The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-21
Chapter xIII.-They Meet.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL


full rigged ship York lay with her can
vas aback, silently heaving upon the
swell. But by the eye of a sailor a
certain moisture would have been visible
in the silver suffusion, and he
might hardly have needed to look
at the glass to guess that this calm scene
of ocean night would in few hours show
a changed face. The time was shortly
after ten.
The lamp in the cabin was unlighted
but the moon shone upon the skylight
and the darkness was whitened by it,
and all features Of the interior were
visible. Hardy lay stretched upon the
cabin deck, and within an arms reach
of him rested the great Newfoundland
dog, secured by a chain to the leg of the
table. The picture was wonderful for its
human stiffness; you heard no tramp of
foot, no call of voice. The very sails
slept against the masts, and nothing was
audible but the complaint of a bulkhead
or some strong fastening as the ship
sluggishly took the run of the fold.
All of a sudden Hardy opened his eyes
and having opened them he kept them
open, staring with just that look Of be-
wilderment and astonishment which had
been in Julia's dawning gaze. He tried
to raise his head and thought it was
a cannon ball, but the dog had noticed
the motion, and instantly alert with JOY
parked IN deep-tnrOateQ notes, Win Gnu
less wagging of the tail.
This tremendous noise close to his ear
was as galvanism to the dead frog. Hardy
sat up and looked at the dog and then
looked round him and feeling all the SEN
sations OF man drugged with liquor
believed, without being able to remember,
that he had fallen down drunk. This is
the sensation of the man who is FORUM
ate enough to awake from the stupefac-
Ion
Good God! What is this?" Hardy NUT
tered and he squeezed his brow with his
hands you would wiring sWab to
| drain the wet out of 1t.
Then slowly memory began to oper-
ate, whilst the dog was straining to
reach him and caress him. my God"
he thought after passage Of reflection,
1.-The madman poisoned us when we
drank his healthp' And then it all came
to him He rose to his feet, but his
legs trembled and ne could Eardly stand
Where Is Julia?" and next, Where is
| the captain?"
The dog began to bark with some
thing Of fury, and Hardy with trembling
hands removed the collar from the
brute's neck The noble animal sprang
upon Hardy in affectionate caress and
nearly felled him with it's weight, then
dashed into the captains cabin, the
door of which swung ajar, and Hardy
followed. He could hardly see, it was
so dark here, and he felt the captains
bunk and wandered round on staggering
legs, feeling. His throat was as hot as
the bowl of a lighted pipe and it felt
the hotter when he heard the dog in the
cabin tapping at some water in the dish
that was meant for it's use. He went
to the swing tray, where there was water,
and drank a full draught, which greatly
helped him both in wits and body, then
entered Julia's cabin and felt the bunk
and found she was not there what
has he d0ne?'' he thought and with
heavy limbs he made his way on deck.
The light was brilliant enough after the
cabin gloom, and he could see clearly lie
stood in the hatch, holding by the com
panion-hood.
Abreast of him lay, in convulsed pos
ture, the figure of the second mate, can
DIV. He turned his head and saw the
! shape of a man lying prostrate BESIDE the
wheel He took note by the aid OF the
moon that the wheel was lashed, then his
ewes travelled to pair OF empty daNlts,
and he staggered to them and looked
down. He could trace the black lines OF
the falls and saw the blocks as the snip
swayed, kindling fire in the dark water.
He was a sailor, and at once understood
it all. A groan escaped his lips WhiisC
| he thought, He has gone away IN the
boat with julia TO SSSh HIS SO1A' AAO" --
I to recover her?" and the horror OF her
situation-alone in an open boat with
madman-penetrated his heart and seem
ed to petrify him. He could just d1stln-
gllish two or three dark figures oVerhahg-
ing the forecastle rail, and couple OF
sailors lay motionlesS upon the decK d
little way abaft the galley.
The dog had bounded Up out OF the CAP
in and was wandering around smiling at
annthPr. doubt he
was in quest of his master. Then 1t oc-
CURED to Hardy to remember that the
prog had been served out at noon. sup
pose he had got away at z
What sort of a breeze was then blow
ing?
He reflected and remembered.
He would sail dead away and right be-
fore it. for he had no destination, and was
sure to shape the crows course. Grant
her four miles an hour and this is III
| o'clock" he thought, pul ing cut his watcl
and holding it to the moon. Inc poat
NAV have covered thirty miles OF sea.
They may have been fallen in with ana
been rescued, for Julia would shrek ner
story, and the captain might believe thal
Johnny was aboard But now s!lan IL
know? How shall l know? I must take
it that the boat is still afioat, and Julia
must be saved
He considered the direction Of the wind,
and made up his mind to the course that
must be steered; but now as to the crew.
He went to Candy and, kneeling, Shook
him. put his hand to his face, put his ear
to his mouth. and easily saw that he was
dead The discovery thrilled through him
like the cut of a sword on the shoulder.
He walked to the figure beside the wheel,
and in a little while could not doubt that
the man too was dead. 1t was not pe-
cause he was q doctors son that he need
ed TO be informed of the action OF
heavy dose of laudanum, or some poison
Gus drug of that sort, upon the move
ments of a weak heart. But there We're
live men forward, and with sluggish mo-
tions of his limbs he went that way.
He stopped over two figures abaft the
galley, and detected life in them. He then
stepped on to the forecastle, and the first
| man he spoke to was the boatswain, who
was resting his head in his arm upon the
rail- He now saw there were three otn-
ers near him, and two were sitting on the
coamings of the forescuttle.
1.-The captain was mad, and has drug
ged u.s. said Hardy. 'JIe has taken the
lady with him, and I want to give chase
| Where are the rest of the men?
| "As the Lord is Cod" answered the
! boatswain. don't my precious head
| know it's been drugged? Talk O Shang-
| haing! But I never knowed it from
the hand of a skipper nor worse than
! this"
81 want to trim sail and make a start
to rescue the lady said Hardy
you'll not get the men to move if
there was twenty ladies to be rescooed.'
responded the boatswain, who spoke as
| if he was drunk.
"I hain't got strength to lift sprat
to my mouth if I was starving" said
one of the men, who leaned with folded