The Arvada enterprise., 1916-08-24
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
At last, after three days Of variable
winds. we have caught the northeast
trades. came on deck. after a good
nights rest in spite of my poor knee
to find the Ghost foamng along. wing
and wing and every sail drawing ey
cept the jibs, with a fresh breeze
astcrn. Ten knots. twelve knots. eleven
knots. varying from time to time
is the speed we are making. And
ever out OF the northeast the brave
wind blows. driving US on our course
$50 miles between the dawns
Each day grows perceptibly warmer
In the second dog watch the sailors
come on deck. stripped, and heave
buckets OF wiser upon one another
from oversize. Flying fish are begin
ming to be seen, and during the night
the watch above sCrambles over the
deck in pursuit OF those that fall
| aboard In the morning Thomas Mug
ridge being duly bribed. the galley is
pleasantly areek with the odor of
their frying, while dolphin meat Is
| served fore and aft on such occasions
| as Johnson catches the blazing beau
ties from the bowsprit end
The days and nights are "all won
der and a wild delight" and though
| have little time from my dreary
work. steal odd moments to gaze and
gaze at the unendng glory of what /
never dreamed the world possessed !
| do not forget one night. when | should
/ have been asleep. of lying on the fore.
/ castle head and gazing down at the
spectral ripple OF foam thrust aside
/ by the Ghosts forefoot II sounded
| like the gurGlng Of brook over
mossy stones in some quiet dell. and
the grooming song OF II lured me away
and out of myself til | was no longer
Hump the cabin boy. nor Yam Wey
den the man who had dreamed away
thirty-iivc years among books But a
voice behind me- the unmista kabie
voice of Wolf Larsen. strong with the
invinciblc certltude of the man and
mellow with appreciation Of the words
he was quoting aroused me,
| 20 the hnz'rr ,rNr'c night when IN"
wakes n welt Of hight
Tint holds the hot sky tame.
And the steady forefront suorCs through
the planet powdered floors
Where the scared whale tlukcs In flame
Her plates are scared by the sun dear
lass
And her ropes are tnut with the dew
For we're booming down on the old truil
our own rrnil the out trail.
We're sngEiug south on the Long Trail
the trail that Is always new"
"Eh. Hump? Ilow's 4, strike you?'
he asked after the due pause which
the words and setting demanded
looked into his face. It was aglow
with light, as the sea Itself. and the
eyes were flashing in the starshue.
1T strikes me as remarkable. to say
the least that you should show cnthu
| s!asm." ! answered COldly.
why. man, it's living! Its ule'"
he cried
Which Is n cheap thing and with
out value" flung his words at him
| He laughed. and 1t was the first time
! had heard honest mtrth In his voice
"Ah | canno, get you to understand.
canno, drive II into your head. wha,
a thing this life is OF course life Is
valucless, except to itself And | can
| tell you that my life is pretty valuable
| Just nOw-to myself II is beyond
| price. which you will acknowledge IL
terrific ovcrrating. but which | can
holm Ia n Ia In
me that makes the rating
He left me as suddenly as he hat
! come springing to the deck with the
weight and softness OF n tiger Some
| times ! think him mad or half mad at
least. what OF his strange moods and
| vacarics. At other times | take him
| for n great man. a genius who has
| never arrived lie is certainly an in.
| diyldunllst OF tho most pronounced
| type. No, only that, but he Is very
| lonely. His tremendous virility and
| mental strength wall him apart Men
| are moro Ike children to him even
the hunters and as children he treats
them, descending portorcc to their
| level md playing with them ns q man
| plays with puppies or else he probes
/ them with the cruel hand OF yiviscc.
tionIst, cropping about IN their mental
processes as though to sec OF what
| soul stun is made,
While on the question OF vagarics
| ! shall tell what botcll Thomas Mug
| ridge IN the cabin. and at the same
time complete an incident upon which
| have already touched once or twice
] The twelve O'Clock dinner was over.