The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-22

the terrible strain of swimming Tn such waves. His bones were being racked with shooting pains; his face burned as though in torment. and his eyes were full of gnawing agony. But still the brave heart bore him up; and resolutelv. sternlv he forced himself afresh to the effort before him. He reasoned it out that where there was such a headland standing out so stark into the sea there ought to be some shelter in it's lee. If then he could pass 1t he might find calmer water and even a landing-place beyond He knew he must not keep too far to the seaward. for the current might bear him further out so far that he might not have strength to win home to the shore
 Here at least was hope. He would try to round the point at any rate. Nothing could be done till that was accomplished: and to that end he set himself sternly to his task. There was hope that he was drawing nearer. AL ready the current had increased in force, as though it ran in some groovs or ravine of the sea floor. On he went fighting fercely with all his might to pass the headland before his strength should fail.
 Now he drew so close that the great rocks seemed to tower vast above him I1G was nOL yet CAOSS GAO1An " ASN' as though lapped in their shadow; pui even the overcast sky seemed full of light above the line of the c'iff. Thero was strange. roaring. rushing sound around him. He thought that it was not merely the waves dashing on the rocks. but that partly it came from his own ears: that his ebbing strenEth was feeling the frantic struggle which he was making. The end was coming, z rSaf~hx ha IA fhnuufaf. hr1t still kept valiantly on. set and silent. as is the way with brave men.
 Suddenly from the top of the clin bright light flashed. He looked at II sideways as he fought his way on, and saw the light rise and fall and flicker as the flames leaped. High over him he saw fantastic figures which seemed to dance on the edge of the cliff They had evidently noticed him. and were making signals of some sort; but what the motions were he could not see or understand. for they were but dark silhouettes, edged with light, seen against the background of ire. The only thing he could think was that they meant to encourage him. and so he urged himself to further enort. N might be that help was at hapdt
 Several times he turned his head sideways as he Kept on his way he saw the figures and the light. but not so clearly; 1t was as though the light was lessening in power. When again he looked he saw a new Ire leap out on the edge of the cltff. and some hg- ures to the right of it They were signalling in some way. So pausing in his swimming. lie rose A little from the water, and turning looked at them
 A thrill shot through him, and paralyzinE thought that he must have gone mad. With his wet hand he cleared his eyes, though the touching them pained him terribly, and for an instant saw clearly:
 There on the edge of the cliff. stand ing beside some men and waving her arms in a wild sweep as though motioning frantically: Keep out! keep outF was a woman. Instinctively he glanced to his left and saw a furious waste of white water, through which sharp rocks rose like monstrous teeth. Seaweed swimming franticaily to clear the dangerous spot before the current would sweep him upon the rocks.
 But the woman! As one remembers the last sight when the lightning has banished sight. so that vision seemed burned into his brain. A woman with a scarlet riding-habit and masses of long red hair blowing in the gale like l flame! Could there be two such per l sons in the world? No! mol It was vision! A vision of the woman he loved, come to save him in the direst moment of great peril!
 His heart beat with new hope; only | the blackness of the stormy sea was | before him as he stroye frantically oD Presently when he felt the current l slacken. for he had been swimming
 across it and could feel its power. he
 turned and looked back. As he did sc
 he rnurmured aloud:
 "A dream! A visionl She came to warn mel" For as he looked all had
 disappeared. Cliff and coastline. dark rocks and leaping seas, blazing fire,
 and warning vision of the woman he | loved.
 Again he looked where the waste of sea ehurning amongst the sunken rocks had been. But naught could he see. He could hear the roaring of wa- ters, and the thunder of great waves beating on the iron-bound coast; but nothing could he see. He was alone | on the wild sea- in the dark.
 Then truly the swift shadow of de- spair fell upon him.
 Blind! Blindw he moaned. and for
 the moment. stricken with despair, he
 sank into the trough of the waves. But the instinctive desire for life recalled him. Once more he fought his way up to the surface, and swan +blindly. des- perately on. Seeing nothing. he did not know which way he was going. He | listened to try if he could distinguish | from what direction came the roaring | of the sea- but in that wild gale he could tell nothing. He might have heard better had his eyes been able to help his ears; but in the sudden strange darkness all the senses were astray. In the agony of his mind he could not even feel the pain of his burnt face | the torture of his eyes had passed. But with the instinct of a strong man he kept on swimming blindly, desperate ly.
 It seemed as if ages of untold agony had gone by. when he heard voice seemingly beside him:
 Lay hold here Catch the girth!" The voice came nunled by wind and wave. His strength was now nearly at its last. The shock of his blindness and the agony of the moments that had passed had finished his exhaustion. But a little longer and he must have sunk | into his rest. But the voice and the help it promised rallied him for a mo- ment. He had hardly strength to speak, but he managed to gasp out. where? Where? Help me! I am blindw A hand took his and guided it to a frightened girth. Instinctively his | fingers closed round it, and he hung on grimly. His senses were going fast. | He felt as if 1t was all a strange dream. A voice here in the sea! A girthl A horse; he could hear its hard breath | ing. The voice came again.
 | "Steady! Hold on! My God! he's