The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-11

the opening of the cave; but match after
match. as | made TO strike IL, dropped
from my half-dead fingers. Then l tried
TO walk, leaning against the wall Ny
knees gave way under me. and, as
shuff1ed along. acute pains shot through
every bone and fibre Of my feet Still
] held on, taking so many steps for an
imaSinary wager-and that time after
time-till / was able to walk without
the support of the wall. Ry-and-by 1
carried an armful Of the heather to some
distance from the main heap and sue
ceeded in lighting fire While eagerly
I gazed at the kindling twigs and caught
the heat in my face and hands. was
aware Of great grim walls, fantastic
pillars and mysterious corners. and
thought of the open door and the sea
| beyond. Beside me was an old oar with
one end charred and lying in circle
of ashes and / had only to lift my eyes
TO be assured Of plenty Of fuel. the floor
being strewn with the timbers Of
wreck. L found also empty bottles and
paper bags. Here excursionists had
been: but upon what shore had
CHANGED? Stripped TO my guernsey and
with my seaboots off. | suffered little
| from the wet, and, having spread out my
/ things TO dry. I lay down in the heas,
with my face screened from the smoke.
] knew no more till 1 found myself in
| pitch darkness sitting up. the cold in
my marrow and the sweat on my brow,
| while the air rang with the awful echo
of my own voice. One long minute OF
| inexpressible horror escaped before l
could remember where | was. l got into
my sweat-coat and CROPPED my way TO
J the mouth Of the cave: but IL was not
| till I had been for some time out under
/ the sky that the terrific images Of night
| mare relaxed their hold upon my mind.
| Not a star was 10 be seen, nor was
anything visible beyond the beach save
/ black spectres of rocks and the moving
! sea After a breath of the open. L was
! forced by the cold to return to my
/ heather. ! could neither sleep nor rest.
| and was too feeble to set up another
J fire. Time after time I tottered TO the
| beach, but there was never glimpse Of
morning, and back 10 my bed, only to
know the worm that dieth not.
Once, as at the flash Of a lantern, 1
| opened my eyes. The sun had come.
But there was no rushing out 10 see
! what shore 1 had been cast upon.
must have been asleep for hours. such
! a change had come over my condition
Ny bones were stiff as from the blows
h, Of a hammer, and I vas so weak withal
| that. though trembling with cold. 1 had
little will TO stir. Half unconsciously
| struggled to my knees: and with but
| dreamy eyes tor the opening prospect
| 1 crawled to the mouth of the cave.
Suddenly against the red dawn. where
il Nglared through a loop-hole Of the
| rocky coast. appeared the black horror
| that had logged me on the deep-Har-
| wick's sail! My heart qUaked with awe
! for how came those men there thought
! /, if not by supernatural hand?
| With one deep grOan OF pain / was on
my feet. Staggering out l saw. a few
| miles to the northwest, an inhabited is
! land adjacent to an indented coast-line.
These could be no other than Whalsey
and the mainland. / had only 10 clam
Der up a cliff to see the ring Of foam
| around my desert rocks. If the cave
was not to be my sepulchre, 1 must go
with yonder men.
But what the NATTER Toward
the point where I was wrecked the boat
was steering and iibing Haruick's
bald pate appeared above the gunwal e;
Inkster was in a corner Of the stern,
his yellow beard buried IN his breast [
ran down the beach and out upon the
ridge, hailing the men. There wds no
answer I dashed through the water.
and missing the gunwale, caught the
rudder rope and got aboard: all without
word or sign from the crew. Sick and
dizzy, l struggled in beside Inkster. and
with a cropping hand touched the tiller.
Then the light went out OF my eyes
When 1 came to myself I was lying
half over the boat choking with spray
and crushed under the weight Of my
neighbor ! caught him fast and called
to him by name imploringly; but getting
a glimpse of the face that hung above
lime. ] lOosened my hold with scream,
and wriggled out of his clutches. Oh,
that CHASTITY pallor mingled with patches
Of dusl1y red! Oh those unwinlIing
blue eyes, Harwick was reclining
against the side of the boat, with an arm
over a seat and his face to the SKY: the
mouth wide open, the bald head all
wet and shining Fixed in terror, I lay
on my face, and the waves ragged about
us. and the spray fell in showers, and
again the sail clattered as the beat
came TO the wind. Thinking that the
men whispered together and were about
to fall upon me- I started up with a yell.
Harwick seemed to be looking at me
from under his eyelids, and Inkster S
lips We're set in a smile. In a sudden
| frenzy / threw myself on one and the
other shaking them and speaking loud
| in their ears As suddenly I recoiled
and edged away toward the bow, where
l sat meaning and casting scared
glanceS at the still figures. The gold OF
morning was gone like a fash Oh il
was pitiful to see the sleet dropping on
the old mans face.
| For all my terror / was not SLOW to
break my long fast; but it was with my
! eyes ever on the men that ] ate and
| drank. Dreadful as they were TO behold,
| 1 burst not Iet them out of my sight,
especially when their liquor was at my
lips, for ! could not help thinking that,
alive or dead. they were aware Of nv
presence. Once I let the bottle fall. as
| I heard what sounded like a cough from
Inkster; and l was still alert and gaping
when he came rolling against his part
ner, and there, cheek by jowl, were the
red head and the baldi At that l
laughed wildly and wept low by turns.
When the hysterical fit passed Off 1
! became conscious of a lowering sky and
flashing seas. The boat, hitherto driven
by wind and tide, had come perilOusly
| near the land. and was running before
the gale at a great speed. The necessity
for action cleared my mind. insOmuch
that l not only took my place at the
tiller, but sat with an eye for my course
| alone. With such wind. if all went
| we'll, / should make Lerwick in a couple
of hours: and thither ] resolved 10 steer
my weird freight, come Of me what
might. But as the boat went spiashing
through the surge. how the frozen men
| tumbled and slidi Before long poor
Inksters curls were soaking in the lee
scuppers, while the smooth skull of the
other. dangling over the gunwale, was
washed by the waves.
4 sea swept over us, rousing me from
a trance of horror. / had ceased TO
steer and was now close upon the shore.
| Filled of a sudden with the idea of get
ting quit of my companions there and
then and strengthened by whisky and
| desperation / hauled in the sail and
took to the oars. At length, seizing my
opportunity / flung myself out upon a
shelf of a cliff. Without resting mo-
| ment ] crept along to the beach, as
! cended grassy slope, and hurried on 10
a turn of the road. Not until then dld
look back at the boat. The tide was
| carrying her out to sea. {.