Evening star., 1942-10-07
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.
We had another prayer meeting
that night, and every night there
after. Each evening. after the suns
flamboyant departure left us feel
ing more alone in a world that
suddenly lost all color, we devoted
perhaps an hour to our informal
service. There was a comfort in
passing our burden to some one
bigger than we in this empty vast
ness. Further, the common devotion
drew us together, since it seemed
that we no longer depended entirely
upon each other, but could appeal,
simultaneously, to a fourth that we
three hold equally in reverence.
After our halting prayers-neithe
Gene nor I was scholarly in forma,
religion, and Tony could pray only
in Polish-we developed naturally
the Fellowship period" familiar to
those who have attended Protestant
Sunday school.
We sang some popular songs
time or two. I couldn't remember
nay ShSSpC OkA4 o11CO. lldOll U6eIl
to a dance. except occasionally, in
IL or Is years, and popular songs
90 away from me. The songs that
I knew, the boys had never heard.
The more recent ones that they
could sing, I couldn't. However,
we managed to get together on a
few, and that gave us lift.
1.%>
how little we knew about the Bible
One night, after our prayer meeting,
I told little Bible story. Appropri-
ately, it was the miracle of the
loaves and fishes.
The boys were tickled with it.
In my youth had been brought up
IN a denomination of the church
that holds regular Sunday school,
10 drew upon long memory. OF
course, the stories were in my own
improviSed words. I hadn't been
to church for many years, so it's
Easy to imagine how good I was at
recalling the stories I had learned
rs a youngster. I hadn't been inside
a civilian church since 1928, when
I was back home after my first
cruise. Aboard ship, the chapel
services which I occasionally at
tended included everything but
Bible stories.
Recalled Bible Stories.
My religious training had been
such that could now recall all the
favorlte stories Of the Scriptures,
but nowhere near verbatim. Gene
recalled a number of stories. put
couldn't tell them. He would think
OF a story, and then it would be
up to me to tell it.
Tony had never heard any of
these things before. In his church.
all the services were in Polish-or
Latin. The best-known Biblical
tales were all new to him. He
begged me every night to tell him
more and more.
Well, I didn't want to tell him
everything knew in one night, so
each evening I'd tell one story. That
went on until the end.
I found my recollections of the
Bible very useful in the last week
or 10 days, when we were all ey-
hibiting a tendency to brood over
our position. One of my hazy par
ables would snap us out of our
depression and start a flood of
discussion in which our dismal out
look was momentarily forgotten.
Many time I wished a preacher
or some one we'll versed in Scrip
ture were present The wording I
used would certainly shock Bible
student. "
Nightfall brought a quieting in
the boat. such is the force of life
long habit. The night was cooler
and more treacherous, and when the
moon was down and clouds covered
the stars. it had darkness that
few landsmen know. Sundown
brought lull in conversation. The
prayer meeting gave us a sense of
having an evening, but then our
lids grew heavy. and we remembered
bitterly that somewhere folks were
crawling into bed.
In such reflections we fell silent,
each Of us with his own thoughts,
which l imagine came close to a
pattern.
Rain Comes Again.
Gene took the watch. Tony lay
down in the bottom again and tried
to sleep. l idly checked the con-
stellations and tried to keep my
thoughts impersonal by going over
and over various navigational CA
culations regarding our position and
probable drift.
We sat thus for some time, our
thoughts accompanied by the monot-
onous tapping of small waves against
the raft. Several times a sense of
something changed, somehow, tried
to disturb my reverie. Finally,
moved by some automatic sense,
/ looked up, and discovered that
the stars had disappeared. At the
same time, l noted a subtle differ
ence in the atmosphere.
Then I became conscious of
growing scund-soft. like the wind
rustling palm fronds, but with a
higher tempo and steadier. In
another few seconds the first big
drops hit my head and shoulders
and I Immediately reused Tony.
We were having another rain.
Our arrangements for catching
water, once rehearsed, were like a
well-drilled manual. The shower
thudded upon us with violent fury,
then was as quickly gone. Our sys-
tenn of making every pliable inch of
fabric into vessel, augmenting the
water thus caught by wringing out
the highly absorbent rags from our
shorts, gave us all a good drink this
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