The Irish standard., 1911-08-26

had gone ships length, and leave us
HELPLESS in the event Of our ever find
Ing open water. We may never live
to find it, but there's chance that we
will. There are more than 80 lives
that am responsible for aboard this
yacht, and / mean to live up to that
responsibility If we ever do find open
water. then I'll do whatever you say.
I will take you to Point Barrow and
the yacht can winter there. Then
when the pack Is solid, if you can
find dogs and sledges, you can at
tempt the journey across the ice.
don't believe it can be done. don't
believe there is chance in hun
dred that any single member of the
party that set out would live to reach
that shore. That, however. is not my
affair.
"Or, If you wish, we can take the
yacht back to San Francisco, reflt her
and come back next summer. l think
that with our knowledge of the cur
rents and where the open water is,
we might get back to Fielding bay by
the first OF July. Then we can find
whatever there is to find"
His own voice faltered there, and
there were tears in the deep weather.
beaten burrows of his cheeks God
knows" he concluded, If there were
any possible chance I would take it,
! but there is none-none in the world,
not unless We could fly through the
air."
1t was only an hour since they had
ascertained, beyond the shadow of a
doubt, that Jeanne was not aboard the
Aurora. Until Tom had recovered
consciousness, the others had enter
tanned little doubt that she was safely
hidden somewhere about the ship.
Cayley's warning, together with the
confession of the Portuguese, Miguel,
had caused them to steal alongside
the Aurora as silently as possible. Not
q word had been spoken by any of the
party, and the sound of the rising
wind had drowned the creak of their
oars. Half dozen wellarmed men
had stolen aboard over the bows to
reconnoiter.
Making out the unfamiliar figures
Of the Walrus people on deck, and
knowing that they had fight on their
hands, they had worked their way, I'M
observed, to position amidships.
Here. under cover Of brisk revolver
IRE, they had made it possible for the
rest of their party to get aboard.
The Walrus people, several Of whom
were below, came tumbling up on
deck at the sound of firing, and their
whole party entrenched itself in the
after-deck house. They had found
arms of various sorts aboard the Au-
rora, and made a spirited resistance
before they we're finally overpowered
The Auroras people, under the cool
headed command of Warner and the
elder Fanshaw, had proceeded in q
brisk, scientific, military style that
had spared them many serious casual
ties. There were number Of flesh
wounds when it was over, and one or
two Of more serious nature. Mono
of them had been killed.
The Walrus people, however, had
not surrendered until their plight was
wholly desperate. Only five Of them
were left alive, and two Of these were
MORALLY wounded when the struggle
ceased.
The uninjured were heavily ironed
and locked up in the steerage. All
the wounded-friends and foes alike
were turned over to the care of the
yachts surgeon and couple of volun-
teer assistants from among the crew.
Altogether, 1t was two or three hours
after the Auroras people had regained
undisputed possession of the yacht be.
fore it was possible to form any def
mite idea of what had happened. In
the excitement and the necessity Of