Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-01-09
Continued from last week

permitted myself to be borne down
ward in the grip of the water. Sud-
denly something drifted against my
body, a black, ill-defned object, toss
ing about ON the swell of the waves,
and instinctively l grasped at it, rec
ognizing instantly the shell of our
wrecked boat. 1t was all awash, a
great hole stove in it's side we'll for
ward, and so filed with water the
added weight of my body would have
sunk it instantly. Yet the thing re-
manned buoyant enough to float, and
chung to its stern, thankful even for
this slight help.
There was no occasion for fear, al
though | became aware that the sweep
of the current was steadily bearing us
farther out toward the center of the
broad stream, and soon felt convinced
that escape from my predicament
would be impossible until after day
light. The struggle to keep af1oat was
no longer necessary, and my head
sank in relief on the hands gripping at
the boats stern, while we fioated 81
lently on through the black mystery.
Suddenly the wrecked boats bow
grated against something immovable;
then became fixed, the stern swinging
slowly about, until il also. caught, and
/ could feel the full volume of down
pouring water against my body. The
blindly floating boat had drifted
upon snag, seemingly the major por-
ton of a tree, now held by some spit
of sand. l struggled vainly in an at
tempt to release the grip which held
us, but the force of the current had
securely wedged the boats bow be-
meath limb, bare leaf1ess tentacle,
making all my efforts useless. found
submerged branch ON which to
stand, gripped the boat desperately to
prevent being swept away, and waited
for the dawn.
1t seemed long while coming, and
never did man gaze on more dismal,
CHASTITY scene than was revealed to
me by those first gray CLEANS dimly
showing in the far east All about
stretched utter desolation; wherever
my eyes turned the vista was the
samoa wide stretch of restless brown
water surging and leaping past, bound
ed by lOW-lying shores, forlorn and de-
serted. How far had aimlessly drift
ed downstream during the night was a
mere matter of conjecture I pos
sessed no knowledge of where I was.
Each bank OF the river appeared about
equally bare and deSolate, entirely de-
void of promise. However, | chose
the west shore for my experiment, as
the current seemed less strong in that
direction, and was about to plunge in,
determined to fight a way across,
when my eyes suddenly detected a
faint wreath of smoke curling up into
the pale sky above a headland far to
the southwark. AS l stared at this
it became black and distinct, tossed
about in the wind. I watched intent
~, clinging to my support, scarcely
trusting my eyesight, while that first
wiSp deepened into q cloud, advanc-
ing slowly toward me. There was no
tionably some steamer was pushing its
course upstream. Even before my
ears could detect the far-off chug of
the engine the beat itself rounded the
sharp point of the headiand and came
forth into full view, heading out
toward the middle of the river in
search for deeper water.
1t was an unusually large steamboat
for those days, z lower river packet,
/ guessed, with two tunnels painted
yellow and high pilot house sur
mounted by huge braZen eagle At
first, approaching me, bow on, could
perceive but little of it's dimensions,
nor gain clear view of the decks, but
when it veered slightly these were re-
vealed, and | had a glimpse of a Jew
figures grouped forward, the great
wheel astern splashing the water, and
between, a long row of windows re.
ffecting the glare. of the early sun.
Gsven RS [ gaZed his vision a fac
crept up the slender staff at the bow
and reaching the top rippled out in
CIISp n ldlSI
deciphered the lettering across the
white front of the pilot house-Adven-
turer of Memphis.
Indifferent at that moment as to
where the approaching boat might be
bound, or my reception on board de-
sirOus only of immediate escape fl ON
my unfortunate predicament. | man
aged to remove my SOdden coat and
furiOusly wave it in the air as a sig
nal. AT first there was no response,
no evidence that l had even been
seen; then slowly, deliberately, the
steamer changed its course and came
straight up the river, struggling
against the full strength of the cur
rent. l could see a man step from
out the pilot house onto the upper for
ward deck, lean out over the rail and
speak to the others below, pointing
toward me across the water. A half
dozen grouped themselves at the bow,
ready for action, their figures growing
more sharply defined as the struggling
craft approached. The man above
stood shading his eyes with one hand