Rock Island Argus., 1915-08-28

EUQuE4 We CgIHL LDS utte = AHf14 u ttttS
at this distance of ten feet, Get ready
TO lower away" Williams and the
deck hand sprang TO the fails Get
the women in the boat. you. Williams, -
called the skipper, and go in with
them to steady her when she floats
f Take his place there. AIr. Harry. Live
iy now and how We got the two
women into the swinging boat hard
II knew
The old skipper cast one eye ahead
as a big wave rolled astern. Now
he shouted Lower away, thereg'
CHAPTER TvtH.
IN Which + Rescue the Cook.
r~1HE boat dropped into the cup
4 Of a sea. rose level with the
rail the next instant aud toss
ed peruously. / saw the two
women huddled in the bottom Of her,
their eyes covered; saw Williams
climbing over them and easing her at
the bovine Then as we seized the
next Instant of the rhythm and hauled
her alongside Peterson made q leap
and went aboard her. and Williams
scrambled back once more across the
two huddled forms. saw him wrench
at the engine crank and heard the spit
ting chug Of the little motor They
fell of In the seaway, Peterson hold
ing her with an oar as be could tiu
the screws caught Then I saw her
answer the helm. and they staggered
of. passing out Of the beam Of onr
searchlight so that it seemed to me I
had said goodby TO Helena forever.
We who remained had no dsvits to
aid US and must launch by hand. For
a moment I stood and made my plans.
First I called to Willy. our deck hand,
who had the dinghy now astern some
fashion. Are you ready?Fs I demand
ed. But the next moment heard his
call astern and knew that monkey
ike. he had got her over and was
aboard her somehow.
Now. bovs." said I. come here and
shake hands with Black Bart" They
came, their serious ewes turned up to
me And never has deeper emotion
seized me than as 7 felt their young
hands Ia mine We ssid nothing
Now. bear a hand there. YOU Jeanr'
I pulled open the gate Of the rail and
ran out the landing stage. on which the
fat hottomed sEif sat VIII an oar 7
pushed it across at right angles rs
aearly as possible when she cleared.
Quick. Get In. both Of you" ! called
I was holding the iuboard end Of the
plank under q wedEed car shaft thrust
below the sill Of the forward cabin
door. They scrambled out ana Id.
Jean Eraspins the blight of the painter
that I handed him and passing it over
the rail
Now. look out" I called and drop
ped the landing stage to meet the swell
of the next wave They slid, tilted.
nghted, rose Highland held. The next
moment / spraDg, fell into the sea. was
caught by the collar rs my hand grasp
ed the cockpit Coaming, and so slid
in somehow, over the end deck. and
caught the end of the painter from
Johns hand and cast her free.
The drift carried US off at once. and
the next wave almost hid the huu Of
the Belle Helene. I knew at once we
were powerIess and that our one hope
lay in drifting ashore. There is no
worse sea boat than q low. fat duckiug
boat decked though she be, and Of
good c0amin=. for she butts into and
does not rise to a sea But now
thanked my star one thing only vas in
our favor. We rolled Ike q log al.
ready half full Of water. bat we foateG
because in each end Of our sktf was q
big empty Tin air tank. put there in
spite Of the laughing protest of the
builder, who said no room was left for
decoys under the decks. Just now
those tin cans were worth more than
many duck decoyS
Keep down I ordered. And hold
on,' The boys obeyed me. [ could
see their gaze bent On me as the source +
ef their hope, their reliance. Jimmy .
was now free from the first violence .
Of the se8sickness. but saw Jeans
hand on his arm.
Gee" heard the latter mutter as
the first sea crossed under US. Dat .
was a peach" I took heart avsele. .
for we lived that one through. "Bailr .
| ordered, and they took their cups TO .
.t, while did all I could with the long .
punt paddle 10 make some sort Of
course. Now and then the blazing
trail or the Belle HeIene's searchIight
swung across as we rolled, 70 leave rs
the next instant in blacknezs. AS the
seas permitted, we could see her. rid
Ing and rocking, sometimes. alight
from stem to stern and making a gal
ant light for her life, as were we all.
So long as the rollers came in oiIv
and black We did well, but where the
-op Of one broke under us we sank
1eep into the white foam that had no
carrying power. and our cockpit filed
80 that we all sat in water Only the
-anEs held US, loglike, and we baned
md padded And after they saw we
lid not sink, my hardy buIlies, perhaps +
n the ignorance Of youth ana BOYS
that a boy and water are
riends, began TO shout aloud We
vaIIowed on.
No sound came 10 US from either of
he other boats, and now, very quickly.
seemed. We came at the edge of the
urf-
m touching bottom. boys" I call
ID and cast the long punt pole adrifr
IS l took up the short paddle / had
Ield under nv leg.