, 1923-04-25
2
Romance
of the
Bahamas

near dead asleepG"
Then the voice Of Satan descend
ing the companion ladder:
Amt you up? Well, you wait one
minute!"
A thump on the floor, n scurry ND
the companion ladder, and Their shud-
dery lamentations and the sounds of
swllling from the deck above, mixed
with the admonitions of Satan from
below.
"oh, my! amt 1t cold2 oh, my!
amt it frizzin'?"
Get or, you mad turkle! You amt
washin', you're splashing the water
on the deck. Slush 1t over you"
Tn slushing it"
Think l don't know? Why, you
amt gasped yet! Give a gasp, or
I'll be up to o with a rope-endl
That's more like it,"
It was!
The sun was high when Radcliffe
go; on deck, and a light, steady breeze
was blowing up from the straits of
Florida; the gulls looked like snow
lakes blowing round the far reefs and
against the morning blue of the sea.
Breakfast over, Satan and Rat
cliffe took the dinghy to hunt for
abalones on the uncovered reef.
The reefs to southwark formed two
spurs divided by 3 creek of blue wa
ter, and having got the dinghy into
this creek Radcliffe tended the boat
while Satan hunted for the a~balones.
Satan in search of pearls was a
sight. Heart, soul and mind bound
up in tie business, like a dog hunting
for t%ruflles, every find was VI
by a yell or a whoop, like the whoop
of a Rec Indian.
Radcliffe could see squiggly-wiggly
cuttlefish tendrils running up Satan's
arms as In delved in some of the rock
%clefts. and Satan d~isengaging them
and fiinging the "mushy brutes" away.
The big abalones were nearly always
deep down under the rock lodges and
had to be chiseled off, wallowing in
he water. At these times Radcliffe
might havs fancied the vanished one
lost or drowned. but for the profane
language that rose and foated away
on the breeze.
All the same. II was dull work for
the BOAT tender. Having nothing else
to think Of, he thought of Jude. Her
figure chased away dullness.
Radcliffe did not deal much with
the conventions as a rule; still, he
could not but perceive that all life
has an aim and ending, and that the
end of an old sailor was not what
life and the fitness of things had des-
tined for Jude. What would she
grow up into? He thought of all the
girls he had ever known. There was
no One so Jolly as Jude; still, 1t was
terrible. somehow, monstrous. Her
contempt for the feminine rose up
before him, and against all that her
house~ifely instincts and the fact
that, despite Satan's rope-end and
mock buster, she ruled the Sarah
Tyler just as n woman rules n house.
Sti'l, 1t was deplorable. Looking
away into the distance, what would
become of herr
lie was aroused from these medi-
tations by Satan-Satan with an arm
full of a~balones, Satan scratched and
bleeding and souseG in sea water, but
triumphant.
He reckoned they were the biggest
fish ever got or these reefs. There
we're n dozen and six all told, and
when they were collected and put on
board the dinghy put back.
Coming round the western spur of
The reef, they found that Jude had
left the Sarah-a high crime-and
rowed herself ashore. She seemed in
! search of something.
God love mei' cried Satan.
He beached the dinghy. helped Rat
..llffe to run her up, and then started,
followed by the other, running and
shouting as he ran.
Hi! chu%ckleheadl Whatcha leave
the snip for? Didn't I tell you to
stand by her? whatcha huntin' for
turkles' eggs?"
what o done with your eyesl'
| retorted the other. "Cayn't you seer
Instantly. md by her tone and by
some sixth sense, Satan was appeased.
He seemed suddenly to scent danger.
He saw the work she had been on,
camouflaging the cache more enec-
lively. He cast his glance owe the
island, the western sea, turned, and
then stood stock-still, shading his
eyes.
Away beyond the Sarah Tyler across
the purple blue stood n sail. The
land wind had died of, and the
stranger was bringing the sea WIND
with her. A small topsnil schooner