The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-04-19
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you have. Dammit! Why couldn't you
tell me before!'
1T did not feel 20 painful in the
water
Il helped the best could" inter
posed Miss Leslie. IT think IL you
could get Mr.. Winthrope a crutch-"
"Crutch!" growled Blake How
long do you think 1t would take me to
wade through the mud? And look at
that cloud! We're in for Z squat.
Here!"
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
OF along the beach at q sharp trot.
Miss Leslie followed as best she
could, the heavy cocoanuts swinging
about with every step and bruising her
tender body.
The wind was coming faster than
Blake had calculated. Before they had
run 200 PAGES they heard the roar of
rain-lashed water. and the squall
struck them with force that almost
overthrow the girl. With the wind
|
through their thickest garments and
drenched them to the skin within the
first halfminute.
Blake slackened his pace to q walk
and plodded sullenly along beneath
the driving downpour. He kept to the
lower edge of the beach. where the
sand was frmest, for the force of the
falling deluge beat down the waves
and held in check the breakers which
the wind sought to roll up the beach.
The rain storm was at its height
when they reached the foot of the
cliffs The gray rock lowered above
them 80 or 40 feet high. Blake de-
posted Wfnthrope upon a 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 clefts; but nowhere within sight
did either offer a continuous path to
the summit. Blake grunted with dis
gust
It'd take fire ladder to get up this
Side," he said. We'll have to try
the other, II we can get around the
point. I'm going on ahead. You can
follow, after Pat has rested his ankle.
If Keep a sharp eye out for anything in
e the flint line-quartz or agate. That
l. means fire. Another thing, when this
e 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 If don't show up
by noon save me some"
He stopped to drink from a pool IL
e the rock which was overlooking with
% the cool. pure rainwater. and started
on at his sharpest pace. Winthrope
~ and Miss Leslie, seated side by side
&c in dripping misery, watched him swing
~ away through the rain without energy
&c enough to call out a parting word.
&c Beneath the cliff the sand beach
was succeeded by a talus of rocky
e. debris which in places sloped up from
ID the water 10 or Is feet. The love-
le and water-worn stones, over which thu
surf, reinforced by the rising tide
is was beginning to break with an angr!
roar.
d. Blake picked his way quickly owe
1e the smaller stones near the top of tn
slope, now and then bending to snatch
g. up a fragment that seemed to diffe
he from the others. Finding nothing bu
he limestone he soon turned his after
ton solely to the passage around tn
he headland. Here he had expected t
N find the surf much heavier. But tn
ny shore was protected by double lin
nd of reefs, so close in that channel be
on tween did not show q whitecap. Thi
50 was fortunate, since in places the talu
ut here sank down almost to the level G
in low tide. Even a moderate surf woul
have rendered farther progress In
:. practicable.
Another 100 PAGES brought Blake I
the second corner of the cliff. whic
IN jutted out in a little point. He clan
bered around it and stopped to su
Ter vey the coast beyond. Within the las
as few minutes the sQuall had blow
over and the rain began to moderat
ed it's downpour. The sun, burstin
M through the clouds, told that tn
storm was almost past, and its foo
int of direct light cleared the view.
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