The Washington times., 1936-09-28

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/ the left bank. The foliage and
vegetation were luxuriant and as
the beech trees grew by thou
sands, Doniphan named it Beech
Forest.
BY night nine miles had been
covered. Another nine lay before
them when the march was taken
up again at sunrise.
There was reason to hurry.
The weather threatened to
change. The wind, which came
from the west, had tendency
to get cooler. Already the clouds
chased each other. A storm ac-
companied by torrential rain
would be rather awkward and
make it necessary to return to
the shelter of Bear-Rock.
They hurried but had to fight
the wind which was blowing
from the sea. The journey was
hard and a bad night was to be
feared. At 5 o'clock in the eve
ming heavy thunder was heard
and there was continuous light
ming. The idea that they were
nearing the end Of their goal
encouraged the boys to go on.
They would always be able to
find shelter under the trees, and
the shore could not be far.
About 8 o'clock they heard the
waves beating against some reefs,
which indicated the presence OF
rocks at some distance from
Chairman Island.
Meantime, the sky, already
yelled by a thick mist, was getting
darker. Beyond the trees stretched
the beach for about a quarter of
a mile where the waves beat
against the northern reefs.
Doniphan, Webb, Cross and Will
cox, although very tired, had still
the strength to run. They wanted
to see this part of the Pacific
while the day lasted. Was it a
limitless sea, or only a narrow
channel which separated this
coast from a continent or from an
island?
Suddenly Wilcox, q little ahead
Of the others, stopped short. He
pointed to a rowboat lying on its
side, and close by, near the line
of sea wrack which outlined the
limit Of the rising tide, Wilcox
saw two bodies few steps away.
Doniphan. Webb and Cross had
stopped in their tracks. Then,
without thinking, they ran across
the beach to the two bodies
stretched out on the sands. Dead
bodies, perhaps!
Then, filled with terror, not
even thinking that perhaps little
life remained in these bodies and
that it might be important to give
immediate help, they quickly re-
turned to find a refuge under the
trees. The night was already
black and the bowling of the
winds was enhanced by the ter
rible noise of a stormy sea.
What q storm The trees were
cracking on all sides, and it was
impossible to camp on the beach.
All that night Doniphan, Wilcox,
Webb and Cross remained at the
same place and could not close
their eyes a single instant. The
cold made them suffer cruelty.
Uneasy nerves also kept them
awake. That boat! Where did it
come from? Those castaways!
To what nation did they belong?
Was there land in the neighbor-
hood, since boat had landed on
the island? Or had it come from
a ship which had been wrecked on
the reefs at the height of the
storm?
At the same time their minds
were a prey to all sorts of nallu-
cinationS. They thought they
could hear distant cries when the
wind softened a little, and strain
ing their ears, they were asking
themselves if other castaways
were not wandering on the beach?
No! They were victims of their
imagination. No desperate call
was heard in the middle of the
violent storm. Now they thought
they had been wrong in giving
way to their first moment of ter
ror. They wanted to run toward
the reef at the risk of being
thrown down by the squall!. .
(TO Be COntinued)
Translation from the original "Deux
Ans de Vacances" copyright 1885, by
Celesta Hamer-Jackson; distributed by
King Features Syndicate. Inc.
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