El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-10

D II
THE DARK LINE on THE WATER
another. his arms around the blacks
neck, one hand clutehing a prayer
book
While he read the service the blacks
gazed apprehensively at the dark line
on the water. above which rolled and
tumbled the racing clouds. The first
breath Of the wind. faint and silken,
tonic with life, famed through his
dry baked body as he finished reading
Then came the second breath Of the
wind. an angry gust as the shovels
worked rapidly filing in the sand.
So heavy was the gust that Sheldon,
still on his feet, seized hold Of his
man-horse to escape being blown
away. The Jessie was blotted out, and
a strange, ominOus sound arose as null
titudinous Wavelets struck foaming on
the beach. It was ike the bubbling
Of some colossal caldron. From all
about could be heard the dull thudding
II falling cocoanuts. The tall, delicate
lrunked trees twisted and snapped
about like whiplashes. The air seem
ed filed with their flying leaves, any
one OF which, stem-On, could brain a
man Then came the rain. a deluge.
a straight, horizontal sheet that poured
along ike a river, denying gravitation.
The black. with Sheldon mounted on
him, plunged ahead into the thick Of
It. STOPPING far forward and low to the
ground to avoid being toppled over
backward
Hes sleeping out and far to
night Sheldon quoted as he thought
Of the dead man in the sand and the
rainwater trickling down upon the cold
clay.
So they fought their way back up
the beach. The other blacks caught
hold Of the man-horse and pulled and
tugged. There were among them those
whose fondest desire was to drag the
rider in the sand and spring upon him
and mash him into repulsive nothing
ness. But the automatic pistol in his
belt, with its rafting, quick dealing
death. and the automatic, death defy
ing spirit In the man himself made
them refrain and buckle down to the
task Of hauling him to safety through
the storm.
Wet through and exhausted, he was
nevertheless surprised at the ease with
which be got into a change Of cloth
ing. Though be was fesrfully weak. he
found himself actually feeling better
The disease had spent itself. and the
mend had begun.
Nov, if ] don't get the fever" he
said aloud and at the same moment /
resolved to go to taking quinine as
soon as he was strong enough to dare.
He crawled out on the veranda. The
rain had ceased, but the wind, which
had dwindled to a half gale. was in
freasing. A big sea had sprung up,
and the mile long breakers. curling /
up to the OVERALL 200 yards from |
the shore. were crashing on the |
beach. The Jessie was plunging madIy |
to two anchors. and every second OF /
third sea broke clear over her bow. 1
Two flags were stif1y undulating from /
the halyards ike squares of flexible /
sheet iron. One was blue. the other
red He knew their meaning in the
Berande private code: What are your |
Shall / attempt to land /
hnatT" Tackled on the wall between
the signal locker and the billiard rules
was the code itself. by which be veri-
led the signal before making answer.
On the hagstaT gan a boy hoisted a
white flag over a red. which stood for,
Run to Neal island for shelter"
That Captain OlesOn had been ex-
lecting this signal was apparent BY
he celebrity with which the shackles
we're knocked out OF both anchor
.hains. he slipped his anchors, Ieav-
ng them buOyed to be picked up in
Detter weather. The Jessie swung of
lnder her full staysail; then the fore
all, double reefed. was run up. She
vas away ike a race horse, clearing /
3aleSuna shOal with half a cable length
o spare. Just before she rounded the
Oint she was swallowed up in a ter
ifc squaH that far Outblew the first.
All that night. while squaIl after
quail smote Berande, uprooung trees,
7erthrowing copra sheds and rocking
be house on its tall piles, Sheldon
lept He was unaware Of the com
notion. He never Weakened. nor did
e change his position or dream. he
woke a new man. Furthermore. he
7as hungry. II was over a week /