Evening star., 1912-09-01

pontoon, that would carry haf-scor hawser
or through a seaway, with arfoles punched outward
through its to keep the from seepng in The
seldom bothered with that.
A hurried changing from the watchtower told them of
the coming up the ship the reef blunderng through
the smother that sometimes hid her from sight of the
beach Overhead the wireless cashed its useless voeys
to the void. But the ship held
"She's bent on barrt try bat blind!n Casco ragged
Jump her, Boys!'
Il can't raise the nue. an that ship won't answer,
the wireless operator complained 1Looks like that
Government boat is trying to fetch her, from her fash
You fellows amt got much time!
The crew sprang for the boat. AS the tumbed
in Little Welsh crouching over the motor box looked
up with scared face
"she won't work. Gone dead!' He flung down his
tools, crying mad Sticks like molasses! We can't
To beat out in the big motor, using her ugsas that
Ships Bottoms only chance At that, the revenue
would beat them to it-wpe their eye again! But the
hydropane there to warn ships in peri-if only it
would work!
"She's got to work." Welsh snarled He was out of
the boat and cawing out on the bird-ship's heaving
planes. Zip! She's all hunk, Cap! can bore out in
that blow Mebby the rev'nue'll git the bird; but
Ships Bottomll be there to say howdy!'
"A single Coston may scare her off. Good luck to ye
Welshy,' the Captain cried.
"Iell EN- we're commit! roared the crew.
XIELSH took no chance of turning somcrsault or
W smashing up before he started-better the surf
than the whiplash of the wind Those men knew what
to do, given half chance High on the sand dune,
Captain CaScO watched the peril at sea and dTeCteQ
operations A surfman wading and swimming crossed
the inlet and when the hydroplane her fiat pontoons
charged the swordcut the sands the ends
of half-inch line helped her through. When Welsh
cleared it. topping the first big breaker the feboat
already lying down the wind, snoring for the cut
He heard Casco bowling somethng but he lost it in the
storm. Dead ahead, itful glimmer, he guessed the
revenue cutters searchlight the freghter
where in that rolling mist of sea smoke.
"No lights-no siren-actin jus like the other she
ISL Welsh thinking of the Copper King, i'll fated
fellow liner to this the darkness and the long roll
of disaster she initiated @Tha reef got every of em"
1t the lure of the reef he trying to blot from
1nemorv-no hard job in the task he had on hand.
Stout she was, the hydroplane with his light weight,
was making bad weather of t,-as well she might
whipsawing like angry darnng needle the
face of the To from the water would be fatal
in that overhead blast. Welsh crouched, drowned
rat, the driving Wheel steering by instinct in the
black smother.
They'll need lights bad out there!' he gasped.
He out a mile now, nearly as he could judge,
the motor running fine. "Weshs windjammer, alone
of the apparatus of the beach, making good! The
thin planes cut the wind like knife The reef range
the right fled past like phantoms and suddenly he
and cried out. The ship had beat him to it!
The freghter Algonquin, he could almost read the
gold letters her bow, wallowng black hulk twin
funneed lay broadsde to the farther out She had
almost passed the sunken reef; but she not wheeling
now-Welsll that The ships engines had stopped;
every light OUT and suddenly an ominous grun1-
bling, deep down, the ship keelscraping the reef!
Caught in her stride, the Algonquin turned slowly to
Continued page II