Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-01-21

Much debris from the steamer was
lying high and dry 1t was an easy
task for an athletic man to reach the
palm tree, yet the sailor hesitated,
with almost imperceptible qualms.
"a baiteG rat-trap," he muttered
Then he quickened his pace. With the
first active spring from rock to rock
his unacknowledged doubts vanished
He might find stores of priceless utili-
ty. The reflection inspired him. Jump
ing and climbing like a cat, in two
minutes he was near the tree.
He could now see the true explana-
tion of its growth in a seemingly i'm
possible place. Here the bed OF the
sea bulged upwards in small sand
cay, which silteo round the base of
limestone rock, so different in color
and formation from the coral reef. Ma
ture, whose engineering cOntrIVanceS
can force springs to mountain tops,
managed TO deliver to this isolated
refuge a sufficient supply of water to
nourish the palm, and the roots, firm
ly lodged IN deep crevices, were well
protected from the waves.
Between the sailor and the tree in
tervened a small stretch of shallow
water. Landward this submerged sad
die shelved steeply into the lagoon.
Although the water in the cove was
twenty fathoms in depth, its crystal
clearness was remarkable. The bot
tom, composed of marvelouSly white
sand and broken coral, rendered, other
objects conspicuous. He could see
plenty of fish, but not single shark,
whilst on the inner slope OF the reef
was plainly visible the destroyed fore
part of the Sirdar, which had struck
beyond the tree, relatively to his pres
emit standpoint He had wondered why
no boats were cast ashore. Now he
saw the reason. Three of them were
still fastened to the davits and car
ried down with the hull.
Seward the water was not so clear
The waves created patches of foam,
and long submarine plants swayed
gently in the undercurrent.
! To reach Palm-tree Rock-antlc1-
pating it's subsequent name-he must
cross a space of some thirty feet and
wade up to his waist.
/ He made the passage with ease.
| Pitched against the bole of the tree
was a long narrow case, very heavy.
iron-clamped, and marked with let
ters in black trlangles and the broad
arrow of the British Government.
"Rifes, by all the gods!" shouted
! the sailor. They were really by the
Enfield Small Arms Manufactury, but
| his glee at this stroke of luck might
be held to excuse verbal inaccuracy.
| The Sirdar carried a consignment OF
arms and ammunition from Hong
Kong to Singapore. Providence had
decreed that a practically inexhaust-
| ible store of cartridges should be
hurled across the lagoon to the island.
And here were Lee-Metfords enough to
equip half a company. He would not
risk the precious axe in an attempt
| to open the case. He must go back for
croWbar.
What else was there in this store
house, thrust by Neptune from the
ocean bed? A chest of tea, seemingly
undamaged Three barrels of flour, ut
terly ruined A saloon chair, smashed
| from it's pivot. A battered chronomet-
err. For the rest, fragments OF timber
| intermingie ed with pulverized coral and
broken cfockery
A little further on, the deep-water
entrance to the lagoon curved be-
tween sunken rocks. On one of them
rested the Sirdar's huge funnel The
northwest section of the reef was
bare. Among the wreckage he found p
coil of stout rope and a pulley. He
instantly conceived the idea of con-
structing an aerial line to ferry the
chest Of tea across the channel he had
forded
He threaded the pulley with the
rope and climbed the tree, adding a
touch of artistic completeness to the
ruin of his trousers by the operation.
He had fastened the pulley high up
the trunk before he realized how much
more simple it would be to break open
the chest where it lay and transport
it's contents in small parcels.
He laughed lightly. 81 am becoming
addleheaded," he said to himself
anyhow, now the job is done l may
as we'll make use of it.
Recoiling the rope-ends, he cast
them across to the reef. In such small
ways do men throw invisible dice with
death. With those two lines he would,
within a few feeting seconds, drag
himself back from eternity.
Picking up the axe, he carelessly
stepped into the water, not knowing
that Iris, having welded the incipient
sage into a fiat pancake, had strolled
to the beach and was watching him.
The water was hardly above his
knees when there came a swirling
rush from the seaweed. A long tenta-
Gle shot out like lasso and gripped
his right leg. Another coiled round
his waist.
"My God!" he gurgled, as a horrid
sucker closed over his mouth and
nose He was in the grip of a devil
fish
A deadly sensation of nausea al
most overpowered him, but the love of
life came to his aid, and he tore the
suffocating feeler from his face. Then
the axe whirled, and one of the eight
arms of the octopus lost some of its
length. Yet a fourth flung itself
around his left ankle. A few feet away,
out of range of the axe, and lifting
itself bodily out of the water, was the
dread form of the cutie, apparently
all head, with distended gills and
monstrous eyes.
The sailors feet were planted wide
apart. With frenzied effort he hacked
DIT Tie tShIclS1Oo, OdI LIZ
water hindered him, and he was
forced to lean back, in superhuman
strain. to avoid losing his blaance. If
once this terrible assailant got MN
down he knew he was lost. The very
need to keep his feet prevented him
from attempting to deal a mortal
blow
The cutie was anchored by three OF
it's tentacles. It's remaining arm darted
with sinuous activity to again clutch
IL With tho