The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-25

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smaller thing She was less sure and
confident of herself alone in the great
lmmensity than in the crowded city.
| There were no applauding thousands.
| She breathed no air Of adulatlon, She
was alone with her soul The man
who is alone is always face TO face
with God, though his eyes may be hid
| den so that he cannot see the DIVINE
IT was SO with this woman.
Never had she so cravcd other com
| panionship. She would have been happy
if she could have believed that there
was God, for had there been God,
she would not have felt So deserted. So
| she fought on against her soul and her
circumstance losing battle.
The sixth day opened dark and
gloomy. The day broke heavily over
cast Even TO her incxperiencc, she
could realize that storm was ut hand.
She had seen nothing during the pc
could avail herself Twice, once to star
board and another time to port, she had
passed low.lying islands. dim on The
| horizon. She had no way of checking
! the boat or of changing its course to
run down either of them. She had to
90 on just as she was. She realized
! that she could never land unless she
wcro driven directly upon some island
that might lie in her course. She knew,
| too, that the chances that might hap
pen were very remote. She had daily
diminished the portion Of food and drink
| she allotted to herself. She had hus-
banded everything with the utmost care.
On the sixth day they were gone. She
awoke with u frightful craving which
! intensified MS the day drew on,
She was thankful for one thing that
| the sun was veiled, although the heat
in the humid, heavy. overcast air was
! something almost unbearablc. Under
4
much more swiftly than heretofore.
She had that satisfaction, but she
had tho apprehension that if the wind
! grew any stronger her SAIL service
! able as it had proved and stout as it
was, would he torn to pieces, The
silk braid had done splendid service,
but she marked that it was now
strained to the breaking point. Again
! the helplessness of her position came
upon her. She could not take down
the sail. In the first place she WAS
afraid TO leave the helm and In the
second placec she realized that if she
started TO furl ii, she could only do it
| by cutting the lashing and at the first
cut the whole thing would blow away.
SO she held on. There was nothing
else to do
The night fell in burst of rain
which was most grateful TO her, but
which was a forecast of Rcrcer blow,
and at midnight the hurricane broke
in full force upon the little boat. The
| first blast tore the sail from the lash
ings BY lightning flash she caught
u glimpse of it for second, whrled
away like a great bird. For some rea-
son, perhaps because one or two
shreds of cloth still clung to the mast,
and perhaps because the broad blade
! of the oar offered some resistance for
! the thrust of the wind, she was able
by the exercise of constant vigilance
and all the strength Of which she was
capable, to keep the boat before the
wind Hitherto she had had no idea
Of tho violence of the wave motion. 1t
was with difficulty that she kept her
self from being dashed to pieces
against the sides or hurled overheard
in the mad whirling and plunging to
which the launch was suddenly sub
! jected. 1t was caught mp by one wave
after another and driven on for hours.
! She could not tell how long. She lost
all consciousness of time and of every
| thing else except that she must cling
to the helm. The boat was still hurled
forward. One great wave after an
other would seize her, uplift her and
bear her on. The strain upon her arms
was terrific. She locked her teeth and
hung on, breathless, exhausted, yet de-
| termined.
and she felt that it had been reached.
Yet she did not deliberately let 90.
One final and terrific hcavc jerked
her away from the wheel. She fell
sprawling in the bottom of the boat,
but had sense enough 10 lock her
hands around a thwart and lie there.
The launch broached-to in an instant
waves. Fortunately she did not cap
size instantly and the next breaker
! filed her. She lay, her gunwales flush
with the water. Hcr motion was still
violent but less ierky. She was swept
ever onward by the vast undulations
The indomitable woman clinging TO
the thwart managed to keep her head
this was the end and yet while she
had a remainder of strength, while
| she could draw a flickering breath,
she would not give up, The boat, be
ing water-logged, did not pitch so
much as before and she was able to
maintain her hold, although every
wave that broke over her drcnched
her again and again.
She wondered why the boat did not
| sink and then she realized that the
empty gasoline tanks which she had
closed and locked, prevented the final
catastrophe: that the boat was in a
certain sense, life boat; that 1T would
float so long as the water pressure did
not succeed In opening the tanks,
Therefore. she was for the moment safe.
! The only immediate danger would be
the capsizing of the boat which would
throw her out Since the launch was
already full of water. the woman did
not think this was likely to happen,
She held on. her vitality gradually
growing weaker. hoping for the morn
! ing and an abatement of the storm.
! She had no idea Of time. of course.
! She could not tell what the hour was,
1t was still dark. however, when a
! strange sound smote her car She
! heard it above the wild scream of the
wind and the awful beat Of the waves.
1t was Il crashing sound, a. batterjng
! sound. fearful. porteptous sound.
! The boat ran forward more swiftly
now. She wondered the reason. TAX