The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-02-18

oooIo anu CIcWb Iucy udu plCheu up
and which did not belong to them.
For the thick of the feet had been
to the westward of us, and the boats
scattered far and wide, had headed in
mad flight for the nearest refuge
Two of our boats, with men all safe
we took off the Cisco. and, to Wolf
Larsen's huge delight and my own
grief, he culled Smoke, Nilsson and
Leach, from the San Diego. So that,
at the end of five days, we found our.
selves short but four men-Hender-
son. Holyoak. Williams and Kelly
| and were once more hunting on the
| tanks of the herd
But Wolf Larsen, as was TO be ex
pected, being boat short took pos
session of the first stray one and COM
| PEELED its men to hunt with the Ghost.
not permitting them to return to their
| own schooner when we sighted it, |
| remember how he forced the hunter
| and his two men below, rifle at their
| breasts when their captain passed by
at biscuit-toss and hailed us for in
formation.
l was learning more and more sea-
! manship; and one clear day-a thing
we rarely encountered now had the
satisfaction Of running and handling
the Ghost and picking up the boats
| myself. Wolf Larsen had been smit-
ten with one of his headaches, and I
stood at the wheel from morning un-
til evening. sailing across the ocean
after the last lee boat and heaving to
J and picking ii and the other five up
without command or suggestion from
him.
Gales we encountered now and
again. for it was a raw and stormy
region, and, in the middle of June, a
! typhoon most memorable to me and
most important because of the
changes wrought through it upon my
future. We must have been well in
the path of the Transpacific steam
ships when the typhoon moderated,
and here. to the surprise of the hunt
ers, we found ourselves in the midst
of the seals-a second herd, or sort
of rear guard, they declared, and a
most unusual thing. But 1t was Boats
Overt" the boom-boom of guns, and
the pitiful slaughter through the long
day.
It was at this time that I was ap-
] preached by Leach. / had just fin.
ished tallying the skins of the last
boat aboard, when he came to my side,
in the darkness. and said in low
tone:
Can you tell me, Mr.. Van Weyden.
how far we are off the coast, and what
the bearings of Yokohama are?"
My heart leaped with gladness, for
| knew what he had in mind, and |
gave him the bearings-west-nor
west and five hundred miles away.
Thank you, sir" was all he said
as he slipped back into the darkness.
Next morning No. boat and John
son and Leach were missing. Wolf
Larsen was furious. 1t was like look
ing for needle in a haystack to raise
that tiny boat out of the blue immen-
| sity. But he put the Ghost through
her best PAGES so as to get between
the deserters and the land. This ac-
complished, he cruised back and forth
across what he knew must be their
course.
On the morning of the third day,
shortly after eight bells, cry that the
boat was sighted came down from
Smoke at the masthead. All hands
lined the rail, and there, to leeward.
in the troubled silver of the rising
sun, appeared and disappeared black
speck. We squared away and ran for
| 1t. I looked at the CLEAN Of triumph
in Wolf Larsen's eyes, his form swan
before me and | felt almost irresist-
IDLY impelled to fling myself upon him
| The boat was near enough now for us
to make out that It was larger than
any sealing boat and built on differ
ent lines. Smoke. who had descended
to the deck and was now standing by
my side, began to chuckle in signifi
cant way. looked at him inquiringiy
Talk of a mess!" he giggled. Don't
you see there. in the stern-sheets. or
the bottom. May | Sever shoot seal
again If that amt woman!"
looked closely, but was not sure
until EXPLANATIONS broke out on al
sides. The boat contained four men
and its fifth occupant was certainly @
woman. We were agog with excite
ment, all except Wolf Larsen, who was
evidently disappointed in that it was
not his own boat with the two victims
OF his malice.
We ran down the flying jib. hauled
the jib-sheets to windward and the
main sheet fiat, and came up into the
wind. now caught my first glimpse
of the woman. She was wrapped in Q
long ulster. for the morning was raw
and | could see nothing but her face
and a mass of light brown hair escap
ing from under the seaman's cap or
her head. The eyes we're large and
brown and lustrous, the mouth sweet
and sensitive. and the face itself q
delicate oval, though sun and expos
ure to briny wind had burnt the face
scarlet. When one of the sailors lift
ed her into Wolf Larsen's down
stretched arms. she looked up into oul
curious faces and smiled amusedly