The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-02-12

and my hcaG-saiis wor" pounding lus-
lily NJ hands We're full with the fly
ing jib. jib. and staysail, and by the
time this part of my task was accom-
phshcd ~" Ghost was lcaping into the
southwest. tn" wind on her quarter
and all her sheets TO starboard. With
out pausing for breath. though my
heart was beating like trip-hammer
from my cX,rtiouS, | spraug To the
tOpsails. and before tn" wind had be
come too strong "" had them fairly
set and were coiliur down. Then |
went AFT for orders
Wolf Larsen nodded approval and
relinquished the wheel To me. The
wind was strengthening steadily and
the seq rising. For an hour | stecrcd,
each moment becoming more difficult.
| had not the experience 10 steer at
IN" gait We were going on quarter
ing course.
Now TAX" run Up with the glasses
and raise some of III" boats. We've
made 1T least ton knots. and wc'r" go
ing twelve or thirteen now. The old
girl knows how to walk.
| COntcutcd myself with the fore
crosStrces, som" seventy feet above
the deck. As | searched the vacant
stretch of wat'r before me. | COmpre-
hcnded thoroughly the need for haste
if we were To recover any of our men.
Indeed. as | gaz"d at the heavy sea
through which We were running,
, doubted that there was boat aiioat.
frail craft could survive such stress
of wind and water
For an hour saw nothing but the
naked desOlatC sea. And then. where
a vagrant shaft OF sunlight struck the
ocean and turned its surface to wrath
/ full silver, | caught small black speck
/ thrust skyward for an instant and
| swallowed up. | waited patiently
. Again the tiny point of black projected
! itself through the wrathful blaze a Cou
( pie OF points off our pOrt-bow. | did
| not attempt to shout, but cOmmuni
! Gated the news to Wolf Larsen by wav
! ing my arm. He changed the course
/ and | signaled affirmation when the
! speCk showed dead ahead
Ii grew larger. and SO swiftly that
for the first time | fully appreciated
/ the speed of our flight Wolf Larser
mOtioned for me to come down, anC
! 4 IL inn, at hn Ntrha IA
gave me instructions for heaving to.
Expect all hell to break loose he
cautioned me, but don't mind it
| Yours is to do Your own work and t
have COoky stand by the fore-sheet.
The boat was now very close, anC
could make out plainly that it wa:
lying head to wind and sea and drag
! cling on its mast and sail, which haC
been thrown overheard and made t
serve as a sea-anchOr The three mel
were bailing. Each rolling mountain
whelmed them from view. Then, ant
with black suddenness, the boat would
shoot clear through the fOaming crest
bow pointed to the sky, and the Who'll,
length of her bottom showing. wet ant
dark. till she seemed on end.
The Ghost suddenly changed he
course. keeping away. Wolf Larsel
was preparing to heave to. | felt al
abrupt easing of the schooner, a los
for the moment of all strain and pres
sure. coupled with swift accelera
ton of speed. She was rushing aroun,
en- her heel into the wind.
As the Ghost wallOwed for an in
slant. broadside on and rolling straigh
over and far into the wind. beheld
huge sea rise far above my head
descended, pandemonium broke loose
everything happened at once. wa
struck a crushing, stunning blow, nj
where in particular and yet every
where My hold had been broke
loose. | was under water. and tn
thought passed through my mind tina
this was the terrible thing of whc
had heard. the being swept in tn
trough of the sea. | brought up vic
lently against what | took to be tn
rail. breathed. and breathed the swee
I air again. AS | scrambled out on a
tours | passed over the body {
r. Thomas Mugridge, who lay in groar
, ing heap. There was no time to il
J vestigate. | must get the jib backe
, over.
, On all sides there was a rending an
crashing of wood and steel and cal
/ vas. The Ghost was being wrenche
I and torn to fragments. The foresa
: and foretOpsail were laundering int
, ribbons. the heavy boom threshin
and splintering from rail to rail. Tn
air was thick with flying wreckag
ropes and stays were kissing and col
ing like snakes. and down through
, all crashed the gaff of the fOresail
The spar could not have missed m
= by many inches. while it spurred nj
to action. Perhaps the situation wa