The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-21


 swer There's the path as we get down by to our boats"
 Come on, then" he said. "Some of you chaps show us a light on the way down. If Hector can manage to scram- bie there's a chance. You see," he said turning again to stephen, Hector can swim like fish. When he was a racer l trained him in the sea so that none or the touts could spy out his form. Many's the swim we've had together; and In rough water. too, though in none so wild as thisy'
 But 1t Is a desperate chance for you" said Stephen, womanlike draw ing somewhat back from a danger she had herself evoked. The young man laughed lightly:
 What of thatl may do one good thing before I die. That fine fellows life is worth a hundred of my wasted one. Here! some of you fellows help me with Hector. We must get a girth on him Instead of the saddle. We shall want something to hold on to without bridle."
 The horse was soon ready. The young squire took him by the mane and he followed eagerly; he had mem ories of his own. As they passed close to Stephen the Squire said to one of his friends.
 d over to Stephen and looked at her hard: SF
 Goodbye! Wish me luck; and give us light!" Tears were in her eyes and a flush on her cheek as she took his hand and clasped 1t hard:
 "oh, you brave gentlemanl God bless you" He stopped suddenly and impulsively kissed her hand and was gone.
 The man and horse. surrounded by an eager crowd of helpers. scrambled down the rough zigzag, cut and worn in the very face of the cliff. Pebbles and broken rock fell away under their feet. Alone close to the bonfire stood stephen; a constant stream of men. and women were dragging and hauling all sorts of material for it's increase. The head of the swimmer could be seen, rising and falling. amid the waves beyond the Skyres.
 When about twenty feet from the water-1eyel the path tutted out to one side. The broad rock Overhung the water The squire held up his hand.
 Stop! We can take off this rock, if the water Is deep enough. How much Is it?"
 Ten fathom sheer"
 Good" He motIoned to them all to keep back. Then threw off his coat and boots. For an instant he patted
 
 Holding him by the mane he urged him forward with cry. The noble animal Knew that grasp of the mane; that cry; that dig of the spurless' heels. He sprang forward with wide dilahed nos trils, and from the edge of the jutting rock jumped far out into the sea- Man and horse disappeared for a few sec onds. but rose safely. The man slid from the horses back; and. holding by the girth with one hand. swam beside him out to sea in the direction the swimmer must come on rounding the sunken rocks.
 wild cheer broke from alli Stephen kept encouraging the men to bring fuel to the bonfire.
 Bring everything you can ind; the carts, the palings, the roofs. the corn, the dried fish; anything and every thing that will burn. I shall make 1t all good. But we must have light!"
 The whole place was scene of ac- tivity The coastguards were busy rigging up whip which would be nec- essary to hoist the men up from the water. if they could ever get close enough.
 When Harold turned away from the dazzling blue lights on the pier and saw the far white line of the cliffs be- yond the bay, his heart sank within him. Even his great strength and
 
 the many days of the battling with the gale; by the frantic struggle of the last hour or two, when the ship ran shoreward at the utmost of her speed; and finally in that grim struggle to draw the lifeline shoreward. The cold and then the great heat, and on top of 1t the chill of the long swim, seemed to have somehow struck at him. He could, remember what he had not thought of for many month: that long waiting in the wigwam till he had recovered from the rheumatic fe- yer. Already the fiery torments of that time were beginning to shoot again In more than memory. Moreover, the con- stant spray was hurting his eyes. Sew eral times dn the grim struggle with the fire he had been so close that the neat and flame and scorched his face. Now the skin seemed full of intoIer- able pain, as though 1t were tearing open in cracks or seams. His eyes were smarting. They, too had suf- fered from the scorching heat; and once when great mass of flame had rushed through a partition which the fire within had eaten away, he had feared that all was over with him. However, this had been hds last ordeal py hre; and in the wild struggle through the seas with the weight of the rope dragging him back he had for. gotten all that had been. He forgot the wound on his head which he had received when the mast feIl. Now however. out alone on the dark sea. he could just see far off the white water which marked the cliff fronts, and m me edge of his horizon the grim nov ing white wall where the waves broke on the headland. His heart did not rall Tn all that long swim across fhe mouth of the bay. The race whence ne derived had 1t not in them to he arrald on sea or land; and though he could not be oblivious to the fact that his strength was beginning to give ouL ne never faltered in his hope or nLS ms enortss The time seemed endless,
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