The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-27


starboard scupper. At the same time
n smother of salt water blew over the
port rail- now far above me, to drench
me as thoroughly as though had fail.
en- overheard. brushed out my eyes
to find the ship smack on her beam
ends and the wind bowling by from
the sea.
| | had company enough in the soup
pers Only Handy Solomon chung des-
perately TO the wheel. jamming his
/ weight to port in the hope she might
| pay up. Thrackles, too, his eye squint-
| ed along some bearing of his own was
| waiting for her to drag. Presently II
became evident that she was doing so.
whereupon he drew his knife across
our hawser.
"My God" chartered Pull at my ear
| if we go ashore
| He did not need to finish. Unless the
| Laughing Lass could recover before tn,
Sc;int half mile we should he cooked
live In the boiling cnldron ut til,
| ;hOre's edge.
For an interminable time. as II seem
| a 10 me. we lay absolutely motionless
| rhe scene il stamped lndelibly on IN,
memory Lullwarks high above me
| he steep. sleek deck. tile piratical flg
ire tense ut the wheel the snarlirf
water racing from beneath us. the lurit
dow 10 laudward crawling up on III
nch by inch. like hungry wild beast
Then almost imperccptibly tn, brave
chooner righted. The strained lines
N Handy SolQmon's caryen features
'elaXed little Ivy little. Thrackles. star.
NC over the side. let out Il mighty roar
"Stecrage way" he shouted and eX
'cuted an awkward clog dance ON the
ceiling deck.
She moved forward. there was no
loubt Of that. for gradually we were
'ating toward the wind. hut we made
considerable leeway as well. Handy
;olomon. taut as the weather rigging
Dok his little advantages one by one
Ike precious gifts. Light there was
zone. The land was blotted out by the
team aud murk which had crept t.
Wind. All we could do was TO hang
here tasting the copper of excitement
Waiting for these different forces TO nd
ust themselves. Inch by inch we crepi
Onward: foot by foot we made lee
way. The int9nsest Of the lava glow
worked its way from directly aheam
II the quarter. BY this we knew we
must he nearly opposite the cove. AT
once n new doubt sprang up in our
minds.
A moment ago all the energy Of our
desires had gone up In the ambition a.
avoid being cast on the beach. Now we
saw that that was not enough. 1t was
necessary to, squeeze around the point
where lay the Golden Horn in order 70
avoid the fate that had overtaken her
Handy Solomon yelled something at
us We could not hear. but our own
knowledge told us what II must be-
and with one accord we turned TO
hoisted we moved trile faster, though
the schooner lay over at a perilous
angle. \ moment later the fogs parted
to show us the cliffs looming startling
~ near There were the donkey engine
and the works we had constructed for
wrccking. and there beside them.
watching us refectlvely. stood Percy
barrow.
For ten minutes we stared at him
fascinated. during which time the
hip labored against the staggering
winds. gained. and lost in its buffeting
with the great surges. The breakers
hurting thenselves in wild abandon
lgainst the rocks sent their backwash
If tumbling peaks to our very bllges.
The few remains of the Golden Horn.
alternately drenched and draining.
seemed to picture to us our inevitable
end.
| think we had all selected the same
two points for our hearings" rock
and n drop of the cliff boider than the
ordinary. II the rock opened from the
cliff TO eastward, we were lost; If 1t
remained stationary. we were at least
holding our own: If it opened out TO
westward. we were saved. We watch
Gu Win SlTulueu cuSeFHeSS lmpDs-
sible to describe. At each momentary
gain or rebuff we uttered CALCULATIONS.
The niger mumbled charms. Every
once In awhile one of us would snatch
a glance to leeward at the cruel white
waters, the whirl of eddies where the
sea was beaten. only TO hurry back 10
the rock and the point Of the cliff
whence our message of safety or de-
struction was to be flung. Once |
looked mp. Percy barrow was leaning
gracefully against a stanchion. watch
ing. His soft hat was pulled over his
eyes. He stroked softly his little
mustache. | caught the white puff of
his cigarette. During the moment OF
my inattention something happened
A wild shout burst from the men. /
whirled and saw to my great joy
slip of sky westward between the
cliff and the rock. And at that very
instant billow larger than tue Or
binary. rolled beneath us, and in the
back suction of its passage | could
dimly make out cruel. dangerous rocks
lying almost under our keel.
Slowly we crept away. our progress
seemed infinitpstimaI and vet II was