, 1910-01-06

' anu puiit Tor heayy seas, yet
powerfully engined and capab of
good speed. By his direction the tanks
had been filled and everything over
hauled so that it would be in readiness
Tor use. The sea was very calm and
the gentle air scarcely raised n ripple
on Its surface. To save the trouble
oi hoisting II aboard again, the tender
a been left trailing astern at the
end OF a long line. 1t would be ready
LOT instant use. She would escape in
that- She knew how to run the motor
n how to steer the boat. She had
done 1t many a time.
Carrying her heavy boat cloak she
entered her cabin, hastily packed her
nag with what things she fancied she
would need, returned to the table.
TOOK from 1t every scrap that was
edible and portable: without much re.
gard for the niceties she made II I'm
In a heavy parcel which she tied with
napkins. She remembered that he
water tank in the launch had been
hlled. so that for a time at least she
would lack nothing. Carrying bag and
bundle In her hands and with the boat
cloak over her arm and a straw hat
tied on her head, after one long look
at the man. she turned and went aft
and re-entered ihe %starboard after
stateroom, her own.
The boats painter had been affixed
to the starboard side of the yacht. She
opened the stern window and looked
out. She leaned far out and by great
good fortune in the darkness caught
the painter. The boat of course. was
swinging to a long rope. She pulled
at this line cautiously, although the
effort taxed her strength to the ut
most. Indeed, she seemed possessed
of a fictitious strength for the time
being else she never could have ac-
complisned her hard task. But she
managed to get the boat practically
under the cabin at last. She fastened
the painter to her bed, which was of
brass and securely screwed to the
floor. Then she cut off the line and
tied the bundle of provisions and her
bag and cloak to the end of 1t. These
she dropped down into the boat.
Among the petty articles was a sharp
sailors sheath knife fastened to a Ian
yard. She slipped this lanyard into her
blouse. Then she climbed up on the
port sill and essayed the dangerous
descent herself. She was glad that
she was a strong, athletic woman,
used to trusting to her own skill and
powers, for it was no easy task to
slide down that rope and get into a
boat trailing along beneath the COUP
ter of a yacht going perhaps IL knots
an hour Fortunately the engine was
well aft and the bow of the launch
was high out of the water; else her
weight would have pressed it down
and the back wash from the yacht
would perhaps have swamped the
launch.
AT any rate, she succeeded, although
after she got her foot in the bows she
slipped and fell. But that she fell
straight aft upon the cloak and bum
dies she would have hurt herself Sc
verely. If she had not fallen that way,
left she would have gone overheard
and that would have been the end.
for she knew that she would have died
rather than appeal to that ship for
help. She was fearful that the noise
of her fall might have attracted the
attention of some one on the deck,
but the poop of the yacht was u.s.
ually deserted at night and it was I'M
likely that any one would be up there.
Scrambling to her feet, she drew
her knife and severed the taut rope
hold NhA oNVaaE 80 NI4 N~n.Ik IL
parted instantly. She was whirled
backwards and sideways with a sud-
denness that again almost threw her
out of the boat. For one agonizing mo-
ment the launch lay full in the broad
beam of light that proceeded from the
bright cabin window she had left. For
one agonizing moment of suspense she
hung there and then the swirl of the
wave carried her into the darkness.
She lay directly in the wake of the
yacht, and the launch was pitched up
and down by the waves made by the
rapidly moving ship with a violence
of motion that was %sickening. There
were a pair of oars In the boat, but
she did not break them out. She Just
drew herself down in the stern sheets
and lay there waiting. She knew hat
the clatter of the motor could be heard
a long distance in so still a night and
over. so still a sea, and therefore. al
though her impulse was to start 1t at
once, she restrained herself and
waited. watching the yacht rapidly dis
appear She could mark her course
easily by the light from that cabin
window. Her ear was keen and she
listened until she could no longer de-
tect the beat and throb of the steam
er's engines. Then she rose and
started the motor.
The boat was provided with a COM
pass, and although she could see no
star, she was able to set a course
which was directly at right angles to
the course of thes yacht. She realized,