The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-24

night after the murder, and 1t was the
boat, / saw Harry Mason swimming
and cried out to him. He padded up
to the boat, leisurely, It seemed to me.
He was on the leeward side, and for a
minute or more he kept clear of the
boat, swimming backward as she drift
ed on, and sheltered by her from the
breaking sea.
"Wil she float us all, Frank?" he
asked, calmly enough.
YES" was the answer; "the air
tanks will carry us. Get hold here"
When the next wave ewept us toward
him, Harry flung his arm across the
boats keel near the bow, and clung
there. was next to him.. Miss Wood
ward was between Shirley and me.
At first we hoped that Steve might
come to our relief, and we wasted our
scanty breath in shouting; but the
wind by this time was blowing so hard
that the sound of human voice was
assimilated into it instantly, and be-
came the gales voice, wild and mar
ticulate We soon gave up all idea
of rescue at our friends hands, and
faced the chances that remained.
There was one chance that we should
be able to cling to the boat till she
should drift across the bay; and there
were ten thousand against it, The bay
| is about ten miles wide from Ogden's
Island to the head of the cape. Some
small islands and multitude of ledges
lay between; but even should we en-
| counter any of them, the odds were
that it would prove our destruction.
| l believe that had Alice Woodward
not been there, I should have given up
| the struggle. and have slid off the Slip
! perry hull of that boat into Davy Jones
locker, Helping to hold her on kept
me in good heart about holding myself
on. should have felt myself to be the
weakest, but for her. and should not
have waited for anyone else to give
out first. Harry Mason was a stronger
boy than I, but he became exhausted
earlier, taking care of himself alone,
than 1 did, being by my position on
the boat constrained to help another.
The girl had splendid courage, but
her strength and physical endurance
were unequal to the strain. 1t was an
ordeal that any human creature might
shrink from. Though the night was
the warmest that ever I saw in that
part of th- world, we were all chilled
to the marrow of our bones. The water
of the Maine coast is by nature so cold
that you cannot warm it in a kettle
over fire. Before l had been on the
lotion of that boat ten minutes I was
so numb below the waist that 1 should
not have known it if a dogfish had Bit
ten me III two. so much of my body as
was out of water part of the time was
freezing; the remainder had ceased to
suffer; it was dead.
At first our minds directed us; we
tried to do this and that Then our
strength failed; then our minds failed;
and at last there was nothing left but
dogged, instructive resistance. 1 knew
nothing except that 1 would not let go
of the keel Of that boat, nor suffer my
stiffening fingers to relinquish their
grip on Alice Wocdward's arm.
Shirley must have been in a little
better condition. He at least could see
and hear after those faculties seemed
to have suspended operations for me-
1t was Shirley who discovered that we
were drifting into breakers; it was he
who walked me with last appeal when
we were dashed against something
black that lowered above us. and
frightened more than it cheered me.
After that l remember fighting my
way up an interminable slope of rock
covered with seaweed, while the waves
pursued us and tried to drag the bur
den that was between us back into the
sea. One last effort, and i saw that We
were all together on solid lang again
and it flashed across my mind that w,
were safe. Then all the nerves anC
muscles in my body gave way at once
and fell; but have no recollection o
. any shock when struck the hard sur
face of the ledge.
For an interval was as destitute o
consciousness as, in the absence of evi
dence to the contrary, / would hav
held the rock on which 7 lay to be. Ant
to the rock, / suppose, the period sine
It was created does not differ from
second. l awoke to find my three com
panions busy with me. My first sensa
ton was of cold; then felt the other
around me; and Immediately a dash o
water struck me in the face. I sup
posed that some one had thrown it o.
z me to revive me.
Never mind that" said 1, as cheer
e fully as might be; I'm wet enough a
it is"
g I sat up and again the water struc
a me. This time l saw that it was tn
e spray of the wave that had broken o
S the rocks in front of me.
r why don't we so up higher?"
4 asked
1--WE can't" replied Shirley, gloom
lily. "We'er on top of the ledge now"
/ struggled to my feet. All aroun
e me was darkness so intense that
y could see nothing but the foam {
q breaking waves, To windward was
! great patch of white where the waite
Il was churning over a rough floor {
e rock, Just awash. BY this the wave
o We're broken before they reached tn
IS edge of the upper ledge where we ha
5 found a rspite from the storm. and onl
the largest of them flung their spra
: up to us. Yet our elevation above tn
water was not more than three feet.
'In the name of heaven, Frank"
said, "how is the tide?"
Rising" said Shirley. "Bert, IT,
all over with us. We're on Gnll roc
or one of the other lodges in tina
bunch, and they're all covered at hig
water"
Frank, are you sure?"
. I'VE capsized a mile and a half du
east of Spruce Head, with the win
southwest and the tide just beglnrln
to run in," said he. "You can figure
out for yourself. You remember III
course we laid out yesterday fror
Spruce Head across the Bay betwee
the Gull Rock lodges and the Roun
islands? East northeast, half east.
Frank, we're lost!"
STEADY" he cried, clutchlng my arr
and wheeling me around till 1 face
the spot where the others crouche
upon the ledge. "She knows, and sh
is not afraid. / won't let you go I