The Winslow mail., 1898-09-24
JUST TOO LATE.
An Experience on an Island in the South
Pacific
BY Herbert NJ. Brace.
BY Herbert NJ. Brace.

THE storm was over, The racine
had Gained again. The waves
rolled in and broke on the sandy shore
of the little guano island as monoton-
ously as before; but nowhere was the
schooner Martha, week overdue with
water and provisions for the men, to
be seen. 1t was hardly probable that
she could have lived through the gale.
The "niggers." the coWardly
wretches, had stolen the bulk of the
water the night after the storm. and
had put off in an open boat for their
nearest neighbor, miles away over the
trackless ocean.
There were 12 of the blacks. They
might have killed their two white
"bosses," but they seemed to have
been satisfied with leaving them to
die of thirst and to bleach with the
guano beneath the burning sun of the
South Pacific.
The two white men were brothers.
They had come to the island few
months before to superintend the
guano gathering. The tropic fever had
seized Harry, the younger of the two,
was raving with delirium. a week
later, when calm came over the trou-
bled waters, he was slowly recovering.
Their scanty supply of water was
fast diminishing, and no signs of the
Martha. The elder brother, Tom, was
becoming hopeless. They would have
been without water long before, but
Tom bod not 70 Ea,, bic Sbara He had
hardly drunk enough to keep his dry,
parched throat from cracking during
those days when Harry's fever was the
worst, and Harry raved about ripping
brooks, the orchard, and the old apple
tree that grew by their bedroom win
dow at home.
Another morning, and no sign of the
boat in all the wide stretch of blue
sea.
Harry reused himself from his stu
por, and looked eagerly into his broth
er's face,
mo signs of the Martha this morn
ing, Tom?" he said, feebly.
'None, Harry, none"
The sick man fell back YEARLY. Tom
Dudley turned his face away to hide
his emotion.
tried to say, cheerfully; well pull
through all right, never fear. How
long did you say the water would
last?"
Tom had not said, but Harry caught
him unguarded for the moment.
''Two days only, Harry, and-and"-
Toms voice altered-''two days at the
most, and-and the storm"
"Yes, yes, know, Ton," the sick
man went on; "the Martha may have
gone down in the storm last week,
but while there is life there is hope
you know, old man, and I suppose the
same may be said of water; So cheer
up, old fellow; two days are a long
time sometimes, you know, and the
schooner has probably only been
driven off her course. If such is the
case she'll be here before Wednesday;
We'll be all right, after all. Make the
best of it, Tom, and let's see what we
have for breakfast"
There was but little enough to eat,
and but drop of water to quench
their consuming craving.
They ate in silence. When they had
finished Tom left the little hut and
fastened down to the beach. He gazed
long and wistfully over the sea. but
there was only the placid blue water
glistening in the sunlight. Not sign
of life in all the great, expanse, ex-
cept now and then sea bird skimming
over the waves toward that line in
the distance where the blue sea and
the still bluer heavens met.
''No sign of sail, no hope for re-
lief" he sighed. as he threw himself
down upon the sand.
There was terrible pain in his head
and his limbs were becoming unbear-
able. He knew what that meant-be-
fore long he, too, would be down with
the fever. His throat was dry and
parched, and burning with terrible
heat.
He had already consumed his share
of the water for the morning, and-to
take more would be death to Harry.
"Two days, only two days" he nut.
tered; mot much chance in that time
if the Martha has gone to the bottom.
Four or five, there might be hope"
He began to wonder how he could
make the water last four or five days
instead of two. The pain in his head
was intense. A few hours and he must
give up to the fever. He knew, too,
that he had no chance of recovery.
He knew that Harry would give him
all the water there was, when he be.
came delirious, and go without him
self. He couldn't measure it out then,
as he did now, and soon, very soon, it
would be all gone.
Two days. What were two days?
He would only be shortening his broth
ers life so much by living them. All,
what was the use?
A few minutes later a pistol shot
rang out amid the sound of breaking
waves and the silence of the sands, ana
Tom Dudley sank with moan upon
the beach.
The forced expression of cheerful
ness went out of Harrys face as his
brother left the hat, and he fell back
exhausted upon the bed.
poor Tom, poor Toni" he muir
INJURED. ''To die like a rat in trap!
Oh, God! will the Martha never come?
Oh, if 1 could but do something!" He
half rose from the couch and gazed
around the little hut.