Show AB D story of the by ly RANDALL na irth atlantic copyright A C mcclurg co THE CASTAWAYS ARE SIGHTED BY A SHIP THE INDIAN CHIEF WHICH TAKES THEM ABOARD HERE THEY FIND conditions RATHER AMAZING syn opal palt s I tobert mills who tells tile the story Is n guest on girard oil aril yacht it ly Is supposed to lie be n N stag party and hollis is 18 surprised on oil discovering a woman who evidently wishes to remain unknown aboard hollis tho the next night succeeds in having un nit interview with tile woman site merely tells him her name is vera vcra carrington Carrl tells ills guests of the coming coining war and that lio lie Is engineering it copper pool tile Is 13 sunk gunk in it 11 collision and idol its saves mccunn mccann millionaire and one of the party hollis and sic ble clinn rescue vcra nirl and leave tile ship in a small bout boat mccann refuses ft 1 ses to submit to tho authority of clollis und and the latter enforces obedience CHAPTER vil VII continued 5 Ilo however wever our conversation lapsed at lost last through weariness on my illy part imbt I 1 hall had been at the steering oar so fco long staring out into that drear ex cs panso of ocean and sky that every muscle of my body ached and my lily eyes could scarcely bo be forced to remain open lit in the lie silence she must hue have no ticen this for slie site exclaimed suddenly why I 1 thought though tl you iou must bo be nearly lead dead with etli fatigue let tile ino take the our oar while you jou steel sleep 1 I am afraid abrald I 1 shan have to I 1 admitted for I 1 must keep awake to night you feel competent why of course you ion saw me ine steer it if anything ROCS goes wrong I 1 can cult call you ou easily enough please lie down for a few hours I 1 looked about permitting her to grasp tile tho oar oai and sill blip into my sent scat ll It eally cally I 1 foci feel as if I 1 roust must I 1 said regretfully wid and there tan call be no danger while lille things keep ns they tire ire call me ine though if there Is iq it change lit in the weather feather for that jury mast will mill never stand illy ani of whid 1 I promise li romIse but I 1 nm am a better boatman titan than you think I 1 must have slept for several nl hours horns undisturbed for when I 1 finally opened lily eyes DOS once more UK the sky nano us its was ns beginning to turn purple with bilth tl light and the breeze lind had failed so that tile sall sail lapped flapped idly against its alsed maest this perhaps was as the bolso holcli biad till aroused tile inc I 1 sat up nuda ic awake instantly and stared about ine ii in tile the boat there wits vias little change noticeable miss vern still clung citing to the lie steering oar oai showing tio no outward signs of weariness and greeted me ine with a smile anti tied nod of the lie licad hend lint but mccann had moved forward anul bat placing 11 idly y with an 1111 open jackknife 1 I bear testimony that you slept well mr air hollis the narl said cheerfully 1 I did ill not realize until I 1 lay down donn liow how weary I 1 was as I 1 replied adopting lier her vianner manner but really you iou had find no right to let me inc lie ile so long why I 1 must fiust have been sleeping three or four hours and you sou will be tired out oil no it was no trick at nil all the wind kept steady until just a few moments ngo ago anil and I 1 do not feet in the lie least fatigued and you have seen nothing no smoke no sail fall she shook her head her eyes grown grave era re wot not a tiling thing wo we seem to be absolutely alone in the te immensity of the sen just one great wave after the other it atit it gets on my lily nerves it certainly does such a sight has driven more titan than one insane but what does this mean why Is tho the biscuit bag out hero here 1 I pointed to tile the bottom of tho boat beyond aci ond her feet iler her eyes met luct mine her answer rondo made in a whisper ile he he crept back hero here while I 1 was lid adjusting my oar and took look two mccann yes he had the bag before I 1 noticed and I 1 thought it best not to anger blin then for lie held tant open knife la in his hand you should have called tile me the mischief wits was done before I 1 had any time I 1 knew you needed the he sleep what are you going to do I 1 smiled a bit grimly glimpsing him beli beneath cath tile the sall sail 1 I am about to give 7 mr fergus ann late of new york n little men luen of sea discipline which I 1 hope may lust last liliu him for the remainder of this voyage I 1 replied quietly quirt ly hold tile bout steady miss vern vera and leave mo me to attend to this degen degenerate prate son of wealth I 1 crept forward scarcely jarring the lie frail craft and was beyond the hie jury before ohp fellow had aroused front from tits his knife play even to note my approach lie ile stared at mo me insolently indolently solent ly leaving the keen blade trim mill ming lit in the plunk plank AI cCann I 1 began wasting no time in fit preliminaries lifting myself on oil one knee nud and facing jilin him thu the young lady says you took advantage of my being sound ansle asleep ep to help yourself to biscuits Is that lint so well what it if I 1 lid did I 1 was waa hungry so am 1 I so no doubt Is the lady indy for tile matter of that hunger Is no nn justification for stealing you arre not