Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-12-13

m opportunity to fight. Mccain had
dropped the lantern on the overturned
piano, and was urging the girl for
ward toward tho stairs. Terror made
him oblivious to everything except a
mad desire to escape, but she was
glancing back, as though in search for
me. I clambcred to my knees amid
the litter Of furniture, and snatched
up the light barely in time to keep it
from smashing on the deck.
IT am all right" I called confidently.
"Get outside both of you as quick as
you can"
Never. in all my life have I expert
enced the same sense of relief as when
l stumbled out of that companion onto
the open deck, and felt the night air
in my nostrils; yet not until then did
my brain truly grasp the desperate ma
ture of our situation. The CLEAN Of
the lantern revealed the sharp slope Of
the deck, and the surge of water churn-
ing from rail to rail scarce a dozen feet
away; the rifle. of tangled spars and
ropes to port under which 1 knew lay
dead bodies; the smashed bulwarks,
and a wrecked small boat hanging
stern down from a davit, with q mans
arm and head dangling. All about us
the night and sea was black rs ink
not a glow anywhere except a single
white CLEAN far away to %starboard like
| q distant star. 1t was not a start
was far too close to the horizon-be-
yOnd doubt it was q masthead light
on the steel monster which had run us
down.
/ held the lantern behind ny body,
and stared out through the void at the
PARKWAY spark-it was no more than
a pin-prick, barely. visible across
miles of open water, and growing
fainter each second. I read the whole
! meaning, despair %clutching my heart.
The vessel had waited and picked up
the Esmeralda's boats; believing she
then had on board all who lived, she
had resumed her voyage. We were
alone, deserted, in the midst of the
dead, possibly without even a chance
to save ourselves from going down
With the SOdden wreck. =.
But if there should be q chance there
remained not an instant to lose. I
flashed the Light about into the face
of Mccain and the girl, the man white
and haggard, his eyes as dull as though
he had taken an opiate, absolutely stu,
pefed with fear. But the girl! In
the CLEAN Of the lantern her eyes met
mine, full of questioning, but fearless.
She must have seen, and understood
also, for she called to me, clinging to
the rail to keep her footing, her loos-
sened hair Tapping In the wind.
"They are leaving us, Mr.. Hollis? Is
not that the steamer out there?"
"Ay, the last glimpse wei. aver have
iof her" I answered bitterly, forgetting
myself In anger. 'The d. brutes
think more Of a few dollars than our,
lives. But we'll make a fight just the.
same. Come, wake up. McCannl Aft
with you-oh, yes, you can; crawl
along the rail; once beyond the cabin
there's good foothold. Now. my lady,
I'll not let you fall-good! You are
the better sailor Of the two."
! held the lantern In my teeth, and
clambered after them. 1t was a thirty
foot climb, but the rail ~stanchions
made q fair ladder, giving good hand
and foot hold, although occasionally
the hulk beneath us rolled SO heavily
In the sea as to bring US to q pause,
cllnglng grlmly to the tarred rope In
order TO retain balance. Twice I
thought tho doomed yacht was actu-
ally going down. az under the blow OF
some swell she leaned heavily to star
board, giving glimpse OF the black
water Just below where we elung va
desperately. Yet with sodden. aick-
Sening motion, like the last painful az.