Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-05-06
"a staaaercd blLndIu o.

mist. Then he tremblngly endeavored
TO open the neck Of her dress. He was
startled To hnd the girls eyes wide
open and surveying him with shadowy
alarm. She was quite conscious.
Thank Godr' he cried bOarsely.
You are alive"
Her color came back with remarka-
bic rapidity- She tried TO assume a sit
ting posture. and instinctively her
hands travelled 10 her disarranged cos
tune.
How ridiculousr she said. with n
little note OF annoyance In her voice
which sounded curiously hollow. But
her brave spirit could not yet command
her enfecbled frame She was perforce
compelled 10 sink back TO the support
or his knee and arm.
DO you think you could lie quiet IN
III try 10 lind some watery' he gasp
Ell anxiOusly.
She nodded a childlike acquiescence.
and her eyelids fell. II was only thar
her eyes smarted dreadfully from the
salt water but the sailor was sure
that this was a premonltion OF a lapse
10 Inconsistencies.
please try not TO faint again" he
said Don't you think | had better
loosen these thingsg You can breathe
more easily"
y ghost OF smile fiickered OH her
lips "No-nO." size murmured. MY
eyes hurt me-that Is all. Is there
any-watert'
He.laid her tencerly on the sand and
rose TO his feet His first glance was
toward the sea. He saw something
which made him blink with astonish-
ment y heavy sea was still running
over the barrier reef which inclosed a
small lagoon. The contrast between
the fierce commotion outside and the
comparatively smooth surface of the
protected pool was very marked At
low tide the lagoon was almost com
pletely isolated Indeed he Imagined
that only fierce gale blowing from
the northwest would enable the waves
10 leap the reef, save where strip Of
broken water. surging far into the
small natural harbOr. betrayed the po-
sition of the tiny entrance
Yet at this very point a fine cocoanut
palm reared it's stately column high in
air, and its long tremuIOus fronds were
now swinging wildly before the gale
From where he stood il appeared To
be growing in the midst of the sea. for
huge breakers completely hid the coral
embankment. This sentinel Of the land
had weirdly impressive effect. 1t
was the only fixed object in the waste
of foam capped waves. Not a yestige
OF the Sirdar remained seawar,I. but
the sand was Uttered with wreckage.
and-mournful spectacle considera-
bic number Of inanimate human forms
lay huddled up amid the relics OF the
steamer
This discovery stirred him to action.
He turned TO survey the land on which
he was stranded with his helpless com
panion. To his great relief he discOv-
cred that IL was lofty and tree clad
He knew that the ship could not have
drifted TO BOrneo. which still lay far to
the south This must be che Of tSa
hundreds of islands which stud the
China sea and provide resorts for Hal
uan fishermen. Probably Ii was in
hNbited. though he thought II strange
that none or the islanders had put ia
an appearance. In any event water
and food OF some sort were assured.
But before setting out upon his quest
two things demanded attention. The
girl must be removed from her present
position. It would be too horrible TO
permit her first conscious gaze to rest
upon those crumpled objects on the
beach, Common humanity demanded. /
too, that he should hastily examine
zach OF the bodies in case life was not
wholly extinct.
So he bert over the girl. noting with
sudden wonder that, weak as she was,
she had managed 90 refasten part of
ner bodice.
You must permit me to carry you a
Ettle farther inland" he explained :