The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-10-27
CHAPTER III.
Continued.

sail. The sun poured a rain of gold
upon the m~easureless expanse OF
azure sea. The old boat leaked mer-
rily. Vic bailed with a will.
Hist your feet to the seat rail.
Miss Hatton.' she commanded, land
keep EN- out Of the wet. Mind your
skirts, too. I hate a choppy sea.
Ever sea-sick? Wish I'd cut a sod
afore we started. Didn't you never
hear of that? Lori the smell of fresh
earth will bring you out OF the sick
mes slick as a be. Last year two
city chaps came to Watchhaven, and
Jim took 'em out trawling. Oh, my!
they got deadly sick-'twas rough,
and Jim brought 'em ashore fiat on
their backs, and limp as rags-you'd
have said they were dying. Jim jest
laid 'em down, with their noses in the
grass, and they come to in no time.
There's nothing like knowing things"
Jacqueline was not i'll. With clear
eyes she looked out upon the blue,
rolling distance-the plunging, hiss
ing waste of waters that stretched
before her. The wind blew in her
lace, full of the tang of salt. Watch
haven vanished from view. The wide
sunlit sea seemed ever to grow wider.
Jim, absorbed in the care of the boat,
paid small heed to his female COM
panions. Vic by turns steered and
bailed. Presently, low down on the
horizon, a black spot appeared, di-
rectly in their path.
That's Deadman's Island" said
Vic, ~nodding %cheerfully toward it.
80 called because the French once
killed all the English settlers there
in the old wars, though some folks
say twas Dixie Bull, the pirate, that
sacked Pemaquid, as did that slaugh-
ter. Never mind-it don't signify
now. On the marine charts the 10
cality is marked dangerous. For
weeks at a time, in bad weather,
Deadman's is cut off from all COM
m%unication with the mainland. Then
the unfortunate creeters on it wish
themselves in Heaven"
II have been told that Philip Ire
vor lives there the year around" said
: J%acqueline.
$50 he does-neyer leaves it. It's
got no inn, no church, no ~postofice,
no mackerel. Look for yourself,
miss"
J%acqueline looked and'saw a high,
long island, principally of igneous
RICK. purple brown in color, and
splashed with black, resinous thickets
of spruce and cedar. At one end a
cliff jutted into the sea, and ove its
bald crest sea fowl were screaming.
Southwark, on some neighboring ISL
and, the white tower of a lighthouse
was barely observable, and the bass
note of a whistling buoy sounded
somewhere in the solitude.
THE landings on t'other side,"
said Vic. Now, Jim Bumpus, you
make straight for the pier. and if
Skipper Joe halls don't you pay any
heed"
"Ay, ay!" answered Jim, with a
sheepish grin.
The boat rounded a point which
had obstructed ~Jacqueline's view and
approached a stone pier at which a
small sloop lay moored. From the
waters edge the ground arose steep
ly to a narrow plateau, strewn with a
rocky debris, like the scoria of a vol
cano. There a house stood-the only
n on the island, as Jacqueline after
ward learned, save the hut which
Skipper Joe occupied. 1t was a
square, low structure, built Of island
stone, with walls that seemed capa-
BILE of resisting a battering ram. In
aspect 1t was cold, sinister, forbid
ding, A road, cut in the solid rock,
wound up to it's grim entrance. All
around lay the gloomy sea and the
yet gloomier island, with its towering
crags and tiny sand beaches, and here
and there a field of vivid green-the
feeding ground oil cattle and sheep,
Philip Trevor could hardly have
found a more desolate spot in which
to bury himself and his infamy. On
Deadman's Island he certainly was
safe from contact with anything per-
tanning to a former life.
"Hello-the-boat!"
This hail came from the stone pier.
"A man, dressed in oilshins, stood
there, staring at the approaching
craft.
"Hello-the-island," answered
Jim Bumpus.
Keep off," shouted the man, with
inhospitable emphasis. we've got
strangers aboard"
Vic suddenly whirled her arm aloGt.
Hes got me, Joe .Raby," she all
swered. II couldn't wait for you to
come in the sloop. I vas homesick
after this blessed island-thought I'd
die if l didn't git back"
Jim, with a fine disregard Of the
sentinel skipper, was making straight
for the pier.
Who's the tother one with you
roared Joe Raby.
Just a friend Of mine!" screeched
Vicky. Then she added, hurriedly, to
J~acqueiine, "Be ready to leap out as
soon as We reach the stair. Jim mus,
take himself away afore you can be
forced back into the boat. If he
loiters . minute they may make him
carry you off again. Keep close tc
me, now, and don't let On that you're
scairt!"
CHAPTER ".