Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-08

it ended found myself waist high out of water
This was better than nothing and l resumed
my shouts to the men in the boats. At times
they answered: but very family, and after
awhile they grew silent And then from some
where out of the fog came the faint stroke of a
bell | shouted again: but was not answered.
There was very little wind, and only per-
ceptibe heave of the ground swell; SO | was
bothered at first only by the dense fog and the
current But after time had other troubles
of mental nature. The water was unquestion-
ably rising, and whether not it would rise
above my chin was an unsolvable problem.
did not know the time of low tide in that part
of the world that night. Then, too that
bell sounded again. And again and again |
shouted into the silence. 1t struck twice this
time. but it was not until another half-hour
had gone by. and 1t struck three times with an
interval between the second and third strokes
that realized that somewhere at hand was a
ships bell clock. | yelled for help, calling Ship
ahoy! Give me a hand here! I'm standing on
bottom-on a reef! Lower a boat
Nothing answered me. and suppose went
more or less.crazy the night went and that
internal ghostly bell struck off the half-hours.
1t seemed to have the correct time: but it
hard to realize that ship had gone through
successful mutiny and shipwrcck in the half
hour between eight bells and one bell.
the wet and the strain my voice, found
myself unable to call out any more. And it
struck me rather hard too; for at daylight
the fog lifted bit and there about mile and
half to the nor ard. showed the lug sail of one
OF the boats. The current must have drifted it
to the north during the night, and when the
fog lifted | suppose they set the lug and sailed
fore the wind the easiest and fastest way.
But another sight met my eyes. Over to
the east about fifty wards was the stern of the
ship. taffrail and cabin out, and the mizzentop
and topmast. She was Just hung there, canted
to angle of forty-five. and ready to slide
down with the first lift of And there was
where that clock was, high and dry in the
cabin. The tide had reached my shoulders by
now. and perhaps this was what did the job
for suppose there was some air IN that wreck.
and when an extra heavy pulse of the ground
swell came along there was slight wrenching
sound. as though the sternpost had carried
away, then with very little furry the stern
and mizzen sank out of sight.
put up into the froth and the bubblesscaused
by the plunge came the red head anxious
face, and big shoulders of Mackln. He sighted
me- and came on, breasting the water with all
the vigor of strong man in good form, and
with new look in his face that meant trouble
for me- looked for the boat; but the fog had
thckened again. blotting her out.
What you got there he demanded, as he
pulled up close to me.
Rock bottom | answered Keep off!
There's room only for one.
"'And that one IS me-
Il squared myself as | could, with my bad
right hand tucked into my shirt out of the way
and my legs as far apart as could get them
| struck at him, and pushed him under: but
| the reacting force of the blow sent me back
ward. and then it was mad scramble under
water to get my foothold again. Macklin came
up, saw me. and swan under water until he had
| reached my legs; then he hove me off and took
| my place.
but he wasn't used to the push of the cur
| rent, and the next moment he was off and
| swimming again, while was on. breasting the
current. and waiting for him. He came back