The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-29

straight between the shoulders. With out cry the guard fell head first Into the sea.
 The large man stepped calmly to the edge of the bluff and looked at the few circles widening out and vanishing in the darkening water He saw dark spot that began to diffuse itself through the green sea. Nothing else appealed
 You have just killed man, Ran taine," said a soft voice. He wheeled There stood Sieur Clubin, with the in genius American revolver in his hand.
 Rantaine advanced a step.
 Stay where you are,' said Sieur Clu bin. T have six shots here. They will either kill you or bring the nearest coast guard.
 What would you have?" demanded Rantaine, again trying to advance and again oh ecked by an ugly click. "Rantaine," said Sieur Clubin in his silkiest voice, yesterday I watch ed you as you went to a money changer and counted out to him seventy-six thousand francs, for which he gave you three Bank of England notes for one thousand pounds each. You put these notes into an iron tobacco box. Then you arranged with the master of wonder ship to take you off here that you might escape; for, Rantaine, you stole that money from Mess Lethierry. Kindly do not trouble yourself to deny, but put your hand into your pocket and fling me the tobacco box, Rantaine cursed. He made a step for ward. Sieur Clubin aimed at him care- fully. He stopped, muttered "A fellow becomes like child before such a thing as that" and sullenly threw the to- bacco box to Sieur Culbin. That mar e1- if a aSSuraf himself that the bank notes were there with out letting his revolver waver from it's fixed direction.
 "Your boat is near" said Sieur Clu- bin You may go.'
 Rantaine scrambled down the peril ous cliff without word When he was safely in the boat he rose and cried:
 "Sieur Clubn, you are an honest man, but you will not be offended if l write to tell Mess Lethierry that have paid over to you f3oOO for him, and here is a sailor who belongs to St. Malo and who will testify to the same effect when he returns from this voyage"
 This malevolently revengeful idea of Rantaine's might have disconnected a less determined man and driven him to yield up his prize. To Sieur Clubin 1t meant only that he would have to dare a little more. He returned to the port and began at once to prepare the Durande for departure in the morn . ing.
 You are not going, surely?' said tine people of the quays. There Is going to be great fog tomorrow"
 Neverthele the Durande steered out the next morning. For many hours she moved under a sky so bright that the prophecies of fog seemed absurd, but suddenly bank was seenS on the horizon. It seemed to rise bodily. In an hour more 1t was wall. In an- other hour the Durande was swallowed in it.
 One of the passengers, standing near inc engines. heard the engineer say to his assistant:
 This morning in the sun we were going at half speed. Now in the fog, we get orders to drive ahead full speed"
 The next moment the Durande hurled herself at great stone that seemed to leap all at once from the deep.
 Immediately the gaping hull sucked the sea in with a horrible gulping. Captain C1ubin wasted no words. The long boat shot into the water under his orders and the passengers and crew hurried in When all were in they cried to him to follow. But Clubin refused. Push off, he said. "I shall stay here When the ship is lost the captain is already dead"
 Seeing that he was immovable the people in the boat gave him a cheer and pushed off.
 As soon as he was alone Sieur Clu- bins face expressed lively satisfac- tion. But suddenly there came lit- tle. a very little rift in that great fog and Captain Clubin became almost hag- gard.
 Two mighty pillars of rock lowered twinlike before him. He knew them at once. None who had ever seen then. could mistake the terrible Douvres.
 Sieur Clubin had made a mistake. He had intended to steer the Durande on the Hanway rocks. From the Han ways 1t was only a one mile swim to deserted part of the coast, where he could get clothing and other nDcessa- ries for getting away. The Douvres lay tventy-fve miles off shore--far too great distance for even Sieur Clubin, wonderful swimmer that he was.
 It was a sudden and hideous change of affairs. But again Sieur Clubin did not despair, although he shuddered He gazed about him. As if in answer to lis hope a wind arose. The fog beoan to move. sieur Clubin knew that snug