The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-11-19


fore. The tide was low. She could
see the wreck of her boat, partly on
the barrier reef and partly in the
water. 1t would have been no trick
for her to swim to 1t in the stiffness,
yet she hesitated to attempt it. Ger
tainly weighted down by all her cloth
ing 1t was mater of difficulty and
inconvenience If 1t were not for this
man by her side! She tried to think
Of some way to restrain him, keep him
away. but nothing occurred to her. In
vehtion was paralyzsd by the situation
in which she found herself.
Desperately bidding him stay where
he was, she went back to the cave.
She was face to face with a crisis
which had to be met. Indeed, the
question of clothes was becoming a
!ery serious one with her and sie
knew she should have to decide upon
some course of action Immediately.
For the present, she took off her gar
nents, hoping and praying in shiver
Of dread and anxiety, that he would
remain where she had left him, which
indeed proved the fact. She laid aside
all that she had worn except the
blouse and skirt, including her sadly
worn shoes and stockings. Thus light
ly clad she came out on the sand again.
He did not notice any change in her
condition. AS matter of fact she
gave him no time, for she flashed
across the sand at full speed ) and
plunged boldly into the smiling water
OF the lagoon. He followed her in
stantly and swan by her side with
scarcely any exertion whatever.
1t was not long before she reached
the barrier reef. 1t stood up foot or
two above the water now, the tide be-
ing low, and she clambered upon it.
The sharp rocks cut her naked and
tender feet, unused to such exertions
and untitled to such demands, but she
to pieces. 1t had been forced over
the reef by the hurl of the sea. The
stern had been wedged in between
some projecting rocks The rest of 1t
had been torn away and had fallen
into the lagoon. There was no wind,
the sea was unruffled. She could see
as If through glass the wrecked re-
mains of the boat. There was nothing
in it except the battered motor, use
less for days before she landed, since
her supply of gasoline had been ex-
hausted. Everything else had been
washed out of it and carried into the
deeper recesses of the lagoon where
they were inaccessible to the human
vision.
Stop! Under what remained of a
piece of thwart she caught little
CLEAN of metal. Calculating the dis
lance nicely, she plunged in and dove.
Keeping her eyes open she easily
found the piece of metal, dislodged it
from the place where it had fallen and
came to the surface with 1t. 1t was a
sailors sheath knife with a bit of
lanyard fastened to 1t. She had had q
fancy to wear it in her sailors blouse
and she had missed 1t since she had
como ashore
But there was nothing else in the
boat, not . thing; nothing on the bar
rier reef She tried to pull the stern
away where it had been wedged, but
found that impossible. She tugged at
1t valiantly, but could not move it. In
despair she turned to the man who
had watched silently as usual and
pointed. He seemed to understand,
| for he came and with great effort
| lifted the torn part of the boat from
the rocks and laid it down at her feet
She threw it into the water, where, OF
course, as it was wood, 1t floated
easily. Then, with nod to him she
plunged in and together they guided
it to the shore, he taking his cue
from her action.
She had fancy to test his strength
and she managed to convey to him by
signs, mainly by trying herself in vair
to pull it apart. what she wished him
to do. The impossible to her was
child's play to him, and in moment
the several pieces of the boat which
made up the stern were scattered or
the beach. There was one straight
piece which went across the sterr
of the boat and made little box FOL
the coxswain to sit in, which would
do for a shovel 1t was too wide, bu
she broke it against big stone an,
was possessed of what she wanted
The ends were rough and serrated an
unfit for her hands, but these sh
smoothed by the aid of her knife. Sh
sharpened the other end and soon ha
rude selnblance of a shovel She il
tended to use that ON the boat on til
| sand the next day.
Finished with this, she looked a
the man and sighed in despair Coul
she ever get rid of him? Instant
there flashed into her mind tina
which she had before overlooked as {
no moment. long, heavy boat rop,
the boats painter, she had notice
when she dove lay floating by th
side of the boat from which it had ne
been severed. An idea came to he
Dropping the shovel and followed b
her satellite, she plunged in once MOI
ind again swan to the boat. Wastin
no time, she dove as before, found tn
rope and having previously opene