The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1917-01-04

anu ne retained the wit to
guide her-so' long Whitaker deter
mined to stick to the wake of the kid
napers.
a little more than halfway between
thelr starting point and the head of the
Day the leading boat swung sharply in
toward the shore, then shot into the
mouth of narrow indentation. For
TWO or three minutes he could see MOTH
ing of the other.
Empty of all other craft, weird and
uesolate in moonlight, the Little Pc
comic waters widened and then mar
rowed about the flying vessels. Shore
lights watched them, now dim and far.
now bright and near at hand. Shelter
Island sound received them. slammed
their tanks encouragingly with its rae
ing waves, sped them with an ebbing
uue that tore seawardS between con-
strlcted shores into the lonelier wastes
or GARDENERS bay. Their relative DO
sluons were unchanged: still the Trou-
bic retained her position.
When the chase rounded the buoy.
instead of standing, as any reasonable
beings might have been expected to.
on to Fishers island or at n tangent
north toward the Connecticut littoral.
they swung off something south of east
"a course that could lead them no.
where but to the immensities of the
sea itself.
Whitaker's breath caught in his
throat as he examined this startling
prospect. He shook dubious, vastly
troubled head. But he held on grImly
In the face of dire forebodlngs.
Once out from under the lee of
Gardeners island, heavier run of
waves beset them, catching the boats
almost squarely on the beam: fortu-
nately sea of long, smooth, slow
shouldering rollers, as yet not angry.
Now and again, for all that. one would
favor the Trouble with a quartering
slap that sent shower of spray aboard
her to drench Whitaker and swash
noisily round the cockpit ere the self
bailing channels could carry IL off. He
was quickly wet to the skin and shiv-
ering. The hour was past midnight.
and the strong air whipping In from
the open sea had bitter edge. They
still had moonlight, but the wind wns
blowing with an inSistent, unintermit-
tent force 1t had not before developed.
A haze, vaguely opalescent, encircled
the horizon like a ghost OF absinthe.
BY four-thirty, when the twilight was
moderately bright, Whitaker was bare
ly able to distinguish the leading boat
The two seemed as If suspended. strug-
Cling like impaled insects, the one i'm
the midst, the other near the edge. of
a watery pit walled in by vapors.
The end came just before dawn.
with swiftness that stunned.
They were precisely as they had
been, within certain distance of one
another, toiling on and ever on like
strange misshapen spirits doomed tn
run an endless race. The harsh. shane
less light of imminent day alone MANN
factured a color of difference: Whit
aker now was able to see as two dark
shapes the men In the body of the lead
ing boat. Now suddenly the man at
the wheel cried out something I'm fer
rible voice Of fright, so high and vehe-
ment that IL even carried back against
the booming gale for Whitaker to hear.
simultaneously he put the wheel over.
with all his might. The other Jumped
from his seat, only TO be thrown hack
as the little vessel swung broadside TO
the sea, heeling until she lay almost on
her beam ends. The next instant she
ceased, incredibly, to move-hung mo-
uonless In that resistless surge. an
amazing, stupefying spectacle. IL
seemed minutes before Whitaker couId
Iorce his wits to comprehend that she
had struck and lay transfxed upon
some submerged rock or reef.
a long, gray roller swept upon and
over her, brimming her cockpit with
foaming water. AS it passed he saw
the half-drOwned men release the
coamings, to which they had clung on
involuntary impulse to escape being
swept away, scramble upon the cabin
roof, and with one accord abandon
themselves to the will of the next ,vave
10 follow. AS Il broke over the boat
and passed, he caught an instantaneous
glimpse Of their heads and arms bob
bing and beating frandcaly as they
whirled on through the yeasty welter.
But he saw this without pity or com
passion. If he had been able to have
his will with them, ne would have sunk
both ten fothoms deep without an ln-
stants respite. His throat was choked
with curses that wclled up from a
heart wrenched and raging at this dis
coyery of cowardice unparalleled.
They had done what they could for
themselves without even hesitating to
release the woman imprisoned 10 the
cabin.