Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-08-29
CHAPTER XIV
Through a Sea of Floating
Birthstone to Fiji

we fitu uii d.uib uEufeu ttHt wv
might have to 60 to the FIJI islands
where constant stream of sailing
ships was always taking aboard coprn
for the munition factories In the
United States But we also were fully
aware that sailing In little open
bnnf from Caok Islands TO the Fills
might easily he q perilous venture.
Our voyage so far had gone fairly
smoothly. There had been no hnrri
canes, and we thanked God for that
But now the weather turned against
Us for O whole week. and we began TO
think we had run across ST. Swlthin's
day. We had forgnften-if we mad
ever known it-that this was the time
when the equinnctal storms broke I'm
those waters. Had we known II, we
never would have headed for the Fills.
For ten days we sailed through
drenching downpuur the rainy season
The sea was choppy. The wind
whipped the spray and the crests of
waves over US In driving sheets. In
our cockleshel. things were afnat. and
II was hitter cold o nights. We threw
our mattresses overheard. In their
soaked condition they were far worse
10 sleep on than the wet nlanks, and
there was no use keeping them any
longer. When the sun occasionally
shone, our drenfhed clothes would dry
quickly and stiifen like boards OF salt.
They rubbed and scratched the skin
Off our bodies When they got wet
again. which they promptly did. the
salt would soak into the raw flesh and
lnfiame It. Our bodies fell as though
they we're on fire. We had 10 regular
sleep. Instead, man would doze
away suddenly al almost any time.
Even tl,e helmsman would browse off
like that. and, with free rndder. the
boat would veer around crafty.
One morning when dawn came, w.
could hardly believe our eyes The
sea hud turned from Its normal blue
to yellow. On scoaping up u pail OF !
we found a scum that we concluded
must he birthstone and ash. We were
sailing through field Of birthstone
| For three days we saw from horizon
to horizon this yellowish eypanse OF
volcanic dust. II no doubt came from
| some submarine eruption perhaps the
one we could think for the tidal wave
that had wrecked the SeendIer. The
waves carried the gritty dust into the
boat. II penetrated everything Ever,
surface became like sun1pnper. Our
| skin grew rough and caked with IT,
| Our blankets were like snndpaper. and
50 were our clothes.
As the voyage grew longer. we had
| 10 be mare and more sparing with our
drinking water The supply began TO
run low we could no longer collect
rain water In our sails. They we're
conied With saft. We tried to wash
them out In the rain but then the
spray and the waves KEPT washing 10
| and kept the Sails salty and added a
| further sailing to any water we col
lecied Our supply OF fruit that we
| had picked up In the Geek islands
ran out now. and about all we had
left vas bareback, not In itself
thirst-quenching kind of fond. Our
gums dried OUT and were like rough
Iron We sucked our fingers and
| gnawed at our knuckIes to bring a
| flow Of saliva and refresh our burning
mouths.
And then came the sailors worst
enemy. scurvy. Our diet of bareback
lack Of exercise. and general hardships
| brough. II on. Our knees swelled up
SO badly that we had to cut our
| trousers. Tile rocking of the boat
knocked them together or against tine
wooden sides, and then the pain was
almost uncomfortable. Our lips were
black and broken. Our tongues were
swollen and hard II was as II you
mad stone In your mouth. Our gums
| cede Our teeth felt as though they
we're sticking far oui Of our jaws
| They hurt constantly and were loose
and felt as If they were going to drop
| out With these shaking teeth we ate
! our bareback | never before knew
/ how hard bareback was We had un
| ending headaches, and II seemed as L!
something were pressing our eyes right
| out of their sockets We got water
In our legs, and could hardly stand
any more. We had 10 slide around the
/ seats to do what had 10 he done In
| navigating the boat In scurvy, the
| blood turns TO water, first In the legs
and then upward. When II reaches
the heart you die. Where the blood
/ Is water the flesh Is white. and you
can see the line of the white creep
slowly up. We wondered who would
| be the first-the first to have the line
! Of white rise 10 the heart My nOys
made marks 10 show the line clearly
and mark Its daily progress upward
Ii was kind OF sport. II WAS keep
Ing daily log. a log OF death. Par
mlen vas the youngest OF us, but he
seemed To be on his way to win the
race. The line was higher on him
| than on the others. He joked about
1t. There was nothing terrible In II.
| We were all In o deep apathy. Oui