San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-26

grace Of a cart horses trot.
Mr.. Lewis one hope Of ~deliverance
was that the boatuan to whom the
wherry belonged would be rendered
uneasy by the long absence of his GUS
toner, and put off to seek him.
The afternoon was nov advancing,
and the tide was beginning to make.
The stealthy lift of the water had al
ready buried a considerable portion of
the sands in places. Mr.. Lewis ate a
biscuit, and then, understanding that
there vas no hope of saving his life
except by climbing the mast of the
wrecked brig he walked to the vessel,
and drawing forth his knife, cut off a
length of rope wherewith to attach
himself to the rigging.
About this time the sky thiekened in
the south The wind came ON to blow
in signs and pauses and little playful
rushes, until presently it had settled
into a steady, strong wind, with short,
swapping seas rolling and worrying in
snow along the whole line of shoal.
Many clouds sailed up fast off the land
of France
Mr.. Lewis remained upon the deck
of the brig until the seas began to
jump aboard Then he climbed into
the foretop-a little platform that pro-
vided him with a seat, where he found
some shelter for his back in the head
of the mast. He attached his white
handkerchief to o shroud, and it blew
out like a flag. He hoped this tiny
signal might attract ate ntion ashore
But his handkerchief blew out in
vain; no boat put off to his rescue.
Nothing came near him The three
lightships, moored at wide intervals
and all of them at a great distance,
needed him not
The night drew down, clou dy, but
clear in the space between the shadows.
The bright moon touched the troubled
waters with a glance of splendor as
she sailed into the wide lagoons of
deep, dark blue.
Mr.. Lewis felt wrctchedly cold and
miserable, but not entirely hopeless.
The mast stood bravely; the wind,
too, was fast scanting. The tide wa
ebbing; the nights, moreover, were
short, and he could not question but
that at daybreak something would
pass by close enough to perceive and
take him off. His little stock of brandy
and biscuits helped to support his
strength.
When the sands were hard and bare
he descended the rigging to walk
about, that he might trudge the cramp
out of his limbs and set the blood
allowing. While he paced vigorously,
growing warn with the exercise, cease
lessly casting eager looks abouthIm in
search of help, he beheld a pallid
shadow drawing near out of the south.
The moo was then hidden Mr..
Lewis stood straining his eyes The
satellite flashed out of the edge of a
cloud, and in the ivory-white gush OF
brilliance Mr.. Lewis spied a little cut
ter, helpless or abandoned, drifting
broadside on to the sands Her peak
halyards had been let go and her stay
foresail huttered, half-hauled down
My friend waited until he thought
she was within reach of his voice; he
then put his hands to his mouth and
reared out: Gutter ahoyr'
He was answered by a woman's voice
that came along in tho nov soft and
gentle wind with the note of a shrek
In it He bawled again, advising who
ever might be on board to let go the
anchor before the vessel came ashore
and send a boat, if they had one, to
take him off. The woman's voice an
swered shrill and clear:
1--WE are four girls; we are quite
helpless, and don't know what tn do.
We have a boat, but we are unable to
make use of her."
All this while the drift of tho little
cutter was tolerably rapid, and in
twenty minutes from the time of Mr..
Lewis first perceiving her she sailed on
to the bank and hung with her head
looking southeast
Mr.. Lewis stood close to the spot
where she came ashore. She was a
cutter of about fifteen tons, and he
preceived by the moonlight that she
carried a small punt in her gangway.
Four female figures stood upon the
after part of her deck-all young girls
Of eighteen or twenty so far as my
friend could tell by the troubled light
of the night The surf ran softly along
the edge of the shoal and the little air
Of wind was nearly gone.
whoever you are, come and help
usl' cried one of the girls.
Have you no man on boards called
Nj. Lewis,
mo We are four young girls We
ventured for fun out of the port Of
B~oulogne- The wind rose, and we've
been blown all this way here. We
don't know where we are, and we are
helpless"
Without speaking a word Mr.. Lewis
walked into the water to the side of the
little craft, and nimbly clambered to
her deck.
"Now," cried he, this is no time for
questions CT explanations. You are
four young girls but you must help
me, and keep up your heart and do
what 1 say, or we may be all drowned
people before the sun rises"
He ran to the bow and found there a
little anchor attached to its cable. He
called to the four girls, and by their
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