starving starring you received exactly the aalbue hare wo we did more than that I 1 ibave assumed commend or of this bout boat because I 1 nin am tho the only one on board knowing tile tho ways of tile sen sea I 1 told you yon plainly what you were to do and I 1 propose to enforce my illy orders not another bite will lo be given you today or tomorrow Is that hint so lie drawled a wicked brolle revealing ills his teeth you must think you are dealing with a foremast hand it takes something besides threats to run inn in mr robert 11 IIo llla ollis lie ile halt half arose ills his feet hut but I 1 forced him back onto the thwart nono none too gently ills face was red with pas passion slOn tits ills ryes eyes malevolent D you take your hands off met ino 1 lie ho snarled no blu blustering Mering sen sea bully Is going to make inake me jump it at tile the crook of tits finger you touch 1110 again nna ra ill show you yet who I 1 n in ni you big bruto brute mu mo take orders from you why ive got more money in new york than you ever saw if you owned tile hank bank ot of england it would mean nothing to me you will do what I 1 say nay or ill make you you will how no matter how ive trained more men than you to obed lenco in my illy time and always found it way 11 hull huh I 1 tho the bucko mate business hey lie sneered encored well just try that on oil tile me if you oil think it stife safe ill show you ills liand darted back toward ills his hip pocket but I 1 was its looking for the movement mid and ready ills fingers hall had barely gripped tile butt of ills his weapon when my clinched list fist crashed into ills face I 1 have struck harder blows for I 1 was not poised to put my whole weight behind it yet tile man went over as though floored by an ax and lay huddled in tile bows quivering like a jolly jelly fish I 1 jerked tho the revolver from lie ito grip of ills land hand dropped it into my pocket wrenched the open knife from the wood lit in which it stuck and closed the blade let get up tip now you fool I 1 ordered sharply oil yes you will anti and I 1 gripped him by the collar and lifted hint roughly to ills knees that Is likely to bo be the last time you will ever attempt to pull a gun on roc me make another movement mccann and ill throw you overboard you take your 0 say sir when you speak to M me e 11 orders from mo me and you must jump when I 1 speak or I 1 shall take pleasure in breaking every bono bone in your body do you understand that I 1 doubt it he could see sec out 0 of one eye but tile the other exhibited a terror all almost I 1 lost Pl luli Y yes 11 say sir when you speak to rue yes yes mr keep to this end of the boat hereafter whether I 1 urn am n ioup or awake you stay forward of tho the jury most mast CHAPTER vill VIII we sight a tramp tho the ono one blow coupled with tho the loss of ills his weapons lind had so BO completely cowed tho the follow fellow that I 1 scarcely gave him another thought I 1 crept buck back to the stern nod and took tho the steering oar the ho girls eyce mine lillne question 1 I could not see sec all that occurred be cause of tile the s sail 1111 11 she bhe suld you disarmed fit ma ll tUll 1 I 1 yes I 1 have its his revolver in my pocket and the knife also ile he will make lake no more trouble come we will divide it 11 biscuit between us and thou then it will all ho be your turn to lie down don but Alc Catin line have any iio lius has had more than liun lila ills share already ill offer jilin it a swallow of wn wa ter ler till nil I 1 imagine the way his lead feels lie in has forgotten all about being hungry 11 you lad had to strike him slightly a 0 tup of son sea discipline ana I 1 glanced nt at my illy knuckles he was armed you ou know and I 1 could take no chantos chance 4 there Is no harm harin done conic tire you ou not tired bough nough to 0 rest she to glanced up into my face you will call tile me at it I 1 full fall asleep if I 1 feel worn orn out then and the sen sea keeps beeps na as it Is or no worse there take ray my coat cent for a pillow no really I 1 shall not need it this Is an ideal sum mer gocr night lut but wo we nic are out of the track of sills 11 but do 10 you ou still believe we will lind ind one 1 I have every faith in the world I 1 answered heartily determined to conceal my illy doubts it if the weather fields pleasant wo we should lie far enough south by morning to be in the north atlantic lano lane between now new york and liverpool lie down and rest miss vera there is no sign of tiny storm brewing find and tomorrow probably have hao tho the deck of a liner under your lour feet I 1 know not liow how much she may have alno bell believed eved of what I 1 said but site she smiled tile 1110 a cheerful goodnight good night and lay down in the bottom of the boat my illy coat folded under brider her ter head she rested there motionless her face shadowed by one arm and very cry soon her regular breathing convinced tile nie title slept like n tired tiled child I 1 looked tit nt her shadowy figure then lien forn nril to where mccann bun bunc silent in tile he lows bows what if we should not overhaul n ship what if some evil fate would permit penult of our loafing floating on oil unseen and there were few eatable biscuits left and hanly barely a cupful of te tepid pid water the thought