Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-11-30
MacAlaster sad hoarsely, and the
Others obeyed.


Others obeyed.
IL am safe now" Alastair said ,smil.
ing, as they drew back from him for O
minute. "Your knots are fast. DIacdon-
ald' and so are-ah~ They had raised
the cross upright now, and the sudden
strain upon his overwrought nerves
mad forced another cry from Alastalr,
but the next rough movement he bore
IN silence, ard it was with shut lips
and quiet eyes that he endured the
sudden casting out from their midst
and smothering splash into deep water
"A boat will be picking you up may
be, but you will not be coming back TO
honaldshay, Judas MacAlastairl' Mac %
donald shouted after him, but Alastarr
called NO curse back, as those on shore
nalt expected. He did hot even turn
hls head to look at the shore, but lay
Still upon his cross, taking with the
same qulctnoss the singing Of the
salt spray in his eyes and the tingling
pain IN his bound limbs.
"Naked l;mbs-the sea has need Of"
AIastar whispered presently. "Does
the sea want me any more than the
land does, [ wonder, Oh, but it's
cold, cold!' s. udder ng as one wave
after another o'- over his naked
body. Il wish he wiud would rise
tnen would get chance of drown
ing Is that mutter of thunderi 4
wish 1t were. Mother, are you sor-I
roWiul somewhere for me tonighti' A
nearer mutter of thunder stepped his
murmurlng, and the next hour laid
another cross upon Alastair's burdened
sh0uIders-the cross of perpetual toss.
ing about from drowning to life as the
Dig seas lifted him now and now broke
over him IN clatter OF yellow foam.
wren The stress of the storm went by,
Alastair had tainted, but presently the
plash OF some tossing wrack upon his
TAXED breast brought him 10 know L
edge of hunger and cold and pain. q
"The fish will be plenty next cast, !
m thinking" Alastair gasped as he fl
ned to shake The drenched hair from o
is eyes. "If only the sea won't cast Il
e up attheir very doors-or then they p
Ill be thinking I'd come back again p
haunt them. Is it coming loose IT
ann The rope had slipped from &C
right arm, leaving it free and the pl
xt wave flung him against sharp bi
ged rock, bruising bis free arm on th
small sharp shells that covered it. to
1t Alastair chung fast to the rock, ba
IN light in his face that would not ly,
lie for all the pain of torn flesh and Pr
ryes, aud presently he found what va
was seeking-a crevice through an
lch ne could thrust his fingers. thu
len his hand was fixed fast in the bal
ged hole, the light deepened and
tened in Alastair's face. A.
This is good, this is better" he VIII
lspered, ethan tie open sea, and not
this will not hurt my own folks, tina
this rock is not Ronaldshay. x = Is .
ID, kind, after all, are you, sea O. cur
kinder than I dared hoped you'd fact
And now big wave lifted him Co.
ly and turned him over on his face
anchored to the rock by his right L
d. The weight of the cross on his VIII
pressed him down an arms length lie
more, and then the sea that he had and
d very gently took the soul of
tair McAlastair to itself. 4
long last fishermen from the
Id OF Ebay found him still bound \
is cross.
hough they were afraid to take the T.
Tned lad aboard their boat, lest lie S
should suffer in their herring are
ests, they tOwed cross and all pulls,