Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13

but it was at times difficult to tell which
were facts and which were fancies.
Once or twice he caught himself trying to
force what seemed to be a secondary mind
to believe that he was again lying out upon
the veldt in Africa, and that the ocean and
the horrors which had recently occurred
upon 1t were the dream; only, a moment
later, to believe that he was really on the
sea, and that the undulating plain he saw
before him the dream.
He did not realize that one Of the looped
lines with which the captain had been tied
upon the raft had loosened and drifted
backward in a moose which had caught him
around the shoulders and was helping to
support him-that he had been unconscious
ly and loosely dashed to the improvised raft
in such way that the additional strain of
his weight was as cunningly swung from
its middle as If the ropes had been ingeni-
ously adjusted for the purpose
AS he turned his face was less frequently
Wetted by the waves. He did not become
wholly unconscious, but he must have been
near to 1t.
For a time he dimly knew that he was
hoating almost flat upon his back, and he
vaguely wondered why his hand still
clasped the grating. In reality it had be-
come wedged beneath the ropes, and his
wrist had dislocated as his body had been
swung over by the action of the waves
Gradually he felt that some strange
change must be coming in the old mans
condition, for he could hear his heart beat
Ihat seemed most extraordinary and he
strange beating of the captains heart grew
louder He felt mild wonder at this
pathological marvel, but could not fix his
mind on 1t.
quite as musical and pleasant as 1t had
oeen IN the house at Russell Square hut
ne was sure 1t was her voice. Also it called
MN parton many times, and he won
defeo at her omission of the Mister" It
was pleasant to have her leave II ont bnt
IL would nave been pleasanter If she would
have called him by his first name
again the waves slowly shifted his posi-
uon and her face became more clearly ont
llned to his fancy. She was singing in a
loud, somewhat harsh. monotone. which
rose and fell strangely and was very meme
traung: The whole air seemed to vibrate
with the greatness of the sound As he
IDLY gaZed at her between the wavas-for
now every moment or two wave seemed to
rise between her face and his-she seemed
TO become strangely swart. and her face
grew very large.
Larger and larger grew that flca and
there was strange change about he eyes
One of them altered from the beautiful
gray blue. which he so well remembered
and became a vivid brilliant green. The
other changed to cleaning red, and they
rose, slowly, as if they had been some dis
lance off from him and were now approach
ing swiftly.
He heard her speak It was not her voice
that came from her, but many voices, and
there seemed to be a strange confusion of
tongues.
Her face doomed larger on the water
grew terrifyngly, overwhelmingly large
and the many voices assailed his ears with
sound. which was strangely AMI almost
stupefyingly interrupted by three loud
quick, hoarse screams. such rs H. could not
remember ever having heard human be-
ing emit before.
1t passed him with tremendous rush of
waters and a strange Kissing as IF steam,
and then wave washed uiU'e over him,
and for second brought him back 10 sense
again. His conscious moment was not long;
but it was not too brief for him to resli ze
that the face had been a great steamers
bow which had swept past him, that the
eyes had been her port and starboard lights,
that the great voice had been her siren
whistle that the lesser murmurings had
been shoutings from her deck.
, How long afterward 1t was that he felt
strong arms reach under him and lift him
into a ships boat which foated by him
the water. while others cut the captain
loose and took him in, he never felt certain
from his own impressions.
The people on the ship who had seen the
1 floating gratings and their human freight
told him later that 1t was not more than a
few moments. He lost consciousness-even
that distorted semi delirious consciousness
! which had changed vivid actualties into
puZzling appariti0ns.
When he awoke the sun shining into
a snug stateroom on the steamship East
ernland He was comfortably settled in
wide berth with deliciously clean, white
| blankets wrapped around him. Standing at
| his side was the ships doctor In his natty
uniform. and his eyes gradually grew to
| look intelligently upon the scene and his
brain slowly awoke to the consciousness
| that he had been picked up by a steamship.
He gazed inquiringly at the doctor, who
| returned his earnest stare with a good
natured grin and a pleasant but somewhat
| disconcerting order not to tire himself ~