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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-03 15:34:04 -0800 |
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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-03 15:34:04 -0800 |
| commit | ce116e53643d91a67af558a7cba9bd153ed1805e (patch) | |
| tree | b538c61ae0cb21e50373ccd5b870d8f63653bf81 /46600-h/46600-h.html | |
| parent | b274c527c4d2d3ad66a4c12d65eff1e0866a7b05 (diff) | |
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| -rw-r--r-- | 46600-h/46600-h.html | 10919 |
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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } - -</style> -<title>BY THE WORLD FORGOT</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="By the World Forgot" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Cyrus Townsend Brady" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1917" /> -<meta name="MARCREL.ill" content="Clarence F. Underwood" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="46600" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2014-08-16" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="By the World Forgot A Double Romance of the East and West" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="By the World Forgot A Double Romance of the East and West" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="world.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2014-08-17T02:13:25.419476+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46600" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="Cyrus Townsend Brady" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="Clarence F. Underwood" name="MARCREL.ill" /> -<meta content="2014-08-16" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.20 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="by-the-world-forgot"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">BY THE WORLD FORGOT</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> -included with this eBook or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: By the World Forgot -<br /> A Double Romance of the East and West -<br /> -<br />Author: Cyrus Townsend Brady -<br /> -<br />Release Date: August 16, 2014 [EBook #46600] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>BY THE WORLD FORGOT</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 65%" id="figure-10"> -<img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=""My God!" cried Beekman, staring into the white mist, appalled by what he saw. Page 271" src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">"My God!" cried Beekman, staring into the white mist, appalled by what he saw. Page </span><a class="italics reference internal" href="#id1">271</a></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="xx-large">By The World -<br />Forgot</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">A Double Romance of the East and West</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">By CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">With Frontispiece -<br />By CLARENCE F. UNDERWOOD</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">A. L. BURT COMPANY -<br />Publishers New York</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Published by arrangement with A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container verso"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">Copyright -<br />A. C. McClurg & Co. -<br />1917</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Published September, 1917</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><em class="italics small">Copyrighted in Great Britain</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container dedication"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">TO -<br />MY GOOD FRIEND AND KINSMAN</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">JOHN F. BARRETT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CONTENTS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">BOOK I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">"</span><em class="italics medium">Ship me somewheres east of Suez</em><span class="medium">"</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>I </span><a class="reference internal" href="#a-clash-of-wills-and-hearts">A Clash of Wills and Hearts</a><span> -<br />II </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-stubbornness-of-stephanie">The Stubbornness of Stephanie</a><span> -<br />III </span><a class="reference internal" href="#bill-woywod-to-the-rescue">Bill Woywod to the Rescue</a><span> -<br />IV </span><a class="reference internal" href="#a-bachelor-s-dinner-and-its-ending">A Bachelor's Dinner and Its Ending</a><span> -<br />V </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-wedding-that-was-not">The Wedding That Was Not</a><span> -<br />VI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#stephanie-is-glad-after-all">Stephanie Is Glad After All</a><span> -<br />VII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#up-against-it-hard">Up Against It Hard</a><span> -<br />VIII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-anvil-must-take-the-pounding">The Anvil Must Take the Pounding</a><span> -<br />IX </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-game-and-the-end">The Game and the End</a><span> -<br />X </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-mystery-of-the-last-words">The Mystery of the Last Words</a><span> -<br />XI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-triangle-becomes-a-quadrilateral">The Triangle Becomes a Quadrilateral</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">BOOK II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">"</span><em class="italics medium">An' they talks a lot o' lovin', -<br />But wot do they understand?</em><span class="medium">"</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>XII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-hardest-of-confessions">The Hardest of Confessions</a><span> -<br />XIII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-search-determined-upon">The Search Determined Upon</a><span> -<br />XIV </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-boatswain-s-story">The Boatswain's Story</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">BOOK III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">"</span><em class="italics medium">Where there aren't no Ten Commandments</em><span class="medium">"</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>XV </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-spirit-of-the-island">The Spirit of the Island</a><span> -<br />XVI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-speech-of-his-forefathers">The Speech of His Forefathers</a><span> -<br />XVII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-house-that-was-taboo">The House That Was Taboo</a><span> -<br />XVIII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#moonlight-midnight-madness">Moonlight Midnight Madness</a><span> -<br />XIX </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-kiss-that-was-different">The Kiss That Was Different</a><span> -<br />XX </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-message-of-the-past">The Message of the Past</a><span> -<br />XXI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-watcher-on-the-rocks">The Watcher on the Rocks</a><span> -<br />XXII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#twice-saved-by-truda">Twice Saved by Truda</a><span> -<br />XXIII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#truda-comes-to-his-prison">Truda Comes to His Prison</a><span> -<br />XXIV </span><a class="reference internal" href="#so-farre-so-fast-the-eygre-drave">"So Farre, So Fast the Eygre Drave"</a><span> -<br />XXV </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-indomitable-ego">The Indomitable Ego</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">BOOK IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">"</span><em class="italics medium">I've a neater, sweeter maiden, -<br />In a cleaner, greener land</em><span class="medium">"</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>XXVI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#in-danger-all">In Danger All</a><span> -<br />XXVII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-speechless-castaways">The Speechless Castaways</a><span> -<br />XXVIII </span><a class="reference internal" href="#they-comfort-each-other">They Comfort Each Other</a><span> -<br />XXIX </span><a class="reference internal" href="#the-island-haven">The Island Haven</a><span> -<br />XXX </span><a class="reference internal" href="#revelations-and-withholdings">Revelations and Withholdings</a><span> -<br />XXXI </span><a class="reference internal" href="#vi-et-armis">Vi et Armis</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-clash-of-wills-and-hearts"><span class="bold large">BOOK I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"</span><em class="bold italics medium">Ship me somewheres east of Suez</em><span class="bold medium">"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold x-large">BY THE WORLD FORGOT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">A CLASH OF WILLS AND HEARTS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"For the last time, will you marry me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you don't love him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you do love me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't believe it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would I be here if I did not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now that adverb was rather indefinite. "Here" might -have meant the private office, which was bad enough, or his -arms, which was worse or better, depending upon the -view-point. She could think of nothing better to dispel the -reasonable incredulity of the man than to nestle closer to him, if -that were possible, and kiss him. It was not a perfunctory -kiss, either. It meant something to the woman, and she made -it mean something to the man. Indeed, there was fire and -passion enough in it to have quickened a pulse in a stone -image. It answered its purpose in one way. There could -be no real doubt in the man's mind as to the genuineness of -that love he had just called in question in his pique at her -refusal. The kiss thrilled him with its fervor, but it left -him more miserable than ever. It did not plunge him -immediately into that condition, however, for he drew her closer -to his breast again, and as the struck flint flashes fire he gave -her back all that she had given him, and more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ordinarily in moments like that it is the woman who first -breaks away, but the solution of touch was brought about by -the man. He set the girl down somewhat roughly in the -chair behind the big desk before which they were standing -and turned away. She suffered him thus to dispose of her -without explanation. Indeed, she divined the reason which -presently came to his lips as he walked up and down the big -room, hands in pockets, his brows knitted, a dark frown on -his face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't stand any more of that just now," he said, -referring to her caress; "if ever in my life I wanted to think -clearly it is now and with you in my arms--Say, for the -very last time, will you marry me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean you will not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Put it that way if you must. It amounts to the same -thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why can't you, or won't you, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've told you a thousand times."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Assume that I don't know and tell me again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the use?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it gives me another chance to show you how foolish -you are, to overrule every absurd argument that you can -put forth--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Except two."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My father and myself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly. You have inherited a full measure, excuse me, -of his infernal obstinacy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Most people call it invincible determination."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It doesn't make any difference what it's called, it -amounts to the same thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose I have."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now look at the thing plainly from a practical point of view."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is there anything practical in romance, in love, in -passions like ours?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is something practical in everything I do and -especially in this. I've gone over the thing a thousand times. -I'll go over it again once more. You don't love the man you -have promised to marry; you do love me. Furthermore, he -doesn't love you and I do--Oh, he has a certain affection -for you, I'll admit. Nobody could help that, and it's -probably growing, too. I suppose in time he will--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Love me as you do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never; no one could do that, but as much as he could love -any one. But that isn't the point. For a quixotic scruple, -a mistaken idea of honor, an utterly unwarranted -conception of a daughter's duty, you are going to marry a man -you don't and can't love and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are very positive. How do you know I can't?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know you love me and I know that a girl like you can't -change any more than I can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's the truth," answered the girl with a finality which -bespoke extreme youth, and shut off any further discussion -of that phase.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, you'll be unhappy, I'll be unhappy, and he'll -be unhappy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can make him happy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you can't. If he learns to love you he will miss what -I would enjoy. He'll find out the truth and be miserable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your solicitude for his happiness--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense. I tell you I can't bear to give you up, and -I won't. I shouldn't be asked to. You made me love you; -I didn't intend to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It wasn't a difficult task," said the girl smiling faintly -for the first time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Task? It was no task at all. The first time I saw you -I loved you, and now you have lifted me up to heaven only -to dash me down to hell."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Strong language."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not strong enough. Seriously, I can't, I won't let you -do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must. I have to. You don't understand. His -father gave my father his first start in life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and your father could buy his father twenty times -over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps he could, but that doesn't count. Our two -fathers have been friends ever since my father came here, -a boy without money or friends or anything, to make his -fortune, and he made it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish to God he hadn't and you were as poor as I was -when I landed here six years ago. If I could just have you -without your millions on any terms I should be happy. It's -those millions that come between us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, that's so," admitted the girl, recognizing that the -man only spoke the truth. "If I were poor it would be quite -different. You see father's got pretty much everything out -of life that money could buy. He has no ancestry to speak -of but he's as proud as a peacock. The friendship between -the two families has been maintained. The two old men -determined upon this alliance as soon as I was born. My -father's heart is set upon it. He has never crossed me in -anything. He has been the kindest and most indulgent of -men. Next to you I worship him. It would break his heart -if I should back out now. Indeed, he is so set upon it that -I am sure he would never consent to my marrying you or -anybody else. He would disinherit me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let him, let him. I've the best prospects of any broker -in New York, and I've already got enough money for us to -live on comfortably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I gave my word openly, freely," answered the girl. "I -wasn't in love with any one then and I liked him as well as -any man I had ever met. Now that his father has died, my -father is doubly set upon it. I simply must go through -with it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And as your father sacrificed pretty much everything to -build the family fortune, so you are going to sacrifice -yourself to add position to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now that is unworthy of you," said the girl earnestly. -"That motive may be my father's but it isn't mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forgive me," said the man, who knew that the girl spoke -even less than the truth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can understand how you feel because I feel desperate -myself; but honor, devotion, obedience to a living man, -promise to a dead man, his father, who was as fond of me -as if I had already been his daughter, all constrain me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They don't constrain me," said the man desperately, -coming to the opposite side of the big desk and smiting it -heavily with his hand. "All that weighs nothing with me. -I have a mind to pick you up now and carry you away -bodily."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish you could," responded the girl with so much -honest simplicity that his heart leaped at the idea, "but you -could never get further than the elevator, or, if you went -down the stairs, than the street, because my honor would -compel me to struggle and protest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You wouldn't do that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would. I would have to. For if I didn't there would -be no submitting to </span><em class="italics">force majeure</em><span>. No, my dear boy, it is -quite hopeless."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It isn't. For the last time, will you marry me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As I have answered that appeal a hundred times in the -last six months, I cannot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are there any conditions under which you could?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the use of talking about them? They cannot -occur."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nevertheless tell me what they are. I've got everything -I've ever gone after heretofore. I've got some of your -father's perseverance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You called it obstinacy a while ago."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it's perseverance in me. What are your conditions?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The consent of two people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And who are they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My father and my fiancé."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have your own, of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and you have my heartiest prayer that you may -get both. Oh," she went on, throwing up her hands. "I -don't think I can stand any more of this. I know what I -must do and you must not urge me. These scenes are too -much for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why did you come here, then?" asked the man. "You -know I can't be in your presence without appealing to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To show you this," said the girl, drawing a yellow -telegram slip from her bag which she had thrown on the desk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it from him? I had one, too," answered the man, -picking it up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said the girl, "since you and he are partners -in business. I never thought of that. I should not have -come."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heaven bless you for having done so. Every moment -that I see you makes me more determined. If I could see -you all the time and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'll be here in a month," interrupted the girl. "He -wants the wedding to take place immediately and so do I."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why this indecent haste?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It has been a year since the first postponement and--Oh, -what must be must be! I want to get it over and be -done with it. I can't stand these scenes any more than you -can. Look at me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man did more than look. The sight of the piteous -appealing figure was more than he could stand. He took her -in his arms again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish to God he had drowned in the South Seas," he -said savagely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, don't say that. He's your best friend," interposed -the girl, laying her hand upon his lips.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you are the woman I love, and no friendship shall -come between us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl shook her head and drew herself away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must go now. I really can't endure this any longer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," said the man, turning to get his hat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said the girl, "you mustn't come with me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As you will," said the other, "but hear me. That -wedding is set for thirty days from today?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I'll not give you up until you are actually married -to him. I'll find some way to stop it, to gain time, to break -it off. I swear you shan't marry him if I have to commit -murder."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She thought he spoke with the pardonable exaggeration -of a lover. She shook her head and bit her lip to keep back -the tears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-bye," she said. "It is no use. We can't help it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was gone. But the man was not jesting. He was in a -state to conceive anything and to attempt to carry out the -wildest and most extravagant proposition. He sat down at -his desk to think it over, having told his clerks in the outer -office that he was not to be disturbed by any one for any -cause.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-stubbornness-of-stephanie"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE STUBBORNNESS OF STEPHANIE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At one point of the triangle stands the beautiful -Stephanie Maynard; at another, George Harnash, -able and energetic; at the third, Derrick Beekman, who was a -dilettante in life. George Harnash is something of a villain, -although he does not end as the wicked usually do. Derrick -Beekman is the hero, although he does not begin as heroes -are expected to do. Stephanie Maynard is just a woman, -heroine or not, as shall be determined. Before long the -triangle will be expanded into a square by the addition of -another woman, also with some decided qualifications for a -heroine; but she comes later, not too late, however, to play -a deciding part in the double love story into which we are -to be plunged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of that more anon, as the sixteenth century would put it; -and indeed this story of today reaches back into that bygone -period for one of its origins. Romance began--where? when? -All romances began in the Garden of Eden, but it -needs not to trace the development of this one through all -the centuries intervening between that period and today. -This story, if not its romance, began with an arrangement. -The arrangement was entered into between Derrick Beekman -senior, since deceased, and John Maynard, still very much -alive.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard was a new man in New York, a new man on the -street. He was the head of the great Inter-Oceanic Trading -Company. The Maynard House flag floated over every -sea from the mast heads, or jack staffs, of the Maynard -ships. Almost as widely known as the house flag was the -Maynard daughter. The house flag was simple but -beautiful; the daughter was beautiful but by no means simple. -She was a highly specialized product of the nineteenth -century. Being the only child of much money, she was -everything outwardly and visibly that her father desired -her to be, and to make her that he had planned carefully -and spent lavishly. With her father's undeniable money -and her own undisputed beauty she was a great figure in -New York society from the beginning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No one could have so much of both the desirable attributes -mentioned--beauty and money--and go unspoiled in New -York--certainly not until age had tempered youth. But -Stephanie Maynard was rather an unusual girl. Many of -her good qualities were latent but they were there. It was -not so much those hidden good qualities but the dazzling -outward and visible characteristics that had attracted the -attention of old Derrick Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had everything that Maynard had not and some -few things that Maynard had--in a small measure, at least. -For instance, he was a rich man, although his riches could -only be spoken of modestly beside Maynard's vast wealth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Beekman added to a comfortable fortune an unquestioned -social position; old, established, assured. Those who -would fain make game of him behind his back--such a -thing was scarcely possible to his face--used to say that -he traced his descent to every Dutchman that ever rallied -around one-legged, obstinate, Peter Stuyvesant and his -predecessors. The social approval of the Beekmans--originally, -of course, Van Beeckman--was like a </span><em class="italics">lettre de cachet</em><span>. -It immediately imprisoned one in the tightest and most -exclusive circle of New York, the social bastille from which -the fortunate captive is rarely ever big enough to wish to -break out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman's pride in his ancestry was only matched by -his ambitions for his son, like Stephanie Maynard, an only -child. If to the position and, as he fancied, the brains of -the Beekmans could be allied the fortune and the business -acumen of the Maynards, the world itself would be at the -feet of the result of such a union. Now Maynard's money -bought him most things he wanted but it had not bought -and could not buy Beekman and that for which he stood. -Maynard's beautiful daughter had to be thrown into the -scales.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard had no ancestry in particular. Self-made men -usually laugh at the claims of long descent, but secretly -they feel differently. Being the Rudolph of Hapsburg of -the family is more of a pose or a boast than not. I doubt -not that even the great Corsican felt that in his secret heart -which he revealed to no one. Maynard's patent of nobility -might date from his first battle on the stock exchange, his -financial Montenotte, but in his heart of hearts he would -rather it had its origin in some old and musty parchment -of the past.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman, who was much older than Maynard, had actually -helped that young man when he first started out to -encounter the world and the flesh and the devil in New York -and to beat them down or bring them to heel. A friendship, -purely business at first, largely patronizing in the beginning -on the one hand, deferentially grateful on the other, had -grown up between the somewhat ill-sorted pair. And it had -not been broken with passing years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard, unfortunately for his social aspirations, had -married before he had become great. Many men achieve -greatness only to find a premature partner an encumbrance -to a career. However, Maynard's wife, another social -nobody with little but beauty to recommend her, had done -her best for her husband by dying before she was either a -drag or a help to his fortunes. The two men, each actuated -by different motives, which, however, tended to the same -end, had arranged the match between the last Beekman and -the first Maynard; and that each secretly fancied himself -condescending to the other did not stand in the way. The -young people had agreeably fallen in with the proposals of -the elders, neither of whom was accustomed to be balked or -questioned--for old Beekman was as much of an autocrat -as Maynard. Filial obedience was indeed a tradition in -the Beekman family. There were no traditions at all in -the Maynard family, but the same custom obtained with -regard to Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Young Beekman was good looking, athletic, prominent -in society, a graduate of the best university, popular, and -generally considered able, although he had accomplished -little, having no stimulus thereto, by which to justify that -public opinion. He went everywhere, belonged to the best -clubs, and was a most eligible suitor. He danced divinely, -conversed amusingly, made love gallantly if somewhat -perfunctorily, having had abundant practice in all pursuits. -For the rest, what little business he transacted was as a -broker and business partner of George Harnash, who, for -their common good, made the most of the connections to -which Beekman could introduce him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman, who had taken life lightly, indeed, at once -recognized the wisdom of his father's rather forcible -suggestion that it was time for him to settle down. He saw -how the Maynard millions would enhance his social prestige, -and if he should be moved to undertake business affairs -seriously, as Harnash often urged, would offer a substantial -background for his operations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie Maynard was beautiful enough to please any -man. She was well enough educated and well enough trained -for the most fastidious of the fastidious Beekmans. In any -real respect she was a fit match for Derrick Beekman, indeed -for anybody. There was no society into which she would -be introduced that she would not grace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From a feeling of condescension quite in keeping with -his blood young Beekman was rapidly growing more interested -in and more fond of his promised wife. Her feelings -probably would have developed along the same lines had -it not been for George Harnash. He was Beekman's best -friend. They had been classmates and roommates at college. -Harnash like Beekman was a broker. Indeed the firm of -Beekman & Harnash was already well spoken of on the -street, especially on account of the ability of the junior -partner, who was everywhere regarded as a young man with -a brilliant future.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Harnash hung, as it were, like Mohammed's coffin, -'twixt heaven and earth. He was not socially assured and -unexceptionable as Beekman, but he was much more so than -the Maynards. He did not begin with even the modest -wealth of the former, but he was rapidly acquiring a -fortune and, what is better, winning the respect and admiration -of friends and enemies alike by his bold and successful -operations. It was generally recognized that Harnash was the -more active of the two young partners. Beekman had put -in most of the capital, having inherited a reasonable sum -from his mother and much more from his father, but -Harnash was the guiding spirit of the firm's transactions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash, who was the exact opposite of Beekman, as fair -as the other man was dark, fell wildly in love with Stephanie -Maynard. To do him justice, this plunge occurred before -definite matrimonial arrangements between the houses of -Beekman and Maynard had been entered into. Harnash -had not contemplated such a possibility. The two friends -were in exceedingly confidential relationship to each other, -and Beekman had manifested only a most casual interest -in Stephanie Maynard. Harnash, seeing the present -hopelessness of his passion, had concealed it from Beekman. -Therefore, the announcement casually made by his friend -and confirmed the day after by the society papers -overwhelmed him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To do him justice further, while it could not be said that -Harnash was oblivious to the fact that the woman he loved -was her father's daughter, he would have loved her if she -had been a nobody. While he could not be indifferent to -the further fact that whoever won her would ultimately -command the Maynard millions, George Harnash was so -confident of his own ability to succeed that he would have -preferred to make his own way and have his wife dependent -upon him for everything. However, he was too level headed -a New Yorker not to realize that even if he could achieve -his ambition the Maynard millions would come in handy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The thing that made it so hard for Harnash to bear the -new situation was the carelessness with which Beekman -entered into it. He felt that if the marriage could be -prevented it would not materially interfere with the happiness -of his friend. Harnash had deliberately set himself to the -acquirement of everything he desired. Honorably, -lawfully, if he could he would get what he wanted, but get it -he would. He found that he had never wanted anything -so much as he wanted Stephanie Maynard. Money and -position had been his ambitions, but these gave place to -a woman. He did not arrive at a determination to take -Stephanie Maynard from Derrick Beekman, if he could, -without great searchings of heart, but the more he thought -about it, the longer he contemplated the possibility of the -marriage of the woman he loved to the man he also loved, -the more impossible grew the situation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At first he had put all thought of self out of his mind, or -had determined so to do, in order to accept the situation, -but he made the mistake of continuing to see Stephanie -during the process and when he discovered that she was -not indifferent to him he hesitated, wavered, fell. By fair -means or foul the engagement must be broken. It could -only be accomplished by getting Derrick Beekman out of -the way. After that he would wring a consent out of -Maynard. To that decision the girl had unconsciously -contributed by laying down conditions which, by a -curious mental twist, the man felt in honor bound to -meet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Both the elder Beekman and John Maynard were men of -firmness and decision. Wedding preparations had gone on -apace. The invitations were all but out when Beekman was -gathered to his ancestors--there could be no heaven for -him where they were not--after an apoplectic stroke. This -postponed the wedding and gave George Harnash more -time. Now Derrick Beekman had devotedly loved his stern, -proud old father, the only near relative he had in the world. -He decided to spend the time intervening between that -father's sudden and shocking death and his marriage on a -yachting cruise to the South Seas. It was characteristic -of his feeling for Stephanie Maynard that he had not -hesitated to leave her for that long period. The field was thus -left entirely to Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Maynard-Beekman engagement, of course, had been -made public, and Stephanie's other suitors had accepted -the situation, but not Harnash. He was a man of great -power and persuasiveness and ability and he made love with -the same desperate, concentrated energy that he played the -business game. He was quite frank about it. He told -Stephanie that if she or Beekman or both of them had -shown any passion for the other, such as he felt for her, he -would have considered himself in honor bound to eliminate -himself, but since it would obviously be </span><em class="italics">un mariage de -convenance</em><span>, since both the parties thereto would enter into -it lightly and unadvisedly, he was determined to interpose. -And there was even in the girl's eyes abundant justification -for his action.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No woman wants to be taken as a matter of course. -Stephanie Maynard had been widely wooed, more or less all -over the world. Although she did not care especially for -Derrick Beekman, she resented his somewhat cavalier -attitude toward her, and his witty, amusing, but by no means -passionately devoted letters, somewhat infrequent, too. -Harnash made great progress, yet he came short of complete -success.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Maynards were nobodies socially, that is, their -ancestors had been, and they had not yet broken into the most -exclusive set, the famous hundred and fifty of New York's -best, as they styled themselves to the great amusement of -the remaining five million or so, but they came, after all, -of a stock possessed of substantial virtues. Stephanie's -father was accustomed to boast that his word was his bond, -and, unlike many who say that, it really was. People got to -know that when old John Maynard said a thing he could be -depended upon. If he gave a promise he would keep it -even if he ruined himself in the keeping, and his daughter, -in that degree, was not unlike him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Almost a year after his father's death Derrick Beekman -sent cablegrams from Honolulu saying he was coming back, -and George Harnash and Stephanie awoke from their dream.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I love you," repeated Stephanie to Harnash in another -of the many, not to say continuous, discussions they held -after that day at the office. "You can't have any doubt -about that, but my word has been passed. I don't dislike -Derrick, either. But I'd give anything on earth if I were -free."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And when you were free?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know that I'd marry you in a minute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Even if your father forbade?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't believe he would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he did we would win him over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might as well try to win over a granite mountain. -But there's no use talking, I'm not free."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's this foolish pride of yours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Foolish it may be. I've heard so much about the Beekman -word of honor and the Beekman faith that I want to -show that the Maynard honor and faith and determination -are no less."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you are going to sacrifice yourself and me for that -shibboleth, are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see no other way. Believe me," said the girl, who had -resolved to allow no more demonstrations of affection now -that it was all settled and her prospective husband was on the -way to her, "I seem cold and indifferent to you, but if I let -myself go--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Stephanie, please let yourself go again, even if for -the last time," pleaded George Harnash, and Stephanie did. -When coherent speech was possible he continued: "Well, -if Beekman himself releases you or if he withdrew or -disappeared or--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't have to tell you what my answer would be."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I've got to be best man at the wedding! I've got to -stand by and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why didn't you speak before?" asked the girl bitterly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was no match for you then. I'm not a match for you now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You should have let me be the judge of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But your father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I tell you if I hadn't promised, all the fathers on earth -wouldn't make any difference. Now we have lived in a -fool's paradise for a year. You're Derrick's friend and -you're mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only your friend?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do I have to tell you again how much I love you? But -that must stop now. It should have stopped long ago. You -can't come here any more except as Derrick's friend."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't come here at all, then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I suppose not. And that will be best. Let us put -this behind us as a dream of happiness which we will never -forget, but from which we awake to find it only a dream."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's no dream to me. I will never give you up. I will -never cease to try to make it a reality until you are bound -to the other man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were standing close together as it was, but he took -the step that brought him to her side and he swept her to -his heart without resistance on her part. She would give -her hand to Derrick Beekman, but her heart she could not -give, for that was in George Harnash's possession, and when -he clasped her in his arms and kissed her, she suffered him. -She kissed him back. Her own arms drew him closer. It -was a passionate farewell, a burial service for a love that -could not go further. It was she who pushed him from her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will never give you up, never," he repeated. "Great -as is my regard for Beekman, sometimes I think that I'll -kill him at the very foot of the altar to have you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie's iron control gave way. She burst into tears, -and George Harnash could say nothing to comfort her, but -only gritted his teeth as he tore himself away, revolving -all sorts of plans to accomplish his own desires.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To him came, with Mephistophelian appositeness, Mr. Bill -Woywod.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="bill-woywod-to-the-rescue"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">BILL WOYWOD TO THE RESCUE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The three weeks that followed were more fraught with -unpleasantness, not to say misery, than any Stephanie -Maynard and George Harnash had ever passed. Of the -two, Harnash was in the worse case. Stephanie had two -things to distract her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The approaching wedding meant the preparation of a -trousseau. What had been got ready the year before would -by no means serve for the second attempt at matrimony. -Now no matter how deep and passionate a woman's feelings -are she can never be indifferent to the preparation of a -trousseau. Even death, which looms so horribly before the -feminine mind, would be more tolerable if it were -accompanied by a similar demand upon her activities. Yet a -woman's grief in bereavement is never so deep as to make -her careless as to the fit or becomingness of her mourning -habiliments. Much more is this true of wedding garments.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now if these somewhat cynical and slighting remarks be -reprehended, nevertheless there is occupation even for the -sacrificial victim in the preparation of a trousseau which, -were it not so pleasant a pursuit, might even be called labor. -The fit of Stephanie's dresses on her beautiful figure was -not accomplished without toil, albeit of the submissive sort, -on the part of the young lady. That was her first diversion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the second relief the girl had a great deal more -confidence in her lover's promise than he had himself in his -own prowess. Try as he might, plan as he could, he found -no way out of the </span><em class="italics">impasse</em><span> so long as the solution of it was -left entirely to him, and the woman was determined to be -but a passive instrument.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The obvious course was to go frankly to his friend and -lay before him the whole state of affairs in the hope that -Beekman himself would cut the Gordian knot by declining -the lady's hand. Two considerations prevented that. In -the first place, Beekman had confidingly placed his love -affair, together with his business affairs, in the hands of his -partner. Harnash had not meant to play the traitor but he -had been unable to resist the temptation that Stephanie -presented, and he simply could not bring himself to make such -a bare-faced admission of a breach of trust. Besides, he -reasoned shrewdly that even if he did make such a confession -it was by no means certain that Derrick Beekman would -give up the girl. His letters, since his cable from Hawaii, -had rather indicated a strengthening of his affection, and -Harnash suspected that the realization that his betrothed -was violently desired by someone else would just about -develop that affection into a passion which could hardly be -withstood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the second place, even if Beekman's affection for -Harnash would lead him to take the action desired by his -friend, there would still be Mr. Maynard to be won over. -Harnash had not been associated with Maynard as a broker -in various transactions which the older man had engineered, -without having formed a sufficiently correct judgment of -his character to enable him to forecast absolutely what -Maynard's position would be in that emergency. Maynard -had a considerable liking and a growing respect for young -Harnash. He had casually remarked to his daughter on -more than one occasion that Harnash was a young man -who would be heard from. Maynard had observed that -Harnash strove for many things and generally got what -he wanted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps that remark, which the poor girl had treasured -in her heart, had something to do with her confidence that -somehow or other Harnash would work out the problem. -But Harnash knew very well how terrible, not to say -vindictive, an antagonist and enemy Maynard could be when -he was crossed. If Beekman withdrew from the engagement, -broke off the marriage, about which there had been -sufficient notoriety on account of the first postponement after -the older Beekman's death, Maynard's rage would know no -bounds. He would assuredly wreak his vengeance upon -Beekman, and if Harnash were implicated in any way the -punishment would be extended to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash knew that Beekman would not have cared a snap -of his finger for the older Maynard's wrath. He was not -that kind of a man. Nor would he himself have been -deterred by the thought of it had he been a little more -sure of his position financially. Whatever else he lacked, -Harnash had courage to tackle anything or anybody, -if there were the faintest prospect of success. But to -fight Maynard at that stage in his career was an -impossibility. These weighty reasons accordingly decided him -that it was useless and indeed impossible to appeal to his -friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again, while Harnash was accustomed to stop at nothing -to procure his ends, and while he had declared that he would -murder Beekman, he knew that although he meant it more -than Stephanie supposed, he did not mean it enough to be -able to do anything like that. His mind was in a turmoil. -He really was fond of Beekman, and if Stephanie and -Derrick had been wildly in love with each other Harnash -believed that he would have been man enough to have kept -out of the way and have fought down his disappointment as -best he could. As it was, there was reason and justice in -what he urged. Since Stephanie loved him and did not -love Beekman, and since Beekman's affection was of a placid -nature, the approaching union was horrible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The wildest schemes and plans ran through his head or -were suggested to him after intense thought, only to be -rejected. The problem finally narrowed itself down to a -question of time. Harnash was a great believer in the -function of time in determining events. If he could postpone -the marriage again he would have greater opportunity to -work and plan. He had enough confidence in himself, -backed by Stephanie's undoubted affection, to make him -believe that with time he could bring about anything. -Therefore he must eliminate Derrick Beekman, temporarily, at -least, and he must do it before the wedding. The longer he -could keep him away from Stephanie, the better would be -his own chance. If even on the eve of the wedding the -groom could disappear, the fact would tend greatly to his -ultimate advantage, provided Beekman were away long -enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He concentrated his mind on this proposition. How could -he cause Derrick Beekman to disappear the day before his -wedding, and how, having spirited him away, could he keep -him away long enough to make that disappearance worth -while from the Harnash point of view? That was the final -form of the problem in its last analysis. How was he to -solve it?