The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-05-19
CHAPTER III-Continued.


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 such eXertions
and untitled to such demands, but she
persevered. The boat had been beaten
to pieces. 1t had been forced over
the reef by the hurl of the sea. The
stern had been wedged in between
some projecting rocks. The rest of 1t
had been torn away and had fallen
into the lagoon. There was no wind,
the sea was unruffled. She could see
as If through a glass the wrecked re-
mains of the boat. There was nothing
In it 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 it and carried into the
deeper recesses of the lagoon where
they were inaccessible to the human
vision.
Stop! Under what remained of a
piece Of thwart she caught a little
gleam of metal. Calculating the dis
tance nicely, she plunged in and dove.
Keeping her eyes open she easily
found the piece of metal, dislodged it
from the place where it had fallen and
came to the surface with it. 1t was a
sailors sheath knife with a bit of
lanyard fastened to it. She had had
fancy to wear it in her sailors blouse
and she had missed it since she had
come ashore.
But there was nothing else in the
boat, not thing; nothing on the bar
rier 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 it into the water, where, of
course, as it was wood, it floated
easily. Then, with a nod to him she
plunged in and together they guided
1t to the shore, he taking his cue
from her action.
She had fancy to test his strength
and she managed to convey to him by
signs, mainly by trying herself in vain
to pull it apart, what she wished him
to do. The impossible to her was
child's play to him, and in 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 little box for
the coxswain to sit in, which would
do for a shovel. 1t was too wide, but
she broke it against big stone and
was possessed of what she wanted.
The ends we're rough and serrated and
unfit for her hands, but these she
smoothed by the aid of her knife. She
sharpened the other end and soon had
q 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 that
which she had before overlooked as of
no moment A long, heavy boat rope,
the boats painter, she had noticed
when she dove lay floating by the
side of the boat from which it 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 dove 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 it. 1t was stout piece Of rope, of
unusual quality, as had been every
thing on board the yacht. The very
best of stuff had gone into it and she
did not believe any man on earth
could break it. She had amused her.
self on the cruise by learning the rudi-
ments of seamanship and she could tie
knots like any sailor. This little ac-
complishment was to stand her in
good stead. She wrapped the rope
around her neck, plunged in the la
SUOu lOI Tie I'LL u llLIG, anu SWAIN
once more to the shore.
She led .he 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 hard circle,
and quickly made a running bowline
around the nearest tree. Ho had not
made the slightest resistance He had
no idea evidently of what she was do
ing or the 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 tautening of the rope. 1t
was a new situation for him, yet his
hands instinctively went to his throat
and he strove to tear away the moose,
putting forth sucn orodigious amount
of strength that she stood in horror
lest he should part the lashing. But
it was made Of stout stuff and he had
no purchase; although he pulled until
the sweat stood out on his forehead
from the violence of his efforts, they
were Of no avail. She had not dared
to interfere or to say a word, but
when she saw his efforts slacken, she
pointed to the sands to indicate to him
that he was to sit down, and then she
went away conscious that while the
rope held she was free. She was con-
scious of another thing, too, and that
was that he was learning sad and
bitter lesson Of physical restraint to