The newspaper., 1909-09-10
CHAPTER Xxx.
The Hurricane Blast.

y a a moment of eternity she
- lay on her bed staring into
the blank darkness. The storm burst
with a crashing uproar that brought
her to her feet with a shrek. Her
giant tree creaked and strained under
the impact OF the terrific hurricane
blasts that came bowling through the
cleft like rout OF shrieking fiends.
The peals of thunder merged into one
continuous roar, beneath which the
solid lodges OF rocks Jared and quiv-
cred. The sky was a pae OF black
clouds, meshed with a dazzling net
work Of forked lightning
The girl stood moionless, stunned
by the uproar, appalled, by the binding
glare of the thunderbolts: yet even
more fearful OF the figure which every
flash showed her still lurking beneath
the door. A gustborne bough struck
with numbing force against her up
raised arm. But she took no heed. She
was unaware Of the swirl o. rain and
sticks and leaves that was driving in
through the open entrance.
On a sudden the door shook free
from its props and whlrled violently
around on its balance-bar. There was
a shrek that pierced above the shrill-
ing of the cyclone single human
shrek
The girl sprang across the cave.
The heavy door swished up before her
and down again, its lower edge all but
grazing her face. For a moment il
stopped in a vertical position and
hung quivering, like a beast about to
leap upon its prey. Too excited to
comprehend the danger OF the act. the
girl sprang forward and shot one of
the thick bars into It's socket.
A fierce gust leaped against the out
er face OF the door and thrust in upon
II. striving TO burst It bodily from its
bearings. The top and the free side
of the bottom bowed in But the
branches were stiil green and tough.
the bamboo like whalebone and the
shrunken creepers held the frame to-
gether as though the joints were
lashed with wire rope. Failing to
smash in the elastic structure or to
snap the crossbar Il were as IL the
blast flung itself alternately against
the top and bottom in a fierce attempt
to again whirl the frame about. The
white glare streaming In through the
interstices showed the girl her oppor-
tunity She grasped another bar and
shot Il into its socket as the lower
part OF the door gave back with the
shifting OF the pressure to the top. II
was then a simple matter TO slide the
remaining bars into the deep-sunk
holes. Within half minute she had
made the door fast from the first bar
TO the sixth.
A heavy spray was beating in upon
her through the chinks OF the frame
work She drew back and sought
shelter in a niche at the side Mar
row as was the slit above the top Of
the door. II let In a torrent of water.
which spouted clear across and
against the far wall OF the cave. 1t
gushed down upon her bed and was
already flooding the cave floor.
She piled higher the cocoanuts
stored in her niche. and perched her
self upon the heap TO keep above the
water. But eevn in her sheltered cor
ner the eddying wind showered her
with spray. She waded across for her
skin-covered sunshade. and returned
to huddle beneath II, in the still mis-
cry and terror OF a hunted animal that
has crept wounded into a hole.
During the first hurricane there had
been companions to whom she could
look for help and comfort, and she
had been TO a degree unaware OF the
greatness OF the danger. But in the
few short weeks since she had caught
more than one glimpse of Primeyal
Nature-she OF the bloody fang. blind.
remorseless, insensate. destroying.
ever destroying.
True, this was on solid land, while
before there had been the peril OF the
sea. But now the girl was alone. Out
side the strainlng walls of her refuge,
the hurricane yelled and shrieked and
roared-a headless, formless monster.
furious TO burst in upon her. to over
throw her stanch old tree giant, that
in his fall his shattered trunk might
crush and mangle her. Or at any in
stant a thunderbolt might rend open
the great tower OF living wood. and
hurl her blackened body into the pool
on the cave floor.
Once she fancied that she heard
Blake shouting outside the door; but
when she screamed shrill response,
| Tho blast mocked her with echoing