The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-22

lall the other kin of love, being over
mercy or feproach. AS the men con-
| verged upon the schoot1ers side their
paths merged into one--a narrow
shifting way to the Ice in her Leland
| it was in the encounters OF that place
that three men lost their hves. Two
| tumbed to their death locked in each
/ others arms. and one was bested and
| flung down.
| When Saul and John, the last of all,
! came to that one patch of loose ice,
| where the rail was within reach,
| crowd of seven was congested there,
| and, with brute unreason, they were
| fighting for the first grip. So fast
| was the schooner slipping away, here
| was time leftsfor but four, at mott, to
| Chamber aboard.
| saul! Saul! she'll slip away from
| we"
| She was drifting faster. The loos-
ened pack divided before her prows.
| She was scraping through the ice,
| leaving it behind her, faster and faster
yet. The blind crowd amidships
| plunged along with her. all the while
| losing something of their position.
| STEADY, John, by said Saul.
| "For'ard, Hereunder the quarter.
| "Iss, Saul. Oh. make haste!'
| In a moment they were under the
| forward quarter, standing firm on a
narrow pan of ice, waiting for the
drift of the schooner to bring the rail
within reach. When that time came
| Saul caught the lad up and lifted him
| high. But she was dragging the men
| who chung to her. They were now
within arms reach of John. Even as
| he drew himself up q hand was rails
| ed to catch his foot. Saul struck at
| the arm. Then he felt a clutch on
| his own ankle-a grip that tightened.
| He looked down. His foot was re-
| leased He saw a hand stretched up
and stopped to grasp it; it was sud
denly withdrawn. The face of a man
wavered in the black water and dis
appeared Saul knew that touch
of his hand was as near as OF Bill
Anderson had come to salvation.
Then the fight was upon him. A
| man clambered on his back He felt
| his foothold pping-sink-
| ing. But he wriggled away, turned in
| a rush of terror to defend himself,
and grappled with this man. They
| fell to the ice, each trying to free him.
self from the other; their weight was
| distributed over a wider surface of
| fragments, SO they were borne up
| while they fought. The rest trampled
| over them. Before they could recover
and make good their footing the ship
| had drifted past. They were cut off
| from her by the open water in her
| wake. She slipped away like shadow
| vague grew, and vanished in the
SWirling snow. But picture remain
| cd with Saul-that of lad. in cloud
of snow, leaning over the rail- which
was a shadow, with his mouth wide
| nlp'.i in q cry, which was lost IN tie
| tumult of ind and hoarse voices ard
| With his hand stretched c.t.: AMI he
| knew that John was aboard, ara
would come safe to Ragged Harbor.
"For'ard, there-stand by, some o
you!"
1t was the shippers voice, ringing in
the white night beyond There was
! an answering trample, like the sound
| of footballs departing.
"Show a bit o. that jib!"
! The words We're now blurred by the
greater distance. Saul listened for
| the creak and rattle of the sail run
ming up the stays, but heard moth
| ing.
"Sau-au-l-l!"
The long cry came as from far off,
beating it's way against the wind,
muffied by the snow between.
That was the last
Now, the man was stripped to his
strength---to his naked strength; to
his present store of Vigor and heat and
nutriment, plenteous or depleted, as
der and sail. 1t was a barehanded
fght-strength to strength Escape
was by endurance-by enduring the
wind and the waves and the cold until
such time as the seas passion wasted
itself and she fell into that ripping,
sunny mood in which she gathers
strength for new assault. Even now
it was as though the fragments of
ice over which he was aimlessly leap
;t,or tria tn oil nd hi I'm
off So he cast about for better posi-
tion-for place on some pan, which
would be like wall to the back of an
i outnumbered man. After time he
found a pan, to which three man had
already fled. He had to swim part
| way; but they helped him up, for the
pan was thirty feet square, and there
was room for him.
BE it you, Samuel" said Saul.
'Tss - IAN Matthew Weather
and Anarew Butts
Saul took his jacket to wiring it out.
Were it you, Matthew, by" he said,
| making ready to put it on again. were
| it you jumped on me back-out
there?"
Sure, ANIL doan't know, Saul. May
| be 'twere. 1 forgets. 'Twere terrible
| out there"
'Iss 'twere, by. 1 were just "a
They sat down.--huddled in the mid
| die Of the pan; the snow eddied over
and about them and left drifts be-
| hind. Soon the pack vanished over
the short circumference Of the sigh.
| Then small waves began to break over
the pan to windward. The water roll
led to Sauls shoes and Tapped them
'IIow many does you leave L
hoamc, Matthew" said Saul.
Mine, Saul"
"Surc, by" Matthew's brother,
Samuel, cried, impatiently ''you for
gets the babdy. 'Tis ten, by countin'
] the baby"
| "Oh, iss--'tis true" said Matthew.
| "Countin' the last baby an little Billy
Tuft, tbs ten. / were q foster father
| t. little Billy --Iss-'hs ten l left.
'Tis quarc l forgot the baby"
| 1t was queer, for he loved them all,
and he had had a doctor from Tilt
Cove for the last baby Maybe the
cold was to blame for that forgetful
ness
You leaves moare'n me, Matthew"
| said Saul. 81 leaves oan'y one"
The snow cloud darkened. Night