American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-10-28

beast? Grusoe bad warned me-and
then he Mad forsaken me. asd l was
alone.
And yet at first. wild as sAy ter.
ror was, | had NO thought bat that
somehow i could escape. That these
0aters were Ter me the very fare of
death. sure and relentless, terrible and
slow, did o az once seize hold ,apon
my heart.
Frantically I Sprang for tie entrance
on the cove. The floor of the cave was
sloping and the water deepened swift
Iy as / advanced. Soon ] was Gounder-
Ing TO my knees, and on the instant a
great wave rushed in, drenching me to
che waist, dazing me With its spray
and nproar, and driving NE back to
the far end Of the cave.
With a dreadful hollow suektnS
sound the surge retreated. / stag
gered toward the aFchway that was
my only deor to life. The water was
deeper now, and swiftly came anoth-
er fierce thrush of the sea that drove
me back.
fed to the far end of the cave, but
the sea pursued nae. Swiftly the wa
ter climbed-it flung me against the
wall, then dragged me back. ]
ciutched at the naked rock with bleed.
ing fingers.
Again, after a paroxysm during
which | had seemed TO stand a great
way Off and listen 70 my own shrteks,
there came to me a moment of CAIN.
| knew that my n tenu0us thread
of hope lay In launching myself into
that wild flood that was tearing
through the cove. | was not q strong
swimmer, but q buoyant one. l might
find refuge on some half-submerged
rock on the shores of the cove-at
least ! should perish in the open, in
the sunlight, pot trapped like a des-
perate rat. And / began 10 fight my
way toward the opening.
And then a dreadful vision flashed
across my mind, weighted down my
feet like lead, choked back even the
cry from my frozen lips. Sharks
The black cutting fin, the liyid belly,
the dreadful jaws opening-no, no,
better to die here, better the clean
embrace Of the YateEs-if indeed the
sharks did not come into the cave.
And then ! think | went quite mad,
remember trying to climb up to the
ledge which hung beetllng fifteen feet
above, Afterward my poor hands
showed how deliberately. And 1 re-
member hat once | slipped and went
clear under, and how | choked and
~strangled in the salt water. For my
mouth was always open, screaming,
screaming continually.
And when l saw the boat fighting its
way inch by inch into the cave / was
sure that II was a vision, and that
only my own wild beseeching of hin
to save me had made the face of Du
gald Shaw arise before my dying eyes
Dugald Shaw was still mendlng the
boat on the shore of the cove, ant
this was a knocking phantom.
Only the warm human clasp of thu
arms that drew me into the boa
made me believe In him.
The boat bobbed quietly in the edd!
at the far end of the cave, while a wet
sobbing, choking heap chung to Du
gald Shaw. ! clasped him about thu
neck and would not let him go. TO
fear that | should find myself alon'
again, perishing in the dark water. NJ.
Ioa1 ,-,. - 1T. b,nngt npA ha ual
pressing back my wet hair with stroni
and tender hands.
What was this he was saying? IN,
lassie, my little, little lasslel"
And no less incredible than this |
was to feel his cheek pressed, yer,
gently, against my hair
After a little my self-control cam
back to me. | stopped my senseles
childish crying, lifted my head an
tried to speak. could only whisper
You came, you Gamer
"Of course | camel" he said hust
lily. "There, don't tremble so-you ar
safe-safe in my armsl"
After a while he lifted me into tn
stern and began TO maneuver the boa
out of the ave, | suppose at anothe
time | should have realized the per
of Il. The fierce flow through tn
archway all but swamped us, the CT
rent threatened to hurl us against tn
rocks, hut | felt no fear. He ha
come TO save me, and he would. A
at once the dreadful shadow Of til
cavern was left behind, and the SUI
shine immersed my chilled body lii
q draught Of wine. | lay huddled
the stern, my cheek upon my han
as he rowed swiftly across the cove an
1 1rove the boat upon the beach.
Everybody but Captain Magnus wa
1 assembled there, including Cruso
Crusoe 1t was who had given warnir
" my danger. Like Il wise little do
when | ignored his admonitions he ha
run home. AT first his uneaslness ar
troubled barking had got no motto
Once or twice the Scotchman, wOrrit
by his fretfulness, had ordered hi
away. Then across his preoccupi'
mind there flashed a doubt. He la
down his tools and spoke TO the al
NAL. Instantly Crusoe dashed for q