Evening star., 1941-04-27
THE FOURTH
MOMENT
Continued from poge nine

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His dark, saturnine features grew
darker. Another triangular fin. The
sun sank lower yet. The mate said
coldly:
Haul up the boat and see if you
can find strip OF planking you can
use as lance. Wound a few of these
beasts and the others will attack em.
If they eat each other, they'll eat
less of the whale"
Tommy moved as if to obey. Then
he stopped short. He choked with rage
you've killed enough men today!
he cried iercely. You want me to
try to spear sharks so I'll slip over!
| won't try! I've got story to take
back to the ship! won't let you kill
me too"
The mate stared at him. His dark
brows contracted. whats this?"
He was daunting; was formidable.
But Tommy suddenly shouted Graz
lily at him, standing on the dead
whales belly with hungry sharks
hurrying from leagues around and
darkness making its swift approach.
l SAID | won't let you kill me too"
he ragged shrilly. you didn't have to
risk us all to use the lance before this
whale was even tiredl You let the
boat get stove! You're glad when
man dies, because it makes your lay
the bigger! And saw what you did
to Jack Gale! You could've saved him
by reaching out your hand! You
watched him drown. instead! Now
you'd set me to fighting sharks. and
if my foot slipped -"
The mates brows met in the mid
die of his forehead. Tommy fumbled
out his knife again and held it des-
perately. CrouChlng while foam swirled
about his knees. The sun touched the
horizon. Instantly it began to sink
past that barrier between day and
night. The sea turned toward purple.
you fool!' said the mate coldly.
Il forget you are a boy, not a man.
II you're afraid -"
I'm not afraid" cried Tommy.
I'm not afraid of you! But saw you
holding to the boat with one hand,
and | saw you turn your head and
watch Jack Gale drift past and drown
when you could've saved him by
no more than reaching out! And you
sent me aloft in a blow, not knowing
what work was to be done and me
only ten days at sea! You hate me!
You hated Jack Gale! You hate every
man whose lay in the voyage makes
your own share less! You kill us all
and sail the Bedford home alone, if
you could But you can't do it! You
can't! And when tell -"
The sun was more than half hidden
by a distant wall of wave crests.
Shadow deepened in the east. Some
thing lean and savage leaped halfway
clear of the sea, with CORY horror
dangling from its jaws. There was a
swirllng of battle where it splashed
back into the sea.
1HE mates lips frightened Then his
face froze to its customary stern i'm
mobility.
"Y'are fool, he said without heat
or liking "I'll have no more of this
insolence. Stay aft, there, and when
the Bedford comes, make your COM
plant to Captain Polder"
He turned his back upon Tommy.
For moment Tommy stayed
Crouching. his knife ready and fire
of desperation burning in his breast.
But then the sun set. The last small
arc of its disk disappeared. Almost
instantly. it seemed, the trade wind
was cooler. The noise of the waves
grew louder, The stars appeared.
Tommy felt little flare of triumph.
He had defied the mate. He had faced
him with drawn knife And he had
told him what he would report on
board the Bedford. The captain might