The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-26

! am fined two dollars Tor Che gross care
lessness which shall he turned over to YOU
for having good, salty head on your
| shoulders
"But what time is iti' asked Jonah,
suddenly.
My watch has stopped"
'And so has Z. inc
"Mine. too
"wcll, they stopped only few min.
uteS ago, ~ said Jonah giavely "What
time aid they stop
| All three watches showed that the
! ducking had occurred ut about O'Clock.
"Humph that's bad. Mr. Gerald,
nm afraid don't want your two dollars
as much as something else How far
can you swim
"oh, about-well, say two or three
hundred feet at best.
And the other boysy''
"a little less "
Jonah sat down on the sand, evidently
in great perpleXity, while Will and Kirk
busted themselves in raising q signal of
, shirts. No piece of wood as II flagstaff
could be found, so they bribed Burton to
act as one by promising to dig some
clans for him.
''Mr. Gerald. said Jonah, slowly AID
decisively, cit is now little after 3.
At the water will cover the sand and
nj q it will be more than two feet deep OH
it 1t will be rough, and you know
what the current is like. After G O'Clock
well, you won't be able to stay here. -
Jonah. Jonah! I'd forgotten all
about that. What shall we do?''
81 know what I'm going to do, "
said Jonah calmly. "I'm going to swim
to shore am II good swimmer, and
can make it and get help for you. As
soon rs have IL little rest I'll START
.s'Nhntfc bruva If11 toil
fellows" And Gerald left him.
Jonah sat down racing the shore after
casting his eyes everywhere to see if any
boats were in sight. None were around:
in fact, he did not expect 20 see any, as he
knew they were miles up the inlet where
fishing WAS good But he did not like to
let the tcwart boys know this, thinking it
far better for them to busy themselves
with their signal distress
The coast in that locality runs nearly
north AID south. From the Island it was
mile TO Sparrow's Point ut the north of
the inlet. and the same distance to Swal-
low IS Point ut the south. Jonah studied
the situation carefully. The northward
current was bearing as swiftly as ever
up the coast. " here would it take him,
He knew he could swim just about
mile under favorable conditions. That
meant he could manage to get to Spar
row Point or the coast north of it, since
the current would help him. But Spar
rows point was n desoIate spot No one
lived there, and of course he could not be
able to get boat or help of any kind.
In other words, if he resolved to go
in that direction, he would most probably
save his own life, but do absolutely moth
ing for the boys.
What else could he do? How could he
cIvir, In
make the Swallows Point side OF the in
let where there were boats and possibly
men doing away the hot afternoon? 1t
was n good mile. He had once swum n
mile in still water, and he remembered
how exhausted he had been. On this
swim there woul be little chance for
restful float; the opposing current would
cause him to lose more than he had
gained.
He felt that it was his duty to aim for
Swallows Point if there was possibility
of getting there; but, if he missed it,
exhausted as he would be, he was sure
that he would drown in the waves that
would carry him further and further
away from land
He felt however, that if he hesitated
long he would be lost, so shouting,
Goodbye, boysn'he slipped into the sea
and swain out through the channel.
This first struggle, directly against the
current, showed him that his efforts were
nearly certain in vain. But he kept to-
wards Swallows Point.
The boys, hardly realizing their precar.
ious situation, gave him three rousing
cheers and then again began to search
the desolatc water for some friendly boat
With steady, resolute strokes, Jonah
doggcdly went on his dangerous way.
All hope gradually left him, however, as
he noticed how far up the coast the cur
rent WAS bearing him. When nearly ex-
hausted he saw positively that he had no
chance of making Swallows Point side
of the inlet And more terrifying to him
was the knowledge that he was Il mile
south Of the Sparrow's Point side and
still half mile out to sea. go he turned
over and tloated III order to gain breath
and ideas. a little rested, with Slight hope
of being able to win the desperate battle
he started to swim again. Suddenly not
n hundred feet away from him he saw
small boat that seem ed to be empty With
new life he swan to it and started to
Chamber in.
AS he head appeared over the gunwale
n thick voice cried:
''Py gracious De sea serpentr'
The voice belonged to old Gus Hart
man, who while out fishing by himself,
had been made drowsy by the closeness
of the day. Drawing in his oars. he had
gone TO sleep in the bottom of his boat
Imagine the shock OF his feelings, when
suddenly black ana dripping head APP
peared over the side of the boat just two
feet from him
The old mans first thought was to
knock Jonah in the head with an oar
But when voice gaspcd, Don't, Mr..
Hartman; it's me, Jonah, his fright left
him, and he helped she eXhaus ted boy into
his boat.
Jonah at once made known what n