The Opelousas courier., 1904-09-03

But one resource remained. In the
pocket Of his coat, a few feet behind
him, was a small jack-knife. Stretch
ing his arms backward at full length
he touched a sleeve and very carefully
dreF it toward him. In a moment
the open knife was in his grasp, and
he mustered all his powers for the
coming struggle. With SO small an
instrument he would have no more
than time to cut himself clear before
the tide should reach him. Every
stroke must tell.
To gain his liberty he set out to
cut three sides of an ice-cake sixteen
inches long, sixteen wide, and from
six to ten thick. The fourth side was
the edge directly before his face. This
would allow him to sit upright, with
his head above the slab, and when
the rising tide lifted the ice, he could
easily pull his legs out.
With freedom of motion and a. suit
able instrument, his task would have
been a triling one. But handicap
ped as he was by being held down in
a cramped position, armed only with
% short, slender steel blade, and IN
able to lift his head high enough to
see the surface he must attack, he did
aot underrate the difficulty Of the
achievement.
Stretching his arms forward above
the edge of the slab, he began with
strong, cautious strokes to draw hia
knife across the cracking fragments
which sprinkled his face and cheeks,
and fell in heaps on each side. Deep
er and deeper grew the riffs; before
many minutes he would be free!
He struck a hard spot, and bore
down q little too heavily Snap! The
brittle steel, chilled by constant con-
tact with the ice, broke short off. AS
the blade gave way his hand came
heavily down upon the surface, and
the knife flew from his grasp.
For an instant this catastrophe,
coming SO Unexpectedly, paralyzed
Duncan. Then he remembered that
the tool had another blade, and swept
his fingers over the ice in the hope
of grasping the horn handle. To his
horror he could nowhere discover it.
He tried again, s%training and stretch.
ing forward with all his might, but
again failed.
Sick with disappointment, he let his
head drop back upon the mud, and lay
for a moment with closed eyes, then
turned his face to note the progress
of the tide. 1t was rising quietly,
more terrifying to him than if it had
come with a sound and tumult. AL
ready it washed the foot of the spiles
across the dock.
Resignation now would be cowar'
dice. Duncan breathed a short pray
er for strength, and again faced the
situation.
A rushing far up the river broke
the stiffness of the afternoon. The
Boston boat! Perhaps some one on
board might, see or hear him.
But he was doomed to disappoint,
ment. Just as the steamer came op
posite the dock she whistled for the
Winterport landing, and the hoarse
below of escaping steam drowned
the shouts he raised. And so swiftly
did she speed by the narrow opening
between the whar1es that not one
among her scores lP6f passengers per-
ceived the frantic Faving of his arms
The beating of the paddle wheels died
away and he was hgain left to himself
It was not far from four o'clock
The sun vas declining toward the
west, and the banks were beginning
to cast their shadows toward the
river and it was growing colder. Dun.
cans body was stiff and numb from
the fearful Aeight that was grind
ing him doth into the mud. The
s ais 39es sdsGs'f the ice seemed to cut
All thel While his brain was busy
with schff @Fes to get the knife that he
knew maF lie not far away on the ice
above hi head. If he only had a
short sLfk, it might be possible tc
pull thH|tool within his reach; but
nothing Dbf the sort was at hand. Then
it cams to him that he might make
a nootN with his handkerchief, and
PERHAPS fling it v e the knife.
A few minutes careful angling on
the unseen surface, to his great JOY
he regained possession of the precious
instrument.
Duncan addressed himself to
his task with renewed energy, temp
cred with caution. Never in his life
had he done any harder work than
with that little penknife.
,iNoW he would strike a shelly place
and his progress would be rapid
Then. the ice would grow hard and
blue again, rendering his advance
slower. All the time there grew upon
him an increasing terror of the tide.
He had eve known that it could rise
SO fast. Often in summer, when he
had been waiting for it to float his
vessel. it had barely crept up the
beach. Now every minute showed q
steady gain.
There was a patter of feet, a scrap.
ing OF claws On the wharf across the
dock. Then on its capsill appeared
the head and shoulders Of a hound
outlined against the clear sky. Dun.
can recognized him as a dog belong.
ing to a neighbor, and the wild hope
flashed into his head that here was a
messenger that might summon assist
ance. Oh, IL he could only be made
be made to understand!