The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-03

4
body was gazing eagerly at a narrow
mountainous island lying slate colore,
/ across the early morning.
: We were as yet some twenty mile
distant from 1t and could make on
nothing but its general outline. Tn,
latter was sharply defined. rising an,
falling to a highest point one side OF
the middle. Over the island and rag
gedly clasping Its sides hung a cloud
the only one visible in the sky.
l Joined the afterguard.
you seeT the doctor was exclaim
ing. 1T ISIS as l hat said. The island
ISIS there. Everything iss as 1t should
De" He was quite excited.
Percy barrow, too. was shaken out
of his ordinary calm
1.-The volcano is active" was his on
ly comment but IL explained the rag
| ged cloud.
You say there's harbor?" inquired
Captain Selover
ut should be on the west end" said
DIR. Schermerhorn.
| Captain Selover drew me one side.
| ne, too, WIS IL lltut dTOustu.
Now. wouldn't that get your" he
squeaked. Doctor runs up against Il
Norwegian bum who tells him about
a volcanic island and gives its bear
ings. The island amt on the map at
all. Doctor believes it and makes me
lay my course for those bearings. And
here's the island So the buns story
was true. I'd like TO know what the
rest Of It was" His eyes We're shin
ing.
do we anchor or stand Off and on e
| asked
Captain Selover turned to grip me
by the shoulder.
to n good berth. TO land, TO build shore
quarters and to snug down for u stay
OF a year at least"
We stared at each other.
Joyous prospect" muttered. Hope
there's something to do there
The morning wore. and we rapidly
approached the island. 1t proved 10
he utterly PERCEPTIONS. The high
rounded hills sloped easily TO within
q hundred feet or so OF the water and
then fell away abruptly. Where the
earth ended was fantastic fiigree
border. like the fancy paper with
which our mothers used to line the
pantry shelves. Below the white
surges flung themselves against the
cliffs with wild abandon. Thousands
of sea birds wheeled In the eddies of
the wind, thousands OF ravens perch
ed on the slopes. With our glasses
We could make out the heads OF seals
fishing outside the surf and a ragged
belt of kelp.
When within a mile we put the helm
up and ran for the west end. A bold
point we avoided far out lest there
should be outlying lodges. Then we
came In sight Of a broad beach and
pounding surf.
was ordered to take surf boat
and investigate for u landing and an
anchorage. The swell was running
high. We rowed back and forth, puz-
zled as to how to get ashore with all
the freight 1t would be necessary TO
land. The ship would lie well enough,
for the only open exposure was bro
ken by long reef over which we
could make out the seas tumbling.
But inshore the great waves rolled
smoothly. swiftly, then suddenly fell
forward as over ledge and spread
with roar across the yellow sands. |
The fresh winds blew the spume back |
to us. We conversed in shouts.
I'VE can surf the boat" yelled |
Thrackles, 'but we can't land a load"
That was my opinion. We rowed !
slowly along, parallel to the shore and !
Just outside the line of breakers.
don't know exactly how to tell you
the manner IL which we became aware |
of the cove. 1t was as nearly the in |
Simultaneous as can be imagined. One |
minute | looked ahead on a cliff as /
unhroken as the side of a cabin; the
very next peered down the length OF |
n cove fifty fathoms long by about ten |
wide, at the end Of which was q gray |
ell beach. | cried out sharply TO the
men. They were quite as much aston
ished as !. We backed water, watch |
ing closely. At given point tine cove
and all trace Of its entrance disap-
peared. We could only just make or.
the line where the headlands dissolved
into the background of the cliffs and
that merely because we knew of its
existence. The blending was perfect
We rowed in. The water was still. Ii
A faint ebb and flow whispered II
against the tiny gravel beach at the
end. ! noted practicable way from H
1t to the top Of the cliff and from the
Cliff down again TO the sand beach II
Everything was perfect. The water
was a beautiful light green. like semi
Opaque glass. and from the indlstlnct- II
ness OF its depths waved and beck
oned, rose and disappeared with indie
scribable grace and dellberation long II
feathery sea growths. In u moment
the bottom abruptly Swallowed. The
motion Of the boat toward the beach
permitted us to catch hasty glimpse
or little fish darting. OF big fish turn
Ing, of yellow sand and some vivid II
color. Then, came the CRATE OF gravel II
and the scraping OF the BOATS bottom II
on the beach. II
We jumped ashore eagerly. | left |
la. i.