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could have Beekman kidnapped, and hold him for -ransom in some lonely place in the country. That was a -solution which he dismissed almost as soon as he formulated -it. The thing was impracticable. He would have to trust -too many people. He could never keep him long in -confinement. He himself would probably become the victim of -continuous blackmail. In the face of rewards that would be -offered, his employees would eventually betray him. Sooner -or later, unless something happened to Beekman, he would -get out. Harnash had plenty of hardihood, but he shivered -at the thought of what he would have to meet when Beekman -came for an accounting, as sooner or later he would. He -would have to find some other way. What way?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Harnash's misery was further increased by the fact -that Beekman had cabled him to go ahead with the -preparations for the wedding. The Beekman yacht had broken -down in Honolulu Harbor after that long cruise, and instead -of following his telegram straight home, there had been a -week of delay. He had explained the situation by cables -to Harnash, Stephanie, and her father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After the yacht, her engines pretty well strained from -the year's cruise, had been put in fair shape, ten days had -been required for the return passage. Beekman had some -business matters to attend to in San Francisco and he did -not arrive in New York until a few days before the wedding, -which was to take place at the Cathedral of St. John the -Divine, the Bishop Suffragan and the Dean being the -officiating clergymen designate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was fortunate in one sense that Beekman had been so -delayed, for there was so much for him to do, so many -people for him to see, that he had little opportunity for -making love to his promised bride, and he had no chance to -discern her real feelings any more than he had to find -out Harnash's position. He had, indeed, remarked that -Stephanie looked terribly worn and strained, and that -George Harnash was haggard and spent to an extraordinary -degree; but he attributed the one to the excitement of the -marriage and the other to the fact that Harnash had been -left so long alone to bear the burden of responsibility and -decision in the rapidly increasing brokerage business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had swept his unwilling bride-to-be to his heart -and kissed her boisterously, he had told her that he would -take care of her and see that the roses were brought back -to her cheeks after they were married; and after he had -shaken Harnash's hand vigorously he had slapped him on -the back and declared to him that as soon as the honeymoon -was over he would buckle down to work and give him a long -vacation. Neither of the recipients of these promises was -especially enthusiastic or delighted, but in his joyous breezy -fashion Beekman neither saw nor thought anything was amiss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Never a man essayed to tread the devious paths of -matrimony with a more confident assurance or a lighter -heart. Nothing could surpass his blindness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see," said Stephanie in a last surreptitious -interview with Harnash, "he hasn't the least suspicion. He -hugged me like a bear and kissed me like a battering ram," -she explained with a little movement of her shoulders -singularly expressive of resentment, and even more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Damn him," muttered Harnash, under his breath. "He -wrung my hand, too, as if I were his best friend."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you are, aren't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was, I am, and I'm going to save him from--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"From the misfortune of marrying me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see how you can jest under the circumstances."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"George," said the girl, "if I didn't jest I should die. I -don't see how I can endure it as it is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stephanie," he repeated, lifting his right hand as if -making an oath--as, indeed, he was--"I'm going to take -you from him if it is at the foot of the altar."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These were brave words with back of them, as yet, only -an intensity of purpose and a determination, but no practical -plan. It was Bill Woywod that gave the practical turn -to that decision on the part of Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now George Harnash came originally from a little down-east -town on the Maine coast. That it was his birthplace -was not its only claim to honor. It also boasted of the -nativity of Bill Woywod. The two had been boyhood -friends. Although their several pursuits had separated -them widely, the queer friendship still obtained in spite of -the wide and ever-widening difference in the characters and -stations of the two men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Running away from school, Bill Woywod had gone down -to the sea as his ancestors for two hundred years had done -before him. Left to himself, Harnash had completed his -high school and college course and had gone down to New -York as none of his people had ever done in all the family -history. Both men had progressed. Harnash was already -well-to-do and approaching brilliant success. He had thrust -his feet at least within the portals of society and was holding -open the door which he would force widely when he was a -little stronger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Woywod had earned a master's certificate and was now the -first mate, technically the mate, of one of the ships of the -Inter-Oceanic Trading fleet, in line for first promotion to -a master. Woywod was a deep-water sailor. He cared little -for steam, and although it was an age in which masts and -sails were being withdrawn from the seven seas, he still -affected the fast-disappearing wind-jamming branch of the -ocean-carrying trade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, the last full-rigged ship had been paid off and -laid up in ordinary. Just because it was the last wooden -sailing ship of the fleet, Maynard, whose fortune had been -not a little contributed to by sailing vessels in the preceding -century, had refrained from selling her. There was a -sentimental streak in the hard old captain of industry, as there -is in most men who achieve, and the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> had not -been broken up or otherwise disposed of. On the contrary, -every care had been taken of her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The demands of the great war brought every ocean-carrying -ship into service again. The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was -refitted and commissioned. A retired mariner who had been -more or less a failure under steam but whose seamanship -was unquestioned was appointed to command. Captain -Peleg Fish was one of those old-time sailors to whom moral -suasion meant little or nothing. He was Gloucester born, -and had served his apprenticeship in the fishing fleet. -Thereafter he had been mate on the last of the old American -clippers, had commanded a whaler out of New Bedford, and -knew a sailing ship from truck to keelson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was a man of a hard heart and a heavy hand. His -courage was as high as his heart was hard or his hand was -heavy. He was also a driver. He drove his ship and he -drove his men. He had been a success on the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> -in her time, and because of that he had been able to get -crews and keep officers. Quick passages in a well-found ship, -and good pay, had offset his proverbial fierceness and -brutality. He was now an old man, but sailing masters were -scarce. Officers and men were scarce, too, on account of the -war, and although the Inter-Oceanic Trading Company had -dismissed Captain Fish because of the way he had -mishandled the steamer to which they transferred him when -they laid up the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>, yet they were glad to call him -into service when they decided again to make use of that -vessel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Grim old Captain Fish made but one condition. He was -glad enough to get back to the sea on which he had passed -his life on any terms, and doubly rejoiced that he could once -more command a wooden sailing ship instead of "an iron -pot with a locomotive in her," as he designated his last -vessel. That condition was that he should have Bill Woywod -for mate. The two had sailed together before. They knew -each other, liked each other, worked together hand and -glove, for Bill Woywod was a man of the same type as the -captain. The captain was getting old, too. He wanted a -stouter arm and a quicker eye at his disposal than his own. -Besides, Bill hated steam as much as Fish did. He was -a natural-born sailor, not a mechanic and engine driver. -Among the bucko mates of the past, Bill Woywod would -not have yielded second place to anybody. They had to give -Woywod a master's pay to get him to ship, but once having -agreed to do that, he entered upon his new duties with -alacrity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was a big full-rigged clipper ship of -three thousand tons. Given a favorable wind, she could -show her heels to many a tramp steamer or lumbering -freighter, and even not a few of the older liners. She was -carrying arms and munitions for the Russians and ran -between New York and Vladivostok through the Panama -Canal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If there was one person rough, hard-bitten Bill Woywod -had an abiding affection for, it was George Harnash. -Whenever his ship dropped anchor in New York the first -person--and about the only respectable person--he visited was -his boyhood friend. To be sure, there was not much -congeniality between them. The only tie that bound them -was that boyhood friendship, but both of them were men -without kith or kin, and they somehow clung to that -association. Woywod was proud of his friendship with the -rising young broker, and there was a kind of refreshment -in the person of the breezy sailor which Harnash greatly -enjoyed, especially as the visits of the seaman were not -frequent or long enough to pall upon the New Yorker.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash usually took an afternoon and night off -when Woywod arrived. They took in the baseball game -at the Polo Grounds, dined thereafter at some table d'hote -resort which Harnash would never have affected under -ordinary circumstances, but which seemed to Woywod the -very height of luxury. Then they repaired to some theatre, -usually one of the high-kicking variety avowedly designed -for the tired business man, which was extremely congenial -to the care-free sailor; and not to go further into details it -may be alleged that they had a good time together until far -in the night or early in the morning, rather. Harnash was -usually not a little ashamed next morning; Woywod, never! -With sturdy independence Woywod would alternate being -host on these occasions. On land and out of his element -he was a fairly agreeable companion in his rough, coarse -way. It was only on the ship that he became a brute. In -the nature of things the devotion, if such it could be called, -was all on Woywod's side. It was an aspiration on his -part and a condescension on the part of Harnash, however -much the latter strove to disguise it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> had been loaded to her capacity and -beyond with war equipment for the Russian Government -and was about to take her departure from New York, when -Woywod, who had been prevented before by the duties -imposed by the necessity of getting the ship ready quickly -for her next long voyage, paid his annual or semi-annual -visit to his friend. Now these visits had become so -thoroughly a matter of custom that Woywod had established the -right of entrance. None of the clerks in the outer office -would have thought of stopping him, and although Harnash -was very strict in requiring respect for the sanctity of his -private office Woywod made no hesitation about entering it -unceremoniously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Like all sailors, he moved with cat-like softness and -quickness. He opened the door noiselessly and surprised his -friend seated at his desk, his face buried in his hands in an -attitude of the deepest dejection. Friendship has a -discerning power as well as greater passions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, George, old boy," began Woywod, laying his -hand on the other's shoulder, and that touch gave Harnash -the first warning that he was not alone, "what's the -matter?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash looked up quickly, rose to his feet as he recognized -his visitor, and grasped him by the hand with a warmth -he had not shown in years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bill," he explained, "I'm in the deepest trouble that -ever fell on a man, and you come like an angel in time to -help me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash must have meant a dark angel, but Woywod -knew nothing of that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, old man?" he asked. "If it's money you're -needin' I got a shot or two in the locker an'--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it's not money. I'm making more than ever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Been buckin' up agin the law an' want a free passage to -safety? Well, me an' old man Fish is as thick as peas in a -pod, an' the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna's</em><span> at your service."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's not that, either."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What in blazes is it, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A woman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, George," said Woywod, "I'm about as rough -as they make 'em an' there ain't no man as ever sailed with -me that won't endorse that there statement, but I never done -no harm to no woman an' if you've been--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're on the wrong tack again, Bill," interposed -Harnash, smiling. "It's a woman I love and who loves me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I don't reckon I can help you there unless you -want me to be best man at the weddin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That suggestion struck Harnash as intensely comical, as -it well might, but he hastened to add diplomatically:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I couldn't wish a better man if there were going to be -any wedding, but--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you love a married woman?" asked Woywod, going -directly to the point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not exactly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What d'ye mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll explain if you'll only give me a chance," answered -Harnash, and in as few words as possible he put the sailor -in possession of the facts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you want to get rid of the man, do you?" he asked, -when the story had been told.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I don't want him harmed. I just want him out of -the way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you think that I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you can't help me I don't know who can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, George," said Woywod, earnestly. "Is this -square an' above board? Are you givin' me the truth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' the gal loves you an' you love her an' she don't -love this other chap which she wants to git out of marryin' -him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then it's easy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought you'd find a way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It don't take much schemin' for that. Just p'int him -out to me an' git him down on the river front some dark -night where I can git a hold of him, with a few drinks in -him, an' that'll be all there is to it. You won't hear from -him until the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> gits to Vladivostok, an' mebbe -not then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't want any harm to come to him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In course not. I'll use him jest as gentle as I do any -man on the ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And he must never know that I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He won't know nothin'. When a man gits drunk enough -he can't tell what happens. You might tell yer lady friend -that this is a little weddin' present I'm makin' to my oldest -an' best friend, that is, if you git spliced afore I gits back -from Vladivostok."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll surely let her know your part of the transaction. -When does the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> sail?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thursday morning. Tide turns at two o'clock. We'll -git out about four."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't touch anywhere?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a place unless we're druv to it by bad weather or -some accident. But if we do git hold of a cable I'll see that -he stays safe aboard, in case, which ain't likely, we're -obliged to drop anchor in any civilized port."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you got a wireless aboard?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nary wireless. When we take our departure from Fire -Island it's up to Cap'n Fish an' me an' the rest of us to -bring her in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's no danger?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, there's always danger in sailin' the seas, but -nobody never thinks nothin' about it with a good ship, well -officered, well manned an' well found. It's a damn sight -safer than the streets of New York with all them automobiles -runnin' on the wind an' by the wind an' across the wind an' -every other way at the same time. It's as much as a man's -life is worth to try to navigate a street. Never mind the -danger. We've got to settle a few little details an' then the -thing bein' off your mind we can have a royal good time. -You ain't got anything on tonight?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No engagement that I can't break. If it had been -tomorrow, Wednesday, it would have been different because -that is the night my friend--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, he's a friend of yourn. Why don't you tell--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No use, Bill; this is the only way. But because he is a -friend of mine I tell you I don't want him to come to any -harm or to get any bad treatment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he buckles down to work an' accepts the situation he -won't get no bad treatment from me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was perfectly honest, for in the brutal school in -which he had been trained what he meted out to his men -was what he had been taught was right and what he believed -they indeed expected, without which indeed discipline could -not be maintained and the work of the ship properly done. -Harnash had some doubts as to Beekman's ability to buckle -down or willingness, rather, but he had to risk something. -The two friends put their heads together and the minor -details were easily arranged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Better tell the gal it's goin' to be all right, hadn't you?" -suggested Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Harnash, with a truer appreciation of the -situation. "I think I'll surprise her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It'll be a surprise, all right," laughed the big sailor. -"Well, you do your part an' I'll do mine an' if the man does -his part he'll come back to find you married an' he can make -the best of it. By the way, what's his name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it necessary that I should tell you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, 'tain't necessary an' perhaps on the whole it wouldn't -be best. If I don't know his name I can call him a damn -liar whatever he says it is, with a clear conscience," went on -the sailor blithely and guilelessly, as if conscience really -mattered to him.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-bachelor-s-dinner-and-its-ending"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">A BACHELOR'S DINNER AND ITS ENDING</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Bachelors' dinners, masculine pre-nuptial festivities, -that is, like everything else with which poor humanity -deals, may roughly be divided into two kinds, which fall -under the generic names of good or bad. Of course, in -practice, as in life, goodness often degenerates into badness and -badness is sometimes lifted into goodness. Such is the -perversity of human nature even at its best that when the -declaration is made that Beekman's bachelor dinner was a good -one all interest in it is immediately lost! Bad is so much -more attractive in literature and in life. Perhaps it may -be said that while the dinner had not descended to the -unbridled license which sometimes characterized such affairs, -and while there were no ladies present in various stages -of--shall it be said dress or undress--nevertheless, the young -fellows who were present had a delightful time which if not as -innocent as the festivities of Stephanie's final entertainment -to her lovely attendants, was nevertheless quite what might -have been expected from clean, healthy, well-bred young -Americans with a reasonable amount of restraint.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dinner was chosen with fine discrimination and -epicurean taste; it was cooked by the best chef, served at the -most exclusive club and accompanied by wines with which -even the most captious </span><em class="italics">bon vivant</em><span> could not take issue. -Perhaps some of the youngsters drank more than was good -for them--which instantly raises the question, how much, or -how little, if any, is good for a young man? They broke -up at a decently early hour in the morning in much better -condition than might have been expected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was one of the most temperate of men. He -took pride in his athletic prowess and he still kept himself -in fine physical trim. A very occasional glass of wine -usually limited his indulgence. In this instance, however, -under conditions so unusual, he had partaken so much more -freely than was his wont--his course being pardonable -or otherwise in accordance with the viewpoint--that he -was not altogether himself. This was not much more due -to the plan of Harnash than to the solicitations of the other -friends who found nothing so pleasant on that occasion as -drinking to his health, and generally in bumpers. Indeed, -not once but many times and oft around the board they -pledged him and were pledged in return.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the insistence of Harnash, Beekman had arranged to -spend the night at the former's apartment in Washington -Square. Harnash made the point that he was expected to -look after him and produce him the next morning in the best -trim, therefore he did not wish him to get out of his sight. -Accordingly, Beekman had dismissed his own car and when -the party broke up about two o'clock in the morning he -went away with Harnash in the latter's limousine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At somebody's suggestion--Beekman could never -remember whose, whether it was his or his friend's--they -stopped at several places on the way down town for further -liquid refreshment of which Beekman partook liberally, -Harnash sparingly or not at all. It was not difficult for an -adroit man like Harnash, confronted by a rather befuddled -man like Beekman, to introduce the infallible knock-out -drops, with which he had been provided by Woywod, into the -liquor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they crossed Twenty-third Street on their way down -town Harnash stopped the car. His chauffeur lived on East -Twenty-third Street, and Harnash dismissed him, saying he -would drive the car down to his private garage back of his -residence in Washington Mews himself. There was nothing -unusual in this; the chauffeur subsequently testified -that he had received the same thoughtful consideration from -his employer on many previous occasions. When the -chauffeur left the car, the drug had not yet got in its deadly -work. Beekman was still all right apparently and the -chauffeur subsequently testified that when Beekman bade -him good-night he noticed nothing strikingly unusual. -Beekman seemed to be himself, although the chauffeur could -see that he was slightly under the influence of wine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By the time the car, driven by Harnash with considerable -ostentation and as much notice as possible, for he wanted -to attract attention to his arrival, reached the garage, -Beekman was absolutely unconscious on the floor of the tonneau, -to which he had fallen. Harnash ran the car into the -garage, closed the doors with a bang, and ran across the -intervening court rapidly and noisily and up to his own -apartments. He was ordinarily a considerate young man, -and coming in at that hour he would have made as little noise -as possible, but on this occasion his conduct was different. -He stumbled on the stairs, banged the door behind him, fell -over a chair in his room, swore audibly. People -subsequently testified that they had heard him coming in and -one even saw him, quite alone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without pausing an unnecessary moment in the room he -made his exit from his apartment by means of the fire escape, -and this time not a cat could have moved more silently. -Fortunately, the back of the house was in deep shadow and -there were no lights adjacent. The shadow of the fence -also served him. He reentered the garage, having taken -precaution the day before secretly to oil the doors. He -dragged his unfortunate friend and companion from the -limousine, stripped him of his overcoat and automobile cap, -which he put on himself. The coat he had previously worn -had differed in every particular from that of Beekman. He -removed Beekman's watch and other jewelry and his money, -of which he carried a considerable sum. These articles he -stowed away in his private locker to which his chauffeur -did not have a key. He could remove them to his office safe -at his leisure. In Beekman's vest pocket he put a large roll -of his own money--he could not steal, though abduction -was his intent--and then he lifted him to the floor of his -runabout which stood in the garage by the side of the -limousine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He next removed the number plates from the car, -replaced them with false ones, and ran the car out of the -garage by hand. Every part of it had been oiled so that its -movement was absolutely noiseless. Then he shoved the -car down the street, which was now deserted, until he got -some distance away from the garage. The only really risky -part of the enterprise was at that moment. Fortune favored -him--or not, as the case may be. At any rate, no one -appeared. It was after three o'clock in the morning, the -street was deserted, and there was not a policeman in sight. -He climbed into the car, started it, and drove off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He proceeded cautiously at first, seeking unfrequented -and narrow streets until he got far enough from the garage -to change his going to suit his purpose. After a time he -sought the broader streets and passed several people, mostly -police officers, but them he now took no care to avoid. He -drove near them so that they would notice his general build, -which was that of his friend, and the clothes he wore, which -were those of his friend, and indeed they testified afterward -that they had seen a man dressed as and looking like -Beekman, exactly as he had anticipated. He drove past them -rapidly so as not to give them time for too close a scrutiny. -Also he doubled on his trail often.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he reached a dark, lonely, and unfrequented block -near South Water Street he drew up before the door of a -dimly lighted, forbidding looking building, the sign on -which indicated that it was a sailors' boarding house. He -got out of the car, taking precaution to slip on a false -mustache and beard with which he had provided himself, -and tapped on a door in a certain way which had been -indicated to him. The door was at once opened by a burly, -rough, villainous looking individual, the boarding house -master, obviously a crimp of the worst class.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What d'ye want?" he growled out, scrutinizing the -newcomer by the aid of a gas jet burning inside the dirty, -reeking hall, whose feeble light he supplemented by a flash -from an electric torch which really revealed little, since -Harnash carefully concealed his already disguised face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have something for Mr. Woywod."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The mate of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, he told me to receive an' deliver what you got."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That was our agreement," said Harnash, the little -dialogue convincing each man that no doubt was to be -entertained of the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, where's the goods?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In the car."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fetch him in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's rather heavy. Perhaps you'll give me a hand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, all right," answered the man, putting his electric -torch in his pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two went to the car and the man easily picked up the -unconscious Beekman and unaided carried him within the -door. Harnash followed. He observed the man glanced -at the numbers on the car and was glad that he had taken -the precaution to change them. The crimp now dropped -the unconscious Beekman in the hallway and turned to -Harnash. He found the latter standing quietly, but with -an automatic pistol in his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You needn't be afraid of me," said the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not," answered Harnash. He was ghastly pale and -extremely nervous, but not from fear of the crimp. "This -is just a matter of precaution."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, what do I git out of this yere job?" asked the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand Mr. Woywod will settle with you for that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, he does, but what I gits from him is the price of -a foremast hand, an' 'tain't enough."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The crimp bent over Beekman, flashed the light on him, -and pulled out the roll of bills, which he quickly counted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's fair, but I'd ought to git more. This here's a swell -job; look at them clo'es."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're yours also, if you wish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's somethin', but--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all you'll get," said Harnash, laying his hand on -the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man lifted the torch. Harnash lifted the pistol.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just put that torch back in your pocket," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a cool one," laughed the man, but he obeyed -the order.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If it is learned tomorrow that this man has disappeared -you'll receive through the United States mail in a plain -envelope a hundred dollar bill. If not, you get nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Suppose I croak him, how'd you know anything about it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Woywod has arranged to inform me, and he will -also put your part of the transaction on record, so if you -say a word you'll be laid by the heels and get nothing for -your pains. There are a number of things against you, -I'm told. The police would be most happy to get you, I -know. Just bear that in mind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man nodded. He knew when the cards were stacked -against him. After all, this did not greatly differ from an -ordinary job and he was getting, for him, very well paid -for his part of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I got relations with Woywod an' lots of other seafarin' -men. My business would be ruined if I played tricks on 'em. -You can trust me to keep quiet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought so," answered Harnash. "Good-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He opened the door, stepped outside, closed the door -behind him, and waited a moment, but the crimp made no -effort to follow him. After all, it was only an every day -matter with him. Harnash next drove the car down the -street near one of the wharves, where he met Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it all right, George?" asked the latter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Bill. He's at the place you told me to leave -him. Can you keep the crimp's mouth shut?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Trust me for that," said Woywod confidently. "He's -mixed up in too many shady transactions to give anybody -any information."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll never forget what you've done for me," said -Harnash. "Remember, use him well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No fear," laughed his friend as the two shook hands -and parted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Harnash drove up the street, waited until he came -to a dark alley, turned into it, unobserved, got out of the -car, put Beekman's coat and hat into it, donned his own -overcoat and cap, which he had brought with him, and still -wearing the false mustache and beard changed the numbers -on the car, started it, and let it wreck itself against the -nearest water hydrant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a long walk up town, even to Washington Square, -and he had to go very circumspectly because he did not now -wish to be seen by anyone. Again fortune favored him. He -gained the garage, crossed the court, mounted the fire escape -to his rooms, and sank down, utterly exhausted but -triumphant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His defense was absolutely impregnable. No one could -controvert his story. He rehearsed it. He had come home -with Beekman after the dinner had terminated. They had -had one or two drinks on the way. They had dismissed the -chauffeur at Twenty-third Street. When they reached the -garage Beekman, moved by some sudden whim, had insisted -upon going back to his own apartment up town in Harnash's -little roadster. He had been drinking, of course. He was -not altogether in possession of his normal faculties, but -Harnash was in the same condition and therefore he had -not been too insistent. Beekman was as capable of driving -the car as Harnash had just showed himself to be. There -was nothing he could do to prevent Beekman from going -away. He could not even remember, when he was questioned, -whether he had tried it or not. At any rate, Beekman had -gone away in the roadster and Harnash had gone to bed. -So dwellers in the building who heard him come in testified. -One who happened to go to the window even had seen him -come in. No one had seen or heard him go out. Harnash -swore that he had not left the apartment until the next -morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman, or a man dressed as he was known to be dressed, -had been seen by the police officers and others between three -or four in the morning, driving through the lower part of -the city in a small car the number of which no one had seen. -What he was doing in that section of the city no one could -imagine. During the course of the morning Harnash's car -was found, badly smashed from a collision, lying on its side -in a wretched alley off South Water Street. Beekman's -overcoat and cap were in the car and that was all there was -to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No matter what suspicions the crimp might have entertained, -he kept his mouth shut and received the day after -the one hundred dollar bill in an unmarked envelope which -had been mailed at the general postoffice in the afternoon. -Even if he had spoken, he could not have thrown much light -on the situation. Not even the reward which was offered -could tempt him. His business demanded secrecy, -absolutely and inviolable, and too many men knew too much -about him, which rendered it unsafe for him to open his -head. He would not kill the goose that laid the golden egg -for him by making further business on the same lines -impossible. He really knew nothing, anyway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secret was shared between two men, Woywod on the -sea and out of communication with New York, and Harnash -himself. So long as they kept quiet no one would ever -know. Even Beekman himself could not solve the mystery -when he returned to New York. It was most ingeniously -planned and most brilliantly carried out. Harnash -congratulated himself. Stephanie Maynard would certainly -be his long before Beekman could prevent it. Still, George -Harnash was by no means so happy in the present state of -affairs as he had planned and hoped to be. And his trials -were not over. He had to meet Stephanie, the wedding -party, old John Maynard, the public press, and the -public--what would the day bring forth?</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-wedding-that-was-not"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER V</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE WEDDING THAT WAS NOT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Stephanie Maynard had passed a sleepless night. -Her love for George Harnash grew stronger and her -abhorrence of the marriage increased in the same degree as -the hour drew nearer. Too late she repented of her -determination. She wondered why she had not allowed Harnash -to take her away and end it all. What, after all, were -her father's wishes, or her own promises, or the worldly -advantages they would gain, or anything else, compared -to love?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash had sent word to her the day before that she -was not to give up hope, that something would happen -surely, but now the last minute was at hand and nothing -had happened. A dozen times she started to call her lover -on the telephone and a dozen times she refrained. Finally -the hour arrived when the victim must be garlanded for the -sacrifice. At least, that is the way she regarded it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had not heard a word from her husband-to-be during -the morning. Under other circumstances that would have -alarmed her, but as it was she was only relieved. The -wedding party was assembled at the brand new Maynard -mansion on upper Fifth Avenue. Two of the attendants were -school friends from other cities and they were guests at the -house. The wedding was to be followed by a breakfast and -a great reception which the Maynard money and the -Beekman position was to make the most wonderful affair of the -kind that had ever been given in New York.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With the publicity which modern society courts and -welcomes, while it pretends to deprecate it, the papers had -published reams about the most private details of the -engagement, even to descriptions and pictures of the most intimate -under-linen of the bride. Presents of fabulous value, which -lost nothing in their description by perfervid pens, were -under constant guard in the mansion. Details of police kept -back swarms of unaccredited reporters and adventurous -sightseers. On the morning of the wedding day the street -before the Cathedral was packed with the vulgarly curious -long before eleven o'clock. The wedding was to be -solemnized at high noon, and was to be the greatest social -event which had excited easily aroused and intensely curious -New York for a year or more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The newer members of the exclusive social circle frankly -enjoyed it. And such is the contagion of degeneration that -the older members, while they affected disdain and -annoyance, enjoyed it too. The newspapers had played it up -tremendously, and the affair had even achieved the signal -triumph of a veiled but well understood cartoon by F. Foster -Lincoln, the scourge and satirist of high society, in a recent -number of </span><em class="italics">Life</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Everything was ready. The most famous caterer in New -York had prepared the most sumptuous wedding breakfast. -The most exclusive florist had decorated the church and -residence. Society had put on its best clothes, slightly -deploring the fact that as it was to be a noon wedding -its blooming would be somewhat limited thereby. More -tickets had been issued to the Cathedral than even that -magnificent edifice could hold and it was filled to its capacity so -soon as the doors were opened. The famous choir was in -attendance to render a musical program of extraordinary -beauty and appropriateness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As it approached the hour of mid-day the excitement -was intense. Women in the crowd were crushed, many -fainted. Riot calls had to be sent out and the already -strong detachment of police supplemented by reserves. Thus -is the holy state of matrimony entered into among the busy -rich. With the idle poor it is, fortunately, a simpler affair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It had been arranged that Derrick Beekman and George -Harnash should present themselves at the Maynard -mansion not later than eleven o'clock. From there they would -drive to the Cathedral in plenty of time to receive the -wedding party at the chancel steps. At eleven o'clock a big -motor forced its way through the crowd and drew up before -the door. From it descended George Harnash alone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That young man showed the effect of the night he had -passed. He was excessively nervous and as gray as the -gloves he carried in his hands. He was admitted at once -and ushered into the drawing room, which was filled with a -dozen young ladies in raiment which even Solomon in all his -glory might have envied, who were to make up the wedding -party. There also had just arrived the young gentlemen -who were to accompany them, who had all been at the -bachelor dinner. None of them exhibited any evidence of -unusual dissipation. They had slept late and were in -excellent condition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"George, alone!" cried young Van Brunt, who was next -in importance to the best man, as Harnash entered the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where's Beekman?" asked Harnash apparently in great -surprise, as he glanced at the little group.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not here. You were to bring him. It's time for us to -get up to the Cathedral anyway. I'll bet the people are -clamoring at the doors now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They weren't to be opened till eleven-fifteen," said -Grant, one of the fittest members of the party. "It's only -eleven now. We've plenty of time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you better beat it up now, then. Beekman will -be here in a minute, I'm sure," said Harnash. "We'll follow -you in half an hour."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the young men who were to usher left the room the -girls fell upon Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Harnash," said Josephine Treadway, who was the -maid-of-honor, "will you please tell us where Derrick -Beekman is, and why you didn't bring him along?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't," said Harnash. "As a matter of fact I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll tell me, certainly," interposed the voice that he -loved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned and found that Stephanie, having completed -her toilet, had descended the stair and entered the room. -She was whiter than Harnash himself, but her lack of color -was infinitely becoming to her in her sumptuous bridal -robes, and the adoring young man decided then and there -that whatever happened she was worth it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Beekman," continued the girl, "was to be here at -eleven o'clock with you. It's after that now and you're -here alone. Where is he? Why didn't you bring him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Maynard," said Harnash formally, and in spite of -himself he could not prevent his lip from trembling, "I -don't know where he is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What!" exclaimed the girl, really astonished, as the -whole assembly broke into exclamations. Had Harnash -accomplished the impossible, as he had threatened?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't find him," went on Harnash. He could scarcely -sustain Stephanie's direct and piercing gaze. He forced -himself to look at her, however. "I don't know where he -is," he repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But have you searched?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everywhere. I called up his apartment on Park Avenue -at ten o'clock. They said he wasn't there and hadn't been -there all night. I started my man out at once in a taxicab, -jumped into my own car, and I've been everywhere--the -office, his clubs--I've even had my secretary and clerks -telephone all the hotels on the long chance that he might be -at one of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you haven't found a trace of him? George -Harnash--" began Stephanie, but Harnash was too quick -for her; he did not allow her to finish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will forgive me," he went on; "I did even more -than that in my alarm. I finally notified the police on the -chance that he might have been er--er--brought in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shot a warning look at Stephanie that checked further -inquiries from her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why should he be brought in?" asked Josephine -Treadway, who had no reason for not asking the question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, you see," went on Harnash, "it's desperately hard -to tell, and I'd rather die than mention it, but under the -circumstances I suppose--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out with it at once," cried Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, we had a little dinner last night at--well, never -mind where."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We had a dinner, too," said Josephine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but I imagine ours was--er--different. At any -rate, it didn't break up until quite late, or, I should -say, early in the morning, and we were not--quite ourselves."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But Derrick is the most abstemious of men."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly; so am I, and when that kind go under it's -worse than--you understand," he added helplessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When did you see him last?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why--er--I'll make a clean breast of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do so, I beg you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, we were right enough when the dinner broke -up. Derrick and I left the others to their own devices. He -had arranged to spend the night with me. We stopped at -one or two places down town, but reached my quarters in -Washington Square about two or three o'clock."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash paused and swallowed hard. It was an -immensely difficult task to which he had compelled himself, -although so far he had told nothing but the truth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go on," said Josephine Treadway impatiently as the -pause lengthened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He changed his mind after we put the limousine in the -garage and insisted on going back to his own rooms."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you let him go?