, 1923-07-11

SATA n

'She amt Dad.'
This sort Of thing was all right
when she was a child" went on Rat.
cliffe; but she's growing out OF that.
Why. even in the little time since I've
come aboard, she seems different,
somehow"
well, II you ask me-" said Satan,
you seem to have made a change in
her. She's frightened up. somehow.
has more sass in her. Y'see, when we
were cruisin' round since Pap died,
me. she. and the niger, there wasn't
much company, and she was gettin' O
bit downhearted. Then. when you
came aboard, she picked up. She
hadn't laughed for weeks till she saw
YOU in that pajama rig; then sht
chummed onto you"
"She did"
Liked you from the first minute
she saw you. There's no two ways
about Jude-it's either like or thu
other thing, right off,"
"Well, I'm pretty much the same
and l don't want to lose sight of her
or you"
How'd you mean?"
"Oh, just that. I'm bothering about
when this cruise is over. That's both
ering me a lot. Well, we'll leave 1t n,
hat for the present."
Satan turned his lantern face IT,
%starboard for half a moment to ex-
p~ectorate right over the %starboard
rail-maybe also to hide a grin.
II reckon it'll come all right some
- ~.tl L. atIv- -t-sA ..,zl l. A.
world, but we're straight. Reckon
you're straight, too That's all l want.
That Teller Thelusson, y'remember !
told you he wanted to come for a
cruise with US. Well, he was straight
enough star as dollars went, but !
wouldn't nave had him on this ship,
not if he'd paid me a dollar a minute
and a bonus for every knot we made
not with Jude aboard Here's the
wheel for a sec, If you'll take 1t whites
I get some coffee ready"
Toward noon a wreath Of gulls in
the sky showed Cormorant.
Jude was at the wheel, Satan for
ward on the lookout.
Twenty minutes later Satan came
running aft, fetched the old glass out
of its sling, and went forward with 1t.
There's a hooker on the sands ~
cried he. Looks like a small fruiter
or suthin' love up"
Radcliffe. standing beside him, could
e nothing-the sand, owing to their
low level, was invisible from the deck
of the Sarah-then, straining his eyes,
he made out a speck on the sea-line.
"Mast's gone" said Satan, white
painted, not more'n fifty ton, and sizes
layin' in the lagoon. She must have
come in over the sand where II mar
rows TO the westward. There's a pincn
of sand there that's lear under water
at flood, and the seas come right over
II in an BASTARD gale"
He handed the glass to Radcliffe.
Funny" said Radcliffe. "if you were
right about the Nombre de Dios be-
ing sunk here and we come to have n
look for her and find another wreck
well, / don't take no shares in the
Nombre de Dios," said Satan. 81 ran
here more for somewhere to run to
than with any thought OF the Nombre.
She's a hundred foot under the sand IL
$50 htAt IT IA buN Us iuCh All llC
same. There1l be pickin's. There
was a big blow two weeks ago from
the east-that's what's done her-and
the salvage men Won't be here yet,
If they ever come"
He stuck the glass to his eye.
She's a yacht, that's what she Is,
m of them small cruisers, not more'n
fifty or sixty, and her fittin's will just
do for us, If she's not been stripped.
There's all sorts Of folks come from
New York and Philadelphia and N
y'Orleans, cruisin' about these seas in
tubs like that-fishin' mostly"
The Sarah held on. almost due
south, with the daring Of a sea-bird,
Satan giving directions to the steers
man and seeming absolutely regard
less Of the death and dangers around
them-reefs that they shaved. rocks
that waves fathom-long ribbons Of fuel
a few feet under water-he avoided
them all.
South, east and west Cormorant
cay Is devoid Of danger. Only here
to the north do the reefs and rocks
show, and II ID just here that the only
entrance to the lagoon lies.
The place consists really OF two
sandspits widely separated to the
north so as to form a pondllke hnrbor
running from FIVE to ten fathoms deep.
Farther south the sandspits join SO
as TO form a wide street, like the spit
to eastward Of Lone reef.
They held on. The sound OF the
gentle surf on the sands came now,
and a full view OF the lagoon water
rejecting the sun blaze like a mirror.
On the still lagoon, with strange
stereoscopic effect seen between the
two sand-arms holding OF the wrinkied
sea. lay the craft, fionting on an ever
keel, and showing n stump of main.
mast against the skyline. From her
| lines she had been n Yacht.