The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-04-09
CHAPTER XXXVI

her the strength was mine to win
our way back to the world.
CHAPTER XXXVI
For two days Maud and /
ranged the sea and explored the
beaches In search of the missing
masts. But 1t was not till the
third day that we found them,
all of them, the shears included,
and, of all perilous places, in the
pounding surf of the grim south
western promontory. And how
we worked! At the dark end of
the first day we returned, ex-
hausted, to our little cove, tow
ing the mainmast behind us. And
We had been compelled to row,
In dead calm, practically every
inch of the way.
Another day of eart-breaking
and dangerous toll saw us In
camp with the two topmasts to
the good. The day following
was desperate, and | RATED to-
gether the foremost, the fore and
main booms, and the fore and
main gaffs. The wind was favor
able. and l had thought to tow
them back under sail; but the
wind baffled, then died away,
and our progress with the oars
was a snails pace. And 1t was
such dispiriting effort. To throw
ones whole strength and weight
on the oars, and to feel the boat
checked i'm its forward lunge by
the heavy drag behind, was not
exactly exhilarating.
Night began to fall, and to
make matters worse, the wind
sprang up ahead. Not only did
all forward motion cease, bit
we began to drift back and out
to sea. struggled at the oars
till ! was played out. Poor Maud,
whom | could never prevent from
working to the limit of her
strength, lay weakly back in the
stern-sheets. | could row no
more. My bruised and swollen
hands could no longer close on
the oar handles. My wrists and
arms ached intoleraMy, and,
though | had eaten heartily of a
twelve o'clock lunch, ! had work.
ed so hard that | was faint from
hunger.
Iipulled in the oarB and bent
forward to the line which held
the tow. But Maud's hand leap
ed out restrainingly to mine.
What are you going to do?"
she asked in Il strained, tense
voice.
Cast it off," / answered, Slip
ping q turn of the rope.
But her fingers closed on mine.
please don't" she begged.
"It is useless" l answered.
Here is night, and the wind
blowing us off the land"
But think, Humphrey. If we
cannot sail away on the. Ghost,
we may remain for years on the
island--for life even. II it has
never been discovered all these
years, it may never be discov-
ered.'
You forget the boat we found
on the beach," i reminded her.
1t was a seal-hunting boat"
she replied, land you know per-
fectly we'll that If the men had
escaped they would have been
back to make their fortunes from
the rookery. You know they
never escaped"
] remained silend, undecided.
Besides" she added haltingly,
cts your idea, and want to see
you succeed"
Now l could harden my heart.
AS soon as she put it on a flat
tering personal basis, generosity
compelled me to deny her.
Better years on the island
than to die tonight, or tomorrow,
or the next day, in the open boat.
We are not prepared to brave the
sea. We have no food, no water,
no blankets, nothing. Why,
you'd not survive the night with
out blankets. know how strong
you are. You are shivering
now
at is only nervousness" she
answered. Il am afraid you will
cast off the masts in spite of me-"
"Oh, please. please. Humphrey,
don't" she burst out, moment
later.
And so It ended, with the
phrase she knew had all power
over me. We shivered miserably
throughout the night. Now and
again l fitfully slept, but the
pain of the cold always aroused
me. How Maud could stand II
was beyond me. / was too tired
to thrash my arms about and
warm myself, but I found
strength time and again to chafe
her hands and feet to restore the
circulation. And still she plead
ed with me not to cast off the
mssts. About three In the morn
ing she was caught by a cold
cralnp, and after l had rubbed
her out of that she became quite
numb. ! was frightened. / got
ont5the oars and made her row,
though she was so weak l thought
she would faint at every stroke.
Morning broke, and we looked
long in the growing light for our
island. At last 1t showed, small
and, black. on the horizon, fully
fifteen miles away. ! scanned
the sea with my glasses. Far
away in the southwest could see
dark line on the water, which
grew even as / looked at it.
ssEair windi" cried In a husky
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