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Miss Treadway, I couldn't help it, and, to be -frank, I didn't try. You see we were neither of us very -sure of ourselves and--and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He took my runabout, drove off and--that's all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you found the runabout?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, the police found it in an alley near South Water -Street, badly smashed. Beekman's overcoat and cap were -in the car."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think he has been hurt?" questioned Stephanie, -who had listened breathlessly to the conversation between -her lover and her maid-of-honor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sure that he can't have been," returned Harnash -with definiteness which carried conviction to his questioner, -and no one else caught the meaning look he shot at her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that's all?" asked Josephine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Absolutely all I can tell you," he replied truthfully, -none noticing the equivoke but Stephanie, who of course -could not call attention to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You poor girl," said Josephine, gathering Stephanie in -her arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's outrageous. It's horrible," cried the girl, biting -her lip to keep back her tears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She really could scarcely tell whether she was glad or -sorry, now that it had come; not that her feelings had -changed, but there was the public scandal, the affront, -the--but she had not time to speculate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is outrageous, what is horrible?" asked John -Maynard, coming into the room and catching her words. -"What can be outrageous or horrible in such a wedding as -we have arranged? Why, Stephanie, what's the matter? -You're as white as a sheet, and Harnash, are you ill? You're -a pretty looking spectacle for a best man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father," said his daughter, "they can't find Derrick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't find him!" exclaimed Maynard. "Does he have -to be sought for on his wedding day? If I were going to -marry a stunning girl like you, for all you're as pale as a -ghost, I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's not going to be any wedding," said Stephanie, -mechanically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No wedding!" roared Maynard, surprised intensely. -"What do you mean? Are you backing out at the last -minute?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it's not I."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, will some one explain this mystery to me?" -asked the man, turning to the rather frightened bevy of -girls. "It's eleven-thirty; we ought to be starting. What's -the meaning of this infernal foolishness? You, Harnash, -what are you standing there looking like a ghost for? One -would think you were going to be married yourself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Maynard," said Josephine, taking upon herself -the task, "Stephanie has told you the truth. Mr. Harnash -has just come and he doesn't know where Mr. Beekman is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Doesn't know where he is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He can't be found, sir," said Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to tell me that he has run away and left -my girl in the lurch? By God, he'll--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sure it isn't that," said Harnash earnestly, "but the -fact is we had a bachelor dinner last night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course you did, but what has that to do with it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everything. I guess we indulged a little too much."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, bachelors have done that fool thing since time and -the world began."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but Beekman hasn't been seen since early this -morning, two or three o'clock."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who saw him last?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did," said Harnash, briefly repeating his explanation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did you do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I 'phoned to his house and they said he hadn't been -there all night. I dressed, sent my man out in a taxi, took -my own car, summoned the office force to my assistance, and -Dougherty's detectives, and I've scoured the city for him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The police?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have notified them, of course, as soon as they reported -the finding of my runabout. They're on the hunt, too. We -have even called up every hotel in the city. He's not to -be found."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It must be foul play," said Maynard, taking Harnash's -account of it at its face value.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose so," said Harnash, wincing a little, although -he would fain not, and again shooting a quick glance at -Stephanie, and then daringly following it with a quick -gesture of negation to reassure her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where that car was found it wouldn't take much to -interest a thief."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. He had a watch, jewelry, money. Indeed, I have -a dim remembrance of his flashing a roll in some place or -other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That will be it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Meanwhile what is to be done, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a quarter to twelve now," said Josephine Treadway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"God, how I hate this," said old Maynard. "Here," he -stepped to the door and called his private secretary, "Bentley, -drive up to the Cathedral like mad, tell the Bishop that -the wedding is called off. Yes, don't stand there like a -fish; get out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we'll have to give some reason to the people, explain -to the guests in the church," expostulated the secretary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reason be damned," said Maynard, roughly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excuse me," said Harnash, "it would be better for all -concerned, and especially Miss Maynard, if the matter were -explained at once, and fully. You wouldn't like to have -anyone think for a moment that she had been left in the -lurch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Harnash is right, sir. It must be explained as well -as it can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, Bentley," said his employer. "Tell the -Bishop that Mr. Beekman has disappeared, that we are of -the opinion that he has met with foul play, that under the -circumstances there is nothing to do but call off the wedding -and have the explanation announced in the Cathedral in any -way he likes, and then get back here as quickly as possible. -Stephanie, I'd rather have lost half my fortune than have -this happen, but keep up your courage. I feel that nothing -but some dastardly work would have kept Beekman away. -He is the soul of honor and he was passionately devoted to -you. Don't faint, my dear girl."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not going to faint," said Stephanie, resolutely. -"Girls, I'm awfully sorry for your disappointment," she -faltered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't mind us," said Josephine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid that perhaps you--you--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're going at once," explained one of the bridesmaids, -"if you will have our motors called up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Maynard. "Harnash, you attend to -that and then come to me in the library. William," he -added to the footman who came in obedience to his -summons, "get me the chief of police on the telephone and when -the reporters come, and they will be here just as soon as -the announcement is made at the church, show them into the -library in a body. I've got to see them and I'll see them -all at once. Harnash, you come, too. You can tell the story -better than anyone."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="stephanie-is-glad-after-all"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">STEPHANIE IS GLAD AFTER ALL</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The sudden disappearance of one of the principals in -the Maynard-Beekman wedding was the sensation of -the hour. John Maynard was deeply hurt and terribly -concerned because he was very fond of Beekman, and -because in spite of his bold front the young man's failure to -appear had reflected upon his daughter. The lewd papers -of the baser sort, playing up the bachelor dinner, did not -hesitate to point this out, and insinuations, so thinly -disguised that every one who read understood, appeared daily. -That there was not a word of truth in them was of little -consequence either to the writers who knew they were lying -or to the public, which did not. The clientele of such papers -was ready to believe anything or everything bad; especially -of the idle rich.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Reportorial and even editorial--which is worse--imagination -was unrestrained. As the newspapers had devoted -so much space to the preparations, they did not stint themselves -in discussing the aftermath of the affair. The police -bent every energy to solve the mystery. Maynard was a -big power in public affairs and they were stimulated by a -reward of one hundred thousand dollars which Maynard -offered for tidings of the missing man, a reward which made -the wiseacres put their tongues in their cheeks as they -read of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The gorgeous wedding presents were returned. The -lovely lingerie of the bride, which had been so talked about, -was laid away and the bride herself was denied to every -caller. Even George Harnash sought access to her person -in vain. The scandal, the humiliation, had made her -seriously ill, and by her physician's orders she was allowed to -see no one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, the first person she did admit was George Harnash. -Indeed, so soon as she was able to be about she called -him up and demanded his immediate presence. He had been -waiting for such a summons. He knew it was unavoidable. -It had to come. He dropped everything to go to her. He -was horrified when he saw her. He had got back some of his -nerve and equipoise to the casual observation, although he -still showed what he had gone through to a close scrutiny. -He had been catechized and cross-questioned, even put -through a mild form of the third degree by the police, but -little to their satisfaction. He could tell them nothing -definite. They got no more out of him than he had volunteered -at first. They were completely and entirely mystified.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several steamers had sailed for various ports that day -and night, but it was easily established, when they reached -port, that they had not carried the missing man. They -completely overlooked the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> for reasons which -will appear. Beekman's disappearance remained one of -those unexplained mysteries for which New York was notorious. -The reward still stood and the authorities were still -very much on the alert, but they were absolutely without -any clue whatsoever. Derrick Beekman had disappeared -from the face of the earth. Besides Harnash, there was only -one person in the city who had any definite idea as to the -cause of his departure, and that was Stephanie Maynard. A -proud, high-spirited girl, she had suffered untold anguish in -the publicity and scandal and innuendo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My God, Stephanie!" cried Harnash, as she received him -in a lovely negligée in her boudoir. "You look like death -itself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I have passed through it," said the girl, "in the -last week. Now, I want you to tell me where Derrick is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stephanie," answered Harnash, "it would be foolish for -me to pretend that I don't know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It certainly would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I told you that I meant to have you and that I would -stop the wedding if I had to take you from the altar steps."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we didn't get that far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It amounts to the same thing. I--er--took him. It -was easier."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where and how did you take him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't ask. I can't tell."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you have covered me with shame inexpressible. -I shall never get over it as long as I live. How could you -do it? How could you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you reproaching me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reproaching you!" cried Stephanie. "Do you think I -could tamely endure this public scandal, this abandonment, -without a word?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I did it for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I suppose so, but that doesn't make it any less -humiliating."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stephanie, tell me, do you love Derrick Beekman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I hate him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hate you, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, don't say that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish I were dead," cried the girl. "I can never go -out on the street again. I can never hold up my head -anywhere any more, and it's your fault. What have you done -with him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you want him back? Do you want to go through -with the marriage? Look here," said Harnash, "desperate -diseases require desperate remedies. I'll tell you this, and -that is all I will tell you. I am sure Derrick is all right. -He will come to no harm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you holding him a prisoner somewhere?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is better not. It isn't necessary," answered Harnash -stubbornly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you actually made away with him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I got him out of the way, if that's what you mean. -But he's alive, well, and in no danger. I caused it to be -done--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you sure of that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Absolutely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you know that you've done a criminal act?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course I know it. Do you think I'm a fool because -I'm crazy in love with you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And don't you know you will have gained his eternal -enmity and the enmity of my father when they find this out?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care about anybody's enmity unless it's yours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you've almost gained mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Almost, but not quite. You feel horribly now. I -understand. Do you think it has been joyful to me to have -put my best friend out of the way and to have brought all -this scandal and shame upon you? But there was no other -way. You're mine in the sight of God and I'm going to -make you mine in the sight of men."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But my father will never forgive you when he knows."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think he will ever find out my part, or Beekman -either."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't explain, but if your father does find out what -can he do? In six months I'll be independent of anything -and anybody and when we are married we can laugh at him -and at the rest of the world."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At Beekman, too?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, even at him. Stephanie, you don't know what it -is to love as I do. For you I'd stop at nothing short of -murder. You didn't believe me when I said that, but I -meant it. I've made myself a criminal, I admit, but for -your sake. Now am I going to fail of my reward? Do -you want me to produce Derrick Beekman? Do you want -him to come back and throw me in jail and marry you? -Well, I didn't expect it; I didn't count upon it--" this -was only a bluff, of course, since by no means could Harnash -have got back Beekman from the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> then--"but -if that is what you really want say the word. Can -you turn down a love like mine, that will stop at nothing -for your happiness? I swear to you that I believe it is as -much for your happiness as my own. I won't say it is all -for you, because I want you, but I am thinking of you all -the time. I couldn't bear to see you in his arms. What is -the little bit of scandal? It will be forgotten. When you -are my wife I'll take care of you. If you don't want to live -here we'll live anywhere. If I pull off two or three big -deals that are in the air I'll be able to do anything. Oh, -Stephanie, you aren't going back on me now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know that I couldn't do that," answered the girl, -greatly moved by his passionate pleading. After all, she -did love this man and not the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're the kind of woman that a man will do anything -for. I'm sorry for Beekman, I'm sorry for everything, but -I'm going to have you." He came close to her as he spoke. -"Do you understand that?" he asked, raising his voice. "I -did it for you, you, and no man shall balk me of my reward. -If you won't come willingly, you shall come unwillingly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," said the girl, "how horribly determined and wicked -you are, and yet--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As she looked up at him the passion with which he spoke, -rough, brutal as it was, quickened again her heart that she -thought was dead. For the first time in weeks the color -rushed into her face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's right," said Harnash, watching her narrowly. -"I can still bring the blood to your cheeks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He bent over her, he dragged her almost rudely from her -seat and crushed her against him. He kissed her as roughly -as he had spoken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This," he said, "pays for everything. If I'm found -out, if I have to go to jail, I don't care. I'm glad. You -love me. You can't deny it and in your heart of hearts -you're glad and you'll be gladder every hour of your life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl gave up. After all, what possibility of happiness -did she have except with Harnash? More and more she -appeared before the world as a thing cast off and scorned. -Harnash's position in society and business was improving -every day, but it was not that which influenced her. She -really loved him. She responded to his pleading. Mistaken -though he was, vicious as had been his design, that effort, -wrong as was his method, showed her how much he loved her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're not going to fail me now, are you? You need -not answer. I can feel it in the beat of your heart against -mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said the girl. "I'm yours, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I know. No one else would want me, discarded."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want you. I'd want you if the whole world rejected you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you won't tell me where Derrick is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it's a heavy secret to carry in one's breast. I feared -that they would worm it out of me. You can't know what -I've gone through," he went on. "I've been suspected and -questioned and cross-questioned, but I never gave it away. -It was you who kept me up. The thought of you always, -you, you, you! Meanwhile I'm slaving my life out, almost -wrecking my brain, to carry out these big deals, and when -it is over and I have you they can do their worst. Your -father, Beekman when he comes back--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, then he will come back?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course he will. And I'll face them all. I don't know -whether I have damned myself for you or not, but if I have, -I don't care," he went on recklessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was my fault, anyway," said the girl. "I should -have been stronger. I should not have agreed to such a -marriage, and I should not have kept the agreement when -I loved you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You need not say that," said Harnash--there was good -stuff in him---"It is all my own plan and scheme. You -were bound, and there was only one way to break the bond. -Now I give myself six months. By that time the talk will -have died out and we will be married."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll marry you," said the girl, "or I'll marry no one -else on earth, but before I marry you you must bring -Derrick Beekman into my presence and he must release me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is a harder thing than what I have done, but I'll do -it. Provided you will help me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will, but how?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When you see him you must tell him that you don't love -him and that you wish to marry me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well. I'll do that part."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I'll do the other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Promise me, on your word of honor."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Honor!" exclaimed Harnash bitterly. "Do you think, -after what I have done, that I've got any honor, that you -could trust to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll be trusting myself to you," said the girl, "and you -know what that implies."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Say that you are glad that it has happened as it has, -despite the scandal."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie looked at him a long time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You poor boy," she said, drawing his head down and -kissing his forehead in that motherly way which all women -have toward the men they love until the maternal affection -has a chance to vent itself in the right direction. "How -you must have suffered for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I am glad," she said at last.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="up-against-it-hard"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">UP AGAINST IT HARD</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>When he went to bed, what time it was when he -awakened, or where he was at that moment were facts -about which Derrick Beekman had no ideas whatsoever. At -first he was conscious of but one thing--that he was; and -that consciousness was painful, not to say harrowing, to the -last degree. For one thing, he was horribly sick. The place -where he lay appeared to be as unsteady as his mental -condition was uncertain. He was heaved up and down, tossed -back and forth, and rolled from side to side in an utterly -inexplicable way to his bewildered mind. And every mad -motion threw him against some bruised and painful portion -of his anatomy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he struggled to open his eyes it seemed to him that he -was lying in pitch darkness. His ears were assailed by a -concatenation of discordant noises, creaks, groans, thunderous -blows of which he could make nothing. No one has ever -pictured hell as a place of reeking odors and hideous sounds. -Why that opportunity has been neglected is not known. -Certainly the popular brimstone idea of it is highly suggestive. -At any rate, the bad air and other indescribable odors, to -say nothing of the noises that came to him, added to his -physical perturbation and wretchedness. Under the -circumstances, the wonder was not so much that he did not -think clearly, but that he could think at all. It was only -after some moments of sickening return to consciousness -that he became convinced that he was alive and somewhere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He lay for a little while desperately trying to solve the -problems presented to him by his environment, with but -little immediate success. Finally, as a help toward -clearing up the mystery, he decided upon exploration. Though -the undertaking was painful to him, he made an effort to sit -up. His head came in violent contact with something which -he had not noticed in the obscurity above him and -nearly knocked him senseless again. After another violent -fit of sickness, he decided upon a more circumspect -investigation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He felt about with his hands and discovered that he was -in some box-like enclosure one side of which seemed to be -open save for a containing strip against which he had been -violently hurled several times and which had prevented him -from being thrown out. This enclosure was in violently -agitated motion. At first, in his confusion, he decided -vaguely upon a railroad train, a sleeping-car berth, but he -realized that not even the roughest freight car would -produce such an effect as that unless the train were running on -the cross ties, in which case its stoppage would be -immediate. This pitching and tossing kept on. If he had been -in his clear senses, he would have known in an instant where -he was, but it was only after violent effort at concentration -that his aching head told him that he must be aboard a -ship!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was familiar with steamers of the more magnificent -class, and with his own yacht, and the pleasure craft of his -friends, and he knew enough from reading to decide that -this was the forecastle of a ship. He decided that it was a -wooden ship. The outer planking against which he lay was -of wood. He listened next for the beat or throb of a screw, -and heard none. Thinking more and more clearly, it came -to him that it was a sailing ship. As his eyes became used -to the obscurity, he saw abaft his feet and to his left hand, -for he lay head to the bows, well forward on the port side, -a square of light which betokened an open hatchway. He -strained his eyes up through the hatchway. He could make -out nothing. It was still daylight on deck, and that was -all he could decide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he lay staring stupidly, above the roar of the wind, -and the creaking and groaning of the straining ship and the -thunder of great waves against the bow as she plunged into -the head seas, he heard harsh voices. The tramping of many -feet, hurried, irregular, came to him; then a sudden silence; -a command followed, and again the massed and steady -trampling of the same feet. A shrill, harsh-creaking sound -followed, as of taut rope straining through the dry sheaves -of a heavy block. Rude rhythmical sounds, sailors' chanties, -penetrated the wooden cave in one of the recesses of which -he lay. It was a sailing ship, obviously. They were -mast-heading yards; apparently setting or taking in sail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What ship, and how came he aboard? By this time he -was sufficiently himself to come to a decision. He would get -out of that berth. He would mount the ladder, the top of -which he could see dimly nearest the hatch-combing, and -get out on deck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He thrust one leg over the side of the berth, and as the -dim light fell upon it, he discovered that he was barefoot. -It had not yet occurred to him to examine his clothes. Being -asleep, he would naturally be wearing the luxurious night -gear he affected. Not so in this instance. Where the white -of his leg stopped he discerned a fringe of ragged trousers. -He felt them. They were tattered and torn, and indescribably -foul and dirty. Mystery on mystery! Cautiously, -so as not to hit his head a second time, he sat up and lowered -himself to the deck. Continuing his inspection, he was -horrified at the shirt which covered the upper half of his -body, and which fully matched the trousers. Where were -the clothes he had worn the night before?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It came upon him like the proverbial flash of lightning -from a clear sky--that bachelor supper, the gay revelry, -the wine he had drunk, his sallying forth with George -Harnash. He vaguely remembered their first stop; after -that--nothing. Where were his watch, his studs, his money? -He looked around carefully, with a faint hope that he might -see them. A dress suit was, of course, an absurdity at that -hour and in that place, but anything was better than those -filthy rags. There was nothing to be seen of them, of -course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The horror and unpleasantness of the place grew upon -him. Lest he should give way to another tearing fit of -sickness, he must get up on deck. Clothes would come later, -and explanations. He staggered aft toward the foot of the -ladder, the violent motion of the ship--and in his place, in -the very eyes of her, the motion was worst--making progress -difficult. It was not that he lacked sea legs, nor was he -merely seasick. His unsteadiness and nausea came from -other causes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he put his foot on the ladder, like another flash came -the recollection that this was his wedding day. He was, -indeed, a day out in his reckoning, but that was to develop -later. He stopped, petrified at the appalling thought. His -wedding day, and he in this guise on a ship! He groaned -with horror, clapping his hands to his face, and the next roll -threw him violently against the ladder, opening a cut in his -head so that the blood began to trickle down the side of -his cheek.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This seemed to have a good effect upon him. The blow, -as it were, dissipated some of his imaginings. It was an -assault that quickened the working of his mind. He rose -to the provocative stimulus of it. He got to his feet, -brushed the blood out of his eyes, mounted the ladder, and -stepped over the hatch-combing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He found himself on the deck of a large, old-fashioned, -full-rigged sailing ship. A lookout paced across the deck -from side to side forward. Way aft he saw a flying bridge -just forward of the mizzenmast, on which two officers stood. -A number of men had tailed on to what he realized were the -foretops'l halliards, upon which they were swaying violently, -constantly urged to greater exertions by a big, rough-looking -man who stood over them. From time to time they -broke into a rude chant, in order to apply their efforts -unitedly and rhythmically to the task of raising the -foretops'l yard, the sail of which had just been double reefed. -The men who had performed that task were tumbling down -from aloft on the shrouds on either side. Although he was an -amateur sailor, Beekman was familiar enough with ships to -realize much of what was going on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a raw, rough day. There was a bite in the wind -which struck cold upon his unaccustomed body through his -rags. It was already blowing a half gale, with a fine -promise of coming harder, apparently, and they were -reducing the canvas. As the ship was by the wind, sheets of cold -spray swept across the already wet decks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While he stared, the men stopped jigging on the -foretops'l halliards. They were belayed, and at the mate's -command the crew lined up on the main tops'l halliards, ready -to sway away at command, while those topmen, whose -business it was to handle the canvas on the mainmast, sprang -up on the sheer poles and rapidly ascended the ratlines.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In all these movements, which appeared confused, but -which were not, Beekman had stood unnoticed, but he was -not to escape attention much longer. The man who had -been directing the men on the halliards caught sight of him -as they were belayed. He turned and walked forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here, you sojer," he began roughly, "what in hell do -you mean by standin' aroun' here doin' nothin'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you talking to me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who else would I be talkin' to? D'ye think I'm -addressin' a congregation?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not accustomed to this sort of speech, and I'll thank -you to modify it," answered Beekman, outraged by the -other's brutal rudeness, and quite forgetful of his -appearance and condition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was a quick-tempered young man, and all his life he -had received deference and respect. He did not propose to -let anybody talk to him that way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, you infernal sea lawyer, you back-talkin' slob, you -dirty malingerer, what do you think you are; one of the -officers on this ship; a passenger?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whatever I am, I'm not under your orders."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You ain't, ain't ye! I'll learn you what you are. Git -aft an' tail on to them halliards, an' be quick about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll see you damned first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What!" roared Bill Woywod. He balled his enormous -fist and struck viciously at Beekman. In a rough-and-tumble -fight the latter would have had no chance with the -mate, for what the officer lacked in science he made up in -brute force. Beekman was in a horrible physical condition -from his excesses and the result of the knockout drops which -had been administered to him, but his spirit was as strong -as ever, and his skill as great. He parried the blow easily -with his left, and sent a swift right to Woywod's iron jaw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The main tops'l halliards had not yet been cast off, and -the men surged forward. Captain Peleg Fish, with an -amazing agility for one of his years, disdaining the -accommodation ladders, leaped over the rail of the bridge, dropped -to the deck, and ran forward, leaving the conning of the -ship to the second mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rank mutiny, by heck," shouted the captain, drawing a -revolver. "Stand clear, git back to them halliards, every -mother's son of ye, or I'll let daylight through ye. What's -the matter here, Mr. Woywod?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, if Beekman had been in good condition, that blow -to the jaw might have put Woywod out for a few moments, -although that is questionable, but as it was, it had merely -staggered him. It lacked steam. But it was hard enough -to rouse all the devilry in the mate's heart.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you need any help, sir?" continued Captain Peleg -Fish, handling his pistol.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"None. Stand back, men," he answered to the captain, -and shouted to the crew in one breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Woywod had taken one blow. He took another, for, as -he leaped at Beekman, who was not so thoroughly angry -that he did not stop to reason, the latter hit him with all his -force. Woywod partly parried the blow, and the next -moment he had the young man in his arms. He crushed him -against his breast; he shook him to and fro. He finally -shifted his hands to the other's throat and choked him until -he was insensible. Then he threw him in the lee scuppers -and turned aft, the crew falling back before him and -running to the halliards with almost ludicrous haste.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was the trouble?" asked Captain Fish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The lazy swab refused to obey my orders to tail on the -halliards with the rest of the men, an' then he struck me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rank mutiny," shouted the captain. "Shall we put him -in irons?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir. We're not any too full handed as it is. He -evidently doesn't know the law of the sea. Perhaps he's not -quite himself. It's the first time he's been on deck since we -took our departure yesterday mornin'. Leave him to me, -sir; I'll turn him into a good, willin', obedient sailorman -afore I gits through with him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very good. Bear a hand with the maintops'l," said the -captain, turning and walking aft. "It blows harder every -minute. I don't want to rip the sticks off her just yet, -although I can carry on as long as any master that sails the -sea," he added for the benefit of Salver, the second mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sea was rising, and although the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was a -dry ship, yet the wind had nipped the tops of the waves and -from time to time the spray came aboard. There was water -in the lee scuppers, and this presently brought back -consciousness to Beekman. He sat up finally, and, no one paying -him any attention, watched the proceedings until the reefs -had been taken in the tops'ls and the ship prepared for the -growing storm. He watched them with no degree of interest -but with black rage and murder in his heart. If he had a -weapon, or the strength, he thought he would have killed -the mate as the latter came toward him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a desire, natural under the circumstances, to be in -position for whatever might betide, he rose to his feet and -clung desperately to the pinrail, confronting the mate. The -men of the crew had scattered to their various stations and -duties. All hands had been called, but the ship having been -made snug alow and aloft, the watch below had been -dismissed, and some of them were already tripping down the -ladder into the forepeak. Beekman was left entirely to his -own devices. No one presumed to interfere between the mate -and this newest member of the ship's people.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you," began Woywod with an oath. "Have you -had your lesson? Do you know who's who aboard this ship? -Are you ready to turn to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm ready for nothing," said Beekman hotly, "except to -kill you if I get a chance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here," said Woywod, "you're evidently a green -hand. Probably you've never been on a ship afore, an' -you don't know the law of the sea. 'T ain't to be expected -that you would. We gits many aboard that makes their first -v'yage with us. But there's one thing you do know, an' -that's that I'm your master." His great hand shot out and -shook itself beneath Beekman's face. "An' I'm your master -not only because I'm first officer of this ship, but because I'm -a better man than you are. I flung you into the lee scuppers -an' I can do it again. I'm willin' an' wishful to do it, too. -If you gimme any more mutinous back talk; if you refuse to -turn to an' do your duty accordin' to the articles you signed -when you come aboard, you'll git it again. If you act like -a man instead of a fool, you'll have no more trouble with -me 's long as you obey orders. D'ye git that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I get it, yes. It's plain enough, but it makes no -difference to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It don't, don't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; and I'm not a member of this crew. I signed no -articles, and I don't propose to do a thing unless I please. -I want to see the captain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You gimme the lie, do you?" said Woywod, approaching nearer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, look here," said Beekman; "I want you to -understand one thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not afraid of you. You can kill me. You've got -the physical strength to do it, although if I were not so -sick, there might be an argument as to that; so you might -as well quit bullying me. Oh, yes, I have no doubt but -what you could knock me over again, but I'll die fighting."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His hand clenched a belaying pin. He drew it out and -lifted it up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Woywod," the captain's voice came from aft, "is -that man givin' you any trouble again?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can deal with him, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Send him aft to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course, Woywod could not disobey so direct an order. -He had no relish for it, but there was no help for it. -Beekman himself took action. He shoved past the mate, -who, under the circumstances, did not dare to hit him, and -made his way staggering along the deck to the bridge, -where the mate followed him. Two or three of the crew -came aft, but the mate drove them forward with curses -and oaths.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Young man," said the captain, an old man of short -stature, but immensely broad shouldered and powerful, "do -you know what mutiny is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I certainly do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you've been to sea before, have you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Many times."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On what ships?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Trans-Atlantic liners and my own yacht."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your own yacht!" The captain burst into a roar of laughter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's what I said."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know I'm the master of this ship?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I presume so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, say 'sir' to me, an' be quick about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is your due," said Beekman; "I should have done it -before. I beg your pardon, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's better. Now, what's this cock-an'-bull story -you're try in' to tell me? Look here, Smith--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's not my name, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, that's the name you made your mark to on the -ship's articles when you were brought aboard, the drunkest -sailor I ever seen."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's exactly it," said Beekman. "I'm no sailor, and -my name is not Smith."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's your name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beekman; Derrick Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How came you aboard my ship?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose I've been shanghaied. I don't know any more -than you do; perhaps not as much."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean," roared the captain, "that I had any hand -in bringing you here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know anything about that. I only know that I -was to be married today, Thursday."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Tain't Thursday; it's Friday. You've been in a -drunken stupor since Thursday morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Friday!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman looked about him with something like despair -in his heart. There was not even a ship to be seen in the -whole expanse of leaden sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Captain--What's your name, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, the impudence of that," ejaculated Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What difference does it make to you what the cap'n's -name is," sneered Salver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's Peleg Fish, Smith-Beekman, or Beekman-Smith; -Captain Peleg Fish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Captain Fish, I'm a member of an old New York -family and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Families don't count for nothin' here," said the captain. -"If that's all you've got to say, I've seen a many of them -last scions brought down to the fok's'l."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was engaged to be married to the daughter of John -Maynard. I presume you've heard of him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean the president of the Inter-Oceanic Trading -Company?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I've heard of him all right," laughed the captain. -"This is the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>. She belongs to his company. -We fly his house flag. Do you mean to tell me that you -claim to have been engaged to his daughter; a drunken -ragamuffin like you, the off-scourin's of Water Street, -which the crimps unload on us poor, helpless, seafarin' men -as able seamen?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was. I am. The wedding was set for yesterday. We -had a bachelor dinner on Wednesday night, and I guess we -all drank too much. At any rate, I don't know anything -further except that I woke up here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a likely story."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That chap's got a rich imagination," sneered the second -mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'd orter be writin' romances," ejaculated Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Enough," said Captain Fish. "Your story may be -true or it may not. I don't think it is, but whether it is or -not, it don't matter. You were brought aboard at two -o'clock Thursday morning. We tripped and sailed at four. -His name's on the articles, Mr. Woywod?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is; John Smith. I witnessed his signature. He -couldn't write at the time, so someone held his hand an' he -made his mark."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is an outrage," roared Beekman. "What became -of my watch and clothes?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You had nothin' but what you've got on now when you -came aboard. Am I right, cap'n?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you see there's nothin' for you to do but turn to an' -behave yourself an' obey orders. When the ship reaches -Vladivostok, an' we pays off, you can take your discharge -an' go where you please."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll give you a thousand dollars to go back to New York -and land me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain grinned. Taking their cue from him, Mr. Woywod -and Mr. Salver exploded with laughter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might as well make it ten thousand, while you're -about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will make it ten thousand," said Beekman, desperately.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, will you trans-ship me to some vessel bound -for New York?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're short handed, sir," put in Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Couldn't think of it," said the captain, who, of course, -disbelieved </span><em class="italics">in toto</em><span> Beekman's highly improbable story.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was the richest and most extravagant tale he had -ever listened to. To do him justice, every voyage he had -ever sailed had produced someone who strove to get out of -the ship by urging some wildly improbable excuse for his -being there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir, if you won't do that, I suppose Colon will be -your first port of call, and you are going through the -Panama Canal. Let me get on the end of the cable there -and I'll get you orders from Mr. Maynard himself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I might be inclined to do that," said the captain -facetiously, "but the canal is blocked by another slide in the -Culebra cut, an' we're goin' around the Horn."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you touch anywhere?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some South Sea island for vegetables an' water, mebbe, -but no place where there's a cable, if I can help it. When -I takes my departure I don't want nobody interferin' with -me an' sendin' orders after me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is there a wireless on the ship?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. Now, if you've finished your questionin', perhaps -you'll allow me to say a word or two."