The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-03-15
CHAPTER |.
"ave-Tossed and castawav.

stoa 'An'iiIope boarded the
1'eaiher as fellow passengers with
Iauy bayrose and her party.
lhls was a week after Wintbroro
nau arrived on the tramp steamer
from INDIA, and her ladyship had er.
pialned to Miss Leslie that II w.s
as well for her not to be too hastv IN
accepting his attentions. To no suro
he was an Englishman, his dress and
manners We're irreproachable, and he
was IN the prime Of ripened youth
Yet Lady Bayrose was too consc,en.
tious chaperon to be fully satisfied
WIN her countryman's bare assertion
that he was engaged on a diplomatic
mission requiring reticence regarding
his identity. She did not see why this
should prevent him from confiding
In her.
Notwithstanding this, Winthrope
came aboard ship virtually as a mem
Der Of her ladyship's party. He was
30 quick, so thoughtful of her comfort,
and paid so much more attention to
her than to Miss Leslie, that her lady.
ship had decided to tolerate him, even
before Blake became a factor in the
situation.
From the moment he crossed the
gangway the American engineer en-.
tered upon daily routine of drinking
and gambling, varied only by attempts
to strike up an off-hand acquaintance
with Miss Leslie. This vas Win
thrope's opportunity, and his clever
Illustration OF what Lady Bayrose
termed that low Founders impu-
dence" served to install him in the
good graces of her ladyship as we'll as
In the favor Of the American heiress.
Such at least, was what Winthrope
intimated to the persistent engineer
with a superciliousness of tone and
manner that would have stung even a
British lackey to resentment. To
Blake it was supremely CALLING. He
could not rejoin in kind, and the
slightest attempt at physical retort
would have meant irons and confne-
ment. 1t was a British ship. Behind
Winthrope was Lady Bayrose; behind
her ladyship. as matter of course
was all the despotic authority of the
captain. In the circumstances, it was
not surprising that the American
drank heavier after each successive
goading.
Meantime the ship, having touched
at Port Natal, steamed on up the
east coast, into the Mozambique chan
mel.
On the day of the cyclone, Blake
had withdrawn into his stateroom with
a number of bottles, and throughout
that fearful afternoon was blissfully
unconscious of the danger Even
when the steamer went on the reef
he was only partially reused by the
shock.
He took a long pull from quar-
flask OF whisky, placed the flask witt
great care In his hip pocket, anc
lurched out through the open door
way. There he reeled headlong against
the mate. who had rushed below witt
three of the crew to bring up Miss
Leslie. The mate cursed him vlr
ulently. and in the same breath or
dered two of the men to fetch MIN W
on deck.
The sea was breaking over tns
steamer In torrents; but between
waves Blake was dragged across Il
the side and flung over into the DOT
tom of the one remaining boat III
served as a cushion to break the fai
Of Miss Leslie, who was tossed II
after him. At the same time WIN
throne. frantic with fear, scramoie'
into the bows and cut loose. one o
the sailors leaped. but fell short an'
went down within arms length .
Miss Leslie.
She and Winthrope saw the s'ean,
or slim from the reef and SINK oaci
into dozen water. carrying down IN th'
vortex the mate and the few REMAIN
inc sailors. After that all was chao
20 them They were driven ashore De
fora the terrific gusts of the cyclone
blinded bv the singing spoondrlit u
al else hut the hell of breakers AM
coral reefs in whose midst they swirle'
90 dizziIv. And through it all biak
Law huddled on the bottom poalu
eurgling blithely of spicy zephsrS al"
swaying hammocks. u,r
There came the seemingly nnai il'
-. whom the boat went splunlh
stern over PROV.
ualf.sobered. Blake opened his eye
ND stared solemnly about MN. II
uas GIVEN little time to take MS pea'
in~s A smother Of broken SUR can can
seetbing up from one OF tne So
Sroa,rers to roll him over and scrap
~, little farther up the muui
shore, There the flood deposited . n' -
for moment, until 1t couiu SAL .s
800 s n sweep back and drag MI
down again toward the roaring DC
that had cast him up. -
p,.ra obiected-not to the DANCE
hs;ng drowned, but to interlereh.
" '';,h his repose. He had reacned VI
ssst,note stage. He grunted pro'eS
,ns,u the flood seethed up the snol a'
nd rolled him away from the oanse'
,u was too much! He set MS u"