Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1909-12-17

half standing, half STOPPING in the
stern sheets, the ends Of a CAPE flying
past him In the gale.
When l could see again the long boat
was making ready for the dash into the
roaring surf. The oarsmem-there were
some twelve-wers laboring to keep the
bow straight on. The tall man was stand
Ing up to see where he should 30, and
caught sight Of his white and storm-dis-
torted face. could not move, l could
not utter q cry; l stood transhxsd, scarce
breathing, my body taut, waiting to see
what would happen nsxt.
Seconds passed In the darkness, then
q dash, and saw that the boat had
weathered the worst Of the surf, and was
grinding on the shore. -Four Of the men
had leaped out and were hauling hard
at the sides the gteersman, gaunt and
black, still clutched the tiller, half
crouching, and was shouting. Succeeding
darkness gave me chance to wonder
what manner Of men were these making
for Alastalr, deserving their ship on the
coast, and landing where there was no
harbor, and only a shingle beach. Light
again, and stood dumfounded, trans
fixed. for saw little procession march
Ing up tho beach to the pines east Of me
first the tall man in the long, black, flap
ping cloak, then two men bearing a good
sized box between them, and then two
others, carrying what looked to me
Ike ahovels. Darkness, q terrible roar
OF thunder, and plnched myself to make
sure that was awake.
struck a match and held It behind my
hand In order that no signal should BE-
given. Ny watch told me the hour wal
half past one I found that was shiv-
ering from the cold, and slipped into my
coat. At every fash Of light was bacl
at the window, raking the beach with my
eyes. saw nothing but the grounded
boat, with a number Of men standing By
and far OF the tossing hulk Of the achoon.
er.
did not even dare step into the hal
to call Charles, 70 afraid was l Of losinl
something of this remarkable sight. Min
utes passed. kept my watch in my
hand. Flash succeeded fash at greater
intervals, but the sceue was still thE
same the boat evidently waiting, the far
Their reaches Of the beach empty.
Half an hour had gone when my pa
thence was rewarded The same process
sion appeared from the pines, minus only
80 far as I could see-the box that tive
Of them had carried. There was a lons
interval Of blackness, and then saw thu
long boat plunging again through the
breakers, and the crew struggling to keeT
her righted with their oars. 1 could sex
the boat was sharp at either end, and the
Of Bleaching. They were gone, going bach
to their schooner, and felt that tn,
spirit Of mystery was lifting from Alas
tair.
Still l waited, and in time the seen,
lighted, and saw that the boat had LEFT
something: the tall, cloaked man still
stood upon the beach, gazing seward al
though to catch the last Of his mates.
remember that even In that brief In
slant felt there was something strang,
about him, something fantastic, some
thing out Of keeping with the New Eng
| land shore.
Darkness shut In, the roar Of thundel
lessened, the lightning passed; the QUITE
world only sent me the deep, distan
booming Of the sea. upon the cliff.
stumbled back to bed and pulled tn,
clothes about me, full Of wonder at wha
my eyes had seen.
lay there for long time, thinking
conjecturing what all this strange mat
ter meant. Somehow, my quiet beach hac
been transformed; the space between tn,
cliffs now Swallowed forth a mystery, anC
yet, preposterous as the idea seemed,
felt In some way that had always ex
pected remarkable something to happen
my dreams IN some way to come true, fol
Alastair was no common place and wa
fit for some surprising history.
In time l dropped asleep, to dream o
queer things.