Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-08-18

and intermittent, and she hung each
time SO long in irons, that she certain
| ly gained nothing, if she did not even
| lose. If only dared to sit up and pad
die 1 made sure that could overha III
her. The scheme had an air of adven-
ture that inspired me, and the thought
| of the water breaker beside the fore
companion doubled my growing cour-
age.
Up I got, was welcomed almost in
stantly by another cloud of spray, but
this time stuck to my purpose, and set
myself with all my strength and eau
ton to paddle after the mustered His
PAMELA Once 1 shipped sea SO heavy
that I had to stop and bail, with my
heart futtering like bird; butgradual-
ly got into the way of the thing, and
guided my coracle among the waves.
with only now and then a blow upon
her bows and dash of foam in my face.
| I was now rapidly gaining on the
schooner; 1 could see the brass glisten
| on the tiller as it banged about, and
still no soul appeared upon her decks.
could not choose but suppose she
was deserted. If not, the men were
lying drunk below, where might bat
ten them down, perhaps. and do what I
chose with the ship.
For some time she had been doing the
worst thing possible for me-standing
still. She headed nearly due south.
yawing, of course, all the time. Each
time she fell off her sails partly filled,
and these brought her, in a moment,
right to the wind again. 1 have said
this was the worst thing possible for
me; for helpless as she looked in this
| situation, with the canvas cracking
| like cannon, and the blocks trundling
and banging on the deck. she still con-
| tinued to run away from me, not on "
with the speed of the current, but by
| the whole amount of her leeway, which
! was naturally great.
| But now, at last, had my chance.
| The breeze fell, for some seconds, very
| low, and the current gradually turning
| her, the 'Hispaniola" revo1ved slowly
round her center, and at last presented
me her stern, with the cabin window
| still gaping open, and the lamp over the
| table still burning on into the day.
| The mainsail hung dropped like a ban
| ner. She was stock-still, but for the
| current.
For the last little while had even
| lost; but now, redoubling my efforts,
! I began once more to overhaul the
| chase.
| I was not hundred yards from her
when the wind came again in clap:
she filled on the port tack, and was off
| again, STOPPING and skimming like
| swallow.
My first impulse was one of despair,
but my second was toward Joy. Round
| she came, till she was broadside on to
me-round still till she had covered a
| half, and then two-thirds, and then
| three-quarters of the distance that
separated US. I could see the waves
| boiling white under her forefoot. In
mensely tall she looked to me from my
low station in the coracle.
And then, of a sudden, began to
comprehend. I had scarce time to think
scarce time to act and save myself
L was on the summit of one swell when
the schooner came STOPPING over the
| next. The bowsprit was over my head.
sprung to my feet, and leaped, stamp
ing the corac1e under water. With one
hand I caught the jib-boom, while my
foot was lodged between the stay and
the brace; and as I still chung there
painting, dull blow told me that the
schooner had charged down upon and
struck the coracle, and that I was left
WITHOUT retreat on the ''Hispaniola-'