The Red Cloud chief., 1906-09-14

Continued from page 81

verts a skulker into a hero.
When the state of the tide permitted,
storm shutters were opened and a free
draft of air allowed to enter through
the door. Then all hands eyed the sea
~anxiously. The wind was strong and
piercing, and the reef maintained its
ceaseless roaring. Whenever a window
opened toward the land there was a
small crowd waiting to peep through
1t. At last the sense Of Orderliness
gradually %permeating the inmates Of
the lighthouse actually resulted In the
formation of queues, with stated In
tervals for moving on. There was a
momentary relief In looking at the
land. The cliffs, the solitary white
houses, the little hamlets half hidden
in coy hooks, seemed to be so alb
surdly near 1t was ridiculous to mag
inc that help could be long deferred.
The seward passing Of a steamer, car
rying flowers from the Scilly isles to
penzance for Covent Garden, caused a
fiutter. but the sight Of a Penzance
fishing smack scudding under lib and
close reefed foresail between the rock
and G%uthenbras point created intense
excitement. Noah, gazing across the
flood for the return of the dove with
the olive branch, could not be more
pleased than these castaways in their
granite ark when the brown sailed
boat came within their view.
The window in the coal cellar opened
fair toward the Lands End, and the
grimy occupants Of this compartment
could look their fill ut the messenger of
life. 4 rich New Yorker in vain offered
500 to any man who gave up his place
in the line after he himself, by the OPP
Grafton Of the time limit, was
lessly sent away from the narrow loop
hole. Dollars and pounds sterling have
a c%uriously deprecated value under
such circumstances.
The men of the watch were always
questioned for news by the unemploy-
ed majority. They related the comings
and goings of the Falcon, carried SYM
pathetic inquiries from story to story,
promiscuous passing to and fro being
forbidden owing to the OF
the stairs, and seized every trifling pre-
text on their W part to reach the top
most height and feast their eyes on the
extensive panorama visible from the
storm-girt gallery. Had they watched
the coast line less and the reef more
their observations would have had
value.
Quite early in the day the purser
handed to the occupants OF each room
a full list Of passengers and crew, with
the survivors grouped separately. In
only three instances were husband and
wife both saved. The awful scene in
the saloon accounted for this seeming
discrepancy. DaZed men and senseless
women were wrenched from each 9TH
er's clasp either by the overwhelming
seas or during the final wild fight for
life at the head Of the companion stair
way. A wreck. n fire in a theater, pay
little heed to the marriage tie.
The third and last meal Of the day
was eaten in silence and gloom. All
the spare lamps were diverted to the
kitchen, because Brand, during a fur
Their detailed survey of the stores, made
in company with Mr.. Emmett and the
/ pun ulSNONcitu Una was di
alarming deficit of fresh water in the
ciStern.
In the hurry of the earlier hours a
serious miscalculation had been made
In transmitting cubic feet into gallons.
1t became an instant necessity to use
every heating appliance at command
and start the distillation Of a drinkable
fluid.
The Gulf Rock light did not possess
Il proper apparatus. The only method
that could be adopted was to impro-
wise IA coil from Il sewed into a
tube. The exterior was vanished and
wrapped in wet cloths to assist the
condensation of the steam; hence, ev-
cry kettle and pot being requlsitioned
for this paramount need, cocoa could
be supplied to the women alone, while
the taste of the water even thus dis
guised was nauseating. No more po'
tatoes could be boiled. Raw, they were
almost UNBEATABLE. And potatoes hap
pened to be the GOD most plentiful.
The genuine fresh water, reduced tC
a minimum In the c~istern, was only
little better in condition unless 1t was
filtered, and Brand decided that II
ought to be retained for the exclusive
use Of those seriously Ill. Patients
were multiplying SO rapidly that the
hospital was crowded, and all frest
cases as they occurred perforce re
manned where they were.
Neither Constance nor Enid felt thu
, time hang heavily on her hands. Bot
were too busy, though the new ord