The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1917-02-22

II was at the bow or ut the stern end.
Let her gOl"
He had a horrible sense of falling |;
he heard the splash of the coffin
against the waves, felt the stream
about him, and, with the thought of
Leontine in his mind, reused him
self with a mighty effort and burst
Off the lid.
.
The falling coffin spilled him into
the depths of the ocean. He felt him
self falling as the plummet falls.
Down, down he went; then his prog
ress was arrested, and he struck mad
ly upward, to seek the air of night,
and TO die under the stars If need be.
With leap like that of the mullet
he gained the surface of the water.
He drew in breath of air till his
lungs seemed to crack. The great
bulk of the convict craft was just
ahead Of him.
The whole incident had occupied no
longer than was required for the slow
going vessel to traverse her own length
of distance. The coffin had been
swung clear from the bow.
1t was, in fact, Jest of the coarse
minded sailors to heave the coffin
in the track the ship was to make, in
the hope that her own bow would
catch it and cleave it in the descent.
Jerry had been swung from the
bow, but the ships stern was pass
ing him. Hand over hand he tried to
catch her-the most hopeless task
ever essayed by any man.
But he caught sight of rope that
hung from the stern, trailing in the
water. 1t was, in fact, the log rope.
Jerry seized it and chung, exhausted,
while the ship dragged him through
the water.
be possible TO gain the deck, but how
could he lower the little boat he had
prepared and make his escape?
AS If in answer TO his question,
he saw that the east was lighting.
The last chance of darkness had aban-
hohtu NM lucle was hO nope. NJ
best, he could return to that life which
he had escaped.
Then, as he watched, he saw the
dawn mist begin TO creep across the
waters. 1t would shroud everything
until the sun came up. And instantly
he began to swarm up the log rope
Battered by waves that flung him
against, the side of the ship, bruised
and aching, at last he stood upon the
deck.
The fog was closing in; the sea was
invisible, but the deck was clear from
end 10 end.
He rushed to the davits and hauled
alternately on both ropes. The little
boat began to descend, first by the
stern, then by the bow. The creak-
ing sound was heard upon the bridge.
Jerry heard the man at the wheel
shout, and then another. He worked
wildly. At last he got the bow into
the water. The boat swung through
the waves grotesquely. He got the
stern down. The boat began to I'LL.
He had no knife, and there was no
way to cut the ropes, no means except
TO let them run out, which meant I'M
tying the knots. There was no time
for this.
No. time, for a seaman was already
rushing toward him, and, seeing the
convict clothes, he doubled his fists
and dashed at him with curses on his
lips.
Jerry's fist shot out and foored
him. AS the seaman toppled Jerry
stopped down and, selling his clasp
knife from his pocket, cut the ropes.
Half dozen seaman were upon him
now. One. the first mate, was flour
fishing a revolver. He fired, and the
bullet sung past Jerry's head.
Jerry did not hesitate to fight, but
plunged toward the boat, already a
good distance away. AS he plunged
he heard a second shot, strike the
water.
Then he was mercifully hidden in
the shrouding fog and the ship glided
like a phantom thing into the dis
lance.
He struck out in the direction of
the boat, and, by n miracle, he found
it. 1t was floating upon its keel, and,