Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-11-30

]
Nor was that all, for crawling to-
gether on flat tables of rock, OF let
ting themselves drop into the sea
with loud reports, / beheld huge
! Shiny monsters-soft snails, as IL
were, of incredible bigness, two or
three score of them together, making
the rocks TO echo with their bark
ings.
l have understood since that they
were sea-lions, and entirely harmle ss.
But the look of them, added to the
difficulty of the shore and the high
running of the surf, was more than
enough to disgust me of that land
ing-place. l felt willing rather to
starve at sea than to confront such
perils.
In the meantime / had better
! chance, as | supposed, before me.
North of Haulbowline Head the land
runs in a long way, leaving, at low
! tide, a long stretch of yellow sand.
To the north of that again, there
comes another cape ~ Cape of the
Woods, as il was marked upon the
chart-buried in tall green pines,
which descended to the margin OF
the sea.
remembered what Silver had said
about the current that sets north
ward along the whole west coast of
Treasure Island; and seeing from my
position that / was already under
its influence, / preferred to leave
Haulbowline Head behind me, and
reserve my strength for an attempt
to land upon the kindlier looking
Cape of the Woods.
There was a great, smooth swell
upon the sea. The wind blowing
steady and from the south, there was
no contrariety between that and the
current, and the pillows rose and fell
unbroken.
Had 1t been otherwise, / must long
ago have persisted; but as it was, it
Is surprising how easily and secure
ly my little and light boat could ride.
OFTEN, as l still lay at the bottom,
and kept no more than an eye above
the gunwale, / would see big blue
summit heaving close above me; yet
the coacle would but bounce a little,
dance as If on springs, and subside
on the other side into a trough as
lightly as a bird.
| began after little to grow very
bold, and set up TO try my skill at
padding. But even a small change
in the disposition of the weight will
produce violent changes in the be-
havior of the cOracle And | had
hardly moved before the boat, Civ
ing up at once her gentle, dancing
movement, ran straight down slope
of water so steep that IL made me
giddy, and struck her nose. with a
pout OF spray, deep into the side of
the next wave.
| was drenched and terrified, and
fell instantly back into my old posi-
ton, whereupon the coracle seemed
to find her way again, and led me
softly as before among the pillows.
lt was plain she was not to be inter-
fered with, and at that rate. since |
could in no way influence her course.
what hope had left of reaching
land?
/ began to be horribly frightened,
but ! kept my head, for all that.
First, moving with all care, | grad
ually bailed out the coracle with my
5ea-cap; then getting my eye once
more above the gunwhale / set my
self to study how it was she managed
% slip so quietly through the rollers.
/ found each wave, instead of the
big, smooth, glossy mountin il looks
rom shore, or from a vessels deck,
vas for all the world like any range
IF hills on the dry land, full of peaks
md smooth places and valleys The
oracle, left to herself, turning from
ide to side, threaded, so to speak,
Ter way through these lower parts,
md avoided the steep slopes and
higher topping SUBMITS of the wave.
well, now" thought / to myself,
1t is plain / must lie where ] am,
nd not disturb the balance; but It is
lain, also, that can put the paddle
yer the side, and from time to time,
n smooth places, give her shove or
wo to land"
No sooner thought upon than
one. There / lay on my elbows, in
he most trying attitude, and every
ow and again gave a weak stroke
r two to turn her head to shore.
II was very firing, and slow work,
ct / did visibly gain ground; and,
8 we drew near the Cape of the
Woods though / saw / must infall-
by miss that point, l had still some
undred yards of casting was, in
eed, close in. l could see the cool,
reen tree-tops swaying together in
ne breeze, and l felt sure / should
AXE the next promontory without
I'll.
1t was high time, for l now began
} be tortured with thirst. The glow
the sun from above, it's thousand
Id reflection from the waves, the
.a-water that fell and dried upon
e, caking my very lips with salt,
'nbined to make my throat burn
nd my brain ache. The sight Of
lie trees so near at hand had almost
2de me sick with longing; but the
mrent had soon carried me past
lie point; and, as the next reach
sea opened out, l beheld a sight
at changed the nature of my
oughts.
Right in front of me, not half a
lie away, l beheld the Hispaniola
lder sail. / made sure, of course,
at l should be taken, but / was
distressed for want of water, that
scarce knew whether to be glad or
rry at the thought; and, long be-
re l had come to a conclusion, sur
Use had taken entire possession of
: mind, and ] could do nothing but