The Yale expositor., 1895-03-15
A TAIL OF THE SOUTH

remnants OF the sail hung mOtiOnleSS
after alast faint 1utter The thing that
sat aft-for surely so grotesquely hor-
rlble vision could not be man
pointed with hands like the talons Of
bird of prey to the purple outline
OF the island in the west, and : his
black blood-baked lips moved, opened
ard essayed TO speak. The other being
that, with bare ard skinny arms
clasped around its bony knees, sat
crouched in the bottom OF the boat,
leaned forward to listen.
"Ducio Island, Enderby," said the
first In a hoarse, rattling whisper; mo
one Is on 1t; but water Is there
and plenty of birds and turtle, and
few cocoanuts.'
At the word "water" the listener
gave a curious, gibberish chuclile, I'M
clasped his hands from his knees and
crept further toward the speaker.
And the current is setting us down
to 1t, wind or no wind. i believe Wen
see this pleasure trip through after all"
and the black lips parted in hid
eous grimace.
The man whom he called Enderby
sank his head again upon his knees,
and his dulled and blOodshOt eyes rest
ed on something that lay at the cap
tain's feet-the figure of n woman en-
veloped from her shoulders down in
a ragged, native mat.
The black whiskered man who steer
ed looked down for a second upon the
face beneath him with the uncOncern
for others born of agony OF thirst and
despair, and again his gaunt face turn
ed to the land. And yet she was his
wife. and not six weeks back he had
experienced a cold sort OF satisfaction
In the possession OF 50 much beauty.
He remembered that day now. En-
derby, the passenger from Sydney, and
he were walking the poop; his wife
was asleep In a deck chair, on the
other side. An open book lay in her
lap. AS the two men passed and re-
passed her, the one noted that the 9th
er would glance in undisguised and
honest admiration at the figure in the
chair. And Enderby who was as open
rs the day had said to him, Langton,
that the sleeping Mrs. Langton made
a beautiful picture.
The sail stirred, filled out, and then
dropped again, and the two specters.
with the sleeping woman between, still
sat with their hungry eyes gazing over
toward the land. AS the sun sank,
the outlines Of the vendure clad sum-
mIts and beetling cliffs became en-
shrouded in tenebrous night.
Another hour, and faint sigh came
from the ragged mat. Enderby, for
ever on the watch had first seen
white hand silhouetted against the
blackness of the covering, and knew
that she was still alive. And he was
about to call Langton. who lay in the
stern sheets, mutterlng in hldeous
dreams he heard the woman's voice
calling him.
THANK God. you are alive, Mrs.
Langton. Shall wake Captain Lang
ton? We must be nearing the land"
mo, don't. Let him sleep. But
called you, Mr.. Enderby TO lift me up.
want to see where the rain Is com
ing from"
Enderby groaned In anguish of
spirit. "Rain? God has forgotten us,
L" and then he stopped in shame
at betraying his weakness before a
woman. With hot tears of mingled
weakness and pity coursing down his
cheeks he raised her up.
why, there 1t is, Mr. Enderby-and
the land as well! And it's n heavy
squall. too" and she pointed to NOV
Ing inlxy mass that half concealed the
black shadow of the island. 'Quick.
take my mat; one end of IL will hold
water"
Enderby pressed the woman's hand
to his lips and kissed 1t again and
again. Then with eager hands he took
the mat from her, and, staggering for
ward to the bows, stretched the sound
end across and bellied ii down. And
then, the moving mass that was once
black, was now white, swept down
upon them and brought them life and
Joy.
Langton, with "a empty beef tin In
his hand, stumbled over his wife's fiS-
ure, plunged the vessel into the water,
and drank, and drank again.
Course you, you brute! shouted En-
derby through the wild noise of the
kissing rain. where is your wife?
Are you going to let her die there with
out a drink"
Langton answered not, but drank
once more. Then Enderby, with an
oath. tore the tin from his hand, filed
1t and took 1t to her, holding her up
while she drank. And as her eyes
looked gratefully into his while he
placed her tenderly back In the stern
sheets, the madness of moment over
powered him, and he kissed her on the
lips.
Concerned only with the nectar in
the mat, LAngton took no regard of
Endorby rs he opened the little locker,
pulled out n coarse dungaree jumper,
and wrapped 1t around the thinly-clad
and drenched figure Of the woman.
She was weeping now, partly from
the joy Of knowing that she was not
to die of the agonics Of thirst In an
open boat in mid-Pacifc and partly
because the water had given her
strength to remember that Langton
had cursed her when he had stumbled
over her to get at the water in the mat. |
She had married him because OF his
handsome face and dashing manner.
Her ideal of happy life was TO have
her husband leave the sea and buy an
estate either In Tuhiti or Chill. She
knew both countries well; the first was
her birthplace, and between there and
Valparaiso and Sydney her money
grubbing old father had traded for
years.
Mrs. Langton cared for her husband |
in a prosaic sort of way; but she knew
10 more of his inner nature and latent |