The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-06-20

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lantic may have its pleasures, but
these, such as they were, did not appeal
to either Kettle or his companions.
They were thoroughgoing steamer sail
ors They desplsed sails, and the
smallness Of their craft gave them
qualms both mental and physical. By
day the sun scorched them with intol-
erable glare and violence; by night the
clammy sea mists drenched them to the
bone. For larger vessel the weather
would have been accounted favorable;
for their cockleshell it was once or
twice terrific. In two squalls that they
ran into, breaking combers filed the
lifeboat to the thwarts, and they had
TO bale for their bare lives. They were
cramped and sore from their constrain-
ed position and want of exercise, they
got sea sores on their wrists and salt
CRIME on every inch of their persons,
they were growing gaunt on the scanty
rations, and, in fact, better presenta-
ton of n boat full Of desperate casta-
ways it would be hard to hit upon.
Flotillas of iridescent pink sailed nau-
titus scudded constantly beside them,
dropping as constantly astern, and
these made their only company. Ex-
cept for the nautilus the sea seemed
desolate.
In this guise then, they ended their
voyage, which had spun out to nigh
upon 1000 miles, through contrary
winds and the necessity for incessant
tacking, and in the height of one blaz-
ing afternoon there rose the tops Of
the islands out of twlnkling turquoise
sea.
These appeared first as mere dusty
black rocks sticking up out of the calm
blue, Great Salvage island to the north
ward and Great Piton to the south and
beyond, but they grew as the boat near
ed them and presently appeared to be
built upon frieze of dazzling feathery
whiteness. The lifeboat swept on to
reach them, climbing and diving over
the rollers. She had canvas decks,
| quarter mast high, which contrived to
throw off the sprays, and over these the
| faces of her people peered ahead, wild
and gaunt, salt crusted and desperate.
Great Salvage island drew abeam and
passed away astern. Great Piton lay
close ahead now, fringed with thou
sand reefs, each with its spoutng
breakers. The din of the surf came to
them loudly up the wind. A flock of
sea fowl, screaming and circling, sailed
out to escort them in, and ahead, be-
hind the banks of breakers, drawing
them on as water will draw a choking
| man, were the rusted smokestack and
| the stripped masts of derelict mer-
chant steamer.
There is a yarn about an open boat
| which had voyaged 1000 miles over the
lonely Pacific coming upon green atoll
| and being sailed recklessly in through
the surf and drowning every soul on
board, and the yarn is easy believable.
| Captain Kettle and his companions had
undergone horrible privations. Here at
last were the isle of their hope and the
treasure, as it seemed, in full view, but
by some intolerable fate they were
barred from it by relentless walls of
surf. Kettle ran in as close as he dared
and then fattened in his sheets and
sailed the lifeboat cloSS hauled along
the noisy line OF breakers, looking for
an opening.
The two Portuguese grumbled OPEN
ly, and when not ghost of a landing
place showed and Kettle put her about
to sail back again even the cautious
McTodd put up his word to run in and
risk it,
But Kettle, though equally sick as
they were of the boat and her voyage,
had all a sailors dislike for losing a
ship, whatever she might be, and
cowed them all with voice and threats,
and at last his forbearance was re-
warded. A slim passage through the
reefs showed itself at the southern end
of the island, and down it they lodged,
trimming their sheets six times min
ute, with an escort of dangers always
close on either hand, and finally ran
into rocky bay. which held compara-
lively smooth water.
There was no place to beach the boat
They had to anchor her off, but with a
whip on the cable they We're able to
step ashore on ledge of stone and
then haul the boat off again out of
harms way.
1t may be thought that they capered
with delight at treading on dry land
again, but there was nothing of this.
With their cramped limbs and disused
joints it was as much as they could
do to hobble, and every step was a
wrench. But the lure ahead of them
was great enough to triumph over mi
nor difficulties. Half mile away
along the rocks was the Duncansby
Head, and for her they raced at the
top of their crippled gait and the sea
fowl screamed curiously above their
heads.
They scratched and tore themselves
in this frantic progress over the sharp
volcanic rocks, they choked with thirst,
they painted with their labor, but none
of these things mattered. The desert
ed steamer when they came to her
was lying off from the shore at the
other side of lake of deep water, but
they were fit for no more waiting, and
each as he came opposite her waded
in out of his depth and swan off with
eager strokes. Davit falls trailing in
the water gave them an entrance way,
and up these they climbed with the
quickness of apes, and then with one
accord they made for the pantry and
the stewards storeroom. The gold
which had lured them was forgotten.
The immediate needs of their famished
bodies were the only things they re-