The Washington times., 1912-03-09
CHAPTER XII.
"A Billion for a Share"

III
part of the Palisades. 1t was only
after long and careful study of
their position, rendered possible
by occasional glinrpses of tho Orange
Hills and high points further up the
course of the Hudson, that Cosmo
Versal and Captain Arms were able to
reach that conclusion. Where New
York had stood nothing was visible but
an expanse of turbid and rushing
water
But suppose the hard trap rocks had
penetrated the bottom of the Ark! 1t
was a contingency too terrible to be
thought of. Yet the facts must be as
certained at once.
Cosmo, calling Joseph Smith, and COM
manding him to go among the fright
ened passengers and assure them, in his
name, that there was no danger, hur-
ried, with the captain and a few trusty
men, into the bowels of the vessel.
Tney thoroughly sounded the bottom
plates. No aperture and no indentation
was to be found.
But. then. the bottom was double, ana
The outer plates might have been per-
forated. If this had happened the fact
would reveal itself through the leakage
of water into the intervening space To
ascertain If that had occurred it was
necessary to unsCTeW the covers of
some of the manholes in the inner skin
of leVium.
1t was an ANXIOUS moment when they
cautiously removed one OF these covers.
At the last turns of the screw the
workman who handled II inStinCtiVClY
turned his head aside and made ready
for spring, more than half expecting
that the cover VIC uld be driven from mis-
hands and stream of water would
burst in.
But the cover remained in place after
it was completely looscned and until it
had been lifted of. 4 sigh Of relief
broke from every breast. No water was
"Ciimh If there and explore the bot
tom Cosnlo commanded.
There was space Of eighteen inches
between the two botr pms which we're
connected AMI bra%cd by the curved
ribs of the hull. a man Immediately dis
appeared in the opening and began the
exploration.
At last was determined beyond any
doubt thai even the outer skin was IN
injured Not SO much as Gent could
be found in l..
"Ev the favor of Providence" said
Eosnro NerSal. his greet head emerging
from nanhOle. the ark has touched
upon a place where the rocks are ,.uv-
cred with sell and no harm has come to
us. In very short time the rising wa
ter will lit us of"
And. with my cOnsen,, you'll do no
more navigating over hills and m"rm-
tains' SrumilGd Captain ARDS. The
The, covers wer" carefully replaced
ard the party in happier spirits return
I'd to the upper decks. where the good
news was quickly spread
The fact was that while the inspection
was under way the Ark had floated off,
"nd when CosmO end the captain
reached their bridge the man who had
been left in charge reported that the
vessel had swung halfway round.
She's headed for the old Atantic!'
sung out Captain Arms. THE sooner
were off the better"
But before the Captain could signal
the order to go ahead COsmo Versal laid
his hand on his arm and said:
"Wait a moment listen"
Through the flashing of the rain a
voice penetrated with a sound between
q call and scream. There could be no
doubt that 1t was human. The captain
and COsmo looked at one another in
speechess establishment. The idea that
and one outside toe Ark could have
survived and could now be anoat amlG
this turmoil of waters had not occurred
10 their minds. They experienced a
creeping of the nerves. In a few min
utes the voice came again. louder than
before, and the words that it pro-
nounced being now clearly audible the
two listeners could not believe their
ears.
"COsmo VCrsaI"" ii yelled. ''Cosmo-o-O
Ncr-sa-al! A billion for share! a
billion, ] say, a billion for sharer'
Then they perceived at a little way
off to the left something which looked
like the outline of a boat, sunk to the
gunwales washed over by every wave,
and standing in II, up to their waists
in water, were four men, one of whom
was gestiCulating violently, while the
others seemed daZed and incapable OF
voluntary movement.
1t was the boat Of lcvium that had
been thrown out of the wreckaGc when
the battleship ran down the Municipal
tower, and we must now follow the
Of &c Z he ftY,,,,
of its encounter with the Ark.
AS the boat was driven westward
from the drowned sit" of Madison
square it gradually freed itself from the
objects floating around, most of which
soon sunk, and in am hour or two its
inmates We're alOne-thc sole survivors
OF population of many millions.
Alone they We're i'm imp"netrahlc dark
ness, for, as we have said, night had
by this time once more fallen. They
floatcd on, half drowned. chilled to the
lone, not trying to speak, not really
conscious OF one anOther'S presence. The
washed over them, the unsuitable boat
sluggishly rose and fell with the heav-
ing OF the water and occasionally they
were nearly flung overheard by a sud
den lurch-and yet they clung with dea.
perate tenaCity to tine thwaltS. as IL
life We're still dear, as If they thought
that they might yet survive, though
the world was drowned.
lnNS hours passed ana at last SllIn-
meT appeared in the streaming air and
a faint light stole over the face of the
water II they saw one another it was
with unTecogniZinE eyes. They were de-
Voured with hunger, but they did nOt
know II.
Suddenly one of them-it was he WhO
had been so miraCulOLsy thrown into
the boat when II shot out of the tanGle
OF falling beams and walla-raised his
head and threw up his arms, Il wild
light cleaning from his eyes.
In a hOarse, screaming vote" H.
yelled:
"CCsmo NCrsal!'
No other syllable that tive tongue
could shape would have UToduccd the
erect of that name. 1t reused the th.ec
men who heard II from heir letEarEy
of despair and thrilled hnm 10 the mar
row. with amazed eyes they stared at
their companion He did not look ~
them, but gazed off into the th!ck rain.