The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-20

other specks of light dotted about on the | horizon, but these two were the near est to the course he wished to take. | He noted their position, and calculated l that if he kept the head of the boat midway between these two, he would about fetch the mouth of the Conasea | Creek.
 Scarcely had he made these observa- | tions, when the cloud bank plotted out 1 the moon. and all the panorama of gilt | tering water and shadowy land vanish ed from his sight. Then few drops | of rain were driven against his face. and, looking westward, he noticed that l the light from the farmhouse had van l ished. few seconds later 6 sharp squalI seruck the boat and he was obliged to slack the main sheet, and leave the sail fluttering in the wind. And then the rain came down in tor rents, ana the wind drove up the spray from the water to meet 1t.
 Then John Shil noticed that even the Sunk Deep Light had disappeared be- hind the curtain of rain, and that he had nothing left to steer by He rec solved to keep the boats head as near to the wind as possible. He calculated that this would take him some way to the windward of the Conasea Creek, but the erorr would be on the right side. He could easily drop down the shore. Whereas. if he happen ed to get below the creek. he would never be able to get back against the
 wind and tide. and would have to an- chor in order to save himself from be- l ing blown out to sea.
 John Shil was no coward, and though | the situation might well have daunted a more experienced sailor; he stuck to- his task in grim earnest. Directly the first violence of the sQuall had passed away he hauled in the sheet, and the little craft heeled over nearly to the gunwale. But as she gathered way, she righted herself proudly, and sent the water up in shower after shower of foam.
 T must keep her at it," he said to himself T must keep her at it." And no man could have better motto than that for sailing or any form of sport, or even for the more serious things in
 life. John Shil had to reach Dowsett's farm that night, and it could only be done by sailing the boat for all she was worth. He knew that 1t would be worse than useless to try to row the heavy punt agafnst-the wind and tide. His only chance of reaching his destin- ation lay in the strength of the tiny sail and the wind which gave it the
 power of half dozen men.
 T must keep her at it." he said to himself. T must keep her at it." He had no time to think of his errand. of
 Sir William Tankerlane, of Laura her self. who perhaps was dead Ills had
 forgotten the bowling of the dog and
 the yelp of GabrieFs hounds. His
 whole mind was absorbed in one thing,
 and his whole physical strength was
 required to carry out the directions of
 his mind. He had to keep the punt afioat, and keep her, moving, and fetch the Conasea Creek. It was hard task,
 but he set his teeth and vowed he
 would accomplish it so long as the punt
 doated and rope and canvas held to-
 gether. It was only half a gale, and
 the yachtsman in his ten-tonner would have laughed at it., But to man in
 an open boat, who knew but little of
 seamanship, 1t was something to try
 nerve and strength to the utmost.
 'I must keep her at it," he muttered. as a wave came pouring over the lee- side, and the dog whined and shivered
 against his knee. The sea was rising
 in the Darkwater, and though fortu- nateIy the tide was with the wind, the
 water was already far too rough for an open boat with bare fourteen
 inches of freeboard. Even a light din-
 ghy would have fared better. for she
 would have risen more easily on the
 waves. But the heavy-timbered punt
 rolled and widowed like a log.
 John Shil that night showed all the
 courage and endurance of brave and
 strong man. But Fortune was against
 him, and the worst of her blows had yet to come. I
 The wind, which was already blowing
 half a gale from the west. began to fn- crease in violence, and again and again
 Shil had to either slack the sheet or
 bring the boats head right up into the wind. Every time he did this the boat
 naturally ceased her progress towards
 the shore and went rushing stewards
 on fine ebb tide.
 Then, again, he had to stop to bale out the boat. He was shipping a lot of water, and even the rain added its little contribution to the lake that swished and sluiced over the floor
 boards. This was a long business. but
 that the waterlogged boat could scarcely make any progress. there was
 danger of her being swamped alto- gether. And every time he stopped to
 bale cut the water the boat wont anI
 other two hundred yards towards the
 sea.
 But in spite of these unavoidable ob-
 stacles to his progress, and in spite of
 the fact that the boat. which had no
 centre board. and scarcely any keel,
 made terrible leeway under the pres
 sure of wind and tide, John Shil would
 just have fetched the mouth of the
 Conasea Creek. but for one Of those
 accidents which no man can foresee,
 and which even the most experienced
 sailor is unable to guard against. The
 wind. which for some hours had been
 blowing steadily from the west, sud-
 denly shifted to the nor'-west, and then
 to the north.
 (Continued TomOrrOw.l