Evening star., 1954-11-18

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but taking the regular latitude
sight since the sun was playing
hide and seek behind the clouds,
prepared to get the sail up as
fast as possible. That was the
main thing-to get it up and get
on my way.
Halyard Fouls rs Feet Up.
All the running gear had to be
in perfect order. A hitch might
easily tear the sail again and I'd
have to start all over. So ]
checked the rigging. One Of the
halyards had fouled in a block
about Is feet above the deck,
saw. Another problem another
job. The WEAKNESS was still on
me. but such a trip as mine, in
which I sought to test myself
against the open Pacific, would
permit no delay. I went to the
rope ladder leading up the mast
and started climbing it. ]
counted the ladder as the second
| greatest danger of my voyage,
The worst was falling overheard
The ladder. running from the
deck to the crosspiece near the
top of the 30-foot mast, swung
and jerked violently. I could
barely get aloft. I hung on with
difficulty as the rupture I had
suffered so many weeks before,
back at the Ecuadorean island OF
Puma, had become progressively
worse. It was like being on a
trick ladder, it swung and piv-
oted SO much. Once again I was
reminded of how. after losing Sc
many weeks building my raft, ]
had hurried through some final
preparations under the pressing
deadline of the approaching hur-
ricane season.
had made the ladder out OF
1-inch rope of common quail
| ity; it was constantly shrinking
and stretching as it got wet and
then dried. Under emergency
conditions, I had frightened it as
best I could with the aid of the
hand winch. But it should have
been of cable. The fault, once
| again, was mine.
Hooks Arms on Rungs.
At last I managed to clear the
block and started down again
This time, the ladder once more
began. to twist, quickly and vio-
lently, as if a hundred hands
were trying to fling me of. Time
after time I had to pause and
just hang on. At one point, about
IL feet over the deck, it became
so bad had to hang on for
dear life.
On the choppy sea the raft
rolled back and forth abruptly
My hands, weakened from the
struggle back to the ship on the
fishing line, and after the con-
tinuous labor on the rigging
were swollen and sore. I hooked
my arms and legs around the
ladders ropes and rungs. This
generally helped and I had done
it many times before while wait
ing for a letup' when I could slip
down to the deck.
But no letup came this time.
! thought my arms would come
apart at the elbows, or that the
bones would break. I had to do
something. unlocked my arms,
slipped down a little and halt
jumped, half fell to the deck. ]
was about 10 feet up-far enough
to be tricky, but not enough to
be really perilous.
AS I fell, I almost cleared the
hand winch, beneath which, on
my way up, I had noticed Meekie
sleeping. But my foot caught on
the handle of the winch. ! re.
member this and I remember
turning and striking the deck
with my right shoulder and my
head. It was piece of the iron
hard mangrove wood beneath the
winch that I struck.
Consciousness Returns.
Consciousness came back
slowly. Or at least it seemed so
1t was, night-that / remember
For a long time. it seemed, had
been listening to the pounding
of the sea.
I was drenched, I was aware
as the sea came over continually
The water was warm. opened
my eyes. The sky was clear and
full of stars. I saw the mast and
the ladder and the bowsprit with
its jib. ! realized the jib was
filled with wind-the raft was
steering itself. 1t had steered it.
self all during the time-perhaps
10 hours-that lay unconscious
and helpless.
There was soreness in the back
OF my head and neck-that
was aware Of. But my senses
reluctant to return. saw Meekie
sitting beside me, straight as q
statue, her big eyes on the comb
ers breaking into foam beside
the raft. The thought came to
me: She is looking for flying fish
to land on deck to make a meal
for her. Under me the deck was
rolling strongly. I blacked out
again.
I think that now and then ]
came to-~or at least I seem to
have been listening to the waves
again, laundering along the logs
beneath me-.
Gets Cup Of Water.
The realization seems to have
reached me that I was being re-
peatedly doused. I awoke agin
and the sun was burning on my
head. My senses tried to sink
into oblivion agin. It was good
to lie and rest. The sun seemed
to grow hotter. BY the time !
was fully awake it was afternoon
and the sun stood In a clear sky.
The Seven Little Sisters was on
a fair course, ! could tell by the
position of the sun. My yard
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