Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1910-01-07
~. va.


only few yards around to those
trees"
Good Lord you haven't been fool
enough to oyerstrain that ankle Yes,
you have. Dammit! why couldn't you
tell me- before?'
1T did not feel so painful in the
water"
Il helped the best I could" inter-
posed Miss Leslie. 81 think If you
could get Mr.. Winthrops crutch-"
"Crutch.p growled Blake. How
long do you think it would take me to
wade through the mud? And look at
that cloudl We're in for a squall
Eere,"
He handed the girl the smaller
string of cocoanuts, flung the other up
the beach and stopped for Winthrope
to mount his back. He then started
off along the beach at sharp trot.
Miss Leslie followed as best she
could, the heavy cocoanuts swinging
about with every step and bruising her
lender body.
Blake had calcu ted. Before they had
run 200 PAGES trey heard the roar of
rain-lashed waer, and the squall
struck them with force that almost
overthrow the .irl. With the wind
came torrents Of rain that drove
through their thickest garments and
drenched them to the skin within the
first half-minutc.
BlaEe acaened his pace to a walk
and plodded sulls1ly along beneath
The driving lownpour. TZe kept TO the
lower edge OF Tie beach, where the
sand was firmest for he force of the
falling delus. at down the wares
and held in check the breakers which
the wind sought roll Up the beach.
The rain storm was at its height
when they reached the foot OF the
cliffs The gray rock lowered qboye
them 80 or 40 feet high. Llsac de-
posted WINTHROP upon wet ledge
and Strengthened up to scan the head
land. Here and there lodges ran more
than halfway up the rocky wall: in
other places the crest was notched by
deep clafts; but nowhere within sight
did either offer a continuous path to
the summit Blake grunted with dis.
gust.
It'd take a-fire ladder to get up this
SIDE he said Well have to try
the other, if we can get around the
poirt I'm going on ahead. You can
follow, after Pat has rested his ankle.
Keep a sharp eye out for ANYTHING ir
the flint line-quartz or agate. That
means fire. Another thing, when this
rain blows over, don't let your clothes
dry on you. I've got my hands full
enough without having to nurse you
through malarial fever. Don't forget
the cocoanuts, and II l don't show up
by noon save me some
He stopped to drink from a pool in
the rock which was overlooking with
the cool, pure rainwater, and started
off at his sharpcgt pace. Winthrope
and Miss Leslie, seated side by side
in dripping misery, watched him swing
away through the rain without energy
enough to call out 8 parting word.
Beneath the cliff the sand beach
was succeeded b. talus CT "2cky
debris which in PAGES sloped up from
the water 10 or Is feet The lower
part of the slope consisted of powders
and water-worn stones, over which the
surf, reinforced by the rising tide,
was beginning to break with an angry
roar
Blake picked his way quickly over
the smaller stones near the top of the
slope, now and then bending to snatch
Up fragment that seemed to differ
from the others. Finding nothing but
limestone he soon turned his atten-
ton solely to the passage around the
headland. Here he had expected to
find the surf much heavier. But the
shore was protected by double line
of reefs, so close in that channel be-
tween did not show whitecap. This
was fortunate, since in places the talus
here sank down almost to the level of
low tide. Even a moderate surf would
have rendered farther progress i'm
practicable.
Another 100 PAGES brought Blake to
the second corner of the cliff, which
jutted out in little point He clam
hered around it and stopped to sur
yey the coast beyond. Within the last
few minutes the squall had blown
over and the rain began to moderate
its downpour. The sun, bursting
through the clouds, told that the
storm was almost past, and its flood
of direct light cleared the view
Along the south side of the cliff the
sea extended in twice as far as on the
north. From the end of the talus the
| coast trended off four or five miles to
| the south-southwest in a shallow
| blight, whose southern extremity was
| bounded by a second limestone head
| land. This ridge ran inland parallel
to the first, and from point some lit
tie distance back from the shore was
| covered with a growth of leafess
trees.
Between the two ridges lay plain