The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-02-26
CHAPTER XVil-Continued.

Then they were gone astern. The
spritsail filled with the wind. sud
denly, careening the frail open craft
till 1t seemed it would surely capsize.
A whitecap foamed above it and broke
across in a snow-white smother. Then
the boat emerged, half swamped.
Leach flinging the water out and john
son clinging to the steering-oar. his
face white and anxious. Wolf Larsen
laughed, at the same time reckoning
them with his arm to follow. 1t was
evidently his intention to play with
them. a lesson, | took it, in lieu or
beating, though a dangerous lesson.
for the frail craft stood in momentary
danger of being overwhelmed.
Johnson squared away promptly and
ran after us. There was nothing else
for him to do.
Still we increased our lead, and
when the boat had dropped astern sew
eral miles we hove to and waited. All
eyes watched it coming. even Wolf
Larsen's; but he was the only upper
turbed man aboard. Louis, gazing
fixedly, betrayed trouble in his face
he was not quite able to hide.
The boat drew closer and closer,
hurting along through the seething
green like thing alive, lifting and
sending and uptossing across the huge
backed breakers, or disappearing be-
hind them only to rush into sight
again and shoot skyward. 1t seemed
impossible that 1t could continue to
live, yet with each dizzying sweep il
did achieve the impossible. A rain
squall drove past, and out Of the fly
ing wet the boat emerged, almost upor
US.
Hard up, there!" Wolf Larser
shouted, himself springing to the
wheel and whirling 1t over.
Again the Ghost sprang away ant
raced before the wind, and for two
hours Johnson and Leach pursued us
We hove to and ran away, hove to ant
ran away, and ever cstern the strug
Cling patch of sail tossed skyward ant
fell into the rushing valleys. 1t wa
a quarter of a mile away when thicl
squall of rain yelled it from view. !
, never emerged. The wind blew tn
air clear again, but no patch of sal
broke the troubled surface. l though
= I saw, for an instant, the boats bot
tom show black in a breaking crest
. At the best, that was all. For John
son and Leach the travail Of existenc
had ceased.
The men remained grouped amid
4 ships. No one had gone below, an
t no one was speaking. Nor were an
r looks being exchanged. Each ma
h seemed stunned-deeply contempls
b tive, as it were, and not quite SURF
trying to realize just what had take
t. place. Wolf Larsen gave them littl
p time for thought. He at once put tn
t Ghost upon her course-a cours
t which meant the seal herd and NJ
a Yokohama harbor. But the men wei
If no longer eager as they pulled an
Is hauled, and I heard curses among'
g them, which left their lips smothere
le and as heavy and lifeless as were the
" Not so was it with the hunters. Smol
70 the irrepressible related story, ar
r they descended into the steerage, be
IL lowing with laughter.
10 As l passed to leeward Of the gale
8. on my way aft, l was approached
a. the engineer we had rescued. H
Of face was white, his lips were trel
Is bling.
Of Good God! sir, what kind Of a cra
" is this?" he cried.
"You have eyes, you have seen, "
answered. almost brutality. what of I
IS pain and fear at my own heart.
10 Your promise?" said to Wolf Ii
sen.