The Red Cloud chief., 1886-03-05
ey David Christie MURRAY.
CHAPTER VIZ .-Coyr,.rv,

great vessel: and Just as he was sure of
her he saw a second tongue Of light
dame ont from her; but his time
Though he listened with all his soul, the
gun was dumb. in the prodigiors noises
of the sea. Next. he lost her for a
minute IN the gloom. and found her
again by a third tongue of flame.
Every second of that dreadful minute
had brought the fancied sound Of the
gun : voice to his ears.
Each flash was nearer than the last,
and he could see that the ship was
swecpin" hclplc>sly on shore. He
nade his difficult and dangerous way
toward her. sometimes sheltered by the
broken ground, but oftcner 50 beaten
by the wind that he could but crawl
upon his hands and knees. All the
time, At intervals which seemed in-
.%crcdibly apart from each other. the
noi,ele-S lightning shot from the vcs-
sells side. Whenever the inequalities
of the ground hid her from him he
fancicd he could hear the gun boom
and boom and boom; but whenever he
saw the flash the gun was dumb. He
came breathlcss and painting upon the
northern rocks. and could make out
the lines Of the hapless ship more
clearly. There Was no shelter for her
On the lee side of the island, for. as
Trcgarthcn knew, the sea WAS running
.hcrc like a mill-racc magniiicd q
smvriad times. She driftcd with huge
lurchrs toward this channel. and
Ir,r,yil., .,,I, ,r ur,sp ,i..-., h.1,,
I~.ssncs,. tore along the rocks. If he
could he would have east himself upon
the ground and have seen no more IN
til all was owe but the fascination of
horror was upon him, and he was as
powcrlcss to resist it as he was To save
Il life aboard the vessel. She was in
sight now continually. and he ran
down the broad grass platform with
the wind at his back, and kept
alongside AT a distance Of little more
.han three hundred wards. What with
the dashin" spray and the wind and
the gloom, he could not make ont a
soul on board. but the flash spoke
twice more Ia his helpless heart, and
then the great craft seemed resigned to
die in darkness. and even To leap at
her doom, rs dcSpairing men have
been known 10 do.
The score of men. women and chill
ircn who, apart from Trcgarthcn's
household, made up the sole popula-
lion of the island, Were clustered on
the northern rock above the Scagatc.
Tre~arihcn's h~ousckccper, maid and
mcn-scryant We're there also, and when
ne came among them they were all
staring at the fatcd ship. Against the
opposite rocks she scarcely showed AT
all. and she was AS often fancied AS
seen; but now, in a strange way. the
gloom began 10 Tighten. ~ gauzc after
"auzc of cloud was torn from the high
er skies. and the moon showed through.
al first in "A mere broadly dispersed but
feeble CLEAN. but finally shining
through a clear rift, with 4 star Oh two
about her.
There's where she'll break said
one old sea-dog. pointing to the south
crn wall of the Sea--atc. He reared
the words. but only one man heard
him in the bowling Of the wind and
sea.
..You'm right" said the ncighbor to
Nnonl nf Slohe. Inc Iact sctS tct-
rible of Gorbay head
See her a-comin' now cried a
third. seizing Tregarthen by the arm.
The whole force Of the main It'd. set
westward. To the northwest of the
island jutS out a promontory four miles
long and rs many broad. and when a
west wind blows upon this coast the
chief course of the current makes for
the narrow passage between Gorbay
Head and Tregarthcn. Gorbay forms
I'm irregular scmicircle almost due east
of the island. and the tide. sweeping
pas; the southern end of Trcgarthcn.
raves round this arc until the narrow
or current meets il. when it turns. and
the W. break together upon the south
ern Sea-~a.c wall. The engines were
ncver built which could fight Il ships
way against that awful rae when the
Atlantic sxells il with a storm from the
west. though AT other times Gorbay is
a sheltered harhor.
Everybody with one consent ran
from the mouth of the Sea-gate. though
they turned their backs upon the ship
10 do II. and. after 4 hurried clamor
down the wet rocks. they stood upon
the sand and watched the channel. and
waited for the end. In spite Of her
broken masts. and the tangle of spars
and cordage which encountered her
deck. she looked stately rs she swept
into sight and made for death almost
1T the watchers feet. No ear on shore
heard her when she struck. She
touched the rock, and il seemed to
have power 10 melt her. She fell back
from the climbing seas and flyinC foam.
and her ronderouS bows had vanished.
She drove forward again. and again
forward. and fell to pieces softly. melt
ed away. dissolved rs if no force were
used n Al. The shrek and rroan of
Severing lmherS were no more heard
than the cry of scoring soul and body.
Those on shore WAC had the heart { o
look SAW two or :hrrc wrc:chcs leap
from the deck into the boiling waters.
and two or three others ciinging here
and there. until the ship had broken
on the rock like a cloud upon Il cloud.
As the vessel first touched the rock
the moon was shrouded. and As she
melted away the light grew again.
While the watchers stood. with aching
hearts. 4 sudden volume of water
poured into the narrow Gate and drove
them back. When il fell again. reluc-
family. as if its liquid fingers clutched
at the sand. il left a fragment of spar
behind il. and almost before the quick
es. V had seen this another wave fen
and hid it. When that wave retired il
dragged the spar with ii. and rolled it
over and over. Tregarthen shrieked
like a woman: for there. plain 10 sight.
vas a child dashed TO the rolling-Spar.
.,one heard the cry. but all saw the
forward dash he made. and all realized
the double hope and fear. He had
reached the spar. and had wound the
fingers of his right hand among the