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' you may be very thankful to the cap'n for his -kind treatment, for I never seed him so agreeable to a man -tryin' to sojer out of work an' shirk his job afore," said -Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jestice, Mr. Woywod, an' fair treatment, even to the -common sailor, is my motto. As long as they obey orders, -they've got nothin' to fear from me, an' that goes for you, -Smith."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beekman," insisted the young man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smith it was, Smith it is, Smith it will be. That's the -first order. Now, I'll give you a little advice. Mr. Woywod -and Mr. Salver is among the gentlest officers I ever sailed -with, so long as they ain't crossed. You turn to an' do -what you're told or you'll git it constantly; fist, rope's -end, belay'n pin, sea boots, or whatever comes handiest, an' -if you're obstinate enough, an' if it's serious enough, a -charge of mutiny, an' double irons. Understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman nodded; the captain's meaning was clear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go for'ard, now, an' remember, mutiny means a term -in prison at the end of the voyage, an' mebbe worse. -However you come aboard, you're here, an' bein' here, you got -to obey orders or take the consequences."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I protest against this outrage. I'll have the law. I'll -bring you to justice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Belay that," said the captain, more or less indifferently. -"It don't git you nowhere. If you are well advised, you'll -heed my suggestions, that's all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was absolutely helpless. There was nothing -that he could do. Although more angry and more resentful -than ever, he fully realized his impotency. He turned -to go forward. Bill Woywod stopped him. The passion -that the mate saw in Beekman's face, as he fairly gritted his -teeth at him, startled him a little. Most liars and malingerers -did not take it that way. They accepted the inevitable with -more or less grace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're in my watch," said Woywod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More's the pity."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' it happens to be the watch below. One bell has jest -struck; four-thirty. The watch below takes the deck at four -bells; six o'clock for the second dogwatch. I'll give you -till then to think about it. If you don't turn to then with -the rest an' do a man's duty, by God, you'll suffer for it."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-anvil-must-take-the-pounding"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE ANVIL MUST TAKE THE POUNDING</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Beekman had never thought so hard in his life as he -did in the next hour and a half. Try as he would, he -could see no way out of the hideous </span><em class="italics">impasse</em><span> into which fate -had thrust him. He had not the faintest idea that his -situation was caused by the treachery of his friend. No -suspicion of betrayal entered his mind. He was certain it was -simply the result of accident, and no one was to blame except -himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had got beastly drunk after that dinner. He had -driven down town with Harnash. They had stopped on the -way. They had finally separated. He had been assaulted, -robbed, and probably left senseless from drink and the -beating he had received. He hoped fervently that he had -put up a good fight before being beaten into insensibility. -Some crimp had picked him up, stripped him of his clothes, -put him into these filthy rags, and sent him aboard the ship. -By a legal mockery which would yet suffice, he had signed -the articles. There was no way he could convince the -captain of the truth of his story. Unless stress of weather or -accident drove the ship to make port somewhere, he could -communicate with nobody for six months, or until they -dropped anchor at Vladivostok. He was a prisoner. Neither -by physical force nor by mental alertness and ability could -he alter that fact or change conditions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fantastic schemes came into his mind, of course; among -them the organization of the crew, a mutiny, the seizure of -the ship. But that would not be possible unless conditions -on the ship became absolutely unbearable; and even if it -were practicable, in all probability he might be leading the -whole body to death and disaster. Beekman knew -something about the organization and administration of the -Inter-Oceanic Trading Company. He knew their ships were -always well found and well provisioned. Given a well-found -ship and plenty of good food to eat, and a sailor will stand -almost anything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Besides, most of these men knew fully the character of -Captain Fish, Mr. Woywod, and Mr. Salver. They were as -hard as iron, and as quick as lightning, and as ruthless as -the devil himself, but if the men did what they were told, -and did it quickly, and did it well, they got off with abuse -only, and a comparative freedom from manhandling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All three officers were fine seamen. They could handle a -ship in any wind or sea as a skilled chauffeur handles a -well-known car in heavy traffic, and it is a great deal harder to -handle a ship than a car, especially a sailing ship. Blow -high, blow low, come what would, these men were equal to -any demand, and all that could be got out of timber and -cordage and canvas, to say nothing of steel wire, these -men could get. Also they were drivers. They would carry -to'gall'n'ts'l's when other ships dared show no more than a -close-reefed tops'l. Speed was a prime requisite with the -owners. The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>, in particular, had to justify her -use, and Captain Fish took a natural and pardonable pride -in striving for the steamer record. All this pleased the men. -Sailors will put up with much from a skillful, energetic, -alert, daring, and successful officer. They made quick runs -and drew high pay. Many of them had been attached to the -</span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> since she had been commissioned. They had -learned so to comport themselves as to avoid as much trouble -as possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was in the receipt of not a little rough, but -common-sense, advice from the watch below in the forecastle. -His own better judgment told him that the unpalatable -advice must be followed. Fish, Woywod, and Salver had it -in their power to harry him to death. His spirit, -nevertheless, rebelled against any such knuckling down as would be -required. At three bells in the first dogwatch one of the -ship's boys came to him with a message.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you John Smith?" he said, stopping before him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman took his first lesson then and there. His inclination -was, as it had been, to shout his own name to the trucks -whenever he was questioned, but what was the use? He bit -his lips and nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's what they call me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mr. Gersey wants to see you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who is he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's the ship's Bo's'n."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Am I at the beck and call of everybody on the ship?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, young feller," said an old, down-east sailor -named Templin, who, on account of his age and experience, -had been made the Bo's'n's mate of the port watch. "You've -had a lot of advice throwed into you, which you may or may -not foller. This last is worth 'bout as much as all the rest. -The Bo's'n ain't no certificated officer. He don't live aft. -He's got a position sort o' 'twixt fo'c's'l an' quarter-deck, -but there's no man aboard who can do more for you or agin -you than him. You seems to be a sort of a friendless damn -fool. We don't none of us believe your yarn, but we -sympathize with you because we've been in the same sitooation, -all of us. Jim Gersey is a square man. You ain't had no -chance to run athwart his hawse, an' like enough he wants -to do you a good turn. You'd better go, an' go a-runnin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," answered Beekman, rising and following -the boy to the boatswain's cabin, right abaft the forecastle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, Smith--" began that grizzled and veteran -mariner, who had followed the sea all his life, and looked it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smith is not my name."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In course, it ain't, but it's the name you'll go by on this -ship. I don't know why it is, but every man I ever seed -articled on a ship without his consent got named Smith or -Jones. I've knowed some mighty respectable people o' them -names, an' I don't see why they've got to be saddled with all -the offscourin's o' creation, meanin' no offense," said the -rough, but somehow kindly, old man. "Smith it is, an'--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smith goes," said Beekman briefly. "What's my first -name, if I may ask?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Reads 'John' on the articles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"John's as good as any."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, you're takin' things in the right spirit. I heerd -what you said to the officers, an' I seen how you got involved -with Mr. Woywod. I sized you up good and plenty. -Whether your yarn is true or not, an' I ain't passin' no -judgment on that, it's evident that you ain't used to the sea, -that you ain't used to rough work, I means, an' this yere is -new experience for you. I'm old enough to be your father, -an' it jest occurred to me that it would be a thing I'd like to -remember when I quits the sea an' settles down on a farm -I got my eyes on, that I took a young feller an' give him a -friendly hand an' a word o' warnin', an' that's why I sent -for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I appreciate it more than I can tell. As man to man, I -assure you that my story is absolutely true. If I ever get -out of this alive, I'll remember your conduct."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'T ain't for that I'm tryin' to steer you a straight -course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got to knuckle down, take your medicine, turn -to an' do your dooty like a man. There ain't three harder -men on the ocean to sail with than the old man an' them two -mates. I've been on many ships, an' under many officers, -but there couldn't be a worse hell ship than this one'd be if -the men didn't knuckle down. You can't talk back; you -can't even look sideways. You got to be on the jump all the -time. You got to do what you're told, an' you got to do it -right. Tryin' won't git you nowhere. It's doin' it. They're -hell on every natural mistake."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why do men submit to it? How can they get a crew?" -asked Beekman fiercely. "I would almost rather die than -stand it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you wouldn't, sonny," said the loquacious old boatswain -quickly. "If what you say is true, an' I ain't sayin' -it ain't, you've got somethin' to live for, an' even if it ain't -true, you've probably got something to live for ashore. If -you're a fugitive from jestice, or anything o' that kind, -which we gits 'em of'en, there's plenty of other lands where -a man can disappear an' make a new start. An' men," he -went on, reverting to the other's question, "are willin' to -ship on the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>, an' do it over an' over agin, -because she's well found, the grub's A-1, she's a lucky ship, -an' makes quick passages. The pay is high, an' the officers -are prime seamen, every inch o' them. If you do your dooty, -if you do it right, if you don't make no mistakes, you'll git -plenty o' hard language an' black looks, but that's all. If -you don't they'll haze you until your spirit's broke, aye, -until your life's gone. I'll do it myself," he added frankly. -"I ain't talkin' to you now as the Bo's'n of the ship, but jest -as man to man; as an old man advisin' a young one. If I -find you shirkin', or sojerin', or puttin' on any airs, or -playin' any tricks, I won't be far behind Woywod and -Salver an' the old man. That's all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cut out 'Mister.' I ain't no quarter-deck officer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, Bo's'n. I've thought it over. I'll accept -your advice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's the only thing you can do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's true, and the only reason I do it. But, by -heaven, if I ever get ashore, and if I ever get Woywod -ashore, I'll pay him for it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's many would like to help you at that job," -answered Gersey; "but the trouble is to git him ashore. -After ship's crews is paid off, they generally scatters an' -disappears, an' sailormen's memories is short. They count -on gittin' it hard from everybody, anyway. They've been -trained that way from the beginnin'. They grow so -forgetful that after they get on another ship there's nothin' -too good to say of the last one in comparison. Do you -know anything about sailorin'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know any knot-and-splice seamanship, if that's -what you mean; but I'm a navigator, and I can sail my -own yacht. I can do a trick at the wheel. I've never been -on a full-rigged ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was your yacht?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A steamer, of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Show any canvas?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not to speak of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ever been aloft?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I'll do my best to train you. You've got an awful -hard course to steer. You began bad by gittin' the mate -down on you, an' I've no doubt but what he'll be layin' for -you all the time, anyway."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So long as he keeps his hands off me, I'll give him no -further chance for trouble."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' if he don't?" asked the boatswain impressively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he goes to that length--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll have to stand it jest the same. Mutiny on the -high seas is the worst crime a sailor can be found guilty of. -Everybody ashore is on the side of the officers--courts, an' -jestices, an' juries."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'd like to get that brute in a court," said Beekman -savagely. "I'd almost be willing to mutiny to do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take my advice on this p'int, too," said Gersey -earnestly. "The less a sailor man has to do with law sharks -an' courts ashore, the better off he finds hisself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus it happened that when four bells were struck, and -all the port watch were called, Beekman presented himself -with the rest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you've decided to turn to, have you, you dirty -ragamuffin?" roared Woywod as the watch came tumbling aft.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Say, 'sir,'" cried the mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had a piece of rattan in his hand, and he struck -Beekman a blow on the arm. The hardest word he ever -ejaculated in his life was that "sir" which he threw out between -his teeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's well," said Woywod. "Now, you assaulted me; -you've been technically guilty of mutiny, but I'll forgit -that. You turn to an' do your work like a man, an' you'll -have nothin' to fear from me, but if I catch you sojerin', -I'll cut your heart out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman couldn't trust himself to speak. He stood -rooted to his place on the deck until Woywod turned away. -It was singular how the environment of a ship turned a -fairly decent man ashore into a wolf, a pitiless brute, at sea. -Woywod knew no other way to command men. The men -with whom he had been thrown knew no other way to be -commanded. The mate had completely forgotten his friend's -instructions to treat Beekman with unusual consideration. -As a matter of fact, Woywod was harder on Beekman in -his own heart and in his intentions than on any other man -for several reasons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had faced him. He had refused to be cowed. -He was not even cowed now. Beekman had struck him and -almost knocked him down. Beekman was a gentleman. In -every look, in every movement, he showed his superiority -over, and his contempt for, Woywod. Harnash had arrived -at the same social degree as Beekman, but he was careful, -because of his old affection, to treat Woywod exactly as he -had treated him in days gone by. Woywod knew--he was -not without shrewdness--that he was not on Harnash's -social level, or even upon an intellectual parity with him, but -Harnash never allowed the slightest suggestion of inequality -to appear in their intercourse, because he really liked the -man. When a man of inferior temper, quality, and character -is placed in irresponsible charge of a man who surpasses -him in everything, the tendency to tyrannize is almost -irresistible. In Woywod's mind, he himself was, somehow, -identified with justice and right. He was engaged in -serving a woman who, to his perverted apprehension, was to be -forced into a marriage with a man she hated, and that man -was before him, in his power.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Woywod was not all bad. He was the last exponent of a -certain kind of officer; a very bad kind, it must be admitted, -but an efficient kind, as well. There were certain rudimentary -principles of justice and fair dealing in him, and some -of those whom he abused worst realized that, and stood for -more from him than they would otherwise; but in the case -of Beekman, both justice and fair play were in abeyance for -the reasons mentioned. Woywod was determined to break -his spirit, and to ride him down, and Beekman sensed that. -It was to be a fight between him and the mate from New -York to Vladivostok, with every advantage on earth on the -side of the mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had as quick a temper as any man living. He -had never been forced to control it much. The world had -given free passage everywhere to him, backed as he had been -by those things before which men bow down. Whether he -could control himself, whether he could submit to the end, -he did not dare to say. He did not hope that he could, but -at least he would give it a fair trial. In his secret heart he -prayed that he might control himself, for, if he did not, he -was sure he would kill the mate by fair means or foul. He -wanted very much to live, if for no other thing than to -justify himself in the eyes of Stephanie Maynard, whose -present opinion of him he could well imagine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had not been the most ardent of lovers. He was not -the most ardent of lovers now. It was pride rather than -passion that made him crave that opportunity for justifying -himself, although he deluded himself with the idea that -his heart was fairly breaking on account of her. Indeed, -a simple reflection might have convinced him of the falsity -of that proposition, because the predominant emotions that -mastered him were hatred of Woywod and longing for -revenge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What would have been those emotions if he had known -that Woywod was but an instrument in the hands of another, -and that other a rival for the affections of his promised -wife, and one who had passed as his best friend?</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-game-and-the-end"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE GAME AND THE END</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Having chosen his line of conduct, Beekman, with a -strength of will and purpose of which no one would -have suspected him, adhered to it rigidly, and the very fact -that he was unable to goad him into revolt inflamed the -passion and developed the animosity and hatred of Woywod. -The mate was perfectly willing and, indeed, anxious to -manhandle Beekman, but that little fundamental streak of -fair play made him keep his hands off when he had no cause. -To be sure, he sought diligently for cause and occasion, and -that he did not find it, angered him the more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had never been face to face with a very difficult -situation of any kind. Life had been too easy for him. -There had been no special demands upon his character by -any very pressing emergency, and perhaps that made him -study the position in which he found himself more carefully. -Among other things, he decided to make himself popular -with the crew, and to do it by gaining their respect. Unlike -Ancient Pistol, he would be by no means "base, common, and -popular," if popularity was to be procured in that way only. -He had always been acclaimed a leader, in athletics at any -rate, both in the prep school, in the university, and -afterward among his friends and acquaintances.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without stooping to their level, without truckling to their -prejudices by promises or bribery that is, he achieved that -object. He was easily the most popular man on the ship. -And it was no small tribute to his adaptability that one of -his quality and station could gain the universal approval -of so many men so radically different. In little ways that -fact presently became apparent to the quarter deck, and -Woywod resented that especially. It irked him exceedingly -that a man against whom he imagined he had a just cause -for grievance, and who had, from his point of view, entirely -merited his displeasure, should be upheld and acclaimed by -the rest of the men over whom he ruled with iron severity. -This was an affront to him, and an additional cause for -resentment, not to say hatred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In all this, Beekman had not changed his opinion of -Woywod in the least degree. In return, he hated him with -a good, healthy, genuine hatred that grew with every -passing hour. It became increasingly hard for him to control -himself and to follow out his course in the face of Woywod's -constant endeavors to arouse his temper. Indeed, quick and -passionate by inheritance, and by lack of restraint since -childhood, Beekman found himself marvelling at his own -self-control.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If it had not been that his course so thoroughly angered -the mate as in a certain sense to enable Beekman to get even -with him, he would have lost that control again and again. -As it was, his soul writhed under the sneers, the insults, the -brutal blackguarding, the foul language of Woywod, to -say nothing of the exactions, the unfair and almost -impossible tasks that were heaped upon him. And Salver, taking -his cue from his superior, did his little best to make life a -burden to Beekman. Grim, stern, ruthless Peleg Fish rather -enjoyed it, too. With natural keenness, the master of the -ship realized that it was a battle and a game between the two -men, and he delighted in it as a sporting proposition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps the popularity Beekman had gained among the -crew helped him to bear these things. A few of them were -quick enough mentally to look beneath the surface. Jim -Gersey was of that small number. The young man had -completely gained that old man's confidence. Beekman had seen -the uselessness of persisting in his story, and he had made no -further references to it among the crew after that first day, -but with Gersey he made an exception. The old boatswain -was shrewd and worldly wise in a guileless sort of way. The -two had many long talks together, and the younger had at -last succeeded in convincing the older of the truth of his -tale. Without seeming to do it, the boatswain helped the -newcomer through many a difficult situation, and by -ostentatiously joining in the bullying he got from the -quarter deck, and by keeping secret his friendship, it was -not suspected aft.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had no suspicion as to how he got on the ship. -He supposed his presence was due to blind fate. He knew -that once he could get on the end of a telegraphic cable -he could free himself from his detestable position, but he -shrewdly suspected that if there were any way to prevent -that, Woywod, who acted with the consent and approval of -Fish, could be depended upon to stop it. Beekman had -talked that matter over with Gersey, and he had given the -boatswain an address and a message which the old man had -laboriously committed to memory. If Beekman were kept -on the ship, Gersey would send the cable from Vladivostok, -or from whatever civilized port they made. For the rest, -with a reckless disregard of expenditure, Beekman discarded -his filthy rags, and comfortably outfitted himself from the -ship's well-equipped slop-chest, his extravagant outlay being -deducted from his able seaman's pay, for which, of course, -he cared nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In spite of the fact that she was well found, and the men -were well fed, and the passage was a quick one, and the -ship fairly comfortable, by the time the cruise drew on to -its end, the ship was usually a smouldering hell, and this -voyage was no exception.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The men had been driven hard. A succession of westerly -gales off Cape Horn had kept them beating about that -dreadful point for nearly two weeks, and even after they -had rounded it, for once the Pacific belied its name. The -wind shifted after they passed the fiftieth parallel, so they -had to face a long beat up to the line. Gale succeeded gale. -Such weather was unprecedented. It had never been heard -of by the oldest and most experienced seamen on board. -The men were worn out; their nerves on ragged edge. The -severe straining the ship had got had made her take in water, -not seriously, but at a sufficiently rapid rate to require a -good deal of pumping. The steam pump broke down for a -time and the crew had to man the hand pumps. Their nerves -were on edge and raw, and the officers ground them down -worse than ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If Beekman had not improved in his physical condition, -he could not have stood his share of the work. He had been -an athlete at college, not heavy enough to buck the center -on a football team, but a marvelously speedy end, and a -champion at the lighter forms of athletics demanding agility, -alertness, and skill. In his after-college life, athletics -had continued to interest him if desultorily. He was still an -A-1 tennis player and a dashing horseman, but not much -else.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With the hard work, the coarse but substantial food, and -at first the regular hours, he developed amazingly. He got -to be as hard as nails. He had always been a fair boxer. -It was a science about which Woywod knew nothing, and -although the mate was twenty pounds heavier and several -inches taller, to say nothing of broader shouldered, than -Beekman, the latter began to feel that in a twenty-foot ring -with foul fighting barred, he could master the officer. There -was no possibility of a meeting of that kind, however, so -the two, under the varying positions of an unusually trying -cruise, fought the battle of will and wit down one ocean and -half-way up the other, until the break came, the marvel -being not that it came when it did, but that it had been -postponed so long.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One of the members of the crew was a young Dutchman -named Jacob Wramm. He was not exactly half-witted. He -could hardly be called defective, even, but he was a dull, -slow-thinking, very stupid lad who had been shipped by the -crimp as an A.B., but who would never be rated higher than -a landsman. Beekman, who rapidly learned knot-and-splice -seamanship, and all the ordinary and extraordinary duties -of a sailor; who could get to the main royal yard or the -flying jibboom end as quickly as any man on the ship; -who could pass a weather earring in a howling gale as -securely as the most accomplished seaman; who could do -his trick at the wheel and hold her up to her course against -a bucking, jumping head sea with the best quartermaster -afloat, endeavored to teach and train Wramm in the niceties -of the sailor's art. He made some progress with him until -Salver caught him instructing the stupid Dutchman, who -was in the second mate's watch. He mentioned it casually -in the cabin to Woywod, and the latter at once found a -new object upon which to vent his spleen and to provoke -Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was fortunate for Wramm that he was in the starboard -watch. It was only when all hands were called and -Salver went forward, Woywod taking charge amidships, -where Wramm was stationed at the main mast, that he got -a chance at him. The slightest blunder on the part of the -Dutchman was treated as a crime. He was rope's ended, -rattaned, kicked, beaten like a dog. Only a certain slow, -stubborn obstinacy and determination in his disposition -kept the unfortunate man from jumping overboard. -Probably if Beekman had been in the same watch with -Wramm and both had been under Woywod's command, -something would have happened sooner, but except when all -hands were called, Beekman was never near Wramm, -and even then Beekman's station was aloft in taking in -sail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wramm was not trusted on the yards. His duties were -at the fife-rails around the masts where the various ropes -which led from above were belayed. It was a responsible -position, but Beekman had gone over and over every bit -of every rope belayed to the iron pins in the fife-rails with -him. When Wramm once got a thing in his head after a -slow process, it was apt to stay there, and the Dutchman -finally became letter perfect. He could put his hands on -the various sheets, halliards, clewlines, buntlines, and others -unerringly even in the dark. That is, he could if he were let -alone and not hurried unduly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One night, the starboard watch being on deck in the -midwatch, at four bells, or two in the morning, the port -watch was called, all hands being necessary for the taking -in of sail. As usual, Captain Fish, annoyed beyond measure -at his bad luck and the head winds, had been holding on to -take advantage of a favorable slant in a whole-sail breeze, -which was developing into a hard gale. He had time and -distance to make up and he was going to lose no opportunity -with either.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the wind was rising, and the sea, too, he had remained -on deck during Salver's watch, and at one o'clock in the -morning the watch had taken in the royals and the flying -jib. At two o'clock the captain, staring up through the -darkness at the jumping, quivering to'gall'nt masts, decided -that the time had come to furl the light canvas and take a -double reef in the tops'ls, in preparation for the blow -obviously at hand. He waited so long, however, before -coming to this decision, that he realized that he had -perilously little time left in which to get the canvas off her -without losing a sail or perhaps a spar or two.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Like every man of his temperament, he held on till the -last minute and then summoned the port watch, which came -tumbling up from below at the call of the boatswain's mate, -to find Captain Fish storming on the bridge at their slowness. -Salver went forward to the forecastle to attend to the -foremast. Mr. Woywod, in the natural bad humor that -comes to any one who is awakened from a sound sleep in -the only four hours of that particular night appointed for -rest, took charge of the main, while the captain himself -looked out for things aft. The helm was shifted. The ship -forced up into the wind to spill the canvas. The braces -were tended. The sheets were manned. The order was -given to round in and settle away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wramm was the last man to get to his station. The men -not stationed at some place of observation during the watch -on deck had snugged down in such places as they could -find for sleep until called. Wramm was a heavy sleeper. -He had not been feeling well and had been awake even -during his watches in the night before. He slept like a -log. Woywod saw that he was not at his place at the main -fife-rail. Just before the order was given for the light yard -and topmen to lay aloft and furl and reef, Woywod, raging -like a lion, discovered Wramm sleeping in the lee scuppers -under the main pin-rail. He savagely kicked him awake, -dragged him to his feet, got his hand on his throat, shook -him like a rat, and finally flung him, choked and half-dazed, -against the fife-rail, with orders for him to look alive and -stand by or he would get the life beaten out of him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the order was given to slack away the main to'gall'nt -halliards, the slow-thinking, confused Dutchman made a -grievous mistake. He cast off and eased away the main -top'sl halliards, the descent of the yard began just as the -ship fell away a bit under the pressure of a heavy sea. -The main to'gall'nts'l filled again, the men at the lee and -weather braces, supposing everything was right, easing off -and rounding in, respectively, until the yard whirled about, -pointing nearly fore and aft. The starboard to'gall'nt sheet -gave way first under the drag of the main tops'l yard, but -not before the tremendous pressure of the wind had snapped -the to'gall'nt mast off at the hounds. There was a crash -above in the darkness. They caught a glimpse of white -cloud toppling overhead and streaming out in the darkness, -and then the mast came crashing down on the lee side of -the main top and hung there threshing wildly about in the -fierce wind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the main topmen were sent aloft to clear away the -wreck, the tops'l halliards were belayed and then led along -the deck and the tops'l hoisted again. For once on the -cruise Beekman was not at his station, for the mate, instantly -divining what had occurred, as every experienced man on -the ship had done, had leaped to the fife-rail, with a roar -of rage, and had struck the bewildered Dutchman, almost -unaware of what had happened, with a belaying pin, which -he drew from the rail, and had knocked him senseless to the -deck. Even as Woywod rapidly belayed the tops'l halliards, -which Wramm had been easing off, he took occasion to kick -the prostrate man violently several times, and one of the -kicks struck him on the jaw and broke it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman, stopping with one foot on the sheer pole of the -weather main shrouds, had seen it all. The reason why he -had not gone aloft with the rest was because he had instantly -stepped back to the rail, leaped to the deck, and had run -to the prostrate form of poor Wramm, which he had -dragged out of the way of the men, who had seized the -halliards at the mate's call. As it happened, the angry mate -had struck harder than he had intended. Wramm's skull -was fractured, his jaw broken, and his body was covered -with bruises from Woywod's brutal assault.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the wreck was cleared away, the canvas reduced, -the ship made snug, and the watch below dismissed for the -hour of rest that still remained to them, Woywod came -forward. The watch had taken Wramm into the forecastle -and laid him out on his bunk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is that"--he qualified Wramm's name with a -string of oaths and expletives, the vileness of which also -characterized him typically--"who caused a perfectly good -mainto'gall'nt mast to carry away?" said Woywod, -stopping halfway down the ladder leading into the forepeak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a low murmur from the watch below, a -murmur which was not articulate, but which nevertheless -expressed hate as well as the growl of a baited animal does. -Woywod was no coward. He was afraid of nothing on -earth. Bullies are sometimes that way, in spite of the -proverb. It was Beekman who spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's here, sir," he began, in that smooth, even, cultivated -voice which Woywod hated to hear. "I think his skull -is fractured. His jaw is broken."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' a good thing, too. Perhaps the crack in his thick -skull will let some sense in him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will probably let life out--sir," answered Beekman, -with just an appreciable pause before the sir.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mutinous, inefficient, stupid hound," said Woywod, but -there was a note of alarm in his voice, which Beekman -detected instantly, and which some of the others suspected. -"Show a light here," he continued, coming down to the -deck and bending over the man. "One of you wash the -blood off his face," he said, after careful inspection. "I'll -go aft an' git at the medicine chest. He's too thick headed -to suffer any serious hurt. This'll be a lesson to him, an' -to all of you. I'll be back in a few minutes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mate was really alarmed, although he did his best -not to show it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beg your pardon, sir," said Beekman, "but I want to -speak to the captain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What you got to say to him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to speak to him, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can't do it now. Come to the mast tomorrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to speak to him tonight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let him speak to the cap'n," shouted Templin, one of -the most reliable men on the ship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Instantly, as if given a cue, the whole watch broke into -exclamations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll all go aft with him to speak to the cap'n."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That won't be necessary," said Beekman, quietly, -although every nerve was throbbing with indignation and -resentment. "Mr. Woywod will grant my request. There's -no need for the rest of you mixing up in this. Won't you, -Mr. Woywod?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, Beekman was in his rights in appealing to the -captain at any time. Woywod cast a glance back at the -still, unconscious figure of Wramm and decided that perhaps -it would be best for him to temporize. He wanted to strike -Beekman down, and if it had not been for Wramm's condition -and the mutinous outbreak of the men, he would have -done so. He realized instantly what Beekman's popularity -meant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If Cap'n Fish ain't turned in," he said, surlily, "and is -willin' to see you, you can speak to him; if not, you'll have -to wait till mornin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it's probable that he's still awake, sir," said -Beekman. "He'll undoubtedly want to know what the -condition of Wramm is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll tell him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I'll tell him myself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will," shouted Woywod, raising his fist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman never moved. The men came crowding around.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By sea law," said Templin, "he's got a right to see the -master of the ship, an' we proposes to see that he gits that -right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mutinous dogs," cried Woywod, confronting them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But they were not overawed, and they did not give back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along," he said to Beekman, "an' you'll be sorry -you ever done it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without looking behind him, he sprang up the ladder -and, followed closely by Beekman, he went aft, descended -the companionway, and found Captain Fish seated at the -cabin table, on which a huge joint of cold meat and bread -were spread out, with some bottles and glasses to bear them -company. The captain was not alone. The steward, a -Spanish half-caste, named Manuel, had just brought in a -steaming pot of coffee from the galley.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mr. Woywod," began Fish, "what about that -infernal lubber that caused the loss of the mainto'gall'nt -mast?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smith, here, has come aft demandin' to see you an' -p'r'aps he'll tell you. Will you see him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, Smith?" said the captain, sharply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Seaman Wramm," began Beekman, "is probably dying. -I'm not a doctor, but so near as I can make out he has a -fractured skull; his jaw is certainly broken and he is covered -with bruises."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How came he in that condition?" asked the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That murdering blackguard yonder struck him over the -head with a belaying pin, kicked him when he was down -and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By God!" cried Woywod, springing forward, "you dare -refer to me in that way?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Steady, Mr. Woywod," said Fish, his eyes gleaming. -"I know how to deal with this man. Are you aware--you -pretend to be a gentleman of education--that your -language is in the highest degree mutinous, that I can have -you put in double irons, and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Am I to stand by and see a poor, helpless, dull-witted -man, who has been hazed to death every day of this cruise -by your blackguardly assessors, beaten to death, killed -without a word?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better look out for yourself rather than for him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care what becomes of me. I've had just about -enough of it. If that man dies, I'm going to bring a charge -of murder against this bullying scoundrel, and if you don't -put him in irons I'll bring it against you, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was beside himself with wrath. His temper was -gone. His control had vanished in thin air. The cumulative -repression of three months had been lost. He stepped -forward, shaking his fist in the captain's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Manuel," said the captain, "tell Mr. Salver to send a -couple of men down here. Tell him to have the bo's'n fetch -me some double irons." Fish was white with wrath. "Do -you think I'll allow any wharf rat like you to talk like that -to me on my own ship? I've no doubt but that thick-headed -Dutchman will recover, but whether he does or not I'll deal -with him. You'll prefer charges against me, will you? By -God, you can count yourself lucky if you're not swinging at -a yardarm tomorrow. For two cents I'd run you up now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"With your permission, cap'n," began Woywod. "Keep -fast, Manuel, I can handle him alone. I've been itchin' fer -this chance ever since he came aboard. Now, Smith," he -laughed, evilly, "I've got you. I knew you couldn't keep -your temper."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Woywod stepped toward him. Beekman did not give -back an inch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you lay a hand on me," he shouted, "if I have to die -for it the next minute, I'll--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Woywod, who did not give him a chance to finish -the sentence, with fist upraised leaped forward. Beekman -hit him. It was a much more powerful blow than the first -he had delivered to the mate on the day that he waked up -and found himself shanghaied. Three months of hard -work and clean living and plain food had made a different -man of him. Woywod was lucky. He partly parried the -blow, but it struck him full on the chest and drove him -smashing back against the bulkhead by the side of Manuel. -The frightened steward hauled him to his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain had arisen and was bawling for the officer -of the watch. He was oblivious to the fact that one of the -men was peering down into the cabin over the combing of -the skylight. There was a trample of feet on the deck -above. Salver himself appeared on the companion ladder, -but Woywod had got to his feet. He was black with rage, -mad with passion. He reached into the side pocket of his -short peajacket and drew forth a heavy revolver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're witnesses that he struck me," he cried, as he -raised the weapon, but again Beekman was too quick for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A big, broad-bladed carving knife was lying by the side -of a piece of salt beef on the table. Beekman clutched it, -and as Woywod pulled the trigger, he leaped forward and -buried it to the hilt in the mate's breast.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-mystery-of-the-last-words"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER X</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE MYSTERY OF THE LAST WORDS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>So powerful was the stroke, so deep and inveterate -the hate that nerved the arm, that the sharp knife was -driven clear to the handle into Woywod's breast. The big -mate threw up his arms. He staggered back. The pistol -went off harmlessly and dropped on the table. Then the -huge hulk of the stricken man collapsed on the deck. Quick -as a flash Captain Fish leaned over and seized the weapon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Make a move an' you're a dead man," he roared, -covering Beekman. "Mr. Salver, I'll keep Smith covered with -this pistol until you get the double irons on him. Log a -charge of mutiny an' murder against him. If he resists, -you can go to any length to subdue him. I wouldn't like -him killed aboard ship, however. I'd rather see him hanged -ashore."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Salver grabbed Beekman by the shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You, Manuel, go to his assistance," said Fish, still -keeping him covered. "You infernal coward," he added to the -steward, who was as white as death and trembling like a -weather brace in a heavy wind; "he can't do you no harm. -If he moves I'll put a bullet through him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Beekman had no desire to do any one any harm. -The blow that had let life out of Woywod had let the -passion out of Beekman. He stood staring and bending -over, he caught the man's last broken words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Done--for--Tell Harnash--I--" and then silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Captain Fish came around the table as soon as Mr. Salver -had got a firm grip on one of Beekman's arms and -the steward had gingerly taken the other. Shoving the -pistol close into Beekman's ribs, he ordered the three men -on deck. A passing glance at Woywod told the captain -that his mate was dead. He could attend to him later. -Beekman must be secured first.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boatswain had been awakened, and, according to -orders, he now came aft with the irons. Beekman was -handcuffed and irons were put on his ankles. He was -searched rapidly. His sailor's sheath knife was taken from -him and then--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where'll we stow him, sir?" asked Mr. Salver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no "brig," as a prison is called on a man-o'-war, -on the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>. Forward a little room had been -partitioned off on one side of the ship abaft the forecastle -for the boatswain. On the opposite side there was another -similar cabin occupied by the carpenter and sailmaker. The -captain thought a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey," he said, at last, "you'll come aft to take -the second mate's watch. Mr. Salver will act as the mate. -Clear your belongings out of your cabin. We'll stow him -there for the present. Take a couple of men to help you -shift aft, an' be quick about it. When he's safely locked -in bring me the key. There's been mutiny an' murder -aboard my ship," he continued, loudly, for the benefit of -the watch. "This dog has put a knife in Mr. Woywod's -heart. Not a thing was bein' done to him. We were jest -reasonin' with him, treatin' him kind, as we do every man -on this ship. Manuel, here, can swear to that, can't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir, of course, sir," cringed the steward, who was -completely under the domination of the brutal ship-master.