Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-12-01

Goodbye, and God bless you. l
shall be in fever of anxiety until you
return" exclaimed the lieutenant us
they parted.
Waving his hand Grafton stepped
to the gangway and dropped easily
down the battens into the boat, with.
er Slocum had preceded him. A vigor-
GUS shove sent them clear Of the frig-
ate bit of close reefed sail was
hoisted on the dinghy and she gathered
way toward the distant shore.
After two hours of hard running,
having at last come we'll within the
harbor month and reached a point op-
posite the old chateau. they bore up
and began ratching in toward the
shore. 1t seemed to the old sailor at
the helm, after they had made several
short tacks. that they were getting
pelilously near the breakers. AS he
peered ahead he thought he could see
the white caps, and he believed, as he
turned his ear up to windward, that he
could hear the roar of the mighty
waves. One more tack and they would
certainly be in the midst of them.
Grafton had ordered him to throw
the dinghy up into the wind and check
her way while he investigated the
situation He had gone forward and
was kneeling down by the mast peer
ing ahead trying to get his bearings.
Finally, having satisfied himself as we'll
as he could in the darkness. he called
out command to the sailor at the
tiller. Although it looked like certain
destruction, old Jabez was too thorough
q seaman to hesitate to obey, and when
Grafton directed him to put the helm
over he let her go off, slipped out the
sheet, and in few seconds they
gather way and were rushing
straight for the breakers.
They could now dimly make out the
black mass of the cliffs before them.
In the tower of the chateau which
rose above them were two lights.
Grafton sought them out from other
lights in other windows in the castle.
He was sure OF the tower. for he
thought he recognized it's conical top:
though the darkness was so deep, there
were signs of break in the clouds
in fact, they had broken over the
tower. Was that a star above it to
lead him on?
One light Grafton surmised came
from the oriel window in the tower,
the other from the window of the
room adjacent to 1t. BY what happy
fortune did they chance to be lighted
that night? If he were right in his
opinion he knew his course to the
mouth of the passage to the little bay
Once in the channel leading to it, he
would have to trust to instinct to feel
his way through.
Mind your steering, now. Slocum"
he cried. Keep your weather eye lift
ing and obeying my orders exactly!
Our lives depend on it. Starboard a
little! So! think we can win
through, but it's touch and go. Steady!
Do you see those two lights?"
II sees m. sir"
Keep them in range until say
further. Steady, now! Nothing off,
for Gods sake, man! Hold her up
to it,"
The boat steered with an uneasy
helm She had a tendency to fall off,
to go leeward, that is; but old Jabez
set his teeth hard, contracted his
brows. and peering steadily out at the
lights high above and far ahead OF
them. kept her on her course.
They were nearing the shore rapidly
now; 1t looked awfully close. The
cliffs doomed up in front of them grim
and terrible. There was no entrance
through them, no rift even, no way
that he could see. Their course seemed
madness. Another moment and they
would be beaten to pieces. But the
business of the old sailor was to obey
orders and steer the boat. He put
everything else out of his heart and
watched and listened, all his skill and
discipline at his own command, and at
his captains service.
well done!" Grafton called back
to him. "Now let her 20 off a little.
Easy, now, Very WELL dyce. Port,
once more. So! Port. port again."
Port it is, sir" cried Jabez, as the
boats head fell off to starboard in
obedience to the command.
Then, in compliance with the rapid
and changing directions of Grafton, he
lulled up to port and then again swung
to starboard; twisting about, in obedi-
ence to Grafton's instructive coming.
through the narrow pass through the
reefs.
They were right in the breakers now.
The waves were Kissing, boiling and
roaring around them on every side.
The sea was white with the surf. The
old man thought his last hour had
come in that riven sea; the rapid sue
cesson Of commands from the captain
however, left him no time for reflec-
ton; the boat whirled about, darted
back and forth, swung from side to
side like a madwoman, Bacchante
under their skillful handling. She
seemed doomed a dozen times, and tn al
she was not shattered was wonderful
Suddenly right in front of them doomed
black mass of rock.
"Luff!" roared Grafton. "Luff heI
hard!"
The little boat spun around once
more like dancing girl, her starboart
side just scraping jagged reef. Then
came leaping up into the wind, ther
bore away on the other tack.
THAT was a close shave" screamed