The Washington times., 1913-07-15

| SidHl 10 MS master, ana WITH Cnsir-
acterization, of the mutineers blood
chilling in its anathema.
Tive me that knife ordered La
velle. quietly. Meeting his gaze and
holding II for a moment. Chang thrust
the blade into Lavelle's hand. He was
conquered, but the glow Of an heroic
splendor was upon him.
Kill me-kill Chang, your servant,
master!'
There was a bare note of defiance in
hands at his sides in token Of sub
mission and bent his head for the blow
he invited.
II will kill when I choose to kill. Go.
Clear out this boat" said Lavelle.
| You are master" answered the Sc
rang. and he turned to summon the mu-
| tineers.
| Rowgowski and the coolies, under
Chang's driving, began a rapid trans
portation of all Of the boats provisions
the hillside indicated By Lavelle. The
| master knew that this was no time for
punishment. He must have every ounce
| of strength he could command.
| STRENGTHENING up from a contempla-
| tion of the hole in the boat, his brain
busy with plans of repair. he looked
| toward the sea.
| I'm not beaten unless you drown me
in the next three hours, he flung in a
mutter at the growing deep.
Turning away, he found Emily Gran
Vile beside him. She was looking UP at
him through a mist of tears. Her own
| misery of body and soul had been swept
, away in the instant she had heard the
boulder go crunching through the boats
| thin skin. She could think only of ;shat
| this cruel stab of fate must mean to the
| man captaining the handful of life
which he had chosen to save.
Her capacity to think of another and
not Of herself in this common crisis
was a sign of growth which would
have pleased her II 1t had been possible
| to pause in self-analysis.
And this man; meeting her plying
had confronted her with a hopeless
curse she would not have been sur
prised. Now she could but gasp in
amazement The comforting words
which she had planned to speak would
not lend themselves to utterance. In
this second she realized that thus would
he meet death-undaunted smiling
Fate Is treating you-very unkindly,
Miss Granville" said he. He spoke in
his usual low tone.
"You-us," she corrected him. resent
ing, as she had come to do all that day,
his insistence upon classifying her apart.
us, then" he answered with a nod.
she asked calmly, and she drew his
eyes to the hole in the boat. His
answer was a question::
DO you feel that it is the end?'.
No" the woman answered, search
ing his face and reading there a mes
sage of infinite faith.
Yet even as she spoke the island was
a-quiver under the increasing force
of the seas assault. Nor had 1t been
still at any time since they put foot
on it.
mo man may tell the life Of a floating
island like this Lavelle explained.
In weather like this it is very, very
short
Ca Can ,S,o you repair this-do you intend to
Her eyes opened in wonderment. He
nodded.
Remember what Browning said: TO
dry ones eyes and laugh at a fall. And
baffied, get up and begin again."
"All clear. master" called Chang. in
terrupting Lavelle and leaping out OF
the boat with the mast and oars in his
arms.
Lavele summoned all hands. They
heaved the boat over on its undamaged
side and with a strength which peril
had trebled dragged 1t out of the miry,
jellylike ground on which II lay. and
brought 1t to "A ledge on the hill. Mans
gave her hands to it with a strange new
will, heaving and pulling beside La
velle until he called that the task was
done. And the while she kept repeating
to herself: ITO dry ones eyes and
laugh at fall. And. baffied, get up and
begin again.
Just as the boat was laid on the
ledge the sun dropped behind the hor-
ZOn.
Rowgowskii had seen some wood while
he and the coolies had been on the hill
top. OF his own volition he climbed
after IL and brought down sufficient TO
make fire. There was driftwood also
in the bed Of the creek. and Chang sent
the coolies to gather It, As the fire
sprang up Lavelle worked the faster
where he ripped out the boats after ,
air tank, With its metal he planned
tC cover the hole.
No though of food or drink had he,
though he ordered Chang TO serve ra-
tions to the rest. Emily carried a crack |
er and cup of water to him, but he
would not pause.
GIVE me plenty Of light: that's ALL"
he answered her surging. Light to
work BY
A racking shudder passed through |
the island II flung Emily headIong. !
The earth on which Lavelle kneIt slid |
from under him. The islands middle, |
following the base line of the hill, rose |
like a monster cat arching its spine, and /
turned him backward. stunned. breath |
less. helpless.
There was a breathlong silence and |
a chorus of wild cries. Then the great |
earth mass fell with a thunderous crash |
rending the island in twain. The tri- |
umphant sea leaped out of the breach II |
had made and swept the crumbling |
shore with a mighty wave.
a