The Washington times., 1913-07-30

the south-southeast to the south.
By the law of storms 1t told the man
| arrayed against the sec that the center
| was bearing upon the -~Daphne eight
points to the right or out of the south
southwest The bark was trapped In
| the storms advancing or dangerous
| semi-circle. He could not heave to now.
| There was but one thing to do-run.
| Let the storm overtake the back and
catch her in its vortex and-the sea
| would win.
1t depended on the Daphne's WORTH
ness and Paul Lavelles hands along to
| beat ii.
With a full-manned ship the thing to
| DO now was to heave to-The enraged
man laughed to himself as he thought
1 of this.
By 2:3O the wind had veered into the
! south-southwest, and was blowing
! whole gale. Taking it a broad two
points over the starboard quarter, the
Daphne was fleeing northeast At times
the man at her wheel was sure she was
| lifted free of the mauling waters and
| was hurtling through space. Again he
felt that she was bound headlonG to-
| ward the quiet ooze: that no ship could
Withstand the onslaughts of wind and
brine which were being rained upon her.
But never his rage at the sea left him.
II burned him; 1t robbed him of all
seense Of fatigue.
Emily. sitting in the lounge and watch
ing the barometer for any change, saw
the silver watch mark the hour when
the day should be breaking. But no
light rifted the blackness outside. The
barometer hand clung Quivering at $500!
The Daphne's master-yes, her mas
ter, too-had told her that she must
rest as much as she could. Not for her
own sake, but the battles; that was his
reason. Because l may want to use
you," was what he had yelled when she
had put her ear to his lips
b. gNI e al all i
there came no day. Emily suddenly
realized what a time had passed since
Paul had taken the wheel from her
hands-four hours and a half. Not a
bite had crossed his fps in eleven hours.
1t was impossible to get forward to the
galley. AS she admitted this she re-
membered the canned provisions in the
alleyway stateroom opposite the dere-
lict's. She recalled also the flour and
biscuit barrels in the starboard alley
way stateroom.
The good woman went caroming down
the companionway and through the
reeling saloons. The din Of hundred
forges filled them. The derelicts light
Govern slept AS the lamp went out
Emily discovered her book on the floor
and picked II up.
She put 1t on a shelf in the state
room, and fled with three cans which
She felt out of the darkness. She
carried these up into the lounge. One
of the cans held corn, the others to-
rnatoes.
She dropped below again and CROPPED
10 the pantry. She was seeking water.
There wasn't a drop in the tank. The
discovery staggered her. The man at
the wheel must drink. An idea of
substitute flashed into her mind.
She located a hook under the china
racks, and found can opener she
remembered having seen there.
As a gltmmer of day asserted itself
in the blackness II found Emily
standing at the wheel beside Paul
holding a can of tomatoes up to his
lips SO that he could drink when he
dared. He managed to snatch two
mouthfuls Then the can was blasted
out of the girls hands.
1t flattened itself against the miZ-
zfnmast. The tin cylinder might have
been bit Of cardboard. 1t held
where II struck for a second, as u
the gale had imbedded II in the steel
mast.
With this sudden growth in the
fury of the gale came the slightest |
increase of daylight. This light seem
overhead. 1t was sufficient to trace |
what lay forward of the break of the |
poop. Two tall, reclinE masts with |
whalebOne tips, the edges of the rails |
an outline OF the top of the forward |
house and the foreCastle head rising |
out Of a roll of waters composed the |
suggestion to Emily'S mind that that |
part Of the Daphne was still there
and all round were ragged peaks OF |
water like the ice-crusted CrestS Of |
gone drunk. The Daphne was hurting |
from one peak to another-smashinc !
through them.
The light restored LaveIles vision to !
enable him TO read In one glance the |
tally of the battle. But a ribbon of the !
big mainsail which ne had been unable I
TO furl remained. The fore upper top |
sail had left only its leeChropes behind. |
There was not headSail left except /
the foretopmast-staysal This. the ,
maintOpmast-staysail. the reefed fore /
sail. the fore lower tOpsail and the up
per and lower maintopsails and the ,
spanker still held.
The fore and aft bridges were gone
A twisted stanchion told where the !
standard compass had stood. The dom
key funnel, the galley stoveplpe. and !
the empty boat chOcks were missing:
the top of the house was swept clean.
Scarcely had Lavelle's ewes made this
assessment when the main upper top
sail went. It split with a shotlike /
cracking. A second later only a whisp
of canvas was left to tell that a sail |
had ever been bent to the yard
Anger burned in Emily at the sight.
1t was personal-the ravaging of that
sail. The gale flung a cry of protest
back in her throat. The slope of PauIs
sou wester hid his face from her. The
point of a grim Jaw was all that she
could see. Only his arms moved with
the wheel in steadying the barks drive
Otherwise Sc might have been fix
ture of the ship. 1t was not enough to
be near him.
A yearning to her his voice came
upon her: to look in his eyes: to read
his thoughts. She caught him jerking
his head to bring her nearer. She strIg-
gled up in the lee of him and pressed
her ear TO his lips.
"-piece-bacCo!
That was all she heard She did not
understand for the moment what he
meant Then It dawned upon her won
dering consciousness that he wanted a
piece of tobacco. A piece of tobacco,
Her brain pounded on this as IL II
eLH ,nn1h, ~ -, ,.ea a.