The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-23

back to their boat work again with
fresh spirits and breath Both were
needed, for the wind presently fresh
ened somewhat, raking the ketch dead |
on end. Their muscles were tired the
sun as he rose higher in the heavens
beat down upon them even more heav-
lily. and when at last the jib squeaked /
up and the EIreka' bow fell off to be-
gin the beat the undergraduate for one,
Oxford oarsman as he was was feeling
that if they had had to go on for 90
more strokes he must have collapsed.
They We're not out of the wood even
then, for the channel was still perilous-
ly nerrow and the shoals were more of
ten than not but few feet from the |
counter when she went about. 1t was
ticklish work therefore, but they man
aged it without touching the ground
once, although the margin of safety be- |
tween the ketch's bottom and the
sharp, jagged coral teeth must more
than once have been mere matter of
foot or two But at last they opened
out a good broad lagoon, and, running
across to its farther boundary, rose the
islet which they had gone to so much
| trouble to seek
1t was still good five miles off, and
the intervening navigation was by no
means plain But the ketch was in shell
tered water now, for the outer line of
reefs broke all the heavier seas, and the
waves of these inside channels, not hav-
ing so far to run, never attained any
| great height In one way this was an
added danger, for heavy surf is warn
| ing easily understood; but, on the other
hand, there was little chance now of
| piling the ketch up badly. She was
creeping along at a very steady pace,
and if she did chance to take the ground
they could probably heave her off with
out damage or trouble.
| But, for all that, there was no dimi-
! mutton of the caution with which she
J danger and damage to be feared from
such thing, your true sailor has, the
1 utmost horror of getting his craft unin-
tentionally ashore 1t is an indeiible
slur upon his seamanship, and no
| amount of after skill can wash out the
stain
1t was work that required nerve too
| A timid pilot might well have blanched
at the Dreaming, believing surf which
was often but a few fathoms away from
his lee, and had DR.. Tring lost his head
! for moment it might have meant
death to every one on board. But the
doctor S GOODNESS never deserted him. He
rolled and smoked his interminable ciga-
rettes through all that exciting day
and, as Captain Colepepper remarked,
might have been skippering brick
barge on the Oxford canal for all the
nervousness he showed. To which the
doctor replied that he much regretted
his constitutional defects, but that
nerves, in the feminine sense of the
| word, had been forgotten when his 9TH
er attributes We're dealt out to him.
! ''It's great nuisance, said he,
laughingly. 81 feel desperately sighted
that I'm not at times jumpy and jerky
like other people, and never experience
! cold thrills along the vertebr@ or sud
/ den Preparations, or, in fact any single
one of the various luxuries which the
/ possession of nerves gives to most peo-
pie. But the fact remains, I am debar-
red from all these pleasures You
needn't laugh, Miss Colepepper. l as
sure you do regret it, though for work
like today 9 it perhaps has its compen-
sations.
So the doctor continued to smoke
/, quietly at his post amid all the dangers
of that passage. During the whole aft
ernoon they threaded their way through
tortuous channels and narrow lagoons,
and at last, just as night was beginning
to close in, they opened out a deep bay,
whose waters Tapped the shore they had
gone to such pains to seek
DR.. Tring pointed to small strip of
pebbly beach, which shelved sharply
down into the deep water.
"There, l should imagine, is the ex-
act spot which the Mr. Piper who gave
his fame to the island probably chose
for careening dock, said he eve
can't do better than follow the excellent
pirates example. so far as to make use
of the same place; eh, Colepepper2 Over
with the anchor, Hansl"
The heavy kedge was heaved over the
side and fell with splash into the blue
water. About six fathoms of the cable
ran out after it, and the Eureka swung
round to the anchor.
"Miss Colepepper, may l have the
pleasure Of walk with you ashore9'
asked the doctor with courtly bow
''An unknown island to explored Who
knows2 Perhaps | shall be able to give
you an adventure. .
ITO BE Continued 4