Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-13


soiemn rush ny some unseen rorce, it
swept over che outcrmus barriers of
the shoal till it reached the shallowest
part. Then its crest bowed slowly over.
1t was u majestic movement. The
bending was done as quietly and evenly
as though the water had been sheet
of metal and the sun was mirrored off
from it in flashing blaze of emerald
light The head of the wave seemed to
grow thinner and thinner till it be-
came as translucent as fine bottle glass
and at last. when the towering weight
of waters grew too great to be support
ed on its curving base, the whole mass
fell with roar, shrek a sob on to
the honeycombed coral beneath. And
the spume flakes rising into the air fled
| like light winged sea fowl far away over
the leeward waters
Little by little the Eureka's pilot felt
his way along through the inazes of the
reefs, twice grazing the ground,
though without fortunately doing any
harm to her fabric, and once ge1ing
hopelessly embayed in channel which
grew narrower and narrower as she
progressed aLng it,
The water was deep under her keel,
but the lines of surf on either hand
were closing in. The doctor hailed the
masthead Tom Jelly's keen eye could
see no way ont. AS far as he could see
the channel filed up ahead and in a
mile became impossible. There might
be a chance Of getting through, but to
| fail would be fatal. So the doctor de-
termined to retrace his steps while she
had yet room to turn.
The helm was put down, therefore,
and with head sheets slackened the ketch
came round into the wind. The chan
mel was too narrow for her to beat ont
So kedge. which lay on deck ready
shackled. was tumbled over the bows
and the crew were piped below for a
rest and dinner.
In another hour they turned to work
ngain. Tom Jelly, Henrietta, the cap
tain and Guthrie tumbled into the boat
and went ahead to tow with Dolly to
steer them, and then the hardest work
of the day began.
The Eureka seemed to the crew in
the boat to be as loath to move as a
uuayside would have been As soon as
the strain on the hawser slackened they
were drawn mockingly back stern fist
They dipped the oars again, and the
rope grew tauter; they set their feet
hard against the thwarts and thrust for
all they were worth with their bodies
lying nearly horizontal But all that
they appeared to achieve was to send
their oar blades swirling uselessly
through the water The boat strained
and tugged to leap on, but the warp
held her back as chain does kenneled
dog and as for the Eureka she appeared
to the toilers in the boat to be as station
airy as Bristol dock wall. They could
not detect the slightest swirl round her
bluff forefoot. Indeed, for anything
they could tell to the contrary, she was
slowly sagging astern.
But. though the inches gained were
not apparent from the boat, for the long
surf barriers on either hand offered nc
sufficiently striking landmarks from
which to take a departure still from
the higher level of the ketch's deck the
doctor could see that she was making
progress, sure if slow. in the right di-
rection, and from time to time he en-
couraged the hot painting rowers with
words to that effect
The sun blazed overhead with true
West Indian relentlessness, and. though
there was slight breeze blowing, il
was not enough to temper the remorse
less rays. and as the day went on the
air seemed to grow hot, even to suffoca
ton AT last they could stand it nc
longer.
"Spell-Ol" bawled the captain, anG
threw down his oar.
Hans. who was on the forecastle, sen'
the kedge overheard again with a splash.
The boat dropped back alongside, and
her crew clambered out of her, painting