Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-12-03


tide to the ocean. 1t was one of those
heavy, pitchy fir trunks whose weight
kept it deep in the water. Only few
inches of knot, dark as the water
itself, projected above the surface, and
the thing stood like a rock directly in
front of the fisherman's boat.
Unconscious of its presence he sent
the old craft against it with a terrific
sweep of the oars and the results were
as sudden as a flash. The boat was al
ready running deep in the water from
the weight of the sea which it had
taken from below, and when its rotten
hull struck the snag it was practically
torn asunder.
1t went down like a rock, and the
young fisherman had either of two al
ternatIves. One was to take refuge by
olinging to the cause of his disaster
ana the other was tc swim for the is
land.
But there was no time to waste I'M
der such conditions. As soon as he
had recovered from the shock which
had sent him deep below the surface he
arose and swan for the snag which
danced about for moment, after its
contact with the boat, like top.
lie chung to this for several mo-
ments when he discovered that it was
taking course ranging farther from
the island and heading directly for
disappointment rocks. The expert
enced fisherman knew what this
meant. Raising his head as high as
he could above the surface of the water
he sighted the dark outline of the near
est point on Sand island as marked by
the accumulated driftwood, taking
Tillamook lighthouse for his guide,
and swan in southwesterly direction.
Dan Lapham was good swimmer
and was strong and experienced, but
the water was cold and the current
pulled at him like thing of life.
Battling to keep from being drawn to
disappointment rocks and at the same
time to gain the nearest point of the
island he soon found it telling upon
his strength.
Benumbed and exhausted he felt
that ease coming over him which is
never experienced except under certain
conditions. He had heard men rescued
from drowning, tell of this sensation.
de knew at once what ii meant. His
strokes grew weaker, and in spite of
the TACT that consciousness came over
him that he was gradually giving
away he felt certain amount OF relief
that is said to always come to the per-
ishing nan in his last moments-a diz-
zy, lulling feeling that makes death
rather welcome than appalling.
A dull buzzing sound entered his
ears. His limbs moved as if in a
dream. The water seemed freed all at
once from its chill. The darkness
gathered more deelpy but it was as
gentle as the shadows of sleep. The
waves rocked him as smoothly as a
babe in cradle.
"Sankala!" he spoke. "Sankalai
1t cannot bel 1 cannot leave you. I
must not surrender. Arms and legs.
you have never failed me. Heart, send
forth that blood you owe to Sankala
and revive this body to battle the waves
and live for the poor, unfortunate Or
phan grill"
With spasmodic effort he arose
from his sinking attitude. He shot
forth his limbs with forced and awk.
ward motion. 1t was then that Dan
Lapham discovered the weakness of
will power compared with the grip of
fate. He saw that youth, strength,
deter mination, must all yield to the in
evltable.
But the same fate that had carried
him to the border of the dark shadow
now threw a straw within his reach.
A dark solid object grated against his
side. He was caught by it and carried
along at slow but steady rate of speed.
He reached out his hand and clasped
the limb of tree. One of the fallen
monarchs of the upper country had
been caught in the flood and was being
carried to the ocean.
Lapham dragged himself upon its
branches and closed his benumbed
hands upon two of them that he might
not be swept away. Thus, exhausted
and in a semi-conscious condition, he
lay upon the drift, which was pursuing
its course toward the ocean.
"Steer clear of that drift, mate"
exclaimed a mans voice, low and
husky.
Five men were seated in a boat.
Four OF them were lying upon their
oars. The fifth was steering the craft.
The men were merely using their oars
to keep the boat from drifting seward
and the steersman was holding her
along side the current. While the men
held the oars in their hands long, black
guns lay across their laps.