The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-11-05
A Man To
His Mate
By
]. ALLEN DUNN
Illustrations by
Irwin Myers
.-.,-s E7,,,,t,v kserrsH Ca
CHAPTER ~.
Illustrations by
Irwin Myers
coDyrisht BObbs Msrrm Co
The Rowhead.

ana tissues, leaving MIN uADDys II
resolute, compared to his former self. /
Even as Lund Swallowed Rainey, % |
Simms Swallowed Carlson.
Sometimes the girl would come mp |
on deck in her own waterproofs and /
stand against the rail. And presently |
Carlson would come from below or
forward and stand to talk with her |
until she was tired OF the deck.
They did not seem much like lovers. |
Rainey fancied. They lacked the little
intimacies that he. though he made
himself somewhat of an automaton at
the wheel, could not have failed 70
see If the girl slipped, Carisen's
hand would catch and steady her by
the arm; never go about her waist.
welcome in her face when the doctor
came to her.
Carlson seldom took over the wheel.
Rainey did more than his share from
sheer love OF feeling the control. But
one day, at word from the girl, Carl
sen and she came up to Rainey as ne
handled the spokes.
L
Rainey," said the doctor.
Rainey gave it up and went amid
ships Out of the tail of his eye he
could see that the girl was pleading
to handle the ship, and that Carlson
was going to let her do so.
Rainey shrugged his shoulders. It
was Carlsen's risk. It was no child's
play in that weather to steer prop
lerly. It took not only strength, but
watchfulness and experience to hold
the course in the welter of cross-seas.
Lund and RaiRey stood together by
the weather-rai1 1t was still Rainey's
deck watch, and at any moment Carl
sen might relinquish the wheel back
to him as soon as the girl got tired.
Suddenly shouts sounded from for
ward medley of them, indistinct
against the quarterfng wind Sandy,
the roustabout, came dashing aft
along the sloping deck, catching
clumsily at rail and rope to steady
himself, flushed with excitement, als
most hystericaI with his news.
"a bowhead, sir" he cried when he
saw Rainey. And killers after him !
Blown dead ahead!"
Beyond the bows Rainey could see
| nothing of the whale, that must have
sounded in fear of the killers. but he
| saw half dozen scythelike, black
| fins cutting the water in Streaks of
foam. all abreast, their high dorsals
| waving, wolves of the sea, hunting
| for the gray bowhead whale, to force
its mouth open and feast on the deli
cacy of its living tongue. So Lund
told him in swift sentences while
| they waited for the whale to breach.
Rainey glanced aft. Sandy had
carried his warning to Carlson and
| the girl, and now was craning over
i the lee rail, kneedeep In the wash
/ trying to see something Of the com
| bat. Peggy Simms' 1.-the figure wal
/ leaning to one side as she, too, gazeC
ahead, though she still paid attention
to her steering and held the schooner
well up, her face bright with excite
ment, wet with flying brine, wisps Of
yellow hair streaming free in. IN.
wind from beneath the close grip o
Il her wooden red tam-o'-shanter.
'Bl-o-ows!'' started the deep voic,
of a lookout, from where sailors ant
! hunters had grouped in the bows {,
witness this .gladiatorial combat be
tween sea monsters, staged fttingl!
! in sea that was running Wild.
'Bl-o-ows !" The deep voice almos
leaped an octave in sudden shrin o
apprehension. Others voices mingie.
with his in a clamor Of dismay.
Look OUT Oh. look out! Dea,
ahead! !"
The enormous bulk of the wha1
had appeared. not TO spout, but to III
belly up. rocking on the surface wit
fms outspread, paralyzed with terroa
directly in the course Of the KarIuH
while toward it, intent only on thei
blood lust, leaped the killers. thrust
ing at its head as the schooner surge
down. In that tremendous sea tn
/. impact would be certain to mean tn
STAYING III of something forward. pei
haps the springing Of butt
: lizard IeeI" yelled Rainey. ~
with her. Up!"
Forward. the men jumped to handl
the headSails. The Karluk started I
spin about on its keel, instinct to III
changing plane of the rudder. BIT
the waves We're running tremendous
high. and the wind blowing with gres
force, the water rolling in great mour
tains of sickly greenish gray. toppe
with foam that blew In q level scud.
AS the schooner hung In q dee
| trough. the wind struck az her, bow
on.
Rainey saw one huge billow rsin
curying, high as the gaff of the mai
1t seemed TO him, as he grasped at Il
: coil of the main halyards. Down can
- the tons of water. booming on 4
deck that bent under the blow, spi
!. ing in a great cataract that swash'
81 across the deck
81 His feet were swept from und
|. him, for a moment he seemed TO svii
q horizontal in the stream. clutching
q the halyards. The sea struck the Q