of what tho the ind end might be nearly crazed me ns I 1 sat there alone in tho the silence nna gloom I 1 could picture those final hours of despair to as we lay starved and helpless in the unguided bojt boat the girl mercifully unconscious perhaps and mccann a gibbering idiot my godl cod I 1 I 1 must stop thin thinking hingl 1 I 1 must bo be a man for her ter sake nye nie and retain my self control to so its as to do a mans work to tile tho end at midnight the wind was at its height and I 1 did not call tile the girl na as I 1 dared not trust her to ateer the craft through such rough water she slept undisturbed not even changing her position a mere illin dim outline at my lay feet forward mccann had stowed slowed himself away beyond tile the bow thwart and I 1 could see sec nothing of him under tile the bight of the suit I 1 was tho the only one awake la in the leaping bout lighting fighting its desperate desp way through bluck black waters under the dull gleam of the stars the sun bun lind had begun to show above tile the horizon before the girl finally awoke and sat up ill in the bottom of the boat staring about her with wide open eyes its as though startled by the change in the aspect of the sea finally she lifted herself to the nearest thwart and greeted me reproachfully reproach fully you have let me sleep nil all night rind and lying on your sour cont coat you must bo be tired nearly to death benth far from it and we are to be blessed with another day of sunshine perhaps by afternoon the sea will lao have gone town down and I 1 can got a nap aro are you ready for breakfast my esplan explanation aaion did not satisfy her 1 I could read that in the expression of lier her face but she made no further protest site drew out the biscuits from the locker broke one la in two and handed the half to me inc still clinging to tile the bag her glance fell upon the slouching figure of mccann in the bow and then bar eyes sought roy my face questioningly you xou are arc not going to offer him blin any ile he deserves none lie has already had more than both of us together now how many aro are left seven it alt to eat hut but she hesitated yet ct went on bravely enough please lie he Is not accustomed to being deprived of food anti and la Is really stiffer ing let him have my iny share for I 1 am aln not tit at till all hungry truly I 1 ant am not 1 I shall insist on your eating I 1 said almost sternly your share Is little enough to sustain life if it comes to a choice between saving you and that miserable thing yonder my course Is taken however Ilo weyer I 1 grant crant knur request now although I 1 doubt if hv he shows own even gratitude mcdanal Mc Canal lie ile lifted tits hla head and stored stared aft but without changing attitude here Is your ratios you do not deserve a bite nor would you receive any through me you owe this to the ludy judy catch it now ile he picked the halt biscuit up from the bottom of the boat where it fell lit at ills his feet and begun began bibbing at it like a famished log dog there was no sign of I 1 thankfulness in tits its action and lie continued to glare tit nt us ui with one eye open in sullen insolence the sun blazed down upon us out of at 11 clear sky glistening ulong along the foale of racing waves but as noon tip ap preached tile tho southern sky became misty the clouds increasing in n density until we could see only it few hundred yards beyond our liow bow it was not a storm cloud and brought it no fear of disaster but completely blotted out the horizon and kavo gave it dark sullen to the surrounding waters it must have been three when ft hen mccann suddenly Mid denly gave vent to a startled roar straightening to his knees and pointing straight attend ahead into the smother I 1 stared but saw nothing except the grotesque forms assumed by the whirling mist but vera leaned out over the side shading her eyes what Is ltv it I 1 asked sharply muke a report man niall I 1 A ship yon yonder derl I 1 lie shouted but without turning his hend 1 I saw it plainly enough but it has gone now 1 I see it mr hollist the girl cried ex excitedly cit edly right out there through that lane of nilst alst its a big steamer I 1 straight ahead just it little this way there I 1 you c can 0 it see her bowl now I 1 I 1 till did it mere glimpse instantly obscured cured but visible again a moment later ater Mc mccann mcclafin Clatin was on tits his feet gesticulating wildly now d youl you 1 lie shouted put us on oil board there and ill show you who I 1 am you brute I 1 dare you to put us its on board sit dohnt I 1 ordered now keep still and stand by with will that rope ill put you aboard nil all but until I 1 do you will obey what I 1 auy uy or go into the water I 1 took my eyes oft off him and stared nt at the lie vessel conscious instantly that something was wrong she was apparently patently ly n big steel freighter four thousand tons I 1 guessed her water r line showing shoeing it heavy cargo and her bows red with rust where the black paint hall had disappeared the was broken olt off at the hie tops remaining a preat great splinter anti where the bridge and wheelhouse ought to be there was piled a mass of wreckage sh otting black above tile tho bulwarks bulwa A when wheel ca hall had been rigged aft on tile the poo pleck and lid |