The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-22
THE WHITE GHOST
Continued from Page Nine)

10" In your room instead Of out here
IN this ice" snapped Smith.
me girl quoted down, and then
spoke to the young woman. who Law
'n the bottom Of the boat where she
mad fallen when Smith struck her
down, She was the niece of Captain
Brownson.
! never heard Of such utter brutal.
ity in my life" she said.
Miss Billings, who had first found
fault agreed with her.
WAS your brother aboard, Miss
Roberts? asked Smith.
Yes he was-I think he went in
the mates boat-why do you ask?"
ooh, l was just thinking-that's all.
He would have been second officer
next voyage. That seemed to be fix
ed, didn't it?"
Yes; and if it had, this thing would
not have happened" said the girl.
NO; probably it would not" said
the second officer sadly. He spoke,
for the first time, with less passion.
He thought of the manner they had
taken to get his berth, the insults
the infamy of the whole thing
No; I don't suppose you knew how
it was done, said he, half aloud.
The girl sat up. She had stopped
whimpering from the blow.
Smith watched her for a few min
utes while he swung the boats head
for the gray mist ahead where he
knew lay the iceberg. He thought the
face pretty the figure well rounded
and perfectly shaped He felt sorry
he had used such harshness in making
her behave in the boat But there
was no time for silly sentiment. That
boat must be manned properly and
kept afloat, and the slapping of a girl
was nothing at all She might start
sudden movement and endanger the
lives of all. Absolute trimming of the
craft was the only way she could be
safe to carry the immense load. The
men rowed slowly and apparently
without object. Smith headed the
boat for the ice.
A long wall of peculiar pale blue
ness suddenly burst from the haze
close to them. 1t was the iceberg. He
swung the boat so that she would not
strike it, and followed along the rag
ged side.
The two young women gazed up at
the pale blueness caused by the fresh
sight. The pinnacles were sharp as
needles, and they pierced the mist in
white points ,tapering down to the
white-and-blue sheen at the base,
where the ocean roared and surged in
a deep-toned murmur. Great pieces
broke from the mass while they gazed
Smith steered out and sheered the
boats head away from the dangerous
wall. 1t was grand and deadly. A
large block lay right ahead.
Ease starboard," he said.
The craft swung clear. The mist
from the cold ocean thinned a little
Right ahead was fiat plateau, a
raised field of ice joining the berg. 1t
sloped down suddenly to the sea, and
the swell broke upon it as upon a
rocky shore. A long, fiat foe stretch
ed away from the higher part. 1t was
field of at least a full half mile
farther. The whole was evidently
broken from some giant glacier in the
Arctic.
Smith debated his chances within
himself. He scorned to ask his men,
for he had seen much ice before in his
seagoing. To remain near the berg
was to miss a ship possibly; but to
row far off was to miss fresh water
He had come away without either
food or water, owing to the furious
panic. He knew very well that, with
in few hours at most, the famished
folk in his boat would rave for a
drink They must have water at least
even if they must do without food.
The iceberg lay right in the path of
ships, as his own had proved, the liner
running upon the great circle from
New York to Liverpool. There was
the certainty of meetinGn or Of at least
coming close to a vessel shortly, for
others of his line would run the same
circle, the same course, as he had run
it before.
With giant liners going at twenty
five knots speed, they usually kept
pretty close to the same line, for
there were few currents that were not
accurately known over that route. The
Gulf Stream was a fixed unit almost;
and in calm weather other ships
would certainly reckon with &C uracy
to meet its set. If he rowed far of
the line, then he might or might not
meet a ship. If he did not, then there