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll prepare a proper statement and enter it in the log, -to be signed by the steward and myself, in case anything -should happen to us," he continued.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What'll I do with this man, sir, while we're waitin' for -Mr. Gersey to git his cabin cleaned out?" asked Salver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lash him to the bridge yonder. I'll keep my eyes on -him until you git him safe in the bo's'n's cabin. See that -the door is locked yourself personally, and bring me the -key. Understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We don't dare to take no chances with such a desperate -murderer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir; of course not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Men," shouted the captain, "you heard what's been said?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We did, sir; an' we seen it all from the beginnin'," -answered a voice out of the darkness, a voice full of ugly -threat and menace, which the captain did not recognize and -thought best to pass unnoticed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor Mr. Woywod's been killed, you understand. Mr. Salver -will take his place as mate of the ship. Mr. Gersey -will come aft as second mate, to be obeyed and respected -accordin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Damn good riddance," yelled another voice out of the -darkness, carefully disguised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was too much. He could not overlook a remark of -this kind, and yet in the black night there was little he could -do, since the speaker was unrecognizable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who said that?" blustered the captain, handling his -pistol and peering forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no answer, of course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If the man who made that remark dares to repeat it in -daylight, I'll cut his heart out. An' if I hear any more -such talk, I'll let fly at the bunch of you as it is. Get -for'ard an' to your stations."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The unknown commentator had obviously expressed the -prevalent opinion aboard the ship on the death of -Mr. Woywod. There was nothing else to be said or done then. -The captain's orders were carried out as a matter of course. -The excited men dispersed without comment, but with a -feeling that all the honors were with them. The boatswain -came aft, having stripped his cabin. The prisoner was -finally locked therein and left to himself. Bread and water -were handed to him sufficient to keep life in him and not -much else. The ship was hove to and Woywod was buried -the next morning with due ceremony, the captain himself -reading the service, the whole crew being mustered in due -form, but never a man was shot down into the vasty deep -with less of the spirit of prayer and forgiveness following -him than the mate who had met his just deserts, if the looks -of the crew, to which the captain was perforce oblivious, -gave any indication of their feelings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman's reflections could easily be imagined. To his -dying day he would never forget the surprised, puzzled -look on the mate's face, the change of his countenance from -mad passion to astonishment, from that amazement to pain, -to horror, to deadly fear! He would never forget the -convulsive struggle of the man on the deck at his feet, the -white bone handle of the knife sticking out of his breast -and shining in the light of the big hanging lamp against -his blue shirt. There was a human life on his hands, -calloused and hardened as they were. There was blood upon -them. Had the blood been shed righteously? Had he been -well advised to give way to his passion? Had the fact -that he had gone there in behalf of another, a helpless -weakling, dying himself from the ruthless treatment meted -out to him, entitled him to take the mate's life? Would -the mate have shot him with that pistol? Was it -self-defense? Had that only been back of his blow and his -thrust?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had to admit that he hated the mate; that he had -lusted to kill him. He realized in the flash of time that -had intervened between the blow and the thrust that he had -been glad of the excuse. Was he a murderer in the eyes -of the law, in his own consciousness, in his heart? He had -killed the mate, but the mate had beaten him in the long -struggle between them. He had sworn that the latter -should not provoke him, but he had done so and now he -was in peril of his life, grave peril. The presumption of -guilt is always against the sailor in charges of mutiny. It -would require the strongest evidence to establish his -innocence. He knew of no witnesses, save the captain and the -steward. The steward was one man on the ship whom he -had not won. Indeed, having most of his relations aft and -living there in a bunk off his pantry, the steward was hated -by the men. He was a tale-bearer and a sneak. He had -to live aft for his own protection. He was purely a creature -of the captain's. He would swear to anything the captain -dictated. Beekman knew that, of course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before he had been bound to the ladder of the bridge -Beekman had heard what the captain had said. The crew, -of course, could testify as to Woywod's character, but he -knew enough of sailors to realize they would scatter as soon -as they could get away from the ship. He could scarcely -depend upon them. There was old Gersey, but what could -he do? What could he hope from the Russian authorities -at Vladisvostok? The captain would be hand and glove with -them, naturally. Things looked black for Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a time, reviewing again all the scenes of the -dreadful drama his mind reverted to those final words of -Woywod's. He remembered them perfectly. They were etched -upon his brain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Done for. Tell Harnash I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He repeated those words. The first two were clear. But -the last three--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell Harnash I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Tell Harnash what? Why tell Harnash anything? What -did he have to do with the present situation? Harnash was -his friend. Harnash had arranged his bachelor dinner. -Harnash had jokingly plied him with wine, but so had the -others. Beekman was an abstemious, temperate chap. He -drank occasionally, in a moderate way, but never to excess. -It was Harnash who had taken the lead in urging him. He -had gone out from that dinner in the small hours of the -morning with Harnash, and the last person he remembered -was Harnash. Could Harnash have--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Good God, no! It was impossible. It could not be. -Such treachery, such criminality was unthinkable by a loyal -man like Beekman. There was no motive for it. The -business affairs of the firm were prosperous. At his partner's -insistence an expert had gone over the books on his return -from Hawaii. There was not a thing wrong. He would -have trusted Harnash with everything he owned, and with -right. He could not have wanted to get him out of the -way, unless--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Why had Harnash looked so haggard and miserable? -Why had Stephanie presented the same countenance? -Could those two-- He would not think it. Yet what could -Woywod have meant?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly Beekman remembered that he had heard Harnash -had a sailor friend, who at infrequent intervals was -accustomed to visit him. There had been some reference -to it. Beekman had never heard the man's name, and he -never chanced to have met him. Woywod had never referred -to Harnash in Beekman's hearing on that cruise until those -faltered words as he died. Could it be Woywod? It must. -Was it merely chance that Beekman had fallen into the -hands of Harnash's friend on the very night before his -wedding, when his last companion had been Harnash himself? -Now, Beekman was an intensely loyal man and he resolutely -put these suspicions out of his mind, but they would -not stay out. Why should Woywod stare up at him with -fast closing eyes as he spoke? Did Woywod know who -Beekman was? Were those muttered words an admission? -By heaven, could it be that Harnash was in love with -Stephanie and she with him?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Beekman asked himself that question he began -to go over the times in which he had seen the two together. -Little things, unnoticed and unmarked before now, grew -strangely significant. Beekman loathed himself for -entertaining the suspicions. It was not possible, yet-- Could -Stephanie herself be a party to it? That, too, was -unthinkable. So it was that Harnash-- Yet those words! Well, -if he could get out of this horrible situation now, so much -worse than it had been, he certainly would tell Harnash and -Harnash should tell him. Meanwhile, there was added to -his horror and regret the fact that Woywod was dead and -that he had killed him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A strange and terrible reality, that, to this sometime -dilettante in life.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-triangle-becomes-a-quadrilateral"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE TRIANGLE BECOMES A QUADRILATERAL</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Perhaps no one ever realizes so completely the immensity -of the world and the littleness of man as he who is -alone on the face of the waters. The deep becomes indeed -vasty when seen from a small boat in the center of an -unbroken horizon. It is a question whether the loneliness -of the desert is greater than the loneliness of the sea. -Perhaps it depends upon the thinker and his temperament. -There is, of course, life in the sea in that it is usually quick, -in motion, and there is sound that accompanies it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The desert is still, but in the desert you can get -somewhere. You know that beyond the horizon is some place. -Not even the flattest land but suggests change as it is -traversed. Somewhere within reaching distance hills rise, -mountains lift themselves in the air, oases beckon -attractively. In the sea you may go for days and days and days, -each day like the other, and still find only the waste of -waters and the unbroken horizon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had sailed every one of the seven seas, but in -some luxurious yacht or some mighty ocean liner. This was -the first time in his life he had ever been alone in a small -boat. Even the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> had long since faded out of -his view. The lights from her stern windows had been lost -during the night, and when day broke, although he eagerly -searched the northwest, there was no sign of her. Not even -when he rose high on some uptossed wave could he catch a -glimpse of a to'gall'nts'l or a royal against the blue line of -the horizon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was glad and he was sorry to be alone. The gladness -manifested itself presently, but at first he was overwhelmed -by the sense of loneliness. The crew of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> -had not mutinied openly, but they had taken matters in their -own hands and had done the best they could for the man -who had relieved them, whether righteously or unrighteously -they did not stop to speculate, from a tyranny that had -become unsupportable; because, in his animosity to Beekman, -Woywod had been harder than ever before on the rest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had deliberately, if surreptitiously, provisioned the -whaleboat which hung from the davits astern. They had -filled her water breakers, had added a compass, had -overhauled her mast and sail, had thrown in a couple of blankets, -a tarpaulin, an axe and some tools and whatever else they -could come at, including a little bag of silver dollars from -their own scanty store, which might prove valuable in the -end. They had done this very quietly in the darkness, under -the leadership of Templin on the night following the death -of the mate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had chosen Mr. Gersey's watch for their operations -and he had been conveniently blind. Possessing themselves -of the carpenter's tools, they had bored holes around the -lock of the boatswain's room and had freed Beekman. With -cold chisels and hammers they had struck the fetters from -his wrists and ankles, grievously cutting him and bruising -him in the process.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey told us," said Templin to the astonished -prisoner, "that he heard the old man an' Salver plottin' -the ship's position at noon today. There are islands with -white people on 'em about a hundred leagues to the west'ard. -The course'll be about sou'west-by-west. We've pervisioned -the whaleboat. She's unsinkable, with her airtight tanks -for'ard an' aft an' a good sailer. I follered you aft, -pertendin' to overhaul the gear on the mizzen mast last night. -Through the skylight I seen the mate threatenin' you with -a pistol in the cabin. We all believes you done perfectly -right. Wramm's dead. Died tonight, without never regainin' -consciousness. Woywod was a murderer, if ever there was -one, an' he got his jest desarts. We don't want to mutiny -an' git hung for it. Some of us has families. But we -don't mean you to suffer. The only way to save you is to -git you out of the ship afore we lands at Vladivostok. It -seemed to us that a good sailor like you could easily make -them islands, an' then you can shift for yourself. It's a big -world. They'll never find you again. Here," he added, "is -a little bag o' dollars." He passed a bulging little bag into -the hands of the astonished Beekman. "'Tain't much, but -it's all we got. I guess that's all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I don't want to leave the ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll be hung at the end of the v'yage if you don't," -said Templin, inexorably. "Them Russians ain't more'n -half civilized, anyway, an' they'll do pretty much as the -cap'n says. This is your only chance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Does Gersey know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course. He's the one that made the whole plan, -only the officers ain't to know that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't expect to be able to lower that boat and cast -it adrift without attracting attention, do you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In course not, but it's a dark night an' we're goin' to -git you down an' afloat, whatever happens."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the captain will immediately come after me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He can't brace the yards hisself an' work the ship alone -with only Salver an' the bo's'n, can he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see, but I don't want to get you in trouble."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every man on the ship 'ceptin' the steward is with you, -an' we're simply not goin' to let him hang you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Templin, I want you to remember two names and an address."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Harnash and Beekman, 33 Broadway, New York."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's easy," said Templin, repeating the words. "Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's my address when I'm home. If I ever get home -and any of you men want a friend, come there. I want -you to pass that around among the crew, every one of them. -You fellows didn't believe me, but now that I'm going I -want to tell you for the last time my story is true, and if -you want to be fixed for life, just come and see me there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I hopes you gits there, Smith, or--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beekman, then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I, and I, and I," was heard from the various -members of the watch gathered about and speaking in low -tones.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, come aft," said Templin, "an' tread soft. There's -no use arousin' the old man if we can help it. Only needs -four of us to overhaul the gear an' lower away," continued -the ringleader, picking out three associates. "The rest of -you git down in the shadder of the rail on the lee side of -the waist near the bridge. Mr. Gersey is keepin' a bright -lookout to windward. If you hear any noise, come aft on -the run."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without making a sound, Beekman and his four devoted -friends passed under the bridge, crouching down in the -shadow of the lee rail until they were well aft and sheltered -from observation by the broad canvas of the spanker. -Mr. Gersey was on the other side of the bridge, staring hard -forward and up to windward in the most approved fashion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll find everything ready for steppin' the mast an' -spreadin' sail," whispered Templin. "The sea's fairly -smooth, the wind's blowin' from the east'ard. You'd better -git the canvas on her soon's you can. You hadn't ought to -be in sight of us at daybreak."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What time is it now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Three bells were struck forward at the moment, a couplet -and then a single bell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three bells, you hears," answered Templin. "You'll -have three hours, and with you goin' one way an' us another, -we'll be out of sight before daybreak. Remember, your -course is sou'west-by-west."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shan't forget that or anything. When you have a -chance bid Gersey good-bye for me and tell him not to -forget the cable. God only knows where I'll turn up or -when I'll get back, but when I do--well, remember what I -said, Harnash and Beekman, 33 Broadway, New York."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook Templin's hand and nodded to the other three -and stepped into the boat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lower away," whispered Templin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now the night was quiet. The breeze was not strong. -The creaking of the falls, since the sailors had taken -precaution to grease them, was reduced to a minimum; still, -some sound was made. Gersey had kept his eyes steadily -forward, although he knew, of course, everything that was -happening. He glanced around just as the whaleboat -disappeared below the rail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As luck would have it, Captain Fish, who slept, of course, -in the stern cabin, happened to be wakeful. With an ear -trained and accustomed to all the ordinary noises of the -ship, anything out of common raised his suspicions. He -heard the slight creaking. He sat up in his berth and -listened. The noise came from aft, overhead. He ran to -the stern window and peered through the open transom just -at the moment that the keel of the descending whaleboat -came on a level with the window. Fish slept with a revolver -under his pillow. He leaped back, grabbed the pistol, -jumped to the transom again to find himself staring into the -face of Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Keep fast those falls," he roared, presenting his pistol.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was standing up in the boat, fending her off from -the stern with a boathook. Fish had turned on the electric -light--the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was provided with a dynamo--and -he was clearly visible. Beekman struck his arm with -the boathook, knocking the pistol into the sea. The next -instant there was a sudden roar on the deck above from -Gersey, who judged that it was now safe to give the alarm. -This outcry was followed by the trampling of many feet -and a swift rush of the falls through the blocks. There -was no necessity for concealment now. Templin and his men -lowered the boat with a run.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman worked smartly. As soon as the boat was water-borne -he cast off the tackles and began tugging frantically -at the mast. With seamanlike care, it had been so arranged -that what had been almost an impossible task for one man -in a hurry he could easily accomplish. The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> -was sailing at a smart rate and she had drawn some distance -ahead before Captain Fish reached the deck. He was in a -towering rage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey," he roared, "what does this mean, sir? The -prisoner has escaped, an' in your watch?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it, sir," answered Gersey. "The men have got -out of hand, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They have," exclaimed Fish. He had mounted half-way -up the accommodation ladder of the bridge. Although -he was unarmed and clad only in his pajamas, he did not -hesitate on that account.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll see about that," he roared. "I'll have no mutiny -on my ship." He ran toward the group seen blackly against -the white rail aft, shouting, "The man that did this will -swing for it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Scatter," cried a voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The group instantly dissolved in the darkness of the deck. -Fish made a grab at the nearest one, but a man behind him -ran violently into him. He lost his hold. In a moment -the quarter deck was deserted. The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> on her -present course had the wind broad abeam.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey," roared the captain, "call all hands and -stand by to wear ship. We must pick up that boat with -that murdering mutineer aboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, aye, sir. For'ard there. Call the other watch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now the other watch was awake and waiting. Some of -them, indeed, had participated in the affair of the night. -Scarcely had the boatswain's mate sounded the call, when -the watch below came tumbling up from the forecastle. -Mr. Salver also joined the group on the bridge, rubbing his eyes -sleepily. The captain took charge himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hands to the weather braces," he cried, "ease off the -spanker sheet. Flatten in the head sails for'ard. Hard up -with the helm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not a man on the deck stirred. No one ran to the weather -braces. No one cast off the lee braces. The helmsman -remained immobile. The spanker sheet was not eased off. -The sheets of the head sails were not hauled aft. The -captain stared a moment in astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wear ship," he cried, "don't you hear me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We heerd you," answered a voice out of the darkness, -"but we're not goin' to wear the ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You refuse to obey orders?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll obey all other orders, same as we have allus done, -but we don't propose to pick up that there whaleboat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who spoke?" roared the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a movement in the groups of men in the -darkness. Templin's voice, well disguised, came first from -one side of the deck to the other, as he moved about while -he spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might as well make up your mind to it, Cap'n Fish. -We're determined that no harm is to come to Smith. He's -gone. For the rest, we'll work the ship to Vladisvostok, -which we signed on for. You'll find us obeyin' orders same -as ever in the mornin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Captain Fish was black with rage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey," he roared, "do you know anything about this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a thing, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We done it ourselves," came up from the waist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Keep fast the braces," said the captain at last; "keep -her on her course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Inasmuch as she had never been off her course and the -braces had not been touched, the commands were useless. -They were simply given to save the captain's face a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Salver," he continued, "it's your watch below. I -want to speak to you in the cabin. Pipe down the watch -off, Mr. Gersey. We'll settle this matter in the morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the captain knew and the men knew that the matter -was already settled. If the men hung together there was -no way by which the captain could discover the ringleader. -And he could not imprison the whole ship's company. They -had beaten him. The flight had been carefully planned -and carried out in a bold and seamanlike way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've beat me," said the captain the next morning to -the crew as the watches were changed, "but there's a standin' -offer of five hundred dollars for any one who'll gimme the -details an' the names of the ringleaders. Meanwhile, if any -one of you gives me the least cause I'll shoot him like a -dog. Mr. Salver an' Mr. Gersey are both armed like me," -he tapped the heavy revolver hanging at his waist, "so -look out for yourselves. I've no doubt some of you'll -squeal. I'll find out yet. God help the men that did it when -I do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain's bribe was a large one. There were men -in the forecastle who would have jumped at it, but a very -clear realization of what would be meted out to them by -their fellows if they turned traitor, kept them quiet. The -loyal men among the mutineers knew pretty well who were -to be suspected and kept close watch on them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman knew nothing of all that, of course, the next -morning as he made his meager breakfast. He did not know -how long it would take him to reach those islands, the very -name of which he was ignorant, and it behooved him to -husband his resources. After his breakfast he laid his -course by the compass. The breeze held steady. All -he had to do was to steer the boat. At nightfall he -decided to furl sail and drift. For one thing he needed -the sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day, however, the breeze came stronger. It -gradually shifted from the southeast toward the north. He -reefed the sail down until it barely showed a scrap of canvas -and drove ahead of it. There was no sleep for him through -the night. He did not dare to leave the boat to her own -devices in that wind and sea. The wind rose with every -hour. The next morning it was blowing a howling gale -from the northeast. He could no longer keep sail on the -boat. He could not row against it. Fortunately, he had -foreseen the situation. He unstepped the mast and unshipped -the yard with which he pried up some of the seats and with -these and spare oars he made himself a serviceable sea -anchor, which he attached to the boat's painter forward, -cast overboard, and by this means drifted with the storm -being at the same time wet, cold, lonely, and very miserable. -He knew the boat was a lifeboat; its air tanks would keep -it from sinking, but if it ever fell into the trough of the -sea it would be rolled over and over like a cork. It would -fill with water and refill in spite of his constant bailing. He -could only trust to his sea anchor to keep the boat's head -to the huge seas by which it was alternately uplifted and -cast down in vast, prodigious motion. Had it not been -provided with those air tanks the boat would have been -swamped inevitably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His provisions got thoroughly wetted. One of the water -breakers was torn from its lashing and the same wave that -worked that damage dashed it against the other, staving -it in. His boat compass and tools were swept away. Only -what was in the lockers forward and aft remained. The -boat was swept clean. He had bailed as long as he had -strength, but even the bailing tin finally disappeared. At -last he sank down exhausted. The waves beat over him. -The seas rolled him from side to side. He had strength -enough to lash himself to the aftermost thwart before he fell -into a state of complete collapse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So he drifted on through the night. Toward morning -the gale blew itself out. The next day the sun rose in a -cloudless sky. The breeze subsided. The seas still rose -mightily, but he knew that if no more wind came they -would presently subside. He swallowed some of the sodden, -hard bread in the forward locker for breakfast and then -with the top of an empty biscuit tin from the same place he -made shift to free the boat of water, at least sufficiently -so for her to rise on the waves of the still rough and -tumbling seas. He was too exhausted to get in his sea anchor. -Indeed, so many things had carried away that he could not -have stepped the mast or spread the sail. The canvas itself -was gone with his blankets and tarpaulin. He could not use -the oars. He could only drift.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>How many days he sat in that boat under that burning -sun he could not tell. Where he drifted as it fell dead calm -he did not know. If he had been less crazed by the awful -heat of the unshaded sun and the more awful thirst which -made him forget his hunger--he simply could not swallow -the hard, dry bread and the salt meat after a time--he -might have kept a sort of dead reckoning. He was too weak -even to take bearings by sun or stars. Not a sail, not the -smoke of a steamer, met his burning stare--his eyes were -hot, blazing in their sockets like the sun overhead, he -fancied--around him as day after day he surveyed that ever -unbroken horizon, himself a dot in the center of a vast -periphery of emptiness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He lost track of the days, of course. As he thought of -it afterward it seemed to him that he went mad. The only -concrete fact that finally came to him was at the darkest -hour of a certain night that closed what he had felt must -be his last day. He was conscious of a violent shock. It -seemed to him that the boat had struck something. There -was a swift motion of rebound, a splashing of water over -him, another heavy forward surge, another shock, a crash -as of splintering timber, and then all the motion ceased. -All around him was a strange roaring. He was too feeble -to speculate as to what had happened. He could only wait -for the dawn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The first gray of morning brought him a faint hope of -life. The light of day showed him the whaleboat, her -bottom hopelessly shattered, caught firmly on a rocky reef. -Around him, once in a while over him, great waves were -breaking; the whole mighty Pacific sweeping down from -the line falling in crashing assault upon this barrier of -jagged stones. Back of him was the sea--unbroken to -the horizon--over which he had come. In front of him -stretched a space of still water. On the other side of this -lagoon rose huge, precipitous rocks, bare, gaunt, -forbidding. As he stood up tremblingly and peered beneath his -hand he thought he could detect at the foot of these mighty -cliffs a stretch of golden sand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Even with the inspiration of land at last and probable -food and drink it was difficult in his lack of strength -to wrench loose a shattered plank. Still, by desperate effort -he accomplished that at last. With that to buoy him up he -stumbled across the reef and launched into the smooth -waters of the lagoon. The swim would have been nothing -under ordinary circumstances, but in his terrible prostration, -even with the aid of the plank, it was a long, difficult -passage. Half a dozen times he was on the point of throwing -up his hands and going under, but something--love of -life, hope indestructible, eternal, remains of determination, -instinctive unwillingness to acknowledge himself beaten--kept -him up. He pressed on through the smooth waters of -the lagoon. Finally his feet touched the strand. Standing -trembling but triumphant a few moments to recover himself, -he staggered across it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He discovered as he did so an opening in the rock concealed -previously from him by an overlap of the cliff. The -rift in the cliff wall was perhaps thirty yards wide. It -could only be seen from one direction. The waters of the -lagoon ran inward through it. The sand narrowed and -stopped at the opening. From, that beach he could not see -within. Climbing a little distance up the edge of the cliff -and peering around it, he saw at the end of the inlet a deep -bay, a harbor roughly circular, perhaps half a mile in -diameter. He surveyed it long and carefully in the half -light which made it impossible to see clearly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As nearly as he could guess the height of the cliffs ranged -from three hundred to five hundred feet. In niches and -shelves here and there a few bits of green appeared. The -tops of the cliffs seemed as bare as the sides. No way to -surmount them appeared. Sometimes they ran straight -down into the deep, dark water. At the base of the walls -here and there were little stretches of sand. The place was -still dark and gloomy, and somehow terrible. The sunlight -had not penetrated into it yet; would not, he judged, for -some time, or until the sun got into exactly the right -position to shine through that narrow opening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An unusual mental alertness had taken the place of his -lethargy. Hope had made the change. He must, first of all, -find water, then food, and then he must reach the top of the -cliffs. On the other side of the shoulder of wall where he -stood ran one of the stretches of sand. How could he get -around that shoulder and pass through that opening? He -did not dare to attempt to swim around it yet. He must -climb over it. Painfully, with ebbing strength but with -growing hope, he managed at the imminent risk of his life -to climb around the point and finally set foot upon that -narrow strip of sand. He looked back only to find the -wall behind him rising sheer above his head, just as the walls -opposite had. It was like being imprisoned in a vast tower, -one side of which had been riven from top to bottom. And -the dark, forbidding gloom oppressed him still more. The -morning was still, there was no breeze in that enclosed place, -but he shivered nevertheless and would have given anything -for human companionship. He even tried to cry aloud to -break the appalling stillness, but no sound came from -cracked lips and parched, constricted throat. Was he to -fail, having come so far?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In frantic terror he broke into a feeble run aimlessly -forward. Rounding another jut of the wall, he saw that -which meant life--a slender stream of water falling in long, -broken leaps from the top to the bottom of the wall. It had -cut a channel through the sand and was lost in the bay. At -the sight, strange to say, his strength left him. Fear had -drawn him on and now fear and everything else were forgot. -He fell to his knees, but still had strength and determination -to crawl on. At last he reached it, fell on his face, and -drank. It needed all his resolution, all his courage, all his -mental and physical power not to drink and die. He knew -he must drink sparingly and he did so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had satisfied his thirst by slow degrees, he sat -down on the sand to consider his situation. The cool, sweet -water put new life into him. He was suddenly conscious -of a terrible, gripping hunger, but the first and greatest -of his needs had been satisfied. There must be some way to -the top of those cliffs. Where there was fresh water there -must be life. No island in the south seas could be so lonely, -so sequestered, so unvisited as not to have a life and -vegetation of its own. Wherever there was water and earth, -especially in those latitudes, were to be found the kindly fruits -thereof.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He decided that he would go back to the whaleboat, that -he would get what crumbs that were left of the hard bread -that he had been unable to eat and the remaining scraps -of the salt meat that had choked him. He could swallow -them now. Then he would come back and after he had -been strengthened by his meal he would examine every foot -of the cliffs to find a way upward. Meanwhile, he would -rest a little. He threw himself down on the sand on his -back and stared upward. As he did so he noticed the sun -had reached such a position that it shone full through the -entrance, suddenly illuminating the whole gloomy tower with -light and changing the entire aspect of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He put his hand behind him to raise himself, intending -to take advantage of the flood of light, which he saw would -be there but for a short time, for a further inspection of the -place. But his eyes were still cast upward. In the center -of his vision the top of the cliff cut the brightening sky. -Suddenly, as if formed instantly out of thin air, over the -edge appeared a human figure. This figure was poised upon -the very highest point of the towerlike wall, and was staring -seaward through the great rift.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the clear air and the bright sunlight he had not the -slightest difficulty in discerning details. Perhaps his sight -was sharpened by his anxiety and desire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The figure was that of a woman and her skin was whiter -than his own!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-hardest-of-confessions"><span class="bold large">BOOK II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"An' they talks a lot o' lovin', -<br />But wot do they understand?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE HARDEST OF CONFESSIONS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Six months after the departure of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> with -its unwilling member of the crew, Harnash found -himself in a position of advantage far beyond his wildest -dream. The active search for Beekman had of necessity -been abandoned long since, although the authorities still -kept the matter in view. No one had yet connected his -disappearance with the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> because her clearance -papers had been taken out the day before, although her -actual sailing had been delayed. She had slipped away -unmarked in the early dawn, under her own canvas, the wind -being favorable, and as Captain Fish knew the channel well -she had even dispensed with the pilot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the search and the negotiations connected with it -George Harnash had been thrown rather intimately and -closely with John Maynard. There had been no business -associations between them at first, but Maynard's growing -appreciation of the ability of Harnash, which was very -considerable, was heightened by a rather brilliant coup which -the young man pulled off and from which Maynard suffered; -not seriously, of course, from Maynard's point of view, -although the results were of a very considerable financial -gain to Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now there was none of the mean spirit of revenge in -Maynard. It was his policy to convert a brilliant enemy -into a friend, if possible. Of course, some enemies were too -big for that purpose, and those Maynard fought to a finish. -Harnash was not in that category. Maynard was getting -along in years. The excitement of battle had begun -somewhat to pall upon him. He loved fighting for its own sake, -but he had fought so long and so hard and so successfully -that he was willing to withdraw gradually from the more -active conflict, leaving warfare to youth, to which indeed it -appertains.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Among the young men he gathered around him there was -none who stood quite as high in his good graces as Harnash. -No suspicion of the love affair between Harnash and -Stephanie had arisen in the old man's mind, but he was not -unaware that Stephanie greatly liked the young man. At -first he had thought that the liking had developed from the -other man's affection for Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Against that young man his resentment grew hotter and -hotter. The police scouted the conclusion that Beekman -was dead. His case, they alleged, was just one of the -many mysterious disappearances from New York, most of -which were eventually explained. There was not a scrap -of evidence anywhere to account for Beekman's disappearance. -Probably the labels had been torn from his clothing -before it had been disposed of, if it had been sold. His watch -case might have been melted down for old gold, obviously, -if it had not accompanied him. At any rate, the works -had not been traced. And no pawn shop or fence yielded -the slightest clew to any other jewelry. The great reward -still standing brought no information whatever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard was finally convinced that Beekman had deliberately -run away from his daughter, and the world also -accepted that solution. Only Harnash and Stephanie knew -the contrary. Seeing them so much together, it had often -occurred to Maynard that possibly Harnash might succeed -in consoling his daughter. It was not on that account, -however, that he took him into business after three months of -association and finally made him his personal representative -and confidential man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Harnash had been unremitting in his attentions to -Stephanie. She did not hesitate to avow her affection to -him and to continue in that avowal, but she had not receded -an inch from her position that before Harnash could even -speak to her father, and certainly before he could claim -her, Beekman must be found and his consent gained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash had concealed nothing from the woman he loved -except what he had done with Beekman. He met her refusal -to marry him with a refusal to reveal that. In keeping -that secret he was as obstinate in his way as she was in hers. -Of course, Harnash would ultimately be compelled to tell -the whole story, and as the months slipped by and the time -of the arrival of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> at Vladivostok, where she -would be in cable communication with the rest of the world, -approached he naturally grew more and more apprehensive -and showed it to Stephanie's keen and searching eyes, at -least.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Maynard trusted a man he trusted him all in all. -It was a part of his policy. If a man were not worth -trusting he did not want him around and he did not have him -around, as a matter of fact. Therefore among other duties -devolved upon the new confidential assistant was the opening -of the great financier's mail. Harnash had never made up -his mind just what he should do when the necessity for -confession and explanation was presented. He had tried to -plan his course, but so much depended upon circumstances -that he had always put the decision by. Stephanie loved -him--and it was easy to see that her passion for him was -growing and that it almost matched his own--but she was a -high spirited girl with certain unspoiled notions of right and -wrong, and with a certain amount of her father's unyielding -firmness which made her conduct in the threatening -emergency something of a problem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The problem changed from the abstract to the concrete -one morning about a half year after that bachelor dinner. -The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was overdue at Vladivostok. From the -shipping experts in the Inter-Oceanic Trading Company -Harnash had found that out and it had greatly increased -his anxiety by giving it a new turn--suppose something -had befallen the ship? Every day of delay added to his -mental distress. And although the shipping people manifested -no special apprehension--ships were often longer -overdue, especially sailing ships--Harnash grew more and -more uneasy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One morning while he was going over the mail at the -office prior to Maynard's arrival a messenger boy brought -in a cable from Honolulu. He signed for it, dismissed the -boy, and without the slightest apprehension tore open the -envelope. This is the message that stared at him:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Regret to report </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> burned at sea, sunk by -explosion of cargo. Third officer and six survivors landed here -yesterday in small boat. Captain refused to abandon ship. -One other boat got away, probably lost. Cable instructions.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was signed by Smithfield, the agent of the Inter-Oceanic -Trading Company in the Hawaiian Islands. One -glance, one horrified inspection stamped the facts on -Harnash's brain and consciousness. The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was lost -with all her people except the third officer and six men; -that meant Woywod too. Was Beekman among those six, -or had Harnash sent him to his death? Could he have been -in the other boat? Was there a chance that it would turn -up? Somehow Harnash jumped at a conviction, of which he -could not disabuse his mind, that Beekman was among the -missing. This he had not planned. That it could happen -he had never dreamed, even remotely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Harnash faced the greatest temptation of his life. -He was quick enough to see that if Woywod and Beekman -had been lost, in all probability the secret would never be -known and all he had to do was to say nothing to be safe. -But Harnash had never liked Beekman so much as at that -very moment. Forgetful for the time being even of Stephanie, -his mind reverted to their college associations, their -subsequent business career, the unfailing courtesy and -kindness and trust which Beekman, high-placed and rich, had -extended to him, relatively humble and poor, his cordial -cooperation and confidence, his help. While Harnash was -the business and brains of the firm, he could have -accomplished little without Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He recalled the genial, pleasant humor of his friend, the -good times they had enjoyed together, and as he did so he -put his head in his hands and groaned aloud. Harnash felt -like a murderer. He believed indeed that he was one. It -was the turning point in his career. If he spoke he would -brand himself in the eyes of all to whom the story might -become known--John Maynard, of course, and Stephanie, -the woman he loved truly and whole heartedly, even though -his love had made him do an unworthy and ignoble thing. -If he kept silent, with the start he had gained in John -Maynard's graces and with Stephanie's affection, he would -eventually marry her. If he did not tell her, if he put her -off with some carefully manufactured story, he could -probably persuade her after a time to marry him. In that event -he saw himself doomed to a long life with the woman he -loved so passionately and whom he would fain trust with -everything, with a hideous secret between them. To win her -under such conditions was to lose her. Which was the -better course?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Many a man gives way to an evil impulse under the -strain of a great temptation, but it does not necessarily -follow that he cannot recover from that impulse, that his -moral nature is broken down completely by the one lapse, -even though it be a great one. As a matter of fact, a -woman like Stephanie Maynard could scarcely have loved -George Harnash as she did if he had not been on the whole -much better than his worst.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then and there Harnash came to a decision. Not without -much inward wrestling and many groanings of spirit did -he reach the conclusion that it was better not to try to -cover up what he had done. To him entered Maynard. The -cheery good morning of the elder man died on his lips as -he noted the strain and anxiety in his young friend's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the matter?" he began abruptly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Maynard," said Harnash, summoning his courage -up to the self-accusing point, "I've something very -important to say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it?" asked the financier, sitting down at the big -desk, disregarding his mail, and staring at Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It begins somewhat far back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get to the point quickly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will. I love your daughter. I have loved her ever -since I met her, long before she became engaged to -Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Damn him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait a minute before you condemn him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's he got to do with your trouble?