Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-02-29

that we could do we were drifting rap
idly toward Drunken Gut.
Suddenly a tholepin broke. Before
another could be put in the place we
were afoul of the standing rigging of a
sunken vessel, the dory almost on her
broadside, and we in imminent danger
of being washed overheard. But cling
ing instinctively to the uppermost gun
vale, we succeeded in righting the dory
and working her clear of the wreck.
Again we were adrift indeed, for we
had lost an oar, and now had but one.
Our destruction now was apparently
but question of moments, for if we es-
capped the reefs and boiling surf upon
one side, we were almost certain to be
dashed against the iron sides of Manand
upon the other.
Twas in the bow, peering ahead, when
the hull of vessel suddenly doomed up
almost directly before US, and appar-
emily at anchor. While the captain en-
deavored to keep the dory headed for
her, bent one end of my coil of line to
the painter ring. Then grasping
blight in my hand as the dory grazed
the schooner's sides, made a spring
for the rail and climbed on board. Then
I caught my line round a elect, checked
the drift of the dory and brought her
alongside.
We soon found that the schooner was
deserted. Her crew had sought safety
on shore. We thought ourselves ex-
ceedingly fortunate that their vessel
had been in our way.
But we had been upon the deck
scarcely 20 minutes when the captain
startled us with the announcement that
the vessel was rapidly filling. 1t was
evident that she had dragged from the
harbor, and first striking upon the reef,
had swung to her present position.
While the captain searched for a spare
oar, grasped the line by which l had
fastened the dory and was Mortified to
find it slack. No dory was there-tllt
rope which had held her trailed away
astern and was lost in the darkness.
Our last hope seemed to have departed.
But no-as | peered through the
gloom l caught sig ht of a boat attached
to long warp that trailed over the taft
rail of the schooner. It was a seine
boat. We quickly drew it up and got
into il.
Our drift in the dory had carried US
considerably to the leeward of Smutty
Nose, SO that in our present position the
force of the sea was much broken. As
we crouched beneath the gunwaIe Of
our new refuge, momentarily expecting
to see the abandoned schooner go down,
a light from Smutty Nose gradually
shone out over the waters.
We saw that a fire had been kindled
upon the island. Down at the waters
edge people were moving about among
the rocks. In little while boat
seemed to leave the shore and drift slow
ly toward US.
AS her erratic movements seemed to
indicate that she had no one aboard, but
was drifting at the will of the wind,
no special significance to he1
appearance, though 1 glanced toward
her occasionally. Yet nearer she came, |
sometimes directly toward US.
At times a heave of the sea would |
throw her far to one side, then she |
would seem to linger moment, to |
start off anew in our direction. Half |
dazed from exhaustion, / watched her |
with tagging interest until she was
close at hand. Then I saw the captain |
reach out and grasp her by the gun
vale and hold her fast alongside.
He shouted for US to get into her. No
sooner had we all obeyed than she
started swiftly for the shore. Then ] |
perceived that a long warp led from her
to Smutty Nose and that the people
there were pulling us toward them.
Owing to the direction of the current |
the boat could not be dragged back to
the point from which she started, and |
we struck the outer edge of the wide
reef of rocks. 1t was nearly low tide, |
and, though the sea did not break upon
the reef, every wave that rolled through |
the narrow passage boiled up over it
in swelling flood, submerging the
rocks many feet, to subside again, leav-
ing them entirely bare.
To run this gauntlet was our next
trial. Waiting until sea retired, we
started over the slippery, weed-grown
rocks and ran as fast as we could until
an incoming wave overlook us. Then
we flung ourselves fat upon the reef
while the food boiled up over US, clutch
ing the rockwell with both hands and
to resist the terrible undertow
backward
When the refux left the reef bare
again we rose and ran once more Four
times the flood passed over us. Then,
breathless, bruised and half dead, I
felt grasp upon my collar and / was
dragged up out of the grip of the sea-
safe at last.-Youth's Companion.
Pensive Pencilings.
When young business man gets
his first check book he usually has a
tendency to get one with Dict,Ires in