Charlevoix county herald., 1909-06-05
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CHAPTER l.
Wave-Tossed and castawsy.

had arrived on the tramp steamer
from india, and her ladyship had ex-
planned 10 Miss Leslie that it was
as well for her not to be too hasty in
accepting his attentions. To be sure,
he was an Englishman, his dress and
manners were irreproachable, and he
was in the prime of ripened youth.
Yet Lady Bayrose was too conscien-
tious a chaperon to be fully satisfied
with her countrymans bare assertion
that he was engaged on diplomatic
mission requiring reticence regarding
his identity. She did not see why this
should prevent him from confiding
In her.
Notwithstanding this, WINTHROP
came aboard ship virtually as a mem
Der of her ladyships party. He was
so quick, so thoughtful of her comfort,
and paid so much more attention to
her than to Miss Leslie, that her lady
ship had decided TO tolerate him.. even
before Blake became a factor in the
situation.
From the moment he crossed the
gangway the American engineer en-
tered upon daily routine OF drinking
and gambling. varied only by attempts
TO strike up an olf-hand acquaintance
with Miss Leslie. This was Win
thrope's opportunity, and his clever
Illustration OF what Lady Bayrose
termed that low bounder's impu-
dence". served to install him in the
good graces of her ladyship as well as
in the favor of the American heiress.
Such, at least, was what Wimhrope
intimated to the persistent engineer
with superciliousness of tone and
manner that would have stung even a
British lackey to resentment. To
Blake it was supremely CALLING. He
could not rejoin in kind, and the
slightest attempt at physical retort
would have meant irons and confine-
ment. 1t was British ship. Behind
Winthrop was Lady Bayrose; behind
her ladyship, as a matter of course,
was all the despotic authority of the
captain. In the circumstances, it was
not surprising that the American
drank heavier after each successive
goading.
Meantime the ship, having touched
ut Port Natal steamed on up the
east coast, into the Mozambique chan
mel.
On the day of the cyclone, Blake
had withdrawn into his stateroom with
a number of bottles, and throughout
that fearful afternoon was blissfully
unconscious of the danger. Even
when the steamer went on the reef,
he was only partially reused by the
shock.
He took long pull from a quart
flask of whisky, placed the flask with
great care in his hip pocket, and
lurched out through the open door
way. There he reeled headlong against
the mate, who had rushed below with
three Of the crew to bring up Miss
Leslie. The mate cursed him vir-
ulently. and in the same breath or
dered two of the men to fetch him up
on deck.
The sea was breaking over the
steamer in torrents; but between
waves Blake was dragged across to
the side and flung over into the bot
tom of the one remaining boat. He
served as a cushion to break the fall
of Miss Leslie, who was tossed in
after him. At the same time, Win
thrope, 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
er slip from the reef and sink back
into deep water, carrying down in the
vortex the mate and the few remain
ing sailors After that all was chaos
to them. They were driven ashore be-
fore the terrific gusts of the cyclone,
blinded by the singing spoondrift to
all else but the hell OF breakers and
coral reefs in whose midst they swirled
so dizzily. And through 1t all Blake
lay huddled on the bottom boards
gurgling blithely of spicy zephyrs and
swaying hammocks.
There came the seemingly final mo.
ment when the boat went spinning
stern over PROV.
Half-sobered, Blake opened his eyes
and stared solemnly about him. He
was given little time TO take his bear
ings. A smother of broken surf came
seething up from one of the great
breakers, to roll him over and scrape
him little farther up the muddy
shore. There the food deposited him
for a moment, until it could gather
force to sweep back and drag him
down again toward the roaring sea
that had cast him up.
Blake objected-not to the danger
of being drowned, but to interference
with his repose. He had reached the
obstinate stage. He grunted protest.
Again the food seethed up the shore,
and rolled him away from the danger.
This was too much. He set his Jaw.