, 1908-11-26
CHAPTER l.
Wave-Tossed and castaway.

"iihhiDlS hpAihtu AhA
teamer as fellow passengers with
LAZY Bayrose and her party.
This was a week after Winthrope
lad arrived on the tramp steamer
rom India, and her ladyship had ex-
blained to Miss Leslie that it was
we'll for her not to be too hasty in
@Scceptiug his attentions. To be sure,
& was an Englishman, his dress and
Banners were i|rreproachable. and he
as in the prime OF ripened youth.
ct Lady Bayrose was too conscien-
ious a chaperon to be fully satisfied
nth her countTyman's bare assertion
al he was engaged IN a diplomatic
6ission requiring reticence regarding
Is identity. She did not see why this
hould prevent him from confding
her.
notwithstanding this, Winthrope
anne aboard ship virtually as a mem
Der of her ladyship's party. He was
10 quick, so thoughtful of her comfort.
Ind paid so mich more attention 20
Yer than to Miss Leslie, that her lady
hip had decided to tolerate him. even
fore Blake became a factor in the
itUation.
From the momen he crossed the
prgway the American engineer en-
red upon a daily routine of drinking
Ind gambling, varied only by attempts
b strike up an or.hand acquaintance
Vth Miss Leslie. This was Win
|hrope's opportunity, and his clever
fustration of what Lady Bayrose
ermed that low FOUNDERS impu-
,a,,,s enrNnJ D., tpgtn1f him IN tho
cod graces of her ladyship as well as
The favor of the American heiress.
Such, at least, was what W%inthrope
htimated to the persistent engineer
it'll n superciliousness of tor and
hammer that would have stung even a
British lackey to resentment. To
Blake it was supremacy CALLING. He
fould not reioin in kind. n the
Slightest attempt at physical retort
you'd have meant IRONS and confine-
bent. 1t wis a British ship. Behind
Cinthrope was Lady Bayrose; behind
her ladyship. as a matter of course,
pas all the ~despotic authority of the
captain. in the circumstances, it was
lot surprising that the American
rank heavier after each successive
loading.
Meantime the ship, having touched
I Port Natal, steamed on up the
last coast, into the Mozambique chan
lel.
On the day of the cyclone, Blake
Iad withdrawn into his stateroom with
number of bottles, and throughout
hat fearful afternoon was ~blissfully
Unconscious of the danger. Even
hen the steamer went on the reef.
e was only partially reused by the
book.
He took a long pull from a quart
hsk of whisky. placed the flask with
Feat ARE in his hip pocket, and
hrched out through the ope door
~ bay. There he reeled headlong against
Nd mate, who had rushed below with
<hree of the crew to bring up Miss
III size. The mate cursed him vir-
%d1ently, and in the same breath or
-6ered two of the men to fetch him up
% deck.
The sea was breaking over the
tfeamer in torrents: but between
waves Blake was dragged across to
TIN side and flung over into the bot
&tom of the one remaining boat. He
1Prved as a cushion to break the fall
M Miss leslie. who was tossed in
Her him. AT the same time, Win
& I&rope, frantic with fear. scrambled
INTO the bows and cut loose. One of
the sailors leaped, but fell short and
went down within arms length of
Miss Leslie.
She and Winthrope saw the steam
or slip from the reef ii sink back
into deep water. carrying down In the
yortex the mate and the few remain
lnr sailors. After that all was chaos
Is them. They were driven ashore be
fore the terrific gusts of the cyclone,
<b1inied by the singing %spoondrift to
III else but the hell of breakers and
coral reefs in whose midst they swirled
% dizzily. And through 1t all Blake
Ian huddled on the bottom boards
mrgling blithely of spicy zephyrs and
fHwaying hammocks.
There came the seemingly final mo
ment when the boat went spinning
tern over prov.
H~aIf-sobered, Blake opened his eyes
md stared solemnly about him. He
as given little time TO take his bear
ms. A smother of broken surf came
eething up from one of the great
Breakers, to roll him over and scrape
i'm a little farther up the muddy
hore. There the Hood deposited hin
for a moment, until it could gather
force to sweep back and drag hin
hown again toward the roaring sea
that had cast him up.
Blake ohiected-not to the danger
b. being drowned, but to interference
with his repose. He had reached thu
obstinate stage. He grnnted a protest
Arain the Hood seethed up the shore
and rolled him away from the danger