The sun., 1889-11-10
An OCEAN TRAGEDY.
Bv W. CLARK RUSSELL.
A Wonderful and Fas.
cinatlng Novel.
Perhaps the Finest Work of Its Au-
thor-Published in America
Exclusively by The Sun.
CHAPTER XXI.
HEAVY WEATHER.


INar this for o good many days nothing in
.Dy degroe noteworthy happened. 1t seemed.
,rdeed, a. though whatever little there was TO
alarm or divert during this extraordinary yoy-
sre had been packed into the beginning OF It.
Nu0nn lay III OF his back for two days in his
hunk: but for Wilirid. Finn would have had the
ooor devil up and about within an hour Of
arvipR and dressing himself The skipper
could not forgive that menace ofmutiny which
had been involved in the yellow faced joker's
abort to procure the shifting OF the yachts
halm for homo. and no would always refer
priyateIy to me with violent indignation to the
valets trick upon his master. But on Wilfrid's
hearing that the man was in pain and that his
nerves had been prostrated by the punish
rent he ordered Finn to let him re-
main below until he was better or we'll.
There was no moro ventrilouuism; the
midnight silence Of the forecastle was
ieft unvexed by mufied imprecations. The
ssilors, when Muffin left HE bunk asked him
10 give them an entertainment, to which he re-
plled By saying he would sec them in name
less place first. The request. indeed. mad
dened him. / gathered from sullen Crimp's
sour version OF tho incident that Muffin
shrieked at the men. shook his fist at them, his
oyes started half out OF his head. the foam
gathered upon his lips. and he heaped curses
and osths Of nature SO novel. 80 unimagin-
able. indeed. upon them, that the stoutest
uhrunk back from the screaming creature. be-
uevine him to be ravinR mad. However. he
behaved himself very quietly on deck. never
caught him looking our way nor speaking, nor
heard him again singing in q dog watch In his
Voman's voice. Life grew so tedious that
should have been glad to see him aft
again for tho sake Of his parts as o
mimic and actor. was certain the man
would have contrived very good enter
tainment for us night after night: but Wilfrid
said no anGrily. and obstinately once and for
oil. and 30 the subject dropped
The northeast trades blew fresh breeze and
bowled us handsomely athwart the broad blue
Geld OF the Atlantic. The Bride was a noble
Bailer when she had the chance. and some Of our
runs rose to three hundred miles In the twenty
four hours. with hill of snow at either bow
! and the frothing surge of the trades chasing
us. and q sensible increase Of heat day after
day in the loud and shrilling sweep Of air and
tho glitter Of flying fish sparkling on wings OF
gauze from the white and gold Of our vessels
shesrinR passage. We had entered the tropics,
but had met with no ship that We could speak.
At times sail shone. but always afar. The
lookout aloft was as steadfast as the rising and
sinking OF the sun. Day after day the polished
tube up there was sweeping the glass-like sap
phire Of the ocean boundary. steadily circling
the firm line Of It stepping from either quarter
to ahead. But the cry OF Sail ho!" delivered
st long intervals never resulted in more than
the disclosure Of o rig Of a very different pat
tern from what we were in pursuit Of
A settled gloom fell upon my cousins spirits.
He complained Of sleeplessness; his appetite
failed him, he talked but little, and his one
subject was the Shark. l would sometimes
long for o startling incident to shake him
out of the melancholy that sat darkly as
the shadow Of madness upon him. Miss
Jennings tried hard to keep up her heart.
but already could see that the mo-
notony of the voyage, coupled with an in
cessant strain Of expectation, was proving too
much for her. She had come to this strange
quest taking my cousins word for what was
TO happen. She had given Wilfrid's programme
Of hopes no consideration. We were bound to
fall in with the Shark at sea, or at the very
Vorst to arrive at the Cape before her, and
there lay In wait She was finding out now
that the ocean was the Drodigious plain had
represented It for pursuit Of this kind, and
that the journey had already grown infinitely
tedious. though Table Bay lay some thousands
Of miles distant yet. Still she stuck to her guns
manfully. Her heart would show in her eyes
when she thought herself unobserved; but II
ever approached the subject in conversing
pursuit. she would tell me that 1t was
idle to talk. that she had made up her
mind. that she had cast in>her lot with Wilfrid
In this chase. and that while he continued to
pursue his wife, no matter to what part Of the
world he might direct Finn to steer the vessel.
she would remain at his side.
Should ever forgive myself. do you think. !
Mr. Monson." she would argue, 81 If after had
left him Wilfrid found Henrietta, and she re-
fused to return with him for lack. perhaps. OF
the influence should be able to exert"
"Ay. but do not you suppose too much2" l |
would answer. Perhaps Wilfrid might fall
In with his vile perhGps she might decline to
have anything to do with him; perhaps If you
wore present she might yield to your entrea-
ties. As my sympathies are not so deeply con-
eerned as yours. am able possibly to take
more practical views. The one staggering con-
alteration with me is this: We arrive at Table
Bay and find the Shark has sailed and there is
nobody to tell us where she has gone. Figure
our outlook thenl"
Dutyou are supposlng too. The Shark may
arrive while we are lying In Table Bay What
Then. Mr.. Monsoon"
II was Idle talk. though to her what then ?"
lmGht have replied by another question: =" II
Lady Monson. at Table Bay should decline to
allow her husband to carry her home In his
yacht. Uhat thaaf"
1t must have Jared hard with me. think. but
Tor this girl; for had had during this journey
no other companion than Wilfrid. likely as not
HWould have ended In my carrying a bee in
my bonnet" forthe rest OF my days. Between US
Se managed to kill many tedious hours with
cards. chess. ehats.t reading aloud while
Wilirid lay hid In God knows what
mysterious occupation in his cabin or
paced the deck alone. austere' unap-
proachable, with an iron sneer on hts lip and
On his brow the scowl Of dark mood out OF
which you might have looked to sec him burst
Into some wild. unreasoniDg piece of behavior.
Como swearing fit or insane soliloquy-one
Knew not what; only that the air OF him held
Iou restless with expectation oftrouble in that
way. A'
The night time was the fairest part OF this
queer trip when we got under the tropic heights,
With failing breezes. hot and moist. soft-run-
ning surges lanRuidly gushing into sheet
lGhtnlnR Of phosphoric froth full moon
mat at her meridian came near to the