The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-11
H | S S T A R
BY EDWIN LESTER ARNOLD.
Author OF "Phra the Phoenician." Etc, Etc.
Copyrlehted. 1886. BY Edrin Lestor Arro,h

Edwin Lester Arnold
he found a mufled figure vast and dim. in
oil-skins. heaving the lead. To him No
tram shouted.
What do you make it, Andrews
And from the hollow Of that worthy's
deep-sea helmet came the answer: Pretty
stct-dy at fifteen fath0ms. sir"
Why that viii float her" said the other
cheerfully and again the lead flew from
the seaman's hand, and the line cut a
spinning cleft in the arched back of a
wave as the weight fed downwards.
Motram went on, and in the bows were
two other figures holding on under the
lee Of the capstan. and gazing out into
the night as stOlidly as though the decks
that reeled under them were pleasant
English meadows, or the bitter squalls
Of driving spray that ever and anon ran
in cataracts from their garments were
the tepid showers which fall. soft as this
tlcdOWn on the pink apple buds between
a hay scented May sunrise and breakfast
time II nearly made even stalwart Mo-
tram giddy 10 be there beside them.
At one moment the steep black PROV of
that strong ship was sinking into the
white caldrOn her own rushing stem turn
cd up. sinking into that yeasty pool as
though il would never stop, down again
with a heavy, deadly sinking sensation,
down until the snip was but a barge,
raft and Motram's hands We're involun-
tarily spread out to clutch at something
from the catastrophe that seemed so
near down until all that deck was but
fiat. dark smudge on the soething white.
And then as that ghOstly white came
sweeping in over the bulwarks In cas-
cadcs ana sheets, and even that nat itself
was sunk below the twirlng sea lace, and
"A solid wall of water rose up in front to
the steep crest of the next surge-horrible
81. IL a
the turmoil, up with Keeling heave came
the PROV. up until the Watchers heart
was sick, and his head swan, and the
pale tumbling water raced away aft, and
the fore-deck was a steep black hill. and
the waves ike bowling wolves far below,
and the black night clouds piled atop OF
the bowsprit; then down again. though
the bottom had dropped from the good
ship, and the black seas were parting to
their centers TO let her through.
Even Motram was almost giddy as he
stood balancing himself for a moment
before that dancing picture. then he
turned to one of the men, and waiting
for a pause between the cannonading of
the surf on the bows asked if he had seen
or heard anything? The man answered
him. "Wel. nothing bove or below till
just now"
What then?"
I'VE are not rightly certain, sir, wheth-
er il were aught or not Twas just as
you came up, a something went by upon
the starboard maybe ten yards or so away.
Twas like a floating buoy with a grid
above. and painted it seemed with black
and yellow checkers. l clapped my hand
on Harry's arm here" said the man, land
pointed to it, but he could not see it, and
only laughed, and said the Dutch rum
we had at supper was stronger than the
English liquor l was accus toned to. 1t
was just my fancy-a mottled patch OF
spume riding on the waves, ana yet
somehow thinks it was a ark,"
What color was it, did you say?" asked
the mate, a grizzly veteran of
these seas. who had come up while they
were speaking, and caught word or
two.
ut was but a fash" answered the look
out man, "a dim round something just
where the water creeps under the edge of
the darkness, but 1t seemed to me as 1t
spun to be black and yellow in squares
set pOint-wise one to another, ana an
open iron ball on top"
DO you know of any buoy like that?'
asked Motram OF the mate with curious
keenness as to his answer.
The veteran wiped the water from his
dripping beard as he thought a moment,
and then replied, There was one just
like that set down to mark the SpaniardS
shoal off Holbeach Head last year"
"Where?' exclaimed Motram, with a
gasp and start.
"Off Holbeach Head, sir, TO mark the
passage through the Spaniards sands and
If that were the buoy he saw then the
sooner we go about and lie to till morn
ing the better"
But the captain hardly heard him. "Hol-
beach Headm why IL was right across to
that jutting Yorkshire promontory the
geranium- hidden window of the little cot
la.Ir ,I r.sFf
over mile of dangerous water when the
tide was high, and leagues of barren sandy
flats at ebb, where many ship had found
her ending; was ii conceivable fate had
brought him up from the furthest world
and was taking him, prov on, to the very
spot which had haunted his thoughts by
day and night? 1t was unlikely, impos
sible! William Seth, who kept the watch
was drunk or DOING; there was no buoy
there; 1t was but a tangled patch of foam
riding on a wave top; the land was fifty
miles away at least and MOtram, angry
with the fate that would not let his con-
science rest, turned from the peak, and
going down the deck, hailed the leadsman
"Ha, therel How much water have we
now?"
still fifteen fathoms by the last throw,
sir" said the man, cojling up the line TO
cast again.
"Goodr' answered Motram; he was so
certain the land was far away he did not
wait for another cast. but turned to go,
and had got all but TO his door, his foot on
the gangway step, when he heard the
leadsman, who knew he was within ear
shot call out from his sling:
by the deep-ive!'
"You are mad" shouted Motram, at his
side in a moment; five fathom! cast again
the line caught-here, Gasper! he shout
ed to the mate in a voice that rang over
the thunder of the gale, as the leadsman,
with eager haste, made ready for another
try-"call all hands on deck and stand by
to put the ship about"
The men came scrambling from below;
the lead line went streaming into the
depth, the tags of red and blue that mark
ed the fathoms on it rushed through the
linesman's fingers, and the instant the
heavy plummet touched the bottom ne
called out -Four fathoms-a scanty four!'
No sailor needed to have that cry inter-
preted, and sooner than Motram could
turn around to give his orders they had
sprung into the riggings. But it was too
late; the ship would have travelled before
that gale had there not been a stitch of
straining black canvas up aloft, as it was
even as Motram put his hands to his