An Pierre, you must go through such
trials before YOU know of what man is
capable, before You know what the
human machine can DO when all its
mentaland physical forces are combined !
For the second hour | thus kept
atoat That part of the Adriatic was
absolutely deserted The last birds had
left 1t to regain their hollows in the
rocks. Overhead the gulls and news
no longer circled in couples and uttered
their despairing screams.
Although l felt no fatigue my arms
became heavy, my legs seemed like lead.
My fingers began to open, and found
it most difficult TO keer my hands
together Ny head 1t rs if it were a
shot on my shoulders, and began to
lose the power of keeping myself on the
surface.
a kind of hallucination seized on
me. The guidance of my thoughts
escaped me. Strange associations of
ideas arose III my troubled brain. l
felt that | could no longer hear or see
properly, but | fancied that some dis
lance away from me noise wasrbeing
produced, and light was approaching,
and / was right in its road. And that
proved to be the case.
1T must have been about midnight
when dull, distant booming arose III
the east-a booming that L could not
explain. A light flashed through my
eye!ids, which had shut in spite of all |
could do. tried to raise my head. and
/ could not do so without letting myself
almost sink. Then 1 looked.
Il give you all these details, Pierre,
because it is necessary you should know
them, and through them know mo rs
well :"
There is no need of that, Doctor,
none = answered the young man. do
you think my mother has never told me
what sort of a man was Matthias Sandorf 2"
"She may have known Matthias San
! dorf, Pierre, but Doctor Antekirtt she
does not know And he it is you must
know Listen then Hear me out
THE noise had heard was produced
by vessel coming from the east and
bound for the Italian coast The light
was her white light hanging on her fore
stay-which showed her TO be a steamer.
Her side lights | also saw, red at port
and green at starboard. and as / saw
them both together the steamer must
have been bearing straight down on me.
That moment was "A critical one. In
fact. the chances were that the steamer
was All Austrian bound outwards from
Trieste. To ask help from her was TO
put myself again in the power of the
gendarmes of Rovigno Iresolved to do
nothing Of the kind, but TO take advan-
tage of another means of safety that L
had thought of.
The steamer was a fast one She
grew rapidly larger rs She ncared me.
and saw the foam leaping off white
from her bows In less than two min