Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-10-23

/ fAaezS
THE BLACKS GAzED APPREHENsIvELY AT
THE DARK LINE ON THE Watch.
! another. his arms around the blacks
neck. one hand clutching a prayer
/ book
While he read the service the blacks
/ gazed apprehensvely 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 bis
dry baked body as he finished reading
I Then came the second breath of the
/ wind. an angry gust. as the ShOves
worked rapidly filling 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
q strange. ominouS sound arose az null
titudinous waveletS struck foaming on
the beach II was like the bubblng
of some colossal caldron. From all
about could be heard the dull thudding
If falling cocoanuts The tall. delicate
iruDked trees twisted and snapped
about like whiplaSheS. The mir seem
ed filed with their flying leaves. any
one of which. Stem-OD. could brain
man. Then came the rain. dPluEe.
a straight. horizontal sheet that poured
along like river. defyinE 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
back ward.
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
tuCged. 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 he got into a change OF cloth
ing Though he was fearfully weak. he
found himself actually feeling better.
The disease had spent itself, and the
mend bad begun
Now. if | don't get the fever" he
said aloud and at the same moment
soon as ne was strong enough to dare.
He crawIed out on the veranda. The
rain had ceased. but the wind. which
had dwindled to a half gale. was in
creasing. 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 madly
70 two anchors. and every second or
third sea broke clear over her bow.
Two flags were stiffly undulating from
the halyards like squares Of flexible
sheet iron. Que was blue. the other
red He knew their Gaming in the
Berande private code: What are your
Instructions? Shall | attempt to land
boat?' Tackled on the wall between
the signal locker and the billiard rules
was the code itself. by which he veri-
fed the signal before making answer.
On the Flagstaff gan a boy hOisted a
white flag over red. which stood for.
run to Neal island for shelter"
That Captain Oieson had been ex-
pecting this signal was apparent by
the CELEBRITY with which the shsckles
were knocked out of both anchor
chains. He slipped his anchors. ieav-
ing them buoyed to be picked up in
better weather. The Jessie swung of
under her full staysail; then the fore
sail. double reefed. was run up. She
was away like a race horse. clearing
Balesuna shoaI with half a cable length
to spare. Just before she rounded the
point she was swallowed up in q ter
rife squal that far outbIew the first.
All that night. while sQuall after
squall smote Berande. uproOt1ng trees.
overthrowing copra sheds and rocking
the house Oh its tall piles. Sheldon
slept He was una ware Of rhe com
motion. he never Weakened. nor did
he change his position or dream. He
awoke q new man furthermore. he
was hungry IL was over a week
since food bad passed his lips He
drank glass of condensed crea ID
thinned With wafer. ana by 10 oclOck
he dared TO take a cup OF beef tea
He was ch~ered also by tue sin
alton in the hospital Despite ID.
storm there had been but one deatH
and there WAS only OGe fresh ca-,
while half dozen boys era WED weas !