The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-01-22

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/ body, and went down to the beach.
There high and dir a3k ths .B1at that
was to take me 6iit,, stout, hatshot-
lltotied, thirty mel fest SioEg, Ave broad
ana three deep, drawing less than a
foot. Each end rose a little and
ing-oar.
THE surf was running high, but
I'd never seen any boat upset, so
didn't dream Of danger. What /
thought of most was getting those
hundred parrots safely into that
cage on the hatch.
"They were in two dsy-good boxes,
four feet square and half as high,
tops covered with Stats. In each box
were fifty birds, chirping and Dreen-
ing their feathers.
Il had the boxes placed well aft,
and got in right behind them and
close to the steersman. My ham,
mpcks I piled In little mound be-
fore the forward box. The crew
tossed their paddles aboard, and
grasped the gunwales. fifteen stocky
fellows to starboard, and fourteen to
port.
I'm swept a succession of big roll
ers-one, two, three. AS the last
and biggest flowed back, the steers
man gave yell; twenty-nine pairs Of
black hands frightened along the sides.
and the heavy boat chased the bill
lew down into the surf.
| Out we ran, the crew jumping IN
two by two, as fast as they got
waistdeep. Fifty feet from the beach
we were fairly afoat, and all aboard.
Very slowly we crept seaward,
awaiting a good chance to shoos
through the breakers. The Kroo
boys kept dipping their blades just
enough to hold the boat, while the
steersman watched the coming seas
like hawk.
1--WE were a good hundred feet out.
The huge dark-blue swells broke In
thunder just before us, rushed foam
ing by. and ran far UP the sand. Some
were very high. But gave them
| little attention; for sat, my knees
against the nearest box, watching my
parrots.
Suddenly there came three seas,
larger than any before. The first
combed over the bow. spraying tho
entire boat. 1t wet my birds. and
stopped their chirping. The next
billow was still bigger, and soaked
us all. felt bad for the grays but
didn't suspect any danger to myself.
/ Then, without warning, the third
sea. a curling ridge OF green water
ten feet high, caught the boat fair
ly,sunder her bottom.
sUp rose her bow, higher. higher,
higher. until with sudden fling over
she went endwise.
las the bird-crates came tumbling
against me, caught glimpse OF
black bodies leaping right and left.
1 If. hadn't been watching my par
1 rots, should have been ready to
jump, too. The steersman caught my
shoulder, and tried to pull me out;
4 but it was too late. His hand was
suddenly snatched away. Down came
4 the boat on top Of me. zinc-lined
i box corner struck my temple, and for
4 little while didn't know anything.
II came to under water, a terrible
pain over my left eyebrow and anoth-
er in my right wrist. Something on
/ my head was holding me down. I
4 kicked and thrashed round until I'M
4 ally got my nose above water, in
i a little dark air-space. was under
the overturned boat.
my head doomed like a big ma
tive drum. A web OF loose rope en-
tangled me. The three hammocks
had fallen over my shoulders. and
in my struggles the cords had be.
come twisted about me. tried to
raise my right hand, but couldn't.
The excruciating ache In the wrist
told that 1t had been broken, either
by a box or the gunwale. Every
time anything touched 1t the pain
made me sick.
THE boat drifted nearly where the
seas were breaking. Occasionally a
terrific billow crashed down above
my head.
i THE air-space, barely foot high,
was filed with dusky light, reflect
ed from the sand. 1t changed posi-
tion with the swash Of the surf, fore,
ing me to follow 1t for breath. Much
Of the time my face was under wa
ter. as ] padded and pulled myself
back and forth, catching the gunwale
4 with my one good hand.
/ The. hammocks we're a terrible
handicap; / must get clear Of them
at any cost. MY broken wrist made
4 the struggle an agonizing one. but
1t meant life or death to me, and at
last cast them on. They sank at
once. All was clear now under the
boat; not even paddle remained.
My parrots had disappeared utterly.
Very slowly we were drifting in;
the water was shealer now Should