The Washington times., 1913-03-08
CHAPTER XIV.
Debacle.

THE Trouble, meantime. was closing
in upon the scene of tragedy with
little less than locomotive speed.
Yet suddenly as disaster had
overtaken the other vessel, whitaker
saw what he saw and had time 10 take
measures to avoid collision, If what he
did was accomplished wholly without
conscious thought of premeditation.
He had applied the reversing gear to
the motor before he knew 1t. Then,
while the engine choked. coughing
angrily, and reversed with heavy and
resentful pounding within the cylinder
head, he began to strip off his coat.
He was within ten yards of the wreck
when a wave overlook the Trouble and
sent a sheet Of water sprawling over
her stern to fill the cockpit ankle deep
The next instant he had swung the
ward despite the resistance of the pro-
peller, drove heavily against the wreck.
broadside to its stern. As this hap
pened Whitaker leaped from one to the
other. went to his knees in the cockpit
Of the wreck, and rose just in time to
grasp the coaming and hold on against
the onslaught of a hurtling comber.
It came down, an avalanche, crashing
and laundering. burying him deep In
green. Thunderings benumbed him and
he began to strangle before it passed
He found himself filing his lungs
with free air while fighting his way to-
ward the cabin doors through water
waist deep. Then he had won to them,
at the solid brass bolt that held them
shut.
In another breath he had torn them
open, wide. discovering the woman, her
head and shoulders showing above the
flood as she stood upon transom near
the doorway. grasping a stanchion for
support. Her eyes met his, blank and
uncomprehending with terror He
-. .1 s,,.@
circular life preserver that floated out
toward him, and simultaneously man
aged to crook an arm round the wom-
ans neck
Again the sea buried them beneath
tons Of raging dark water. Green light
nings flashed before his eyes and in his
ears there was a crashing like the crack
of doom. His head was splitting, his
heart on the point of breaking The
wave passed on. roaring. lie could
breathe Now If ever
AT If stupefed, terrified beyond sensi-
bilfty. the woman was passive to his
management. If she had struggled. If
she had caught at and clung TO him, or
even IL she had tried to help herself.
he would, in all likelihood, have failed
to cheat destruction. But she did none
Of these things, and he contrived some
how to di ag her oI from the cabin and
TO jam the life ring over her head and
Under one arm before the next wave
bore down upon them
As the wall of living green drew near
he twisted one hand into the lifeline Of
the cockring and lifted the woman with
him to the seat of the cockpit.
They were borne down, brutally buf-
feted. smothered, and swept away. They
came to the surface in the hollow of a
long. gray swale, fully fifty feet from
the wreck. Whitaker retained his grasp
of the life-preserver line. The woman
foated easily in the support. He
fancied gleam of liyelier conscious
hess in her staring eyes, and noticed
with curiously keen feeling of salts
faction that she was not only keeping
her mouth closed but had done so,
apparently, while under water.
Relieved from danger of further sub
rnersion, at least for the time being, he
took occasion to rally his wits and look
about them, as well as he was able. II
was easy now TO understand how the
kidnapers had come to their disaster;
at this distance he could see plainly
despite the scudding haze, the profile OF
q high bluff or rain-channeled and wave
bitten earth rising from boulder
strewn beach, upon which the surf
broke with roar deafening and dis
turbing.
Even a hardy swimmer might be par. !
doned for looking askance at such a |
landing. And Whitaker, who had !
woman to think of and care for found |
u difficult TO imagine how he was to |
drag her and himself through that VIC |
lCus, pOunOlHS suT1 without DelnS DSdl- |
en- to jelly against the boulders
AS the next billow swung them high |
on it's racing Unrest he. gaining a |
broader field of vision. caught an in
stantaneous impression Of a stark
shoulder of the land bulking out
through the mists OF several hundred
yards to the left, suggesting that the
shore curved inland at that spot.
The thought came to him that If he
could but weather that point he might
.. .lxT find hn nth g-fa h..rt
landing place out of the more forcible,
direct drive of surf. II would be the
next thing to an impossibility to make
II by swimming, with only one arm free.
weight Of the woman. And yet that
way lay his only hope.
in that same survey he saw the Trou-
bic rolling beam-on in to the beach,
riding SO low, with only bow and coam-
Lugs awash, that he knew she must be
OF the two men from the
other boat he saw nothing whatever.
nd when again he had chance to
|ook the hapless power-boat was being
to splinters between the bould-
MS Even such would be their fate un-
less
He put forth every ounce Of
strength, and summoned to his aid all
lis water wisdom and skill. But he
bought against terrible odds, and there
was no hops in him as he fought.
Then suddenly, to his utter amaze
ment. the life of a wave discovered TO
linn a different contour of the shore;
not that the shore was changed but his
position with regard TO 1t had changed
and In precisely the way
hat he had wished for and struggled to
Jring about
Instead OF being carried in 10 the rock
.trewn beach. the backwash of the surf
rad them in its grip and was bearing
hem rsot only out OF immediate danger.
mt at. the same time alOngShOre. to-
ward the point under whose lee he
hought to find less turbulent conditions.
1t was full half the battle-m0rs than