Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1902-04-26

STith dread of the coming catastro-
phe, dashed themselves to the deck
or chung to the rigging. Captain
Scudder shouted the warning of the
doom Of the Warrior above the
sound Of the sea:
Nothing under heaven can change
her course!"
Yet he and his crew strove never
theless to the last. Every one on
board knew that the vessel was drift
ing rapidly; that soon she must
strike and be dashed to pieces.
The sea swept her deck and broke
over her masts. Seven men hung to
the rigging for life. They looked
ashore. Only $50 yards away stood
a group of islanders, as helpless to
succor those in peril as the latter
were to save themselves.
Now the position of the vessel
was this: Where Sandy point drops
beneath the sea it does not end, but
1t is prolonged under the water,
making thus a perilous sand bar.
Out upon this bar was the Warrior.
The island tides from the east and
from the west meet here. There is
10 more terrible place in a gale than
that where two seas collide.
The storm grew. Such was the
work of wind and sea that times
were when the sand bar from the
shore to the vessel was swept naked.
But it's nudity was speedily buried
under heavier seas.
Passengers and crew, fatigued
with labor and loss of sleep, assailed
by biting wind, at last succumbed
to chill and numbness and made no
more effort.
Then arose one Of their number,
tall, gaunt fellow, whom the cap
tain had called a coward in harbor,
and he proceeded to belabor them
and to keep them active, that they
might not perish from the cold.
"There's hope yeti" he cried.
keep alive, men~
And one after another did he
awaken by rude shaking and warm
by his rough chafngs.
Some caught his spirit, and by
the labors Of their weary muscles
they set their frozen blood in quick
er motion.
"But what use ?" cried one. "The
end must come"
"Aye, but there's one chancew
shouted the coward, who now loom
ed up large and resolute. ''Look!
The sea has rolled back and left the
bar uncovered. A man could run
ashore on that, maybe, while the
sea held back
Two men laughed madly.
"Aye, maybe! Look nowp said
one, with savage sarcasm.
The coward looked. The sea had
swelled up and hidden the bar far
beneath it's foaming waters.
''Yet one may try!" cried the cow
ard.
"Try you then!" shouted the 9TH
er. >-'rs-s"sAsS4Eas .r ;s zssa' ~''"'1x.-,~-
Now, it is hard to meet death half
way. It is against mans nature to
walk to destruction. Even though
he knows it be coming he has the
hope or the cowardice to shrink
from it to the last. Therefore no
sailor of them would leap into that
sea or dare the deed suggested by
the coward.
'1f I succeed, will you follow at
the next fall of the sea ?" he asked.
"What one man can do another
car" was the reply.
The coward looked ashore. Sui
lenly the waters rolled apart. The |
sand bar was naked. The man jump |
ed from the gunwale and ran.
The people on the vessel watched
him with waking hope and cessation
of breath. The hundreds of island |
ers on shore stood silent, thrilled, |
eager. No word was said; only the
sea spoke.
The man ran shoreward, with |
shoulders and head bent forward |
and eyes set. The sea rose on both |
sides of him. The huge waves wall
ed his roadway.
The roadway began to narrow. A
turbulent high sea moved in pur-
suit of him. He heightened and
quickened his steps. It was a race
between so small thing as man
and so great thing as the storm
impelled ocean.
The ocean won. With great
roar it came down upon the man.
But he would not be taken in flank,
with his back to his enemy. He
turned and faced the sea. He leap
ed into it headforemost. After
ward his body was cast upon the
heach The Ocean had toved with If