The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-11-15

~ the Jask. ana Il second later ne was
striving with the rest and as energetic
ally busy to accomplish the impossible
for he knew the hole WAS too near the
keelson 10 he likely TO suck-he had
! cut il there for that Very reaSon-buf
he worked with Il will nevertheless
glad IN elEde suspicion by an appear
ance Of zeal and gladder still at the
muruaurS about him. which. although
in German. nlainIy implied hopeless
ness and failure
ETanieis' repeated examinations OF
the bold. from which he emerged like
4 drowned rat. appeared TO show that
the wafer WAS gaining on them
though Matt was not half as sure that
the COMPOUNDED trys;I WAS hot check
/ ing the leak 10 some degree
Matt snItched an opportunity to tel
Chris TO keep Il sharp watch on the
binnacle compass. The E<meralda's
course was w s. w. and he asked
her to warn him in case it were al
tered by even Il point. To have it
altered was his one consuming desire.
for it meant the elimination Of his
plan and the shortening of those
dreaded hours in the whaler Were
the schooner laid for the nearest land
she might be kept afOat to reach it.
sparing them an ordeal Matt had eXpe-
rienced before.
Half sinking as the boat was. Bran
deis kept her ut it. with no weakening
of his resolve to drown her under rath-
er than turn aside.
At midnight. after another stormy
! altercati between the two. Schwartz
seemed to win a grudging consent to
| get the wireless into operation. A
slender pointed steel pole was run
aloft. Herman installed his apparatus
at the foot of the foremost and. with
| no pretensions of secrecy and as OBJ
| Iivious of Matt as he was of the rest
| Of the crew. calmly harnessed himself
| to the wires.
| There was no change in the Esmer-
alda's course. Titus the night passed.
and by morning it was plain the ship
was doomed. She was submerged to
| the channels. and had a sickening.
undecided movement as she sank in
the trough of the sea. The men look
! time if she would ever rise again. or
simply founder then and there and go
down like stone.
| The acquiescence of the crew filed
Matt with Amusement and a bitter.
mounting anger. He tried to instill into
| them something of his own fury: point
ed and made signs at the boat; urged
them to mutiny. to get away before
the ship sank under them. But they
! listened unmoved. though not without
a strained. hungry expression. Life is
sweet. and there it was towing a hun
! dred feet behind them. while BrandeiS
with no weapon but his strident voice
| held them to a coffin.
| By 0 o'clock land was sighted or
the port bow. but it caused no relaXa
ton of the killing routine. nor any
| change i'll the ships course. Matt
watched it with an transportation not to
be described. Over there was safety:
over there. not fifteen miles away. was
the end Of all their troubes-white
beaches. palms, people. law. security.
| Yet they must stick like flies on q
| sieve at the beheSt of that Internal
Brandeis.
But no one paid any attention to him,
though if he had fallen behind or
shirked he knew he would have Jared
badly. SO he kept 1T it till his arms
| seemed wreHched from their sockets.
till his heart was ready to burst-in
blind. dizzy agony TO hold his own
| with his companions. 1t Intervals the
wireless clicked and buZzed: at once.
at some message it caught from space.
there was much cOngratulation and
even a thin cheer.
The ship was settling fast: at every
lurch Matt expected her to founder: she
sickened in the depths of the swell.
| Quiyered. and threatened to rise no
more. Never was there gladder sound
| than BrandeiS' order to leave her be
fore she left them.
The whaler was drawn up to her
quarter. and hurried descent made
into her. the first corners Selling the
oars and preparing to back away. in
| case the Esmeraida suddenly went
down.
Instead of making sail and setting
course. Brandeis unshipped his tiller
| and allowed the boat TO bob as she
ple aSed. Matt became very perplexed
and anxious. Why did they drift there
and do nothing? He longed for the
| command to step the mast The mate
half stood up in the stern sheets rs
| though at last to give i. but instead
OF an order it was a shout. with his
hand pointing joyfully to leeward
Smoke on the lee horizon. A steamer S
| smoke. dimminG the the azure with a