The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-04-23
THE ISLE OF DEAD SHIPS
By cRlTTENDEN MARRIOTT
Copyright. 1905. By crittendsn Marriott


: --Oh. no. know you don't 1--we on
ms snip, for we have just drifted in on
1 T. mean-here-"
She waved her hand comprehensive
3.
BIZ had recovered somewhat By now
No, ma am he declared positively
Joe and me live IN little old New York
BIL we've been here ten years.
Ten yearsH Dorothy's cneekc palec-
Ten years. OH cant you get aWay2
Don-t tn me you can't get away
40, slia' am, we can't get away Wed
ma. am, nothing but wrecks ever come
ting out
Can't you build boat2-
We might. ma am, but how could
we get Il through the weed Nobody
ever has EVERYBODY who's ever come
in here is here yet
''Everybod How many are there
Of you2'
''Twenty-two-not eOuntin' the wom-
en- and the child
I'm so gladi Oh! poor creatures Have
I they-But, therel Come out on deck
and sit down we drffted IN here only
yesterday-three Of Us. The men have
gone 10 explore, but they VIII be back
soon While we are waiting FOR them
you must tell me al about everything
Dorothy led the way aft, reaching
the Lafrau just in time 70 see Howard
and Jackson speeding toward her over
the wrecks. She waved her hand at
them; assured OF their safety she felt
more secure.
There comes the rest Of our party
she explained.
The story told by BIZ and Joe over
the dinner table was long and involved
titions- According to them, there had
always been people living on the as
Eembiec WrecEage- The one Of their
number who had been there longest
~r~.TH
others before him who had been there
for as long again, and declared that
these in turn knew Of stiu others who
had been there before them. II seemed
very probable that the coIony-if such a
name could be applied 20 it-had existed
for centuries
The people. ike the ships. had al
ways come and never gone. once on
the wrecks, they had stayed there till
ghey died Several Of those now there
lao been born on the wrecks, and had
5iteo mere ali their lives Fresh wrecks
brought them food, water. clothing. and
many Injuries. and II these failed, there
were abundant rain, birds eggs and fish
20 Lal lack upon. Mostly sailors, train
60 20 NJ noiness, the castaways had de-
yeloped many lines Of industry, and, on
the Whole. lived very contentedIy-
5'ime OF US Is willing 70 1--we here al
WayS. said Joe, AN some aIn't-es-
pecielly al first But. Lord love We. tEev
they've got to-
The castaways, It seemed. had devel-
cPe q sort OF government, under a for
nler ship captain named Peter FORBES
whose ascendency rested partly on the
TACT that his strength enabled him 20
over ONE every one who contested the
leadership with him and partly on as
native ability Under his rule stores
were collected from the newly arrived
ships and carried. sometimes from miles
away 70 what may be called the village
me central point where the castaxays
liFed- \ PARTRIDGE and BIZ. at present
" as maintained. which made regular
TIPS Tor nifty miles n each direction. in
rc 49,. s- = sueh new wrecks as might
come In The patrol only went as far
as HIty miles IN order TO pick I'd any
new arrivals. IL being impractfcable to
transport stores more than q few miles
Ger me ragged surface OF the wreck
see, even by swinging them on an aerial
Lrolley rom mast 20 mast
Eo-hes divided Up the work. and saw
lnat each individual did his share He
etsc acted as fOunt Of justice. settling
ol7 'AIes IN rough-anG-re fashion
AMI on occasion. dealing ont punish
Tne1-s- more or less severe for irfrss-
IONS Of the rules he had laid down. Al
toseIheT, ne seemed such an exceptional
s0Tt OF man that Howard could not m
oerstand why he had made no eTort 70
escape 10 shore.
BiH tried to make things clear .~yo,,
see, SIR" he explained ssfrse TiI-o .I,S--
ms mere weed stretches out for on
ulaleS ana more Wed first have n
.-4tA = DodL- and then cut orr u-av
through Il inch by inch. We c0111fr't
get grub IT water enough in the boat
70 last US III we got out An II we did
gel out Where'c we be- At sea with
out compass OF nothin't We an want
ed 10 Try az first, BIT Forbes. he ex-
pains shlngs 20 rs so plain that We
sees now impossible Il IS. Two or
three times cOves have tried 70 get
out, but they allus got stuck IN the
weed an mighty glad they WIS 10 zer
oac% 70 where there was plenty TO eat
and Crink"
Howard nodded = see the difficulty"
he conceded But have you no fnstrTI-
meEtg2 OF course, there are not likely
TO be many, but I should think you
would have found a few n al these
years.
Joe hesItated. The cap'n alters looks
out for them things" he declared az |
last Nobody knows how 10 use 'em
but him"
All I see"
To himself Howard added that Il was
tolerably evident that Forbes was not
Overanxious 70 escape: probably he
agreed with Caesar that he would
rather be first IN a little Iberfan VII
laEe than second IN Rome" and. cor
threw his influence against any attempt
OF the others to deplete It Howard /
felt that ne and Forbes might come 70 /
a clash later on
CThe Continuation Of This Story VIII
Be Found in Tomorrow Edition