The sun., 1910-01-30

OF the hurricane and before the American
ships had been lest.
we got coil OF old whale line that had
been slowed away for years. and made
. bowline around my shoulders with one
end Of it and started to swim out. When
I got through the surf 1 was almost ex-
hausted. 1 turned on my back TO rest,
and seeing the people waving on shore
thought they were cheering me on.
This gave me new vigor and turned and
struck out again.
But soon I noticed something queer
about that line. 1t was the ease with
which It followed me. grew cold. Then
turned on my back and hauled it
toward me. II had parted and l had
. length Of only fifty feet.
Il took q glance about and saw l was
drifting fast out to sea. could not
be OF any use trying to rescue anybody
else, quickly realized. The question
was could save myself2
-All OF a sudden came across a life
buoy, but with it I could not get ashore,
and decided that to keep il might only
prolong life and misery a little, and
l would do just as well by trusting TO
my own effort. just as I had made up
my mind b man fioated near. | gave
him the buoy, putting IL over his head.
and l tried to get him aboard the Adler,
but as We got near her big sea parted
us and that was the last l saw Of him.
afterward heard that he had drifted
toward the wrecked ship and managed
10 hang on to the rigging until rescued
the next morning.
ct triad 10 xnaka fow fha ahnra NV
knowledge OF the water. obtained in pearl
fishing so much on the coast. and my
knowledge OF the bottom helped me.
and besides knew the nature Of the surf.
its tricks and the danger OF the back
wash. would dive down every time the
baokwash would set out and cling to a
piece Of coral or rock. II I could grab
II. rising to the surface when the
surf set in. Sometimes i caught hold
Of nothing. and again would find had
grabbed a dead body that the tide was
sweeping in, and then I would lose what
ground had gained.
with this continual struggling man
aged finally to land at a point two miles
down the coast from where l had started,
thoroughly exhausted, every vestige of
clothes torn from my body and q mass
Of scratches and bruises from scraping
over the coral Fortunately for me
big wave came along just at critical
moment as felt my strength going.
II hurled me upon the shore, where friends
who had caught an occasional sight OF
me had followed down the beach. and
they grabbed and prevented me from
being carried back by the wave as il re
ceded.
1T was a desolste sight that presented
itself at dsybreak. Not a vessel was in
sight except the numerous wrecks that
were olinging to the reefs or were high
and dry on sand bars. Great pieces Of
wreckage lined the shore, and twisted in
and out OF this, most Of them stark naked
and some much mutilated. were hundreds
OF bodies. The Calliope came back the
second day after the storm, but she was
net able to lend much assistance except
80 she then stsamed away for New Zea
OF the disaster could be cabled.
well, there was no further talk OF bonn
bardment. The natives said the gods
had brought ON the hurricane to save
them from the Germans. But there was
warfare going on in the islands up to the
time left the first time for Alaska. in
1897.
did I know Robert Louis Stevenson?
OF course. Stevenson came to Samoa Co
live. IL I remember correctly. in 1898. I
saw much OF him, for / was a continual
visitor at Vailima during his lifetime.
Rider Haggard's brother had been ap-
pointed one Of the land commiss Oners
by the foreign Powers, and l used fire.
quently to ride out with him. ! was up
there the day Stevenson died. He was
a great favorite among the natives and
among all the foreigners except the
Germans, Who hated him for exposing
their rascslity.
GOLD HUNTING IN ALASKA
Il went to Alaska during the great rush
to the Klondike and got up there during
the fall. packing over the Chilkoot Pass.
sledding down TO Lake Lebage and look
ing for gold in tlfe creeks around Seward
and Dawson. Then used to pilot boats
through the cahon and the Whits Horse
EhApids. and altogether ! picked up quite
a little money up there that winter.
-0f course there were some exciting
times, but the most ever had up there
into a brief space OF time
was when after q years absence l had
decided to start back for Samoa. and was
about TO leave Dawson for Nome. The
chief engineer Of a steamboat lying at
Dawson. called the Yukon. whom knew
well, advised me 70 take a place as his
assistant. so as to save the expense OF
passage and some freight had.
The first night / slept aboard the
chief had gone ashore. and as had not
yet taken my bedding to the ship turned
into his bunk. which was partitioned OF
from the engine room by thin bulkhead.
About II o'clock i was aroused by a noise
in the opposite compartment. where, /
learned afterward. bunked four men who
were supposed to have shipped as firemen
for the trip to Nome.
Are you sure nobody can hear us?
one voice asked.
There's nobody in the chiefs room,'
another replied. I saw the chief 20
ashore. his door Is locked. and the second
engineer has gone ashore too