Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-02-07
s. i + i i i + i 5;
CHAPTER Nj, Continued,

or three days that followed the on
coming of that gale. Higher and high
er the sea rose, and the fury of the
hurricane rose to such pitch that the
sails already set could not be taken in.
so they We're left to split and blow out,
Strearnerwise, their fragments crack
ing like whips, until they tore away al
together and went driving down the
wind. At last there was so little left
that we scudded away almost under
bare poles, plunging through the howl
ing waste of waters still holding our
course, since the skipper could not or
would not lay her to. And every TIM
Der seemed to be starting loose, and to
be adding it's groaning and cracking to
the general turmoil, while by day the
crests of the huge pillows seemed to
swing up to the skN and by night
darkness descended upon us that ena.-
bled us to realize the full measure Of
that dire plague that came at Moses
bidding.
One the third evening the skipper
3oined me below as I was trying to
swallow some food-and this was nc
easy matter-and he discussed our fate
in such a cool, methodical manner that
could do nothing but sit and stare at
him. When he went on deck I turned
in-for it was useless to accompany
him, to hang on and be drenched by
the spray that came flying over us, or
drowned by the heavy seas that
reared up like green walls and broke
over the counter-and amid that wild
lullaby I went to sleep, to be presently
awakened by hand laid heavily upon
me.
1t was the skipper who had aroused
me. They're maxim a raft for'ard,"
said he, land you'd best tumble out if
you don't want to be drowned in your
bunk" Rubbing my eyes, sat up and
looked at him by the dim light of the
swinging lamp, and saw the water
dripping from his overallS. They're
er's settling down by the head every
minute. Her bottoms like sieve, and
all because that cursed niggardly own
er wouldn't spend a few pounds on her.
Come on deck as soon as you're ready,
and don't be long about it," so. pulling
on some clothes, I speedily followed
him.
On the cabin table lay package Of
cartridges, and close to it revolver of
heavy make, slipping from side to side
as the craft rolled, and, without wait
fng to analyze reasons, took them UP
and thrust them into my pocket. When
I reached the deck I could see, in the
dull, gray light-for morn had come
upon us-that most of the people on
board had congregated forard, but the
captain was at the wheel, and was
steering as methodically as though we
were running under easy canvas in
smart breeze. When I crept close to
him he bawled to me to 'get for'ard!
He wasn't going to sea on a land-lub-
ber's craft, and, his only boat being
stove in, if the schooner was to go
down, he'd go, too" And he made me,
understand that as soon as we had Sc
a bit, so that when she dipped we
should be launched. "Tell 'em to hold
up their hands when they're ready"
Not foot would he bulge, say what
1 might, so there left him, and I was
the last of his kind that he ever had
speech with. And never was a greater
contrast presented in the behavior Of
human beings than was found at either
end of that ship. Aft stood the skip
per, holding the spokes of the wheel, as
coolly as he would have done his knife
and fork, and forward a gang Of
wretches whose natural selfishness was
sharpened by the danger to such a
pitch that each of them would be-
1ieve. have sacrificed the lives of his
comrades if only he might thereby
save his own precious skin.
And they were for ordering me off to
make shift for myself, but found two
powerful allies-the one, big Jim Swee-
ney, who meant me for another fate
than that of drowning, and, the other,
the revolver had taken from the cab
in, which so effectively f1ourished that
I elbowed my way into their midst and
took the best place. And when every
one had tied himself as best he could
to the raft, they were like to have
gone down just as they were, for none
OF them would let go his hold to give
the captain the signal, until at last
held up my hand and waved it to and
fro.
The brave fellow looked back, and,
presently, seeing huge billow driving
upon us, he made answer with his
hand, and, catching the wheel, he spun
it around. and with jerk, and for the
last time, the Nightingale answered
her helm, and plunging her bows into
the great wall, she shook us off. AS
the waters were closing over us saw
her stern lift high, with the steers
mans figure cut clean against the gray
clouds, and then-he went to his reck-
oning.
But not alone, for when again felt
the wild rush of the wind lifting my
hair, there remained on the raft only
myself and Sweeney. He was so close
to me that our garments touched, and
so here was I, godfather for life with
the man VINO had hunted down my
father, and who was even now on his
way to help in his murder, and think
it had entered my mind even before the
second wave had rolled over us that if
1could compass it he should never
reach land again.
AS though satisfied with the havoc it
had wrought, and the lives it had TAX
en-, the storm began to abate, and went
down as rapidly as it had risen, though
for the greater part of the day the sea
ran SO high that we were hard put to