Evening star., 1926-12-27

I
/ to stare out at the white fury. They
| saw him start. become rigid and
| thrust his head forward, as though
| for a nearer view of something. Then
| he wiped the spray out of his eyes
and stared again.
Half a minute later he raised a
glass to his eye and stared through
that.
Presently he made a gesture of com
mand From out of the swirl of froth
that swept the deck appeared the hud-
died figure of a sailor. The officer
handed him a glass and pointed to
spot out in the sea. The sailor studied
1t for an instant. returnd the glass and
nodded. Without a second glance at
the ocean they hurried forward along
the deck. fighting their way against
the hurricane.
Something off to leeward had been
discovered The discovery had been
verified Trask and the girl looked at
each other inquiringly. What was it?
The explanation was swift in com
ing. Trask gripped the girls arm and
pointed seaward as a, rain squall
passed, There. rising sullenly on the
crest Of a comber, was the outline of
vessel-a black, sinister thing, with
the stumps of mastS sticking out of
her deck. AS they watched she slid
from sight.
Sidney gasped. For what seemed
an interminable time the sea was
again barren of anything save rush.
ing waves and flying spume. Then,
rolling with sickening deliberateness,
the vision appeared again.
"A wreck" she whispered.
He nodded as he watched it disap-
pear once more into a valley between
two great waves.
do you suppose there Is anybody
aboard?"
Perhaps. 1t wasn'e that I was
thinking of. Wait. / want TO find out
something more
She stayed at the portfolio, while
Trask made his way out of the saloon.
He came back wearing a visage SO
grave that she questioned him anx
iously with her eyes He replied
Sidney, there's some danger"
II could tell that when / saw you.
What is it?'
This ship is only partly under con,
troll. We're really drifting, although
one screw is still working. And that
thing out there
He pointed to the dark hull, now
less than a quarter of mile distant.
You mean we may hit it?' she
asked quickly.
IT'S right in the line Of our drift"
She gazed out at the menace, then
back at Trask- Her eyes We're steady,
and so was her voice when she said:
What will happen them"
He shrugged his shoulders.
1T might-sink us?"
1T might"
She studied the derelict again, then
looked up at him.
I'm glad father isn't with us,
Billy" she said. 'He has years Of
work ahead of him yet"
Trask's heart leaped. He knew she
was that kind =
"Of course, we probably won't hit
it at all" he told her, trying to put a
confident tone in his voice. But I
thought you ought to understand the
situation
'It was perfectly right of you to
tell me-" she answered Il won't say
I'm not afraid. I am, of course. But
just because I'm afraid | won't
crumple up-that is, I don't think /
will. It wouldn't help any,"
There was a struggling procession
of figures in sou'westerS along the
deck. They We're drgging some heavy
object. Even above the roar of the
storm Trask caught the faint echo
of voice shouting commands.
do you know,"l he said, II am
rather glad Capt. Blodgett Is the boss
| of this ship. / don't like him, but he
impresses me in a way"
| II was thinking the same thing
| only a minute ago." she answered,
quietly. "If there is anything to be
| done Capt. Blodgett will do it,"
| They were nearer to the derelict
now, grimly drifting upon 1t broad
brsH HA @f ftaa anN~fI aA
| to have spread through the ship by a
sort of telepathy. Scores of pale-faced
| passengers were crowded ct the port
holes watchig the half-crippled ship
and the wholly disabled one narrow
| the distance between them.
Suddenly the girl clutched Trask s
hand tightly and cried:
There is somebody aboard ft!'
/ He looked, but could see nothing.
| up on one of the mastsr' she said,
| pointing Il saw something mover
| Now he made out a huddled mass
| clinging near the top of the only
whole spar that was left in the vessel
which had been q three-master and
apparently a square-rigger. AS they
watched it there was g. sudden move
ment in the mass. Something waved.
Dozens of watchers caught the signal.
There was a murmur of awed voices
in the saloon. The peril of the Gulf
| Stream herself was forgotten in the
new discovery.
"Wil we try to save them" she
whispered.
God knows" answered Trask 1--WE
may have all we can do to save our
selves"
"It would be a horrible thing to leave
Ithem"
Scarcely 200 yards separated the yes
sells, for the Gulf Stream, with her
high freeboard, was drifting far more
rapidly than the half-submerged hulk
in her lee
Lets go farther forward" said
Trask 1--WE can see better"
He gripped her arm tightly and to-
gether they staggered toward the bow
pausing now and then to cling to some
support when the ship careened per
iIously under the onslaught of the
wind.
There was q booming noise from
somewhere on the deck. A projectile
followed by q long, sinuous line, shot
out from the Gulf Stream. It de
scribed q high arc, paused for O. min
ute above the derelict and ther
plunged downward toward the sea
Had 1t reached?
One Of the figures clinging to the
mast detached itself from the grouI
and began slow and painful descen
of the shrouds, his body fattenes
against them by the pressure of th'
wind. For seconds at a time he wa
hidden from sight behind sheets o
water and spray, but at each reap
Ipearance he was nearer the wave
swept deck.
He reached it and chung desperatel!
tn the rail for ii minute apparent,
trying to regain his strength. Thel
| he began to work his way slowly ait
pausing several times as the sea
tried to snatch him from his prooe
sous footing