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Much."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think Stephanie has about forgotten him, and, frankly, -if you want to marry her--well, I had other views for her, -but I don't see why you shouldn't," was the old man's -surprising answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There may be reasons to the contrary of which you know -nothing, Mr. Maynard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they? Why all this beating around the bush?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've thought hardly of Beekman because he disappeared -on his wedding day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was the cause of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good God! Did you murder him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know what you're saying?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perfectly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must be crazy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I am. This came this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The unhappy Harnash held out the telegram.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Maynard, reading it over quickly. "That's -a bad job, of course, but the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> is fully insured. -It's unfortunate about the men, and the Russians have been -cabling us for that shipment of munitions and war material, -but what's this got to do with Beekman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was on the burned ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Her mate, Woywod, was a boyhood friend of mine. I -told him I loved your daughter and she loved me--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it's got that far, has it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you had him shanghaied by this Woywod," said -Maynard, frowning, as the whole situation became instantly -clear to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Does Stephanie know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was she a party to this transaction?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In no way. I always knew I loved her, but we only -found out she loved me while Beekman was away during -the year after his father's death. I begged her to confess -the truth, to appeal to you and to Beekman, and to break -the engagement. She refused to do any of these things. -She said it was the most cherished desire of your heart, that -you and old Beekman, who were bound together by affection -of long standing, had agreed upon it, that she had -given her word with her eyes open."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you did this thing with what in view, pray?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To delay the marriage in the hope that something might -turn up and I might win her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Something has turned up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But isn't it just possible that Beekman may be one of -those six men who survived?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We should have heard from him in that event."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right, but isn't it just possible that the other boat may -turn up or its men may have landed on some Pacific island?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's possible," said Harnash, "but not likely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's generally the unlikely thing that happens in life," -said Maynard, coolly, staring hard at the unfortunate young -man to whom confession was obviously difficult. "For -instance, the most unlikely thing that I could think of is that -I should be sitting here quietly listening to you confess this -treacherous and dastardly crime without being able to determine -whether I shall hand you over to the authorities or give -you my daughter as a wife."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think the disposition of your daughter's hand -rests with you now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Does it rest with you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. She has told me that she would never even allow -me to speak to you or consent to marry me until she had -been released by you and Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard thought deeply. He was, as he had said, in a -state of indecision most unusual and extraordinary with -him. To be unable to settle upon his course was most -annoying to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You haven't told her what you did?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a word."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll have to tell her now," he said at last, thinking -that perhaps she might throw some light on the problem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I intend to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard reached for the telephone. He called up the -house, got his daughter on the wire, and asked her to take -her car and come to the office immediately. He brushed -away questions and objections by assuring her that it was a -matter of life and death. Having thus aroused her -curiosity and greatly alarmed her, he disconnected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," he said, turning to Harnash, who had waited, -"what have you to suggest?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cable our agent at Honolulu to send the survivors to -San Francisco by the first steamer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good so far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll go out there in time to meet them and ascertain the -facts. If Beekman is there I'll tell him the truth and bring -him home, if he doesn't kill me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he is not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll turn everything I have into money and on the -chance that he may be somewhere in the South Seas I'll -charter a ship and go and hunt for him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wouldn't like to be in your shoes when you meet him, -if you do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't much fancy the situation myself," admitted -Harnash, "but that's neither here nor there. I've got to -do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must have been desperately in love with Stephanie -to have done this thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was. I am. I don't want to plead anything in -justification," answered the other, "but if Stephanie had loved -Beekman I don't think I should have interfered, although -she probably would have found out that I loved her because -I couldn't help letting her see it. You have seen it yourself, -haven't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now that you say it, I recall things that looked that -way and, yes, I had begun to suspect it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But when I found out that she didn't love him and that -she did love me and that she was only going through with -it to please you and the elder Beekman--well, it seemed -horrible. I swore to her that I would prevent it if I had to -snatch her away from him at the foot of the altar."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Instead of which you snatched him from her the day -before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was the same day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder why none of us ever thought of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She is on record as having sailed the evening before. -Her clearance papers were so made out and as she probably -got away without tug or pilot in the early dawn nobody -connected him with her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You didn't have this end of the voyage in mind, of -course?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As God is my judge I did not," answered Harnash, -earnestly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was overdue at Vladivostok by about -three weeks, I believe," continued the old man. "That's -why you've been so distrait and worried and generally -knocked up during the last month?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I expected to get word from Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He would naturally cable me, his business partner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, then he doesn't know anything about your part, if -he is alive."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly not, unless Woywod told him, which would -be most unlikely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see. Well, go and cable Smithfield and find out when -the next steamer sails for the United States from Hawaii, -and arrange to leave here four days before her scheduled -arrival so you can get this third officer and his men before -they scatter. You know what sailors are. By the way, who -is the third officer?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, find that out in the shipping department. And -keep within call. When Stephanie gets here I shall want -you to tell her," said the old man, still painfully undecided -as to his course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very good, sir," said Harnash, turning away, glad for -the relief of the temporary duties devolved upon him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By the time he had completed them Stephanie had reached -the office building and had gone to her father's private -room, where Harnash presently followed her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hurried down here, of course," she began, "on receipt -of your surprising message. What has happened since you -left this morning? Oh, good morning, Mr. Harnash," she -continued, her face brightening as she held out her hand -to that unhappy man as he entered the office.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This," said her father in answer to her question, -meanwhile keenly observing the other two.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He handed her the cable. She read it over and looked -up with a little bewilderment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>!" she said. "I remember it was the -last sailing ship. It's too bad that she is lost, but you were -insured. Of course, it's terrible about the brave captain -and the poor men."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Old Maynard nodded. He looked at Harnash. That -young man's hour had come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beekman was on the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>," he said quietly.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-search-determined-upon"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SEARCH DETERMINED UPON</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>For a moment Stephanie Maynard did not take in the -tremendous import of the declaration that had just -fallen from her lover's lips. For one thing, he had spoken -so quietly that she had not at first sensed the meaning. She -stared from Harnash to her father in no little bewilderment. -Both men watched her keenly; the older curious to know -what she would do and say, the younger as one might wait -the death sentence of a court.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand," she faltered at last. "Did you -say that Derrick Beekman-- It's impossible. How could -that be?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I had him shanghaied by a friend of mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shanghaied?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. After the dinner broke up we stopped at an -uptown place and"--Harnash hesitated. It was bad enough -to compass the main fact, but the necessary admission of -the sordid, unlovely details seemed to make his turpitude -much greater.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, go on. What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I'm curious to know how you did it, too," put -in Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I persuaded him to take a drink. He was utterly -unsuspicious. It was easy--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you doctored it," said Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes--but-- Good God, this is the hardest thing I -ever did," cried poor Harnash, looking at the girl. "Knock-out -drops, you know, and then he was shanghaied."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand," she said again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was delivered to a friend of mine down on Water -Street who was waiting for him with a gang. I had arranged -it all beforehand and they put him on the ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But his watch, his money, jewelry?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have those," admitted Harnash. "They're in my safe -deposit box. I put them there, you understand, for safe -keeping."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Maynard. "I don't think you're a thief -as well as an abductor."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," said Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, even if he were on that ship," began Stephanie, -at last comprehending, "it doesn't follow that he was lost."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. It doesn't follow. He may have been one of those -picked up in the third mate's boat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way, who is the third mate?" interposed Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She didn't carry one, sir. Her officers were Captain -Peleg Fish, Woywod, and Salver. She had a boatswain, -carpenter, sail-maker, and a crew of forty."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Strange. Who could that officer be? But go on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and the other boat," said Stephanie, looking at -the telegram again. "She may be found. He may be in her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is possible," said Harnash hopelessly, "but I am -convinced that he has been lost and I alone am responsible for -his death."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl stared at the man, a strange look in her eyes. -Harnash met her gaze bravely, although it took -superhuman courage to do so. He loved her. There was no -doubt about that. He had proved it in his perverted way. -And she had loved him. There was no doubt of that, or there -had not been. He even dared to hope that she would still -love him, even in the face of his present confession; but -whether she loved him or not he would rather have faced any -judge on earth than Stephanie Maynard. The situation -forced him to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is no excuse that I did it for you," he began. "I -said I'd be willing to kill him rather than he should have you; -but while I want you just as much as ever, more, if -possible, that doesn't prevent me from feeling like a murderer -now. And it is all so useless, too. Your father never could -give his consent now and you--with this hideous possibility -before us, I've lost you, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned away. He could not control himself. He -clenched his jaws together and walked toward the window, -out of which he looked without seeing anything whatsoever. -For a few moments nobody broke the silence. Old -Maynard sat down quietly at his desk, leaned his face in his -hands, and scrutinized his daughter. The air was -surcharged with dramatic possibilities. He was too keen an -observer not to recognize them. He had made up his own -mind at last, but he wanted to see what his daughter would -do before he disclosed his wishes or intentions. It seemed -to Harnash, in whose breast a faint hope was still -struggling as he also waited for the girl's decision, that -Stephanie's silence lasted a long time. Really it was a very few -moments. Singularly enough, her first word was not to her -lover.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father," she began, facing the old man, "do you think -it is likely that Derrick is lost?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Highly probable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he were one of the survivors he would have cabled at -once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He might be ill or--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think we can discount that suggestion."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then his only chance would be the other boat?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you think that chance--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A faint one. It was probably the bigger and better boat. -It should have turned up before the other. It has not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every word carried conviction to the girl. The flicker -of hope in Harnash's heart died away. It revived again -when Stephanie, after pondering her father's words--and -he allowed her to reflect upon them at her pleasure, -volunteering nothing, suggesting nothing--began with -another question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No one knew of Derrick's presence on the ship except -those who were aboard her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Obviously not, since all the detectives in New York, -for the past six months, have been endeavoring to find out -where he went, stimulated by a reward big enough to arouse -them all to the most frantic endeavors."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the people on the ship would know?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't any doubt that Beekman disclosed his name -to the officers so soon as he came to his senses, but I imagine -it wouldn't make much of an impression upon them. They -wouldn't believe him. Sailors are proverbially -happy-go-lucky people. Our agents at San Francisco will pay off these -survivors, they will scatter, and that will be the end of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if he is lost the mystery of his disappearance would -never have been solved," whispered the young woman, -"unless Mr. Harnash himself had told."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man nodded. George Harnash, his back turned -to them, listened as if his life hung upon the word.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But if he had kept the secret," said the girl, illogically -but with obvious meaning, "I could never have forgiven him, -much as I loved him and still do love him. That doesn't -seem to be news to you, father."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It isn't. Go on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In that case I never could have married him, even -though he did it for me, but now--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She walked over toward Harnash and laid her hand on -his shoulder. No knight ever received an accolade, no -petitioner a benison, no penitent an absolution so precious as -that. Harnash turned, coincident with the touch, -transfigured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stephanie," he burst out, "you don't mean--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A part of the blame is mine," said the girl, facing her -father, her hand still on her lover's shoulder. "I was weak -where I should have been strong. It was my duty to break -with Derrick absolutely since I did not, could not, love him; -but because I love you, Father, and because my word had -been given, I proposed to go through with the marriage, -knowing that I loved this man, letting him see that I did, -and allowing myself to hope that he would effect what I -refused to attempt; so that for this awful situation I am in -a large part to blame."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot let that statement go unchallenged, Mr. Maynard," -protested Harnash, passionately. "She is no more -to blame than a baby. She couldn't help being beautiful. -She couldn't help my loving her. As God is my judge, she -has never done a thing to encourage me. She told me all -along that she was going to marry Beekman, that she was -in honor bound to do so, that duty and everything made it -necessary. It was my own mad passion, for which she is -not to blame, that made me do it. Not a vestige of reproach -attaches to her. God knows, I wouldn't have had real harm -come to him for anything on earth. I never dreamed of this. -I never suspected it. I never anticipated it. It's an awful -shock to me, but a man must fight for the woman he loves. -Beekman didn't care. With him it was a matter of -agreement, convenience, and I--" He turned and looked at the -girl. "I think I'd do it again. I'll be honest. Now I'd -cheerfully give my own life for Beekman's. If I am not -to have you life isn't worth very much to me, and I'm -terribly sorry for him; yet when I look at you, Stephanie, and -think that in spite of everything I have lost you--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You haven't lost me," said the girl, quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What! You mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where do I come in?" asked the elder Maynard with a -calmness that matched his daughter's.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father," said the girl, "I'm not your daughter for -nothing. I suppose I couldn't help loving George Harnash. -I have the same fixity of purpose that you have. I showed -it when I intended to carry out my agreement to marry -Derrick, although it broke my heart. I know I will go on -loving him to the end, no matter what he did, or what he is, -but I wouldn't have married him if he hadn't of his own -free will spoken out and told what he might as easily have -concealed without anyone ever finding it out, if Derrick is -really dead. And I feel here, somehow," said the girl, laying -her hand on her heart, "that you hold the same views -exactly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His prompt and open acknowledgment, his frank confession, -makes all the difference," admitted Maynard. "It -does seem to give the affair a different complexion."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Seem, father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it does, then. Go on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was horribly wrong of George to do what he did, but -he did it for me. It was my fault as much as his, and I take -part of the blame."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I swear I will not allow you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let her finish," interposed Maynard. "She has more -sense than you have, and I'll be hanged if I don't think she -has more than I have."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie smiled faintly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If Derrick is dead none of us here is ever going to -forget it. Neither Mr. Harnash, nor I, not even you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I fail to see any responsibility attaching to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, but there will be some."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, will there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So far as intent goes we can absolve ourselves, but so -far as consequences are concerned we shall have to expiate -our wickedness."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Stephanie, for God's sake don't say that of -yourself," Harnash burst forth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must. And we can expiate it together. We can help -each other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean that you will actually marry me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said the girl. "How could you for a -moment think otherwise? I mean what I say when I assume -part of the blame."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so you have settled it without me, have you?" -asked her father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. We are going to settle it this way with your -approval and consent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I am to give my daughter to a man who would -administer knock-out drops to a friend and shanghai him -on the eve of his wedding and appropriate that friend's -promised wife?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is just, sir," said Harnash bitterly. "Think what you -do," he continued, turning to the girl with a gesture of -renunciation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," answered Stephanie to her father. "You are -giving your daughter to a man who, however he sinned, and -your daughter doesn't presume to pass condemnation upon -him as she might were she not a party to it, has frankly and -openly acknowledged his transgression and expressed -himself willing to take the consequences."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Humph," said the old man, a flicker of a smile appearing -on his iron face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Remember, he might have kept silent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Maynard, "I believe you are right. There -is good stuff in you, Harnash, and your unforced, voluntary -confession shows it. I don't think you'll administer -knock-out drops to anybody again, and eventually I suppose you'll -get Stephanie, but there are conditions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You couldn't impose any conditions that I would not -gladly meet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was coming to those myself," said the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you had thought of this, too, had you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"First of all there must be no public mention by any of us -of the possible fate of Derrick until we are satisfied that he -is dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly not," said old Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The assent of Harnash was obviously not necessary to that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's where you come in, father--what is the legal -term?--as an accessory after the fact to what we have -done."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man laughed a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Clever, clever," he murmured, "my own daughter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The next condition is that we must satisfy ourselves -beyond peradventure that Derrick is dead before any -marriage."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is a harder proposition," said the old man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because," went on the girl, "I told George when I -supposed Mr. Beekman was alive and would turn up some -time that I would never marry him until I had got a release -from Derrick's own lips, and as long as there is a chance -that he is alive that condition holds."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm so glad that I can look forward to getting you at -any time under any circumstances," said Harnash -fervently, "that I accede gladly to any conditions that you -may lay down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how will you settle the affair if by any good -fortune we succeed in finding Beekman and he refuses to -consent and wishes to hold you to your terms?" asked Maynard -thoughtfully. "You don't seem to have counted on that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash and Stephanie looked at each other with dismay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how if he wants to kill Harnash, as he would have -a perfect right to do, for his part in the--er--deplorable -transaction?" continued the old man relentlessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll take whatever he wishes to give me," said Harnash. -"I'll tell him myself, if we are fortunate enough to see -him, and I don't believe when he learns everything that he -will want to claim as his wife a woman who loves some one -else."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sure he will not," said Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl's father nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I guess you have it right, but we needn't worry about -that now. The first thing is to find out whether he is really -dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must set about that at once," said Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have already taken steps to that end," said Harnash. -"I have cabled Smithfield to ship the men from Honolulu -to 'Frisco at our expense, and to say to them that I will -meet them on the arrival of the steamer. I find that a -steamer sails from Honolulu on Thursday of next week. -She is due to arrive on Friday of the week after. My -personal affairs are in such a state that I can safely leave them. -I have a substantial balance available in the bank. I am -going to California to interview the men and then I shall -charter a vessel and hunt for the other boat or prosecute -whatever search is necessary."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's fine," said Stephanie. Then she turned to her -father, stretching out her hand. "Father--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man understood perfectly well what she wanted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can amplify that plan a little," he said. "I have been -wanting to get away from active business for a long time -and my affairs are fortunately in such a shape that I can -trust them to others. I should have trusted them to you, -Harnash, if you weren't obliged to go along."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean--?" cried the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I'll send the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> around through the Panama -canal immediately"--the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> was a magnificent steam -yacht, the greatest, most splendid, and most seaworthy of -any of the floating palaces of the millionaires of the -seaboard--"and we'll go on that hunt together."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean that I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course you can go along. Who has more interest -in establishing the fact than you?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-boatswain-s-story"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE BOATSWAIN'S STORY</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A seafaring man is less at home in a parlor than -anywhere else. He can sit comfortably on anything -except a chair. The big boatswain balanced himself -gingerly on the edge of the biggest and strongest chair in the -private parlor of the Maynard apartment in the St. Francis -Hotel in San Francisco. In his hands, fortunately, for -otherwise he would not have known what to do with them, -he clasped a large package wrapped in oil silk and -carefully tied up. He looked and felt supremely ill at ease -and miserable. Back of him, equally uncomfortable, were -the other survivors of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>. It was proper for -the boatswain, who acted as third officer, to be seated. This -much was conceded to his rank, but Templin and the other -five, deaf to all suggestions looking toward their -comfort, remained standing. They did not even lean against -anything. They took position in true seamanlike -fashion, arms folded or akimbo, feet wide apart, ready -for any unexpected roll on the part of the St. Francis -Hotel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>George Harnash had met the steamer. Indeed, he had -boarded her before she tied up at her berth at the docks. -He knew that Beekman would not be with the survivors -because their names had been cabled to New York by -Smithfield in answer to inquiries. The strangest circumstance -was this. A list of the other members of the crew taken -from the ship's papers which were in possession of the third -officer, for so the boatswain was designated, had also been -cabled and the name of Beekman did not appear in that -list either. This puzzled Harnash beyond measure. He -had delivered Beekman to the crimp and the gang -designated by Woywod, certainly. Had anything happened? -Were those knock-out drops too strong? Harnash was a -miserable man, indeed, a prey to all sorts of fears and -anxieties and each worse than the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The men, who had landed at Honolulu in a dilapidated -condition, two weeks' cruising in an open boat being not -conducive to the preservation of wearing apparel, had been -thoroughly outfitted by the agent of the Inter-Oceanic -Trading Company, and consequently as Stephanie Maynard -looked upon them she thought them as fine an appearing -body of sailors as she had seen in her various voyagings -upon the seas. Old John Maynard, keenly appraising them -as they were led in the room, arrived at the same conclusion -by a somewhat different process.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is the bo's'n of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>," began Harnash -after he had mustered and marshaled the uneasy sailors. -"That is, he was originally shipped as bo's'n, but he has -been promoted to third officer. How or why I do not yet -know. I thought it best not to question the men until I -had brought them here. Mr. Gersey--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jim Gersey, at your service, sirs an' ma'am," said the -old seaman, rising and making a sort of sea-scrape with -his feet while he knuckled his brow with his hand in true if -now somewhat obsolete sailor fashion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey," said Harnash, "this is Mr. John Maynard, -president of the company which owned the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>, -and this is his daughter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pleased to meet ye both," said the boatswain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In addition to our natural anxiety about the ship and -her people we have reason to be deeply interested in one -member of her crew," continued Harnash, and his personal -suspense was obvious to the dullest person in the room, -much more to the girl who loved him in spite of all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't ketch your name, sir," said the boatswain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Harnash, George Harnash."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man furrowed his brow and thought a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of Harnash an' Beekman, 33 Broadway, New York?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir, I got a message for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A message?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye. It was give to me by a man that shipped aboard -the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> as John Smith."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's why Beekman's name didn't appear among those -sent us," observed Mr. Maynard suddenly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose so," answered Harnash, glad to be relieved -of one anxiety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which he said it wan't his name, but I ain't never been -aboard a ship without a John Smith on her," continued the -boatswain, "an' sometimes we gits two or three of 'em. It's -a kind-a easy name, an' when nobody knows a man we jest -nachurly calls him that. Now this chap's name was -Beekman. Leastways, that's what he said it was, an' when we -put him overboard--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Put him overboard?" cried Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, ma'am. In the ship's whaleboat, for his own safety."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At the time of the fire?" interposed Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, gents an' lady, if you'll excuse me, I can't quite -steer my course amid so many variable winds, so to speak. -I can't shift my helm quick enough to meet all them changes. -If you'll lemme heave ahead in my own way I'll git the -yarn off'n my chest the quicker an' the plainer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Maynard; "don't interrupt, young -people, let him tell us in his own way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thankee, sir," said the boatswain. "You've got a seaman's -instinck an' arter I've told the yarn I'll answer any -question I may be axed, pervided they comes at me one at -a time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heave ahead," said Maynard, adopting nautical -language for the occasion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir, it was this way. Arter Smith or Beekman -put a knife into the mate--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was too much for Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What mate?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boatswain shot a look at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was comin' to that," he answered. "Mr. Woywod, -as you know, he was the mate of the ship. He was a prime -seaman, an' pleasant enough if you done what you was -told an' done it quick an' kept out of his way, but when he -was roused an' riled--God help us, says I."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We all says that," put in Templin grimly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, him an' Smith or Beekman got in an argyment -the second day out when Smith come to in the fo'c's'l an' -didn't know where he was at or why he was at it, an' Smith -knocked the mate down. The mate seed he was green an' -raw, an' he passed over that, only he told him if he ever -done it agin he'd kill him. The mate battered him up -considerably at the time. I sent for him that day an' told him -as an old man that had follered the sea all his life that there -wan't no use of tryin' to fight the mate; that the officers had -everything on their side. They was like God hisself on the -ship; that he'd git double irons clapped on him for mutiny, -an' mebbe hanged if he didn't knuckle down an' turn to. He -told me a long story about him bein' shanghaied. I didn't -believe it at first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was true," said Harnash. "Absolutely true."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' leavin' a girl on his weddin' day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was the girl," said Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dash me," said the old boatswain, staring at the girl -with quite open admiration, "his was a harder lot than we -fancied. Well, he concluded to take my advice. He turned -to an' done his work like a man, an' I never seen a feller -pick up so. Afore he left us he was as hard as nails, an' by -way of bein' a prime seaman, too. The mate didn't -manhandle him none, but there was bad blood 'twixt them two -men. The mate was allus a pickin' on him an' a bullyin' of -him. It was a kind of battle between 'em. The mate -anxious to provoke an outbreak on Smith's part, which I -means Beekman, an' Beekman determined not to give the -mate no handle agin him. We had a hell of a--I beg your -pardon, Miss, but that word jest describes the ship an' the -v'yage. I never did see such a succession of gales. We was -weeks gittin' round the Horn, an' there was a dead beat agin -the wind nigh all the way up to the line. One night, I -disremember the date, but I got it here"--he tapped the -oilskin package to which he clung so tightly--"all hands -was called on suddenly to reef tops'ls. The old man was for -carryin' on, you know; he'd taken in the r'yals, but the -to'gall'nts'ls was still set, an' the sticks was bendin' like -whips when he decided to git 'em off her. Now there was a -mast-man, a half-witted Dutchman, aboard named Wramm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jacob Wramm," said Templin. "God rest his soul."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He done a lubberly thing. He cast off the wrong -halliards, an' we lost the main to'gall'nt mast. It was in the -mid watch, an' Wramm had been takin' a snooze under the -lee rail or he wouldn't have done it. The mate was very -vi'lent with him. He had kicked him awake, au' when the -mast carried away he hit him over the head with a belayin' -pin, thinking, doubtless, to let some sense into his thick -skull, but instead he let the life out of him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean that he killed him?" asked Maynard in -amazement, while the others held their breath at this -matter-of-fact description of tyranny and murder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, sir, I means jest that. There's a lot o' things that -goes on aboard your ships, that neither you nor nobody -else in New York knows nothin' about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Evidently. Proceed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wramm died the next day, but meanwhile, arter we'd -cleared away the wreck an' got the ship snug, we took -Wramm, who was still breathin' but unconscious, to his berth -in the fo'c's'l. Arter we'd examined him, Beekman said he -was goin' aft to see the old man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did Captain Fish permit such brutality?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ain't wishful to say nothin' agin a man that's dead an' -that can't defend hisself, but him an' Salver, which he was -in charge of the other boat, was much the same kind of men -as Woywod, only not quite so vi'lent. The cap'n was an old -man an' he wan't so free with his fists, but he allus backed -up the mates in whatever they done. Well, Beekman insisted -on seein' the cap'n, an' arter the mate had inspected Wramm -an' seen he was pretty bad off, he thought best to let him -go aft. Templin here was busy about the mizzenmast, an' -he can tell what happened, though we've got it all down in -writin'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you please, ma'am an' gents," said old Templin, -stepping forward and taking up the tale, "I heard v'ices raised -high in the cabin, which I could see into it through the -skylight which covers it an' lets in light an', when it's open, air. -You understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Maynard nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wot words passed I couldn't make out, but I seen the -mate leap toward Smith, an' Smith hit him. The mate was -a big man, an' although it must have been a powerful blow, -it didn't phase him; it jest throwed him back agin the cabin -bulkhead. Then he gathered hisself up, drew a gun, p'inted -it at Smith, an' made for him agin. The cap'n was havin' -something to eat afore turnin' in, it bein' about four bells in -the mid watch, an' there was a big, sharp carvin' knife layin' -on the table. The mate was cursin' like mad, an' Smith was -standin' there quiet an' as white as the paint on the cabin -bulkheads. Jest as the mate pulled the trigger, Smith -grabbed the knife an' buried it to its handle in the mate's -breast, the bullet from the pistol passin' harmless like jest -over Smith's head an' tearin' a big hole in the bulkhead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I seen the hole myself later on," said the boatswain as -Templin stopped for breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Salver, who had the watch," resumed the sailor, -"came into the cabin, an' he grabbed Smith, who was -standin' kind o' dazed like, lookin' at the mate wrigglin' -round the deck; an' Manuel, the steward, did the same. The -old man got the mate's pistol an' covered Smith, an' they -put him in the bo's'n's cabin an' moved the bo's'n aft to -take the watch, ratin' him as third mate, an' givin' -Mr. Salver, the second mate, Mr. Woywod's watch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good God, how horrible!" said Harnash, shooting a -quick look at Stephanie, who sat staring and as white as -Templin's description indicated Beekman had been, as this -grim, sordid tragedy of the sea was revealed to them in the -picturesque simplicity of this rude sailor's tale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What happened then?" asked Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir," answered the boatswain, "Templin can finish -the yarn better nor I can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every man jack on the ship," said Templin, "had a -mighty likin' for Smith. Ain't that so, mates?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Deep-toned approvals, with much nodding of heads, came -from the other seamen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was the pleasantest man on the ship," said one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Free an' easy, always willin' to help a shipmate," said -another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Full of good stories, an' doin' his best to be agreeable," -added a third.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' we wasn't goin' to see him hanged for that, which -it was clearly self-defense, an' a good riddance, anyway," -continued Templin. "You see, the mate was hated as much as -Smith was liked. So we puts our heads together, an' to -make a long story short, we pervisions the whaleboat, which -was hangin' at the after davits. We struck the irons off of -Smith's wrists an' ankles, put him into the boat, an' lowered -her the night arter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I had heerd the old man an' Salver plottin' the ship's -position," said the boatswain. "They said there was land -about seventy leagues to the sou'west'ard, an we all thought -he could reach it. It seemed as if the rough weather had -blowed itself out at last in the Pacific. There was some -white people on them islands. There'd be some means for -him to git back to the United States, eventually, or wherever -he belonged."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When did the captain learn of his escape?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right then an' there. He done his best to prevent it, -but it was dark an' the men refused to handle the braces to -wear the ship, an' that's all there was to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So Beekman wasn't on the ship when she burned," cried -Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank God for that," said Stephanie. "Don't you see," -she continued as the bewildered seaman stared at her, "if he -had been on the ship, he might have been lost in the other -boat; Mr. Salver's boat, you said."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, ma'am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, as it is now, there is a chance he may have got to -those islands. What were they? Where are they? We -may find him yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's possible. There's always a chance on the sea," -admitted the boatswain. "But that ain't all the story."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, ma'am; the gales hadn't quite blowed theirselves -out yet, an' the next day come the worst of 'em all. What -become of that boat in that storm, Cod only knows. We -had to scud afore it under bare poles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It might not have blowed so hard where the whaleboat -was," said Templin sagely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In course; but no man can know nothin' about that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We got a slant of a favorin' wind arter a few days, an' -ran down our northin' at a great rate. I think it was two -weeks arter we sent the whaleboat away with Beekman in it, -when a fire broke out in the forehold. I suppose the strainin' -an' pitchin' and buckin' of the ship was the cause of it. I -don't rightly know jest what we had aboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"About three thousand tons of the most inflammable and -explosive stuff on earth," said Mr. Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it ketched afire. We knowed it was some kind of -dangerous stuff without bein' aware of the partik'lers, an' -we tried to git at the fire, but we couldn't. We knowed the -old ship was doomed just about as soon as something that -would explode got reached by the fire. There wan't no -panic."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The officers treated us like dogs, all of us," interposed -Templin; "but they knowed their business, an' so did we."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two boats was got over an' pervisioned; a cutter an' a -la'nch that was on chocks amidships. The cap'n ordered -me with nine of the men to the cutter, an' Mr. Salver with -the rest on 'em to the la'nch. The sea was calm enough, an' -we had no difficulty in gittin' the boats overboard, although -we had to bear a hand, an' it was well we done so. Nachurly, -the cap'n was to be the last man to 'bandon the ship, which -he didn't leave at all, as a matter of fact. He was to go in -my boat, which was one reason why the steward was in her. -Salver's boat shoved off, an' while we lay alongside at the -battens waitin' for him, the old man ordered us to shove off, -too. 'Mr. Gersey,' he sez--me bein' called 'Mister' habitual -after I come aft--'if you git to shore, report me as havin' -stayed with the ship.' 'Cap'n Fish,' sez I, 'savin' your -presence, it's a kind of damn fool thing for you to do, for the -ship's goin' down.' 