Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-05-13
CHAPTER HI-Continued.

NnAT En- III-NOhIitA$O"
II was not long before she reached
the barrier reef. 1t stood up a foot or
two above the water now, the tide be
ing low, and she clambered upOn 1t.
The sharp rocks cut her naked and
tender feet, unused to UGH eXertiOns
and untitled to such demands, but she
~persevered. The boat had been beaten
TO pieces. 1t had beer forced over
the reef by the hurl Of the sea. The
stern had been wedged in between
some projecting rocks. The rest or It
had been torn away and had fallen
into the lagoon. There was no wind.
the sea was unruff1ed. She could see
as II through a glass the wrecked re-
mains of tho boat. There was nothing
in 1t 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 1t and carried into the
deeper recesses OF b lagoon where
they were inaccessible to the human
vision.
Stop! Under what remained of a
piece Of thwart she caught a little
CLEAN of metal. Calculating the dis
lance nicely, she plunged in and dove.
Keeping her eyes open h easily
found the piece of metal, dislOdged 1t
from the place where it had fallen and
came to the surface with it. 1t was g.
sailors sheath knife with a bit of
lanyard fastened to it. She had had a
fancy to wear it in her sailors blouse
and she had missed 1t since she had
come ashore.
But there was nothing else in the
boat, not a thing; nothing or the bar
Tier reef. She tried to pull the stern
away where it had been wedged, but
found that impossible. She tugged at
it 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 1t into the water, where, Of
course, as it was wood. it 1oated
easily. Then, with a nod to hin she
plunged in and together they guided
1t to the shore, he taking his cue
from her action.
She had a fancy to test his strength
and she managed to convey to him by
signs. mainly by trying herself in vain
to pull 1t apart. what she wished him
to do. The impossible to her was
child's play to him, and in a moment
the several pieces of the boat which
made up the stern were scattered on
the beach. There was one straight
piece which went across the stern
OF the boat and made a little box for
the cOxswain to sit In, which would
do for a shovel. 1t was too wide, but
she broke 1t against a big stone and
was possessed of what she wanted
The ends were rough and serEated and
unfit for her hands, but these she
smoOthed by the aid of her knife. She
s~harpened the other end and soon had
a rude semblance Of a shovel. She in
tended to use that on the BOAT on the
sand the next day.
Finished with this, she looked at
the man and sighed in despair. Could
she ever get rid of him? Instantly
there flashed into her mind tina
which she had before overlooked as of
no moment. A long. heavy boat rope,
the boats painter she had noticed
WuSu SAe OONS A0y AO0b(AuB ny the
side of the boat from which 1t had not
been severed. An idea came to her.
Dropping the shovel and followed by
her satellite. she plunged in once more
and again swan to the boat. Wasting
no time. she love as before, found the
rope and having previously opened
her knife. cut it quickly and came to
the surface gasping.
There were perhaps 10 or 12 feet
OF 1t. Il was Is stout piece OF rope. of
unusual quality. as had been every
thing on board the yacht. The very
best Of stun had gone into 1t and she
did not believe any man on earth
could break 1t. She had amused her
self on the cruise by learning the rudt
ments Of seamanship and she could tie
knots like any sailor. This little &C
com~plishLnent was to stand her In
good stead She wrapped the rope
around her neck, plunged in the la
Soon. for the third time, and swan
once more to the shore.
She led the way up the sands to the
palm grove. Then she tied the rope
around the mans neck, not In a slip
moose. of course, but In a hard. circle.
and quickly made a running bowlIne
around the nearest tree. He had not
made the slightest resistance. He had
no idea evidently OF what she was do
ing or Ahe purport Of her motions.
Then she turned and went away from
him quickly. He started for her at
once and was nearly jerked from his
feet by the tautentnG of the rope. Il
was a new situation for him, yet his
hands instinctively went to his throat
and he strove to tear away the moose,