The Washington times., 1912-07-11
CHAPTER I.
Saved From the Sea.
-HE beginning was at Cape Tow

boarded the steamer as fellow
passengers with Lady Bayrose
and her party.
This was a week after Winthrope
had arrived on the tramp steamer from
India. and her ladyship had explained
to Miss Leslie that It was as we'll for
her not to be too hasty in accepting
his attentions.
To be sure, he was an Englishman.
] His dress and manners were irreproach-
able, and he was in the prime of ripened
youth. Yet Lady Bayrose was too con-
/ scientous chaperon to be fully salts
ton that She was engaged on dipio-
matte mission which required reticence
as to his Identity. She did not see why
this should prevent him from confding
Notwithstanding this, winthrope came
aboard ship virtually as a member OF
her ladyships party. He was SO quick
paid SO much more attention to her
| than to Miss Leslie that her ladyship
| had decided to tolerate him, even before
Blake BECAME a factor in the situation.
From the hour he crossed the gang
way the American engineer entered
upon daily routine of drinking and
| gambling, varied only by attempts to
Miss Leslie. This was Winthrope's op-
/ portunity, and his clever Illustration OF
what Lady Bayrose termed that low
bounders impudence" served to IN
| gratiate him In the good graces OF her
iadyship, as well as in favor Of the
| American heiress.
intimated to erI the persiste19t ,ens ensd end
manner that would have stung even
British lackey to resentment;
To Blake It was supremeiy gaining.
he could not rejoin in kind, and the
slightest attempt at a physical retort
would have meant irons and confine-
ment. 1t was a British ship. Behind
\ winthrope was Lady Bayrose; behind
was wa all the despotic authority Of the
captain, In the circumstances, 1t was
not surprising that the American drank
more heavily after each successive
Meantime. the ship, having touched
at Port Natal, steamed on up the east
coast and into the Mozambique channel
On the day of the cyclone Blake hao
withdrawn into his state room with a
number Of bottles, and throughout that
fearful afternoon was blissfusty uncon-
scious Of the danger. Even when the
went ON ON the the Fee5 ssack ne
He took long pull from quar-
flask of whisky, placed the flask with
great care in his hip pocket and lurch-
ed out through the open doorway.
There he reeled headlong against the
mate, who had rushed below, with
three of the crew, to bring up MISS
Leslie. The mate cursed him Virulent-
ly. and in the same breath ordered Two
OF the men to fetch him up on deck.
The sea was breaking over the steam
er in torrents but between waves Blake
was dragged across to the side and aung I'M
unceremoniously into the bottom OF the
one remaining boat.
He served as a cushion to break the
fall of Miss Leslie, who was tossed IN
frantic with fear, scrambled into the
bows and cut loose. One Of the sailors
leaped, but fell short and went down
within arms length of Miss Leslie.
steamer slip from the reef and sink
back into deep water, carrying down
in the vortex the mate and the few
After that ali was chaos to them.
They were driven ashore before the
terrific gusts of the cyclone. blinded
by the singing spoon-drift to all else
than the hell of breakers and coral
reefs in whose midst they swirled so
dizzily. And through 1t all Blake lay
huddled on the bottom boards, gurgl1ng
blithely of spicy zephyrs and swayins
Then came the seemingly final mo-
ment when the boat went spinning
stern over Prov.
and stared solemnly about him. But he
was given little time to take his bear
ings. A smother of broken surf came
beething from one Of the great break
little farther up the muddy shore. There
the flood deposited him for a moment
until it could gather force to sweep
back and drag him down again toward
Blake objected, not to the danger OF
being drowned. but to the interference
with his repose. He had reached the
obstinate stage. He grunted protest.
Again the flood seethed up the shore
and rolled him away from the danger.
This was too much! He set his Jaw,
turned over. and staggered to his feet:
Instantly one Of the terrific blasts OF
wind struck his broad back and sent
him spinning for several yards. He
brought up In hollow pool beside
hummock.
Under the ice of the knoll lay Win
thrope ard Miss Leslie. Though con-
scious, both were draggled and bruised
and beaten to exhaustion.
come ashore together. When the boat
capsized. Miss Leslie had been flung
against the Englishman, and they had
held fast to each other with the des-
Neithere of them ever recalled how they
gained the shelter of the hummock.
Blake, sitting waist-deep In his pool,
bltnked at them benignly with his pale
which was still a third full of whisky:
IT shay, fren's." he observed, "ha
one on me. Won cos yo shent-notta
You fuddled lout!" shouted Win
thrope. Come out of that pool"
'Wassamatter pool? Pools alri"
The Englishman squinted through the
driving scud at the intoxicated man
with an anxious frown. In all probabli'
fly he felt no commiseration for the
American; but it was no light mattei
to be flung up barehanded on the most
savage and unhealthful stretch of the
Mozambique coast, and Blake might be
able to help them out of their predica'
ment.
To leave him in the pool was, theic {.
fore, out Of the question. So soon as ht
had drained his bottle he would liz
down, and that would be the end oi
him. As an attempt to move him for.
chilly was out of the question. the sit
uation demanded that Winthrope JUS
tify his assertions of diplomatic train
ing After considering the problem FOL
several minutes he met 1t in way
that proved he was at least not lacking
in shrewdneSs and tact.
See here, Blake. he called. in an
other lull between the shrieking gusts
"the lady is fatigued, and you're too
much of a gentleman to ask her t
come over there"
It required some moments for this t
penetrate Blake's fuddled brain. Then
after a futile attemDt to gain his feet