'I ain't never yet desarted no ship under -my charge,' sez the cap'n, an' when I started to argue, he -told me to go to hell an' git away from there lest the boat -should be lost. There wan't nothin' else for me to do, -ma'am, but obey orders. I've been all my life obeyin' orders -at sea, but that was about the hardest one ever put up to -me. We didn't like the old man much. As a matter of fact, -we hated him, an' we might have killed him in a fair fight, -if it had been possible, but we didn't none of us want to see -him die that way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, we didn't," said one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there wan't no help for it. We pulled away from -the blazin' ship till we got within hail of Salver's boat. -When he seed the cap'n wasn't aboard, he was for rowin' -back to the ship to rescue him. We could see the old man -calmly walkin' up an' down the bridge, for'ard of the -mizzenmast, perfectly plain. The fire was for'ard, and the ship -was hove to so the smoke druv away to lee'ard. He never -left that bridge except to go aft to h'ist the American flag -at the gaffend. Salver would have gone back, anyway, only -the men refused. We was willin' enough, only we know'd -it wan't no use. An' the ship was liable to blow up any -minute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" said Maynard in the silence that ensued.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She did blow up, an' the cap'n an' the flag an' the ship -all went down together," said the old boatswain with deep -solemnity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was a hard man," said Templin frowning, "but he -went down with his ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That last act covered a multitude of sins in the eyes of -the men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There ain't much more to tell," continued the boatswain -after the tribute of respect and admiration had been -conveyed by a solemn little silence which no other cared to -break. "We had a hard v'yage in that open cutter, which we -separated from the la'nch in the night. Food an' water -give out by the end of a week, an' afore we reached -Honolulu, or was picked up by a steamer headin' that way a day's -sail from the port, three of the men died. Among 'em was -Manuel, ship's steward. As we'd thought the old man was -goin' in my boat, I had the log an' the ship's papers. We -knowed, because I had seed it, that the cap'n had logged the -yarn of the killing of Woywod, which he had got signed by -Salver an' Manuel, the steward. Manuel was a witness to -the whole thing, an' Salver to the latter part. Manuel was -pretty poor stuff; afeerd of his life when Cap'n Fish was -around. So he signed a lie. When he knowed he was goin' -to die, he said he wanted to undo what he had done, as far -as he could, so I got out the logbook an' wrote in it what -he said. He made his mark after it, an' then Templin an' -all the rest that could write signed it as witnesses, an' them -as couldn't, made their marks. We thought if Beekman -ever did git back home, an' this charge ever come up, which -it wouldn't be likely, since the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> was lost, it -might help him to git people to believe he was innercent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the old man spoke he unfolded the oil silk wrapping, -disclosed the logbook, and extended it to his fascinated -audience. Harnash took it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll find it there, sir," said the boatswain, opening -the book at a place marked by a slip of paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Read it, George," said Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I, Manuel Silva," Harnash read from the water-stained -page, with difficulty deciphering the blurred, soft pencil -writing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We didn't have no pen an' ink," interrupted the boatswain -in explanation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Being about to die, do hereby declare before God and -Mr. Gersey and the crew of this cutter, that what I signed -in the logbook about the death of the mate is a damn lie, -which I hope God and the Holy Virgin and the Saints will -pardon me. The mate struck at Smith, although he was -twice warned, and finally drew a pistol. He would have shot -him if he hadn't been killed. It was self defense. In fear -of the captain and my life, I signed that false Happy David. -This is the truth, so help me God."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's his mark," said Gersey, getting up and pointing. -"An' this is my signature, an' there's Templin's an' -Dumellow's, and there's Spear's and Lawton's marks, which -they are here to testify. Also, there's Walling's and Allen's, -which are dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see," said Harnash, handing the book to Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Gersey, you have done exceedingly well. I want to -compliment you and every one of the men," said Maynard. -"You shall not suffer in the loss of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>. The -Inter-Oceanic will pension you or give you steady work. -A sum of money will be deposited to your credit, which will -enable you to be independent of the sea, if you choose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's handsome of you, Mr. Maynard," said Templin. -"I don't know how the other men feels, but as for me, I'm -too young to retire. I'd just blow in the money, wot ever -it is, if it was give to me, an' I'd rather have work."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That goes for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' for me," cried one after the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So, if you'll jest keep the money for us, so's when we're -too old to go to sea we'll have somethin' laid up, it'll be all -right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your decision is a wise one," said Maynard. "As it -happens, I'll be able to offer you work. These men look -to me to be all right. Can you vouch for them, Mr. Gersey?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're prime seamen, every one of 'em, an' orderly -an' decent men. Not but what they sometimes gits laid by -the heels ashore, but afloat there ain't no more properer men -to be found."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought so. Well, I own a three-thousand-ton steam -yacht, barkentine rigged--the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span>--named after -my daughter here. She will be due in San Francisco in two -weeks. We are contemplating an extended cruise to the -south seas. Have you ever been in steam, Mr. Gersey?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Most of my life, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's a berth aboard her as bo's'n, or fourth officer, -for you, and I'll ship every man here at double pay before -the mast. You can pick one of them for bo's'n's mate. -We've never had a bo's'n on the yacht, but I've no doubt we -can use one handily."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you goin' to hunt for Beekman, sir, I makes bold -to ask," questioned the boatswain, his face shining.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going to search the seas until I find him, or what -became of him, if possible; and, incidentally, Salver and -the launch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're with you, howsomever long that cruise," said the -boatswain. "Am I right, mates?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right you are," came in deep-toned approval from the -little group of sailors.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-spirit-of-the-island"><span class="bold large">BOOK III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"</span><em class="bold italics medium">Where there aren't no Ten Commandments</em><span class="bold medium">"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SPIRIT OF THE ISLAND</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Derrick Beekman was astonished beyond measure -at the apparition which flashed in view so suddenly -far above his head and had almost immediately disappeared. -So far as he had been able to view the island, he had not -before discovered the slightest evidence of humanity. Indeed, -the whole deep cup of the bay was so desolate and -forbidding that it had not prepared him for human beings, -scarcely for life, even. If he had not yet thought about -it at all, he had, nevertheless, a subconsciousness that this -was probably a bare and arid rock, volcanic in origin, which -the busy little toilers of the sea had surrounded with a -coral reef.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He came to believe afterward that this idea was correct, -and that the deep bay represented one of the craters of the -volcano, one side of which had been riven, by what cause -he could not determine, giving access to the ocean. In his -terribly weak condition, for when he had slaked his thirst, -he was more acutely conscious of his hunger, not to say his -starvation, than before, he could only reflect vaguely upon -these matters. But one thing was really impressed upon his -consciousness; namely, that he had seen a human being; -that being was a woman, and that she was white!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He fell back on the sands supine, and lay staring upward. -How long he lay there, he could not tell. He had been too -amazed even to cry out, if he had possessed the power. And -before he could decide upon anything, she was gone. He -hoped, of course, that the woman or some of her -companions, if she had any, would come again; but the dark, -rugged, desolate rock cut the skyline with iron precision, -unbroken by anything that had any suggestion of life, as -before, when he had first looked upon it. He soon awoke to -the realization that there was nothing to be gained by -waiting. He must get something to eat to get back some of his -strength before he explored the harbor to find a way to the -top of the encircling cliffs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He moved back to the spring and, thanking God for its -sweetness, this time drank deeper than before. He took off -his salt-encrusted clothes, held them under the falling water -until they were clean of the sea marks, and then he plunged -his own body in the waterfall. As he intended to swim back -to the whaleboat, he laid his clothes out upon some rocks -which faced the rift-like opening and through which the -morning sun streamed with tropic intensity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he walked barefoot through the sand along the bank -of the little shallow brook by which the waters that fell from -the crest made their way to the sea, his foot struck -something sharp that pricked him. He bent over it at once, -instantly curious. In the situation in which he found -himself, the slightest thing was of moment, or might be. He -laughed as he recognized it. He eagerly tore from its bed -in the sand--a pineapple!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Templin had replaced the sheath knife that had been -taken from him by the captain, and it hung in his belt on the -rocks behind him where he had left his clothes. To get it, -to open it with nervous fingers, to cut into the heart of -the pineapple, to bury his face greedily in the fragrant -deliciousness of it, to eat it with almost animal-like ferocity, -was inevitable in so ravenous a man. When he had devoured -it to the last edible scrap, he searched the banks of the creek -for other fruit, possible flotsam and jetsam from the -upland; but the search produced nothing that met his fancy, -for what he did find was decayed and useless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was abundantly thankful, however, for the pineapple. -Leaving his clothing, except his shoes, which he put on -again to protect his feet from the sharp rock, he climbed -over the broken stone at the base of the rift and found -himself once more on the stretch of sand opposite the wrecked -whaleboat. The tide was evidently on the ebb, for much that -had been covered before was now exposed. He gathered -shellfish from the rocks, broke them open, and, restraining -his hunger, which was still ravenous, partook sparingly of -them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again making use of his boards, although he felt so -much stronger that he might have dispensed with them, he -swam out to the barrier reef and examined the whaleboat -again. The lockers forward and aft were practically empty. -He did come upon a few scraps of salt meat, which he had -been unable to eat before in his consuming thirst; not -enough for a meal for an ordinary man, but still very -welcome, and these he devoured. There was not a crumb of -hard bread left. That he had managed to eat, in spite of -his thirst. There was not another thing in the boat except -a boat hook, a stout pole with a brass hook on the end, and -above the hook a sharp pointed spike. This point had got -wedged in the bulkhead of the forward compartment, and -the pole, lying under the thwarts, it had not been swept out -by the seas which had broken over him. The boat itself was -a hopeless wreck. The bottom had been torn out on the reef. -Everything that had been in her was gone. If he could -break her up, she would make good firewood if he should be -able to compass a fire, and the copper air tanks forward and -aft, which were still intact, might be of some service if he -could ever get them off, which was improbable on account -of the lack of tools. Nor would the boat hook be of much -use to him. It would make a dangerous weapon in a -hand-to-hand encounter, if he should be so unfortunate as to -require it, but that was all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The heat of the sun beating upon him warned him that -he would best get back to the shelter of the cliffs and to his -clothes. Taking the boat hook, after a last search of the -lockers which revealed nothing, he once more swam the -lagoon, by force of habit taking the planks which had -assisted him before, although now he felt no need of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If it had not been for the presence of that woman on the -upland indicating that the island was inhabited, he might -have husbanded the scraps of salt meat which he had -devoured so voraciously, but he reasoned as he ate them that -there must be some way to the top, and that once there he -would find plenty to eat. That woman could not have -dropped from the clouds to the island. She or her -forbears must have come up from the sea. If there were a -way, he would find it. Retracing his steps, he presently -regained the beach at the foot of the waterfall, and finding -his clothes dry and free from salt, he put them on again -with great comfort and gladness of heart.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having taken his full meal of fruit, shellfish, and salt -meat on the installment plan, as it were, and having -prudently refrained from drinking his fill, contenting himself -with frequent sips of water, he felt immensely refreshed. -He had moved slowly in his weakness and exhaustion, and -these various undertakings had used up most of the -morning. He could tell from the sun that it was about noon. -Selecting a spot on the warm, white sand which the sun had -just left, which made a warm and even a luxurious bed for -a man who had lain for how many days he could not tell on -the hard planks and ribs of a boat in the tossing sea, he -threw himself down on his back to rest, intending to begin -his explorations in the afternoon. He instantly fell fast -asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he awakened, the sun had set and, looking above -and beyond the rocks that circled above him, he could see -the stars shining in tropic brilliance in the quiet night sky. -He was greatly refreshed by that long, undisturbed sleep -on the warm, yielding sand. He was also ravenously hungry -again, not famished, but just healthily hungry and thirsty. -It was cool in the great cylinder at the bottom of which he -lay. He concluded that it would be warmer on the ocean -side where the sun had beaten with full power against the -rock cliffs all day long. He would pass the night there. -Drinking his fill, and drawing his belt a notch or two tighter, -he found a sheltered spot protected by an overhang of rock -and floored with clean, beautiful sand. He recalled -whimsically enough Sancho Panza's sage reflection that "he who -sleeps dines." Promising himself a day of exploration in -the morning, he was soon asleep again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before dawn he made his way back to the waterfall. He -was about to explore the harbor or cup when it occurred to -him to wait until sunrise. Perhaps she would come -again--that spirit of the island. With the first break of day as the -splendor of the tropic morning streamed through the rift, -he saw again the same radiant, beautiful, golden figure. -This time he called. He shouted for help as loudly as he -could, not because he had any idea that his words would be -understood, but he felt that perhaps the appeal in his voice -might be appreciated. He forgot that in his blue clothes he -was practically invisible to anyone looking down into the -gloom of the deep cup, especially as he stood against the -foot of the darkest wall. The distance was great, but the -sound of his voice--and it was the first time he had raised -it or even spoken since he had landed--sent wild echoes -flying which were thrown from wall to wall in almost -maniacal ejaculations. Doubtless, they sounded much louder to -him than to the woman above, but she was conscious of -something unusual, for she started, and as he watched her closely -he saw her peer down into the depths. Her vision swept the -enclosure, but evidently she had not seen him, and although -he called again and again, he finally desisted as she stopped -her search, perhaps concluding that some wandering seabird -with harsh cry might have sent those echoes flying, for -presently she disappeared as before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, he would solve the mystery of her presence when -he got to the top of the rock, if he ever did. The first -consideration was breakfast. The problem remained unsolved. -No kindly brook rolled to his feet another pineapple. True, -there were the mussels, but of these he ate sparingly. Then -he took his board and launched out into the waters of the -harbor. Here and there stretches of beach and piles of rock -had collected at the foot of the cliffs which, for a large part -of their extent, ran sheer down into the water, the blueness -of which showed its depth. The sea water was warmer than -the air in the hollow, at least until the sun had tempered it, -and the bay was very still. He swam easily through it, -landing at each stretch of sand or rock, also inspecting, -as he progressed slowly, each fall of cliff that dropped into -the water without breaking. Here and there practical ways -of ascent seemed to open, but, when surveyed carefully or -tried, they ended at greater or less distance upward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a careful survey of the entire enclosure, which -brought him back finally to the beach of the waterfall where -he had started on his little voyage of discovery, he decided -that the only possible way to get to the top was by following -the line of the waterfall. There was not a great deal -of promise in that; still, as it was the only way, it had to be -tried. Although he was in much better shape than when he -landed, he was not in good condition for violent efforts or -exercise had it not been for the impelling physical necessities -behind him, to say nothing of the stimulating appeals -to his mind of what must be above him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boat hook, which he used as he might have an -alpenstock, proved of the greatest service. Indeed, he could -scarcely have made the difficult ascent without it. It was -fortunate for him that he had some experience in mountain -climbing in various parts of the world, and that he rejoiced -in the possession of a cool head, a steady nerve, and a sure -foot. Part of the time he had to climb right through the -waterfall. Fortunately, its volume was not great enough -to render that impossible, although in the narrow places -where the water was concentrated, its beat upon him was -tremendous. Sometimes he would stop on a jutting rock -with the swift waters roaring down on either side of him, -again--in utter despair wondering how it would be humanly -possible to go any further. Nevertheless, he persevered, his -hope rising higher as he gradually mounted the cliff and -surmounted the difficulties. Finally, he lost sense of time -and almost everything else. His whole soul was centered -upon a desperate determination to get upward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last he reached the little rift in the rim through which -the water poured. Wet, bruised, cut, ineffably weary, he fell -rather than lay down upon a smooth rock in the narrow -ravine through which the stream flowed. He lay there a -long time seeking to recover his breath, his strength, his -nerve. Finally, he got to his feet again and surveyed the -place. He was not yet at the top of the cliffs, but he was in -a little ravine which led to the top through which the brook -ran and which presented no difficulties compared to those -he had surmounted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ravine twisted and turned as it ran upward, and he -could yet see nothing but rocks ahead of him. With the -aid of the boat hook, he followed the twisting, turning rift, -or gorge, mounting on easy grades until, at last, he saw -the open entrance before him. To his great joy and relief, -he discovered that it was framed in the rich and vivid green -of the lush growths of the tropics. Trees, bushes, blossoms -were there; and, somewhere beyond, a woman! Light, life, -humanity, Eden!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was so overcome that he sank down again, but, with -the certain goal before him, he presently rose to his feet and -broke into a staggering run. He dashed through the -undergrowth, which parted easily before him. He burst his way -through more tangled vegetation and finally stopped breathless -at the base of a noble palm tree. Ripe cocoanuts had -fallen. He had cruised in tropic waters, and the knowledge -he had gained was of service. He broke one open. Not -even the pineapple he had found the day before tasted so -delicious. When he had consumed it, he looked about him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yes, this was a paradise. All about him, the farther side -being several miles straight away, in a rough, circular shape -rose huge walls of stone enclosing the loveliest tropic -landscape his eyes had ever looked upon. The one rift in these -encircling walls was that through which the brook reached -the sea. He could mark its line of silver winding about -through the open land before him. The country was not -level. It was rolling. Clumps of tall, graceful palms rose -here and there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Upon a tree-crowned little hillock, almost in the center of -the vast enclosure, around the foot of which the brook ran, -he saw a little cluster of houses, such buildings as he had -never seen or heard of in the south seas. Smoke curled out -of a real chimney. The place had a familiar look to him. -It did not present the appearance of a Polynesian settlement, -yet it was not absolutely unlike such, after all. Here -and there he marked little stretches of cleared land at the -foot of the hillock that looked strangely like cultivated fields. -Similar gardens bordered the brook. He rubbed his eyes as -he stared, because he seemed to recognize grain and plants -with which he was familiar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As his vision, obscured by his emotions for the moment, -cleared, he saw in the distance men and women, brown-skinned -people, but a little lighter than the handsome Polynesians -with which he was familiar. He heard the bark of a dog.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If this were not the Garden of Eden, it was yet a paradise -to that shipwrecked sailor. Yes, a paradise, and lo, before -him, even as Eve might have stood before Adam, was the -woman whom he had twice seen bathed in the rays of the -morning, staring seaward from the high cliff where she had -poised herself before his view as a vision--the Spirit of the -Island!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-speech-of-his-forefathers"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SPEECH OF HIS FOREFATHERS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The woman appeared suddenly before him from behind -a clump of bushes. She was more surprised than he, -for, having seen her before, he had hoped and expected to -meet her. Nothing whatever had occurred to suggest to her -his presence on the island. Besides, he had seen many -women like her, and in the familiar dress of the south seas. -She had never seen a man like him; never a white man; never -a clothed man. She stopped and stared at him; not in any -alarm, apparently, but in great surprise and astonishment. -She made no movement to approach nearer, and he remained -rooted to his place, as well. Each one had time to take in -every detail of the other, and this is what he saw:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A young woman obviously just passing out of girlhood. -Her abundant hair was beautifully golden, throwing back in -daring brilliance the bright light of the morning sun. It -was not dressed after the manner of the savage Polynesian, -but was neatly plaited in thick braids which were twisted -around her head like an aureate crown. He was near enough -for the details, and he observed that her eyes were as blue as -the tropic sea, and filled with light. Her slender figure, -practically entirely revealed, for she wore nothing but a -wide spreading petticoat of pandanus leaves which came just -short of her knees, was the very perfection of native grace -and beauty, albeit a trifle immature and, as yet, somewhat -undeveloped. There flashed into his mind a remembrance -of a day at the museum of the Capitol in Rome, and his -first sight of the marble girl, which has a high place there -and which is supposed to represent the very perfection of -girlhood budding into womanhood. No marble had the rich -softness of texture underneath firmness and strength that -the skin of this wonderful girl-woman exhibited. Even the -tropic sun had only slightly mellowed the clear translucence -of her complexion. A great scarlet flower was placed behind -her ear in her golden hair. Otherwise, she was absolutely -unadorned. She was entirely unconscious of her inadequate -attire, and he was unconscious of it, too. As an ancient -nymph of Greece of old, she fitted into the soft beauty of -the landscape so perfectly that in his eyes, as in her own, -she lacked nothing. No apparel could have made more -obvious the sweetness, the innocence, the youthful charm -of this graceful, enchanting figure. That is what he saw on -the heaven-kissing hill on that island.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In her turn, she saw a man who was dark where she was -fair, whose thin and haggard face was covered with a short -growth of new and thick beard and mustache which, nevertheless, -did not hide its fineness; whose sodden, torn, blue -denim clothing could not disguise the strong, vigorous lines -of his well-knit figure; one who was whiter where his -complexion showed, and taller and stronger than any man she -had ever looked upon; whose clothes were as unfamiliar to -her as her lack was unfamiliar to him; who stood erect, -perhaps a head taller than she, and she was counted as a tall -woman on that island, and stared at her with great interest -and delight. She noticed that he carried a singular looking -staff, the bright brass top of which shone in the light. He -was like nothing she had ever seen. He had no advantage -of her in that, except in so far as that charming girl of the -Capitol was concerned. Obviously she found him distinctly -pleasing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Controlling his nerves as best he could, he stepped toward -this radiant wood nymph, amicably extending his hands. -Then he brought his palm up to his mouth, intending -thus to convey to her that he was hungry. In return, -she broke the silence by addressing him. There was -something extraordinarily familiar in the language she used. He -had been enough in the South Seas to have picked up a -smattering of dialect, enough to pass; but her speech, while -it was suggestive, was, nevertheless, unlike any native tongue -he had ever heard before. He could not account for its -familiarity, though he could not understand it. He only -shook his head, put his hand to his mouth again, and -moved his jaws. Obviously, she understood this simple -sign language, for she at once nodded to him as she walked -toward him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stretched out her hand to him, as she drew near, in a -gesture that was somehow singularly European, and when -his greater palm met her own daintier hand, to his great -astonishment she shook it vigorously in a way totally -different from that of any Polynesian of whom he had ever -heard. Indeed, although the Polynesians are among the -handsomest and best proportioned people on earth, there was -nothing whatever that suggested a denizen of the South -Sea about the girl, except her costume, or lack of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She said something more to him that sounded as familiar -as her first address, but which was as puzzling and -unintelligible as her other speech. Then she withdrew her hand, -turned, and walked across the grass toward the clump of -trees. She beckoned him to follow. Walk, of course, is the -word that must be used to describe her progress; that -monosyllable in this instance covers a multitude of graceful -movements. To his fancy she seemed to dance across the sward; -to float across it; her small, white feet skimming the grass; -her slender, exquisitely proportioned limbs flashing in the -very poetry of free and unhampered motion. He found her -back view equally beautiful in its symmetry and slender -grace as the face-to-face impression.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forgetful of his needs for the moment in his surprise and -pleasure, in the sheer joy of contemplating a thing so -beautiful--a purely esthetic pleasure, without thought of -anything but the sweet innocence and purity of the girl, which -made it impossible to entertain any profaning thoughts, -at least for a clean, decent, young man like Beekman--he -followed her gladly. Behind the clump of palm trees -ran a path through thick growths of tropic fern and cane -and blooming leafage. She turned into it, and he had some -difficulty in keeping up with her rapid progress. She looked -back from time to time to see that he was following, but -otherwise pursued her way without stopping.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a walk of perhaps a mile, which led through groves -of palm or thickets of undergrowth, or across opens in which -he noticed plants under cultivation that had a singularly -familiar look, although he could not stop to examine them -in that rapid progress, they reached the settlement which -he had observed when he came out of the cleft where the -brook pierced the wall. Their approach had been marked -for some time, and the whole population apparently had -assembled to welcome them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were perhaps forty souls gathered under the palm -trees in front of the curious houses. As near as he could -estimate, one-third of them were men, mainly old; one-third -of them were women, the most of them past their youth; and -the rest were small, quiet, anæmic looking children. The -women were clad like his guide. The men wore breech clouts -or loin cloths. They ranged in color from a whiteness that -nearly but not quite matched that of the girl to the rich, -golden brown of the Polynesian. Most of them were -distinctly undersized, not to say stunted. Old men and women -predominated. The children were weak looking, decadent. -There was a listlessness about them; a languor greater than -that ordinarily to be found in the tropics. Even to his first -superficial investigation they presented the appearance of a -degenerate race of people that was dying out. There was -no look of vigor even about the young, but in nearly every -face a physical and a mental indifference. Surely here was -an arrival to have raised the wildest excitement in normal -people, but these islanders were almost passive in their -scrutiny, albeit they were deeply interested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two figures detached themselves from the group as they -approached, and stood forth prominently. The first was -a man of great age, venerable, white bearded, white haired, -hoary, wrinkled, bent with many years and the infirmities -consequent thereon. He walked with difficulty, leaning upon -a staff. His fellow was the tallest and most vigorous of the -rest of the men. He appeared to be the most intelligent of -them all. This is not saying that his intelligence would -have been marked to a European, or that his vigor would -have been noticed elsewhere in the world, but in that -assemblage there was enough difference between him and the rest -to awaken instant attention. The others were quite hopeless. -The old man would have aroused interest and curiosity -anywhere. The young man would have passed in a crowd -of Europeans without notice one way or the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they approached, Beekman's glance went from the girl -who led him to the young man. The two, he observed, -looked at each other with a certain familiarity which bespoke -some sort of relationship. They exchanged eloquent glances. -He noted that the young man was as much ahead of the rest -of the islanders as he was below the girl. The old man who -had stepped to the front and stood leaning upon a twisted -sort of staff was the first to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again Beekman had that strange sense of familiarity with -the words in spite of the fact that he could make nothing of -them. The girl answered briefly. The young man joined -in the conversation. The rest, slowly drawing nearer, spoke -in brief ejaculations from time to time. Finally, the gentle -tumult subsided, and the old man turned to Beekman and -addressed him directly. The American shook his head. The -old man, whose eyes were wonderfully bright and piercing, -stared at him, evidently nonplussed by the situation. -Beekman made the same sign as before, putting his hand to -his mouth and moving his jaws, stretching out his arms, -and then, as an after-thought, he patted his lean and empty -stomach. It was obvious to the most backward that he was -hungry. The old man nodded his head vigorously. He -turned and spoke a few words. Some of the younger women -walked off in the direction of the huts. Meanwhile, with a -gesture singularly graceful, the old man beckoned to Beekman -to sit down upon a rude rock bench under a giant palm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was a man of great intrepidity, but even if he -had been an arrant coward, there was nothing to cause him -the least alarm. For one thing, not a single one of the -group had a weapon of any sort, so far as he could see. He -divined that they had gone to get him something to eat, and -he took his seat readily. The old man squatted on the grass -at his feet, and the others disposed themselves comfortably -farther away. Only the young girl and the young man -remained standing near him, and side by side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Evidently something had seriously displeased the young -man, for he spoke sharply and shortly to the amazed girl, -who waved him away with a look of haughty disdain. When -the women appeared bearing wooden platters upon which -food was piled, the young woman, who seemed a person in -authority among them, took the first platter and, -approaching Beekman, dropped on one knee with a singularly -graceful movement and extended it to him. He took it without -hesitation, examined it quickly, discovered it to be some kind -of roast meat, tasted it, striving to remember that he was a -gentleman and must eat as such in the presence of these -people who, whatever their origin, were obviously so gentle -themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The first bite told him what it was. A piece of roast pig -on an island in the South Seas! And the next platter was -heaped with such vegetables of Europe as would grow in -tropic lands. How could these things be there? The oasis -cup in which he was, like the enclosed bay whence he had -climbed, was more convincingly than ever of volcanic origin. -Shut off for how many years God only knew from all -connection with the rest of the world, peopled by a nondescript -race whose course was almost run--the girl and the young -man evidently throw-backs or freaks of nature which had -reproduced types of the past, much more perfect in the girl -than in the man--what was the explanation of these -mysteries? Pork--how came it there? And whence these -vegetables of Europe? those cakes of wheat? This white girl, -these half- and quarter-breeds--how came they to be? It -was amazing. In spite of his hunger, he could hardly eat -at first confronted by such a problem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A little clicking sound suddenly attracted his attention -from the food as the last bearer presented herself, her hands -full of fruits. He looked down and discovered that the noise -was made by a pair of wooden shoes which she was wearing, -which had struck against a stone. A white woman, wooden -shoes, the food of Europe! He almost stopped eating, and -might have done so had he not been so desperately hungry. -Well, the mystery would add zest to the monotonous life -of the tropics. He would solve it somehow; the key must be -somewhere on the island; meanwhile there was breakfast. -The food was delicious. It was somewhat embarrassing to -eat with his fingers; he could cut the meat with his sheath -knife, but he made unpleasant weather of it, as a sailor -would say.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had finished, and he played the dual part of Jack -Sprat and his wife, so far as the meat was concerned, for he -cleaned the platter, the old man produced a rudely fashioned -pipe made from some wood unfamiliar to him. With the -pipe came a wooden box filled with tobacco, and one of the -children, at a word, brought him a stick, the end of which -was a glowing ember, from a fire in some kind of a stone -and clay furnace or oven before the circle of houses. He -could not believe his eyes at first, and not until he had lighted -the pipe and inhaled the fragrant contents did he know that -it was very good tobacco--the last miracle of that morning, -he thought, but no. As he leaned back against the palm -tree, smoking in perfect content, the girl herself handed him -a cocoanut shell filled with, very tolerable native wine. All -he needed for absolute happiness was a book of verses, her -presence, and the withdrawal of the rest of the crowd, he -reflected whimsically, remembering Omar Khayyam. And -in all this he had not once thought of Stephanie Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His material wants having been thus attended to, the old -man spoke to the rest, and they slowly withdrew, going -about their several vocations. It was yet early in the -morning, and he noticed that some of the men and women -proceeded in various directions, carrying what seemed to him -to be rude primitive agricultural implements. It flashed -upon Beekman that they were going to till the fields, which -were, after all, only garden patches. No great area under -cultivation was required to support that little handful. The -dogs, whose bark he had heard, were as friendly as the rest. -Such a thing as passion or anger or hatred seemed out of -place and as foreign to the spot as they might have seemed -in Eden before Eve ate the apple.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man, the young girl, and the young man alone -remained with him. They spoke to one another now and -then, but conversation with him was impossible. They could -only express their interest by eager and intense staring. The -old man finally came close to him and examined him. He felt -of the cloth of his shirt and trousers, looked critically at his -stout leather shoes, expressed great interest in the sheath -knife, broad-bladed and sharp, which he handed to the -young man, who also examined it and who was also much -taken with the bright, brass-headed boat hook. Beekman -wished that he had some trinket or jewel, something which -he could have given to the girl, but, alas, he had nothing; -not even a finger ring.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While they were examining him, his eyes were roving -about the settlement. In the first place, he noticed that -instead of being houses of wood, the dwellings were built of -stone, obviously the volcanic rock of the island. There -were more houses than such a number of people would -require. He counted a score of huts placed in an irregular -way under the trees. They were different from any South -Sea island houses he had ever seen or heard of, their only -point of resemblance being the roofs thatched with palm -leaves. One house in the center of the settlement was much -larger than any of the rest. Its gable of stone was -surmounted by what appeared to him to be the remains of a -tower. It was a perfect parallelogram. He recalled, as he -looked at it lazily, that it was like the Noah's Ark toys of -his childhood. In the front was a doorway, closed by a -worm-eaten wooden door. This building, like many of the -others, was overgrown with vines, creepers of which he did -not know the name, some of them brilliant with gorgeous -blossoms. The doorways of all the other buildings held no -doors. Woven-grass curtains depended from some of them, -but even they were generally drawn back. Each house -was provided with a small, roofless, stone porch, a stoop, he -called it, in default of a better name, and there was a -singular European look about them, but a European look -of the past.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Refreshed by his meal and his smoke, and tired of sitting, -he rose to his feet and, followed by the trio, he strolled off -in the direction of the nearest house. When he would have -entered it, the old man interposed, shook his head gently, -took him by the hand and led him through the village to a -house exactly like the others, but on the outskirts of the -settlement. He pointed inward, and Beekman divined that -here was the place allotted to him. He entered. Plenty of -light came through the windows on either side, although, -they were screened with creepers. The place was stone -floored, the flooring covered with sand. It was absolutely -bare of furniture and spotlessly clean. There was nothing -to be seen, and so he tarried not at all therein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned and, no one opposing, retraced his steps, the -others still following until he reached the little platform in -front of the largest house with the wooden door. They -were all watching him keenly, and when he stepped up on -the platform and laid his hand on the door, the old man, -with astonishing agility, climbed up beside him, thrust -himself between Beekman and the door, and with rapid speech -and almost fierce gesticulation barred the way. The young -man joined him also, and, frowning angrily, in spite of a -cry of protest from the girl, who watched them with alarm, -he thrust Beekman back rather violently. The American -could have handled them both without difficulty; indeed, -given back his strength and vigor, he almost felt he could -handle the whole village, but he had no desire to incur the -animosity of his kindly hosts, and so he stepped back at -once, smiling and bowing as if to apologize for the mistake.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little outbreak or struggle was over almost as soon -as it had begun. The only person who seemed very much -annoyed by it was the girl. Obviously, to the surprise of -the young man, she appeared to be scolding him vehemently, -and in her reprehension the old man was also included. Of -course, Beekman decided that he would get into that -building as soon as possible. He was growing more intensely -curious as to the whole situation with every moment, and it -flashed upon him that perhaps the solution of the mystery -was to be found therein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the course of the day, during which he was left entirely -to his own devices by the rest of the people, although -vigilantly accompanied everywhere by the three, he tried his -smattering of South Sea </span><em class="italics">lingua franca</em><span>, but without making -himself understood at all. At noon he was fed again, and in -the afternoon he was glad to go to his own house to take a -siesta, where he now found grass and leaves piled in the -corner with native cloth robes thrown over them. He slept -until he was awakened by a touch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl bending over him in the faint light of the -evening seemed like an angel or vision. He rose and -followed her without, discovering that the sun had set and that -the community was about to partake of its evening meal, -which apparently they had in common. They were standing -around platters of food when he came, and what was his -surprise to see the old man straighten up, stretch out his -hands, and say something which sounded like an appeal to -God, or the gods, while the rest stood with bowed heads.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the old man's words there was something more familiar -than in any others which had been employed, and as he -stared at the strange scene, the clue to the speech of the -people flashed into his mind. Among other things in which -old Derrick Beekman had caused his son to be well instructed -had been the language of his forebears. He had been -thoroughly taught to read and speak Dutch, and, although it -was an accomplishment of which he had made little use, he -had been too well grounded to have lost much of his acquired -facility in the years since he had left college.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man was certainly saying some sort of grace-before-meat -in a language which sounded like Dutch, or as -Dutch might have sounded two hundred years ago, and -which bore the same relation to the modern language that -English of that period might have borne to current speech. -No, it bore less relation, because it was debased by an -admixture of some other language which he did not know, but he -was certain that Dutch was at the basis of the speech. Never -imagining such a thing, he had not made the discovery until -that prayer. He at once sought to avail himself of his new -discovery. Carefully choosing his words, he turned to the -girl, who hovered very near him, to the growing disquiet of -the young man, and thus addressed her:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know your speech. It is that my fathers spoke long ago."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He spoke slowly and with the utmost precision. At the -first word the girl clapped her hands, broke into a smile that -was as beautiful as the features that formed it. He saw -the flash of her white teeth behind her red lips in the twilight -and her eyes shone brighter than ever. She clasped his hand -and drew it to her breast in her rapture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is wonderful," she cried. "You speak as I."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As his hand touched her, as he felt the quickened beat of -her heart, he was thrilled as he had never been thrilled -before. It needed but the rough gesture of the jealous -young man who tore his hand from hers to complete a -thralldom and an enchantment which had begun, although -he knew it not, when he had seen her poised upon the cliff -above him in the light of the morning.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-house-that-was-taboo"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE HOUSE THAT WAS TABOO</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Conversation between the islanders and their visitor -was practicable and possible, but at first neither easy -nor fluent. It would not have been such, even to a Hollander, -but when on the one side there was a certain unfamiliarity -with a language not native to the user, unfamiliarity added -to by the time that had elapsed since he had made use of it, -and on the other side a language which had been largely -forgotten in its nicer usages, and which had been materially -changed by a large admixture of Polynesian, the interchange -of ideas was at first hard. Still, communication was -possible and not too difficult; indeed, it became increasingly -easy with practice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The islanders, the monotony of whose sequestered lives -could scarcely be imagined, welcomed the new arrival with -the greatest satisfaction. However they came there and -whatever the length of their stay, and to neither of these -questions could they give him the slightest answer, Beekman -soon discovered that they had completely forgotten even -such civilization as the world had attained to when they had -left it. The only traditions they possessed were first of all -a vague and indefinite knowledge of God, whom they -regarded as a species of Great Spirit or Deity, who looked -after them and to whom they must render a certain amount -of respect. They had no idea of the meaning of the jargon -into which their prayers had degenerated. Only the idea -of some Spirit as a power to be prayed to and propitiated -remained. This spirit they called Tangaroa--a purely -Polynesian name.