The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-17
for The Term of His Natural Life
BY MARCUS CLARKE


~ Nl.-tCCntfQueO.b
An hour after sunrise next morning
the frail boat, which was the last hope
of these four human beings, drifted with
the outgoing current toward the mouth
OF the harbor- When first launched she
had come nigh swamping, being over
loaded. and it was found necessary to
leave behind great portion of the dried
meat They made tedious way with
their rude. oars: light breeze from the
northwest sprung up with the dawn, and,
hosting the goat-skin sail. they crept
along the coast. 1t was resolved that
the two men should keep watch and
watch; and Frere, for the second time
enforced his authority by giving the first
watch TO Rufus Dawes. Il am tired,
he said, "and shall sleep for little
WHILE
That night the wind fell. and they
had to take their oars. Rowing all night,
they made but little progress, and Rufus
Dawes suggested that they should put
In to the shore. and wait until the breeze
sprung up. But, upon getting under the
lee or long line of basaltic rocks
which rose abruptly out of the sea, they
found the waves breaking furiously upon
horseshoe reef, six or seven miles in
length. There was nothing for it but to
coast again
They coasted for two days, without a
sign of a sail, and on the third day a
great wind broke upon them from the
southeast and drove them back thirtv
miles. The ccracle began to leak. and
required constant bailing. What was
almost as bad. the best part of their
water had leaked away also.
The position of the four poor creatures
was now almost desperate. Mrs. Wick
ers, indeed. seemed completely prostrat-
ed. and It was evident that, unless some
help came. she could not long survive
the continued exposure to the weather.
The child was in somewhat better case.
Rufus Dawes had wrapped her in his
wooden shirt. and, unknown to Frere,
had divided with her daily his allowance
of meat She lay in his arms at night.
and In the day crept by his side for shell
ter and protection. As long as she was
near him she felt safe. They spoke lit
tie to each other, but when Rufus Dawes
felt the pressure of her tiny hand In
his. or sustained the weight of her head
upon his shoulder, he almost forgot the
csld that froze him and the hunger that
gaawed him.
So two more days passed. and yet no
ail! On he tenth day after their de-
parture from Macquarie Harbor they
came to the end of their provisions. To
add to their distress. the child was seiz-
ed with fever. She was hot and cold by
turns, and in the intervals of moaning
talked deliriously. Rufus Dawes hold
ing her in his arms, watched the suffer
ing he was unable to alleviate. with
a savage despair at his heart Was she
to die. after all?
So another day and night passed. and
the eleventh morning saw the boat yet
alive. rolling in the trough of the same
deserted sea- The four exiles lay in
her almost without breath. All at once
Dawes uttered cry. and Selling the
sheet. put the clumsy craft about "a
sail! a sailr' he cried do you not
see her -
There is no SAIL said Frere. "You
mock u.s."
The boat. no longer following the line
of the coast. was running nearly due
south. straight into the great southern
ocean Frere tried to wrest the thong
from the hand of the convict. and bring
the boat back to her course "Are you
mad" he asked. in fretful terror, ITO
run US out to sea p
~Sit down." returned the other, with
4 menacing gesture, and staring across
the gray water. II tell you see a
sailr'
The day had broken, and the dawn.
in one long pale streak of sickiy saffron,
lay low on the left hand Between this
streak Of saffron-colored light and the
bows of the boat cleaned for an instant
q white speck.
Frere. utterly COMPOUNDED. looked.
with his heart in his mouth, and again
did the white speck glimmer.
SYLVIA cried Rufus Dawes. "Syl-
via! My darlingl You are savedv'
She opened her blue eyes and looked
ut him, but gave no sign Of recognition.
Delirium had hold of her. and in the
hour of safety the child had forgotten
her preserver. Rufus Dawes. overcome
by this last cruel stroke Of fortune. sat
down in the stern of the boat. with the
child Ia his arms specifies. Frere
thought that the chance he had so ling
ed for had come With the mother at
the point Of death. and the child deliri-
Gus. who could testify to th;s hated
convict's skillfulness? No one sut Mr..
Maurice Frere. and Mr.. Maurice Frere.
as commandment Of convicfs, could not but
give up an .absconder" to Justice
The ship-a brig. with American col
ors fying-cane within hail Of them.
Frere could almost distinguish figures
on her deck. He made his waY aft TO
where Dawes was sitting, unconscious.
4
him roughly with his foot
AGo forward" he said. In tones of
command. "and give the child to me-
Rufus Dawes raised his head. and.
seeing the approaching vessel, awoke TO
the consciousness of his duty. With a
low laugh. full of unutterable bitterness.
he placed the burden he had borne 80
tenderly in the arms Of the lieutenant.
The brig was close upon them. Her
canvas doomed large and dusky, shadow
ing the sea. Her wet decks shone In
the morning sunlieht From her bull
warks peered besfSed and eager faces,
looking with att lisSmsa: at this boat
and its hagga-d ce.npany. alone on that
barren and STORMY ocean.
Frere, with Sylvia in his arms, waited
for her.
CHAPTER XVII.
Society in Hobart Town. In this year
Of grace 1888, is, my dear lord, compos-
ed of very curious elements" So ran
. passage in the sparkling letter which
the Rev. Mr.. Meekin, newly appointed
chaplain, and seven days resident In
Van Diemen's I4and, was carrying to the
pogtofhce. Clad in glossy black, of the
most fashionable clerical cut, with dandy
boots. and gloves of lightest lavender
IA white silk oyercoat limiting that its
wearer was not wholly free from sensi-
tiveness to sun and heat-the Reverend
Mnokfn trimmed daintilx To the nostoffca