The Cairo bulletin., 1904-03-29
vi o r . n
of the
Lady Lefty

lie soon tired Of the unsp0rtsmanlikC
work Of killing the sluggish brutes
and turned shorcward TO relieve the
mouotony Of the succeeding days. He
and Moran were left a good deal Ia
their own devices. Charlie was the
master OF the men now. Mate" said
Moran TO Wilbur one day after a din
ncr OF turtle steaks and fish eaten IN
The open air on the quarter deck
mate, this is slow work, and the
schooner smells terribly foul. Wen
have the dory ont aud 20 ashore. we
can tumble cask into her and get
some water The butts three. quarters
empty Let's see how it feels to be in
Mexico"
"Mexico?" said Wilbur. That's 50
Lower California is Mexico I'd ior-
gotten that"
They went ashore and spent the aft
erRoon in filing the water cask from
the fresh water stream and in gather
ing abalones. which Moran declared
We're delicious eating from the rocks
left bare by the tide. But nothing
could have exceeded the loneliness Of
that shore anu back land, palpitating
under the logging of tropical sun.
Low hills OF SAND covered with brush
stretched back from the shore ON The
eastern horizon. leagues distant, blue
masses of mountains striated with
mragcs swan IN The searching mir,
The sand was like fire to the touch.
Far out IN the bay the schooner hung
motionless under bare sticks, resting
apparently upon her inverted shadow
only. And that was al the flat, heat
ridden land, the sheen Of the open Pa
ellie ana the lonely schooner.
"Quiet enough" said Wilbur in a low
voice. wondering il there WAS such n
place as San Francisco. with its paved
streets ana cable cars, and If people
who had been his friends there had
ever had any real existence.
"Do you Ike itE' asked Moran quick.
ly, facing him, her thumbs in her belt.
''lt's good fun How about your
"lts no different than the only life
I've known. ! suppose you think it's Il
queer kind of a life for girl Two
lived by doing things not by thinking
things or reading about what other
people have done on thought, and
guess it's what you dc that counts
rather than what you think or read
about Where's TINT pinch bar? Wen
get a couple more ahaloncs for supper
ana thea PIT off,
That was the only talk Of moment
they had during the afternoon, All thr
rest Of their conversation had been Of
those thirgs that immediately occupied
their attention
They rcgaiued the schooner toward >
o'clock. TO find the Cinnamon perpleXcd
and mystided. No explanation was
Forthcoming, and Charlie gave them
supper in preoccupicd silence, As they
were eating the abalones, which Mo
ran bad fried in batter, Charlie said:
shark all Comet No more catch UNI
him all gone"
Gone why"
"No sayvy.r said Charlie. "No lkee,
no llkee. China boy tinkum heap fun
ny too much heap funny
It was true. During MI the next day
not q shark was in sight aud though
the crew fshed assduously till dark
they were rewarded by not so much
as a bite No one could offer any ex.
PLANTATION.
"'Tis strange. said Moran Never
heard OF shark leaving this feed he
fore Aud YOU can see with half an
eye that the hands don't like the looks
OF it, Superstitious beggars! They
need to be dumped in the head"
That same night Wilbur woke IN his
hammock on the fo'c'stle head about
half past ,. The moon was down, the
sky one powder Of stars There was
not breath OF wind. 1t was 50 slill
that he could hear some large fish
playing and breaking off toward the
shore. Then, without the least warn
ing, he felt the schooner begin TO lift
under him. He rolled out Of his ham
mock and stood on the deck. There
could he no doubt Of it the whole
forcpart was rising beneath him. He
could see the bo~sprit moving upward
from star TO star. Still the schooner
lifted; objects on deck began to slide
aft. the ell in the deck tubs washed
over then rs there came wild
scranblirg Of the Chinese crew M the
fo'c'stlc hatch. she settled again, grad
ually Mt first. then. with an abrupt
lurch that almost threw him from his
feet. rcgaint.l her level. Moran met
him in the waist Charlie came run.
ming aft
"What was that? Are we grounding?
Has she struck"
NO. M. We arc still fast 10 the
klein. Was it q tidal wavep
"Nonsensc, It wouldn't have han
died rs that way"
"Well. what WINS It? Listen' For
heavens sake, keep quiet there for
ward
Wilbur looked over the side into the
water. The ripples were still chasing
Themselves away from the schooner
There was nothing else. The stiffness
shut down again. There was not n
sound.
CHAPTER VI.
EN spite of his best efforts at self