Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-11-24
CHAPTER VI.
THE REFUGEES.


a COLI. of stout rope fell on top Of
"a the wiEdlass and rebounded 10
"a the deck. More than that. oue
end ot ii stretched into the IN
Unity of dripping rock and flying spray
overhead. And il had been thrown 10y
friendly hands. Ii dangled from some
unseen ledge.
Coke and Hozier recovered the use
of their faculties simultaneously. The
eyes of the two men met. but Coke was
the first to find his voice.
Salvage. by love-" he cried Up
you go, Hozier. III sling the girl be-
hind you. She can't manage II alone,
an 1t needs some one with brains TO
tix things up there for the rest of u.s."
And be added hoarsely in Philips ear:
"Sharp's the word. We 'aven't many
minutes"
Iris permitted Coke and a sailor to
strip Off a life belt aud tie her and
Hozier back to back. II was wonder
ful. though hidden from her ken in
that supreme moment. to see how they
devised a double sling In order 10 dis
tribute the strain. When each knot
was securely fastened Coke vociferat.
ed mighty "Heaye awayT
But his powerful voice was drowned
by the incessant roar of the breakers.
Not even the united clamor of every
man present. fifteen all told. including
the drunken chief officer. could make
itself heard above the din. Then Ho-
zier tugged sharply at the rope three
times. and 1t grew taut. Amid jubi-
liant cry from the others he aud Iris
were lifted clear of the deck. At once
they were carried fully twenty feet
seaward. AS they swung back. not
quite so far aud now well above the
level of the windass from which their
periOus journey had started. ready
witted sailor seized a few coils OF a
thin rope that lay tucked up In the
angle of the bulwarks aud flung them
across Hoziers arms.
Take n whip with you. sirr' he yell
ed, and Philip showed that he under
stood by gripping the rope between his
teeth. 1t was obvious that the rescu-
ers were working from a point well
overhanging the recess into which the
Androneda had driven her bows. and
there might still be the utmost diff
Guilty in throwing a rope accurately
from the rock to the wreck. AS a mat
ter of fact, no less than six previous
attempts had been made. and the sue
cess of the seventh was due solely to
a favorable gust of wind hurtling into
hn Iaft ha Inc n
needed, The sailors quick thought
solved this problem for the future. BY
tying the small rope to the heavier one
those who remained below could haul
IL back when some sort of signal code
was established.
Once there was q check. They wait
ed anxiously, but there was no sign
given by the frail rope that they were
10 haul in again. Then the upward
movement continued.
Chunk O. rock In the way" an
nounced Coke, glaring round at the
survivors as If to challenge contradic-
lion. No one answered. These men
were beginning to measure their lives
against the life of the wedge Of iron
and timber kept In position by the
crumbling frame Of the ship. II was
fast diminishing scale. The figures
painted on the Andromeda's bows rep
resented minutes rather than feet.
Watts was lying crouched on deck.
with his arms thrown round the wind
lass. Looking ever for fresh Incur
sion OF rats, he seemed to be cheered
by the fact that his dreaded assailants
preferred the interior of the forecastle