Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-11-03
CHAPTER yIII.-{Continued.

SLxAk
They had a compass in the other
boat, and they knew the course the
Kangaroo was steering when she
sunk. Accordingly they got IS much
sail up as the little boat could carry
In the stn breeze, and ran nearly due
east before the steady westerly wind.
All day long they ran across thu
mighty ocean. At Sundown they
shortened sail considerably. only leav-
ing enough canvas up to keep the boat
ahead Of the sea-.
Somehow the long night wore away.
There came q faint glow in the east
and the daylight began to break over
the stormy sea. Augusta turned her
head and stared through the mist.
what is THAR she said. in a voice
trembling with excitement, to the
sailor Bill. who was taxing his turn
at the tiller: and she pointed to a dark
mass that doomed up almost over them
The man looked. Il then looked
again: and then hallocd out joyfuily;
'.Land-land ahead"'
Up struggled Mr.. AIecson onto his
knees-his legs were so stlf that he
could not Standard began to stare
wildly about him.
.'Thank h~eaycnv' he cried. ~Where
ia it? Is it New Zealand: II ever l
get there III stop there. III never
get on a ship again"
New Zealandr!' growie'i the sailor,
"Are you a fool? It's Kerguclen Land.
that's what 1t is-where it rains all
day. and nobody lives. It's like
enough that you'll stop there, though;
for don't reckon that anybody will
come to take you Off in a hurry"
Mr.. Meeson collapsed with q groan,
and a few minutes afterward the sun
rose, while the mist grew less and
less, till at last 1t had disappeared, re-
vealIng a grand panorama to the &C.
cupants OF the boat. For before them
was line upon line Of Jagged and lofty
peaks, stretching as far as the eye
could reach, gradually melting In the
distance into the cold white CLEAN of
Snow. Bill slightly altered b boats
course to the southwark, and, sailing
round a point she came into compare
tive calm water. Then, due north of
them, running into the land, they saw
the mouth OF the great ford, bounded
OH each side by towering mountain
banks SO steep as to be almost pre-
cipitous, around whose lofty sides
thousands Of sea fowl wheeled, awak-
ing the echoes with their clamor.
Right into ssha.s beautiful! stord they
sailed, along the line OF the beetling
elf, till they came to a spot where
the shore shelved gently up from the
waters edge TO the frowning and pre-
cipitous background. And here, to
their huge delight, they discovered
two huts, roughly built OF old ships
timbers, placed within a score of yards
Of each other.
LET us land and get out of this
terrible boat" 9 Mr.. Meescl. feo-
bly,: a proposition that Augusta sec
onded heartily enough.
Their Their narT5ts care .Has to go IN tn the
huts and examine them. They had
been built some years-whether by
the expedition which, in 1874, came
hhtsther to observe h transit Of Venus,
or by former parties Of s~hipwrecked
mariners, they never discovered-and
were now In a state Of ruin. Still
they were decidedly better than the
b beach. The smaller of the two
huts was given up to Augusta and
the boy Dick, while Mr.. Meeson and
the sailors took possession OF the
large one. Their e task was to
move up their scanty belongings, and
10 clean out the huts and make them
a. habltable as possible by stretching
the sails OF the boat over the damp
floors and covering up the holes In
the roof a. best they could with stones
and bits Of board from the bottom of
tho boat. The weather was, FORUM
ately, Sry, and as they all with the
exception OF Mr.. Meeson, who seemed
to be quite prostrated) worked with a
will, by midday everything was done
that could be done. Then they made
a fire OF some driftwood-for. FORUM
ateiy, they had a few inatches-and
Augusta cooked two fowls they bad
rot out OF a floating hen-coop as well
as circumstances would allow. and
they had dinner, Of which they all
stood sadly In need.
After dinner they recSoned up their
resources. OF water there was an
ample supply. for not far from the
Auts a stream ran down into the ford.
For food they had the best part of
Z bag OF biscuits weighing q hundred
pounds. There was plenty OF she'll
nsh about II they could find means
to cook them, while the rocks around
were covered with hundreds OF PEN
gums, which only required to be knock
"a on the head. There was. therefore,
utte fear Other perishing OF star
yatton. Indeed, Immediately after
dinner, the two sailors went u and
returned with A. many birds, eggs
moeuy penguin-as they could carry
In their hats. Scarcely had they got
In, however, when the rain. which Is
the prevailing characteristic Of these
Iadtudes. set IN, in the most pitiess
fashion; and soon the great mountains
with which they e surrounded.
were wrapped In dense wells of fleecy
vapor. Hour after hour the rain
fell without ceaslng, penetrating
through their misernb:c roof, ana
falling-drop. drop, drop-upon the
sodden floor. Augusta sat BY herself
in the smaller hut, doing what she
could to amuse little Dick by telling
him stories.
~ ~-ox~ 4. rrnr snd colde, and da mn