The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-01-19

men dragging others from the boats
and killing them on deck or being
killed. She saw The Cid pistol a
seaman in the back and leap TO his
place in the first boat to be lowered.
She saw men leaping from the rail
in mad effort to reach this boat
and falling into the sea, or being
thrown in If they succeeded in
boarding the tossing shell
She saw the other boats being
lowered and men crushed between
them and the ships side-she saw
the depths to which fear can plunge
the braggart and the bully as the
last of the ships company, failing
to win places in the last boat, de-
liberately leaped into the sea and
were drowned.
Standing there upon the high
poop of the rolling derelict, Tanar
and Stellara watched the frantic
efforts of the oarsmen in the over
crowded small boats. They saw one
boat foul another and both foun-
der. They watched the drowning
men battling the sea and the Shrek
Of the wind as the storm returned
as though fearing that some might
escape its fury.
I'VE are alone" said Stellara
They have all gone"
Let them go" replied Tanar. Il
would not exchange places with
them"
But there can be no hope fol-
U.s." said the girl.
There as no more for them, y
replied the Sarian, land at least
we are not crowded into small
boat filled with cutttroats.'
You are more afraid Of the men
than you are of the sea-" she said.
For you, yes" he replied.
why should you fear for me?"
she demanded. Am not also your
enemy?"
He turned his eyes quickly upon
her and they were filled with sur
prise. THAT is So" he said; "but
somehow, I had forgotten it-you
do not seem like an enemy, as the
others do. You do not seem like
one of them, even"
Clinging to the rail and support
ing the girl upon the lurching deck
Tanar's lips were close to Stellar'S
ear as he sought to make himself
heard above the storm,
A SEA struck the staggering
IA ship, throwing Tanar forward
so that his cheek touched the cheek
of the girl and as she turned her
head his lips brushed hers. Each
realized that it was an accident, but
the effect was none the less surpris-
ing. Tanar, for the first time, felt
the girls body against his and con-
seriousness of contact must have
been reflected in his eyes, for Stel-
lara shrank back and there was an
expression Of fear in hers.
Tanar saw the fear in the eyes OF
an enemy, but it gave him no pleas
ure. He tried to think only Of the
treatment that would have been &C
vi NOll1flll III lid VI 40C 4lOl
one been at the mercy of the
Korsars. but that, too, failed to sat-
isfy him as it only could if he were
to admit that he was of the same
ignoble clay as the men of Korsar
But whatever thoughts were trou-
bling the minds of Stellara ano
Tanar temporarily were submerged
by the grim tragedy of the succeed
ing few moments, as another ire
menous sea, the most gigantic that
yet had assailed the broken ship
hurled its countless tons upon hes
shivering deck.
To Tanar is seemed, indeed, tina
this must mark the end, since it wa
inconceivable that the unmanage'
able hulk could rise again from TIT
smother of water that surged com
pletely over her almost to the yer.
highest deck of the towering poop
where the two chung against tn,
tearing wind and the frightfu
pitching Of the derelict.
But, as the sea rolled on, the Silil
slowly, sluggishly struggled to tn
surface like an exhausted swimmer
who. drowning, struggles weak.
against the inevitability of fate ant
battles upward for one last gasp o
air that will, at best, but prolong tn
agony of death.
AS the main deck slowly emerget
from the receding water, Tanar wa
Mortified by the discovery that tn
forward hatch had been stove In
That the ship must have taken il
considerable water, and that eacl
succeeding wave that broke over /
would add to the quantity, affecte'
the Sarian less than knowledge O
the fact that 1t was beneath thi
hatch that his fellow prisoners wer
confined.
THRCUGH the black menace c
Il his almost hopeless situatio
had shone a single bright ray c
hope that, should the ship weathe
the storm, there would be aboar
her score of his fellow Pelluci
darians and that together the
might find the means to rig
makeshift sail and work their wa
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