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The only religious observance he noted was that strange -performance before the evening meal. The sunrise visits -of the girl to the cliff opposite the rift in the harbor whence -she had a view of the sea through the opening for miles, and -in which she never failed, perhaps had some religious -significance, although the girl could not tell him why she did it -or what was meant by it. Nevertheless, so strangely had -the necessity for the routine been impressed upon the -consciousness of these people that she, being appointed to the -task, followed it without rhyme or reason. Beekman -suspected that originally it had been a fruitless watch for some -rescuing ship, the meaning of which, like the hope, had -faded out of recollection with the passing years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The second tradition that remained was that many, many -years ago--how many they could not express---their -forebears had landed on that island. Where they had come -from, why they had elected that place, why they had never -departed from it, they knew not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The island and everything on it, with one exception, was -free to Beekman, who wandered whither he would without -let or hindrance. There was but one spot that was tabooed -to him. Indeed, they used the Polynesian word "taboo" -when he sought to enter it, and that was the largest building -with the worm-eaten door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several times Beekman had left his hut in the night, -intending to gain an entrance to that building surreptitiously, -in the hope of solving the mystery, but at first, to -his great surprise, he had found that his own hut was under -observation of one of the older men or women, who, indeed, -could not have prevented him from doing what he pleased, -but who served as a bar to action, nevertheless, because -Beekman did not want to involve himself in difficulties or to -wound the sensibilities of those who had received him so -hospitably and entreated him so kindly. Thereupon after -the exchange of a few words, he had invariably returned to -his house, deferring the attempt to some more convenient -season.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mystery of the dwelling houses was, of course, -explained just as soon as he got the clue to the language -of the people. They were Dutch houses. He could reconstruct -some of the story with reasonable certainty. A party -of Hollanders, accompanied by the natives, had landed on -that island in some long distant period. The time of their -landing had to be removed far back to account for the -present degeneration through continuous intermarriage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So far as he could tell, there was no evidence of Polynesian -blood in two of the inhabitants of the island; old Kobo, the -patriarch, and Truda, the young girl. These were the names -they bore, and Beekman made no difficulty about identifying -them with Jacobus and Gertrude. As far as he could tell, -they were pure-blooded Dutch. Kobo, the chief, was the -grandfather of Truda. There was less Polynesian blood -in Hano, the young man who was destined to be the husband -of Truda, than in any of the rest, but that there was some -was obvious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was character, personality, individuality about -these three in varying degrees. The rest of the islanders -simply filled in and made, as it were, a fading human -background. They counted for little or nothing. They were -industrious people in the fashion of the tropics. They had -evidently brought with them the products of Holland, even -including tulips; and such of them as would grow in the -tropics they had cultivated and continued to cultivate. They -had not failed to perpetuate all that had ministered to their -human daily needs, even as they had not altogether forgotten -God and things spiritual and mental.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They would not allow Beekman to do any work. He more -than paid for his board by the wonderful stories he told -them, gathered after the evening meal, when men and women -alike smoked their curious pipes. There were no books on -the island. They had completely forgotten how to read. -They had lost all memory of the outside world. They were -circumscribed, shut in, by the towering walls of the crater, -and their lives had grown correspondingly narrow and -monotonous. Beekman had to adapt his remarks as if he -were talking to children, and backward children, at that; yet -two at least of his auditors manifested a quick comprehension -and one far surpassed the rest. The old man and the -young man easily understood, the girl even anticipated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kobo was too old to move about much. Hano had his -work to do with the rest, but by a sort of universal consent -Truda was a free agent. She and Derrick, at the latter's -suggestion, thoroughly explored the island. It was due to -him that certain things were rediscovered that had been -forgotten, or, if remembered, considered of no moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With the girl as his guide and attendant he made a careful -survey of the vast cup in which they lived. He was not -much of a geologist, but it was easy to decide that here was -the crest of a volcano, with a double cone, one being the -great cylinder that formed the harbor; this, the smaller, the -narrower, possibly the deeper entrance to the subterranean -fires of long ago, had been filled with water from the sea -through the rift. Into the other, the greater and shallower -orifice, the earth had come, birds had dropped seeds, -vegetation had sprung up and the oasis resulted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was but one source of fresh water on the island, the -great spring that bubbled from a low cone in front of the -palm-covered hillock where the houses were placed. The -water was fresh, slightly mineral, slightly effervescent at -its exit. It ran through tortuous channels until it pierced -the encircling wall of rock through a rift, finally falling -over the high cliff to the gulf beneath. So near as he could -determine, that spring had never failed them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The surrounding rock walls of the oasis were unsurmountable, -both outside and in, in most places, like the walls of -the harbor. There were two or three exceptions, however. -There was an easy and practicable path to the place where -he had first seen the girl performing that strange and -mysterious ceremony of greeting, as it were, to the rising sun. -There had been some objection to his going there. It seemed -to be the custom that she and she alone should make that -trip, but he had insisted and had soon acquired the habit -of going with her every morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Through the rift a vast expanse of sea could be seen to -the south and eastward. They could peer down into the -gulf and mark the white water breaking on the barriers and -the stretch of tossing sea beyond.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you ever seen anything there?" he asked Truda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A few times, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smoke as from afar."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And did you never think what it might mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How should I?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you never wanted to get away from this island?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is there beyond?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The world."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the world?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Love and hate, victory and defeat, failure and -success--life is there!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know not what you mean."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yet you are going to marry Hano?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl looked at him curiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When I am ready I must go to his house. Grandfather -will join our hands. I shall be his woman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you like the idea?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was the best before you came. What else was there -for me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But now that I have come?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is different here," said the girl, laying her hand upon -her heart.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is love," said the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And do you feel it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was a question indeed, which, had she been a modern -woman, he might have answered lightly. There was something -different about this girl. He hesitated. He was not -quite sure. They had retraced their steps and were returning -to the settlement. In the path suddenly appeared Hano, -his face was black with jealous rage. He did not lack -courage, for he stopped the two and faced the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will not have you go with her," he cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not yours yet," said the girl, pushing forward and -waving him aside. "You shall not speak so to my friend."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had said and done nothing. With a low, -passionate cry Hano turned and fled. His time was not yet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is hate," said the man; "jealousy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand. He likes you not because I like you and -you like me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The maiden walked along silent and thoughtful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a pity that you came," she said at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was content before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is trouble here," she answered, laying her hand on -her heart again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is life," said the man, but this time she could not -quite comprehend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She appealed to him as a wild bird might have appealed -to its destined mate in the forest glade ere the nest was -builded. Indeed, she appealed to him as no woman on earth -ever had appealed to him. Stephanie Maynard was not a -girl to be disdained by any one, but there, in that idyllic -oasis of the sea, his remembrance of her was as of an -artificial creature, subject to conventions, hampered with clothes, -fettered by circumstances. And her dark beauty faded into -insignificance compared to the radiant gold of this child of -nature, of innocence, of freedom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had no idea where that island lay. That it had -been unvisited, indeed avoided, by ships was obvious, and -the reason was easy to discover. From the decks of a ship, -if one by chance passed near it, nothing but arid rock, -surrounded by dangerous reefs, could be seen. He had climbed, -attended by the faithful Truda, the few other points whereby -one could reach the top of the wall. There was no gulf or -harbor on any other side. The walls ran down sharply to -the sea, sloping here and there, but never practicable, and -about all was flung the great encircling barrier reef upon -which assaulting waves ever surrounded the desolate looking -peak of rock with a ring of white foam and spray, as marked -and as beautiful in the cobalt sea as it was dangerous to a -ship. He doubted if even a great beacon fire upon the wall -would attract a ship. If it were seen it might be deemed -only a recrudescence of volcanic fires. It seemed to him -that he might perhaps pass the rest of his life there. -Certainly he would, unless he could devise some way to get off -unaided. He did not reflect that perhaps he might -eventually be sought if the boatswain ever got word to New -York. Even if a ship were sent to find him, the chances of -success would be so faint as to be negligible. The prospect -was appalling, would have been insupportable but for Truda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Why should he not take her for his own, willing or unwilling -though the islanders might be, pleased or displeased -though Hano might show himself? Although she could not -describe it, the girl had grown passionately devoted to him -in that brief but most familiar intercourse and intimacy, that -was as close as could obtain. He felt sorry for Hano in a -way, the only man on the island who might have aspired to -this beautiful maiden, when he found himself suddenly thrust -back, his place taken by this stranger; for Hano life, which -had been so fair, became horrible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With fiery energy Hano paid more direct court to Truda. -He protested vehemently to Kobo. He sought to enlist the -sympathies of the other men and women on the island and -perhaps succeeded to some extent, but not to the point of -open resistance. The islanders looked up to Hano, but they -looked up much more to Truda herself, whose beauty and -purity of blood particularly appealed to them, and they -were mightily afraid of stern old Kobo, who seemed to have -the determination of matters in hand, and who was much -attracted to this new inhabitant cast up by the sea upon -their shores.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the days slipped by, as his association with the maiden -revealed more and more a simplicity of mind, a tractability -of soul, a brightness of spirit, a quickness of intellect, that -accorded with her absolute physical perfection, Beekman -became more and more in love with her. He set himself to -teach her to speak English, and she learned with the facility -of a child. He could not teach her to read or write. He had -no material for either, but he opened to her his well-stored -mind. There was little else to do, in fact, and the two sat -together for hours, the woman receiving, the man giving. -The fact that she soon learned to speak in English added -to the awe in which most of the islanders held the girl, -increased the hatred of Hano, and at last aroused the -suspicion of the patriarch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was careful of the feelings of his new friends, -but when it came to a question between their feelings and -the woman he loved it was not difficult to see that everything -else must give way. In all these idyllic days the American -had held fast to his purpose of getting into that building, -which was the only spot from which he was barred, in order -that he might solve the mystery of the presence of this -people on the island, the key to which he was sure would be -found there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One circumstance whetted his curiosity more than any -other thing. On the night of the full moon every month -old Kobo disappeared. Questioning Truda, he discovered -that always at that period in the month old Kobo spent the -day alone in the tabooed building. Truda did not know -why. She could not tell what he did there, but it was the -custom, and when Kobo died the next oldest man would do -the same. The rest of the people were not allowed in the -building during the day, but before nightfall the door was -thrown open. Kobo stood in the doorway and beckoned. -The people had been waiting and they all, down to the -smallest child, walked in. Truda came last, but when -Beekman would have followed, Hano shut the door in his face. -Whatever the rite that was being observed, it was evidently -not meet that he, a stranger, should see it, much less -participate in it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They stayed in the building a long time, long after nightfall, -and their supper that night was something in the nature -of a feast. It was late when they retired. It seemed to -Beekman that they would be heavy with sleep and that -perhaps such a night would afford him an opportunity to get -into that building. He bided his time. He was careful to -say nothing whatever which would arouse any suspicions. -He did not even ask the meaning of the strange ceremony -when he bade Truda good night and went into his own house -some months after his arrival at the island.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="moonlight-midnight-madness"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">MOONLIGHT MIDNIGHT MADNESS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>In order effectively to lull suspicion, after the first -few weeks on the island, Beekman had made no attempt -at all to approach the forbidden building, not even by day. -He rightly judged that the listless people of the island -would presently tire of their unwonted night duty and the -watch would be abandoned eventually. Nevertheless, he -neglected no precaution on that particular night as he stole -out of his house. The tropic moon filled the sky with -splendor and the island with light. It was easy for him, -however, to keep in the dark shadow of the palm trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Walking with the utmost circumspection and care and -looking about him constantly for any possible watcher, he -at last reached the platform whence he had been so violently -thrust on the day of his arrival. The building was placed -in such a way that the platform was in deep shadow. He -stepped up on it and tried the door. It did not give to his -pressure, and although he finally thrust against it with -all his strength, which was considerable now that he was -completely restored to health and bodily vigor, it remained -immovable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had examined the door carefully as he had passed it -many times, and he now decided that it must be secured -inside by bars of wood in slots. There was no latch or lock -outside of it. Only old Kobo knew its secret.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Balked there, he stole around the building, taking care -to keep on the side away from the moon. He hoped that -there might be another entrance at the back. If he could -find one it would be better for him to get in that way, -rather than by climbing through one of the windows, which -were much higher from the ground than those of the -ordinary houses of the settlement. That method of entrance -indeed presented no difficulty to an active man, especially -as he would be aided by the creepers, but to attempt it was -apt to attract attention and, therefore, it must only be -resorted to in default of any better plan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He followed the wall carefully, turned the rear corner of -the building and discovered, what he had half suspected, -beneath a screen of vines and leafage an opening set low -down near the ground. He parted the vines and peered -into the thick darkness within. There was, of course, -absolutely nothing to be seen. He had no means of making a -light. For a moment he had an idea of going back to the -oven, a Dutch oven, he called it now, where a fire was -constantly kept burning, to kindle a torch. He decided that -would be too risky and had just made up his mind to venture -into the black pit that yawned before him, not a single -detail of which was visible, when a hand fell lightly on his -shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned, clenched his fist and then let his hands fall as -he saw in the shadow the familiar face and figure of Truda. -She laid her finger upon her lips, turned, took a few steps -away from him, looked back and beckoned to him. He -followed her instantly. There was something so emphatic and -suggestive in her gesture and bearing that he could do -nothing else. Besides, he was never so happy as when in -her presence, and she had never looked so beautiful to him -as then in the shadow, seen wraithlike, against the bright -moonlight beyond. The exploration of the building could -wait.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One remarkable thing he had noticed about Truda was the -soundlessness with which she moved. She never seemed to -break a twig or rustle a leaf as she passed. There was -something fairylike in her motions. It gave him an eery feeling -to see her wavering in the moonlight before him like the -shadows of wind-blown leaves. He followed after, using -the same caution as before. He wondered whither she would -lead him and what would be the end of this adventure. He -had become measurably familiar with the island paths during -his sojourn of several months upon it and he soon realized -that she was leading him to that point of vantage whence -every morning it was her duty to watch the sea. It seemed -to him an appropriate and beautiful place for a midnight -tryst, and he followed her with a beating heart, gladder for -every step he took. He did not attempt to overtake her. -Indeed, he had tested her before, and for short distances she -was fleeter than he; besides, although they were now far -from the settlement, the spell of the night was upon them -with all its mystery. They must make no noise on any -account. He did not possess her power of silent motion. -She put her feet down by instinct, he by calculation. This -handicapped him. Besides, he was quite content to follow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, he redoubled his care. One never knew, he -thought, when Hano might appear, and old Kobo had a -habit of presenting himself suddenly at unexpected moments. -So they went on and on. He felt like the fabled knight of -old, who pursued fleeting Fortune.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They came at last out from the shadow of the trees, left -the embrace of the jungle, and mounted the rocky, narrow -path, which led to the crest of wall, and it was not until -that crest was reached that he joined her. The wall was -broad, smooth, and level where they stood. It was a sort of -little amphitheater, and there were blocks of stone, which -made convenient resting places. When he had seen them -before he almost come to the conclusion that it had been -artificially arranged. At any rate, it was admirably adapted, -both as a place from which to watch the sea and as a place -for lovers' meeting in a midnight-moonlight hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She did not offer to sit down and the two stood side by -side gazing seaward. Beneath them the cliffs fell sheer into -the cuplike bay, its bottom stygian in its blackness. The -descending walls of the great cylinder were lost in that -darkness. Their upper edges cut a sharp silhouette against -the light sky. He had tried several times to get to the -points of the walls on one side or the other of the rift, but -there was no passing. The place where they stood was not -only the best, but the only place from which to survey the -cup itself and through the rift the great sea beyond. The -moonlight streamed in a broad bar through the upper part -of the opening and threw the upper wall on one side into -high relief. He noticed that, were the moon in a certain -position, which it was now rapidly approaching, it would -flood the whole cup with light as the morning sun did, but -it had not yet reached that place in the heavens, and save -for that one portion of the opposite wall the Egyptian -darkness still prevailed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The effect of the light beyond the rift was tremendous. -They could see clearly a stretch of the barrier reef through -the opening. Mighty waves broke over it. Huge rollers -fell upon it. They could hear faintly in the silence of the -tropic night the crash of the tumultuous silver seas rushing -through the jagged needles of the barrier. That was the -only sound that came to them, unless they could hear the -beat of their own hearts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They stood and stared at the enchanting picture in silence. -The communion of equal appreciation, of sympathy, of -love, was the tie that bound. The same throb of passion filled -the breasts of the man and the woman. It was she who spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot remember," she whispered, attuning her voice -to the soft silence of the night, "a morning on which I -have not stood here, but this is the first time that I have -ever come at night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The first time," whispered the man, passionately, "and -with me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had made little secret, none at all, indeed, of his -admiration for her, but this time there was a new note of -rapturous admiration in his low whisper, to which her soul -vibrated. She looked at him quickly, shrinking away a -little. His arm went swiftly toward her and caught her -slender wrist. He drew her to his breast. In his arms she -felt the heart throb, which she had before inferred. She -struggled a moment and then yielded to the quick passion -with which he drew her to him. She upturned her face and -for the first time he kissed her. They had lost the habit -of kissing, these forgotten people, and no one had ever -pressed her lips before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is that? What is it that you do?" she whispered -when she could command speech.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I kiss you," he answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know not that word. What does it mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It means that I love you, that I am yours and you are mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is very sweet," said the girl, artlessly. "Once more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She lifted her lips to his in innocent invitation, which -indeed he did not need.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was not for this," she murmured at last, "that I -brought you here, although it makes me very happy, and I -am glad we came."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I, too, am glad," said the man, a little unsteadily; "but -why did you bring me here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was death for you to go in that house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Death? Whence would it come?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The spirits. None goes there but the oldest man, except -on the day of the full moon, when we all come in, but we -stay near the door, while only Kobo goes to the further -end."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does he there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know not. The spirits speak to him. Our faces are -hidden. No one goes into the building except then. It is -taboo, death. I do not know what they would do to you if -they caught you there," she went on, switching from the -spirits to the living with wondrous facility.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda," said the man, "I have no desire to anger your -gods, but I must go there. You do not know how you -came here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Kobo says that many, many, many moons ago, so great -in number that no one can count them, our ancestors came -from across the sea. That is all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to find out why they came and all about them and -I feel that I can find out there. The great God I worship, -who has preserved me from all the perils of the deep, will -watch over me. I must go there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But not tonight. It is the one night when Kobo sleeps -within. The spirits obey him. I know not what they -might do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tonight," answered Beekman, "I have better occupation."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what is that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be here with you, to love you with none by to look -or listen." He pointed to a low, broad shelf of rock. "Sit -there," he said, "and I will sit here at your feet." Throwing -himself down, he leaned his elbow on her knee and looked -up at her. "Do you know," he continued, "there is a land -far across the sea, a land of brave men and beautiful women? -They speak your language. Your fathers must have come -from there as mine did. I want to find out. Some day we -shall get back to the world and that land, you and I. I -want to know all about you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That you are here, that I love you, is enough for me -to know," whispered the woman, caressing his head with -her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He kissed the pretty palm and smiled up at her as he -answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But that is not enough for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You say there are other women in that land?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Many."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How is it called?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Holland. It is a low country that borders the sea."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And those women, they are beautiful?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Many of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would you love me if you should see others here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are the most beautiful woman on this island."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said the girl, simply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And in the world," he whispered. "But no matter -how others might look, they would be nothing to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And again he gave no thought to Stephanie Maynard -nor to any other woman in the lands far away beyond the -seas. She smiled down at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is good to hear you say that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is my turn now," he went on. "There are other men -there, bigger, stronger, wiser, handsomer men than I. When -you shall see them--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall never see any one but you anywhere all my life," -answered the girl, simply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But Hano?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was to marry him only because he was the best."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if you found one better than I?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There could be none."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall do my best to keep you in that belief," answered -Beekman. "Oh, Truda, beautiful, innocent little Truda, -when I lay starving, dying on that barrier yonder, my hands -red with the blood of men, parted apparently forever from -all that made life worth while to me, I cursed my fortune -and would fain have died, but now--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But now?" whispered the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now I have passed from death unto life, for you are -worth it all. I am glad to tell you so on this very spot. -Here where I saw you first. Look," he said, rising and -drawing her up close to him. They stepped to the very -brink of the cliff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole great cup was now brilliantly illuminated by -the moonlight, which streamed straight through the rift and -turned the black water far beneath them into a still mirror of -polished silver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I lay there on the sand, half-fainting, half-dead, staring -upward at these grim, forbidding walls, when, as the -sunlight broke through the rift, I saw you for the first time. -I never had seen anything so beautiful, so dazzling to the -eye. I was doubtful whether you were a human being even. -I thought you might be some vision, some spirit of the air, -some messenger from the sun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do the men in that world whence you came all talk like -you, Beek--man?" queried Truda, using the only name she -knew him by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"None," answered the man, "because none of them have -ever seen you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In such sweet and passionate converse the night hours -drew on unmarked until the gray light on the horizon -bespoke the coming of dawn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must go back," said the girl, withdrawing herself -for the last time from the sweet embrace. "I would not -have any one find us here. In the morning I shall tell Kobo -that I will have no other man but you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us wait," said the man, "until I have visited that -building and wrested from it the secrets that must be there, -then we shall tell him and you shall be my wife."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know not that English word yet, but you will be my -man, and I will be your woman when Kobo, without whom -these things cannot rightly be, shall have worshipped the -spirits and said the words."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is well. You say Kobo only sleeps in the building this -one night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tomorrow we shall try it again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will come with you," said the girl, "although I am very -fearful."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And those spirits?" smiled the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If they hurt you they must hurt me, too; for without -you," she went on frankly, "I cannot live upon this island."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-kiss-that-was-different"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE KISS THAT WAS DIFFERENT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Now, Truda was terribly afraid to visit the mysterious -house--one doesn't get rid of a taboo inherited -through two hundred years in a night--but her timidity -had been somewhat modified by the indifference with which -the man she loved and whom, she revered as a god, viewed -the whole situation, at least from a supernatural standpoint, -and, as of old, knowledge was power.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her intercourse with Beekman had been immensely enlightening. -Latent reserves of quality, inherited capacities long -dormant, had been summoned to the surface and quickened -into action by his converse, and by their association so -intimate and so sweet. Although the period of their intimacy -had not been long, yet it was not alone in matters of the -heart that Beekman had devoted himself to her enlightenment. -At first he had tried to teach her everything, but, -realizing the bewilderment that must follow such a process, -he had striven to systematize his instruction in order that -she might grow in wisdom if not in stature, and that he -might introduce her gradually to the heritage of the present. -The results of the process had been wonderful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The progressive degeneration, resultant of close inbreeding, -which had brought most of the islanders to so low a -point physically and mentally, seemed to have been reversed -in her by some curiously interesting and delightful freak of -nature. It was easy to see that she possessed an unusual -mind, and that, given a chance, she could take her place -in the front rank of intelligence and capacity. Rarely had -so fascinating a task of writing what one would upon an -unmarred slate been presented to any one, and Beekman -entered upon it eagerly and pursued it with zest. He was -very human; he was a man, this woman was clearly his in -any way he wished her to be. There was temptation in the -knowledge. He realized it, fought it down, wondering if he -could or would strive against it always. He could foresee -that it would grow stronger as the intimacy deepened. He -feared that in the end--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To create is the supremest joy of humanity, in that effort -he comes nearest to realizing the measure of the divinity -that is in him. There are no people so happy as those who -achieve things in art, science, literature, government, -business, what you will. The loveliest of playthings, the most -promising subject for experiment had been put in -Beekman's hands. She was his to make what he would. -Naturally, he fell in love with her, and not alone with her -beauty of face and figure, her transparent purity and the -sweetness of her childlike innocence, although these were -enough to have bewitched any man, but with the other -qualities that he saw budding and blossoming under his -touch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So while Truda could not shake off the inherited fears of -so many decades in a moment, yet two things materially -modified them; her growing consciousness of a self in her -other than the mere animal, and her great trust and devotion -to the man for whom she had conceived and entertained an -instant passion even greater than that he lavished upon her. -These made her the more willing to brave the mysterious -terrors of the tabooed hut. She had been in the building a -number of times on ceremonial occasions, and her curiosity -had been sufficient to enable her by furtive glances to -master many details, which she told him frankly, and which -he declared would be of great help to them in their -investigations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By agreement the two met early in the evening, for the -people of the island were accustomed to go to sleep with -the dark, and, as a rule, an hour after sunset the place was -as quiet as at midnight. The moon had not yet risen, which -contributed to their desire for concealment. Warned by his -experience of the night before, Beekman made no effort at -the door, but, followed by his timid yet confiding companion, -he boldly entered the opening at the rear. Light, of course, -was out of the question. A torch from the fire was possible, -but the risk of getting that was too great for the attempt -to be made. He had provided himself with a long, slender -staff and with this he felt about until he satisfied himself -that he was in a small, unpaved enclosure, or room. Having -assured himself that no pitfall or gulf was in the floor by -means of his staff, he laid his hand upon the wall and walked -cautiously along it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda, of course, had never entered this end of the -building. She had never even peeped in as she passed by, -and she could aid him not at all. Indeed, she clung to him -with terror, which, in spite of her efforts, grew with every -silent, slow-passing moment. Beekman had an idea there -must be some connection between this chamber and the main -floor of the building. He could tell that he had descended -below the level of the floor in entering and on lifting -his staff he discovered that the ceiling was just above his -head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His anticipations were realized, for at the far end he -found an opening just wide enough to admit a man. He -felt the walls on either side of the opening, and with his -staff discovered steps beneath his feet, leading upward. -He stepped into the opening, cast his eyes upward and -discovered a faint light above his head. Assured, he mounted -boldly, Truda still following, and, after a short ascent, he -stood on the floor of the building at the end opposite the -main door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The moon had just risen. Indeed, he had timed his -entrance with that in mind, and although the unglazed -window openings were covered with a thick overgrowth of vines, -enough light filtered through to enable him to see sufficiently -clearly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He found himself in a stone-paved room, about twenty -by forty feet. About ten feet from where he stood a low -wall, or balustrade, of the soft, easily cut stone, with which -the island abounded, ran across the narrower axis. There -was an opening in the middle of this wall. The floor on -his side of the balustrade was raised several steps above the -main floor. In the center of the end to his right, as he -looked toward the entrance door, was a pile of stones, -roughly squared with a flat top. On this pile of stones lay -two dark objects, one on either end. Between the two dark -objects on the central pile something rose above the stone -table. On the further side of it blocks of stone were piled -against the wall in rude semblance of a seat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, there was apparently nothing in the building to -alarm any one, yet Beekman found his heart beating rapidly -as he stood there, the shrinking girl by his side, clasping -his arm with a fierce and passionate grasp that bespoke her -trepidation. It was absolutely silent within. The gentle -night wind outside slightly stirred the long palm leaves, but -no breeze penetrated within and no sound of their rustling -was heard. It was slightly cold in the building, although -the night was warm, with all the languorous, drowsy heat of -tropic midsummer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda was obviously in a state of panic and Beekman -might have been infected therewith, but he shook himself -together, deciding that action was the best remedy for the -situation. He made a step toward the pile of stones. Truda -clutched him more tenaciously than ever. She even threw -her arms about him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, don't go," she whispered. "It is taboo."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense," answered Beekman, sinking his voice to meet -hers, "there's nothing here to hurt us. Have I not told -you of the power of my God?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes, but He is far away in the sky; our God is here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wherever He is He can protect me and you," he said as -one may humor a child. He unclasped her arms and slipped -his own arm about her waist, whereat she took some comfort. -"Come, we shall see," he added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He half led, half carried the girl toward the pile of stone -until he stopped before it. The light from the moon came -stronger. He saw the tall object, the top of which had been -in the shadow now fully revealed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, it is a cross!" he exclaimed, under his breath, -greatly surprised at this sacred emblem of religion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is a cross?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The sign of my God. This is His house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then your God and my God are the same," whispered -the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe so. You see," he continued, "nothing has -happened to us." He laid his hand on the altar, "this must -have been a place where your people who came from beyond -the sea worshipped God."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was, indeed, obvious that this was the primitive -church of those first settlers upon the island where they -had performed their simple rites, the simulacrum of -which in uncomprehended words of prayer had alone survived -the centuries of isolation and separation from their -kind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman marveled that he had not thought of it before; -but who could have expected to find a Christian church -on an unvisited island in the South Seas, even though it -was obvious that some, at least, of the present denizens -thereof were white people, or had white blood in their veins? -That ruined tower-like structure topping the front gable, -at which he had wondered, had evidently been a belfry, -and perhaps it too had carried a cross. Well, that -cross-like tower had fallen away, but here, on what was surely a -rude altar, in a fair state of preservation, stood the rudely -fashioned symbol of the faith, even though it was made of -frailer, more perishable wood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was not a religious man, but even an atheist -might have succumbed to the influences of such a place. -He felt the cross reverently with a tender touch, confirming -his eyesight; and then, where old Kobo knelt uncomprehendingly, -following the customs of the past, he reverently -knelt down. He rested his hands on that altar and bowed his -head to it. After a moment, awe-struck Truda followed -his example and knelt by his side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What did he pray knowingly? What did the woman -pray ignorantly? The man, that he might have strength -to be a clean man, still to cherish and be faithful to high -ideals in a land of no ideals; to observe the laws of God -in this place where there were no laws of man, to act -honorably toward this sweet and trusting child by his side; to -take no advantage of her ignorance, her innocence, her -devotion. Yes, he prayed for strength, and he prayed -for deliverance from the island, that he might take her back -to her own kind, that he might add to the graces she -naturally enjoyed the refinements and good things of a -civilization which he alone, ragged, tattered castaway that he was, -had enjoyed and knew the meaning of. And he did not -forget to pray that his hands might be cleansed of the -blood of man that was upon them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The woman had not been taught to pray, that is, not -meaningly. She knew of few material things for which to -ask in that island so bountifully provided by nature, and the -spiritual was still vague and voiceless in her heart; but -for one thing she could petition whatever power there -was above her, who somehow to her untutored mind seemed -present and about her. She prayed that the man she loved -might love her and use her well--the natural prayer of -woman!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a little time Beekman rose in better heart than he -had been since he had been cast upon the island. He drew -Truda to her feet, and there before the altar, confronting -the cross, he kissed her, not with the passion and fire of the -night before, or of the warm, languorous afternoons when -they wandered amid flowers and blossoms 'neath groves of -palm. There was something sacramental in the touch of -his lips. There, that night, at that hour, in that temple -so sacred to her, the girl became a woman. With quick -apprehension she felt the difference which she could not -explain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your God is a very great God,", she whispered, breaking -the seal of that kiss. "He shall be my God." She -laid his hand upon her heart under the soft, sweet round -of her immature, innocent breast. "I feel here that He -has spoken."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"May His blessing be upon you, and may He deal with -me as I with you," said Beekman, deeply moved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must go," said the girl at last, her heart voicing -the "amen" she knew not how to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait, I must examine these," returned the man, releasing her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He bent toward the dark objects on the altar. The first -touch of his hand told him what they were--books! The -light was too dim for him to make out what books, yet as -he lifted the cover and turned the leaves of the one on the -right he decided that it was a printed volume. He examined -the one on the left in the same way and decided that it -was a manuscript volume. One would be the Bible, of -course; the other, longer and thinner, less bulky, the -manuscript volume that would tell the story.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He picked them both up and tucked them under his arm. -Truda had told him that the church would not be entered -until another month had passed and the full moon came -again. He could replace them in good time. He must -examine them at his leisure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think it well to take those things from your -God?" whispered the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One," said the man, "is His story. In it He tells us of -Himself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And do those things speak?" she asked, wonderingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To him who understands, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And do you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I cannot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall teach you. Come."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quietly as they had come, they descended to the chamber -of entrance and made their way without. They separated -in the shadow of the church, and this time Beekman did -not offer to kiss her; but the maiden took no discomfort -or grief from that. She understood. He pressed her hand -in farewell, and the warm splendid vigor of his clasp she -carried away with her. Indeed, she lifted the hand that -he had grasped to her cheek. She laid her head upon that -hand when she gained her hut, where she soon fell asleep -to dream of him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had got the precious books. He was consumed with -curiosity and interest, but there was no light by which he -could read them. He would not dare to stand out in the -moonlight, which was bright enough at least to enable him -to identify the books. Someone might see him. He must -wait until the morning. He hid the books in a heap of dry -fern and rushes that made his bed, and lay awake for a -long time longing for the day.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-message-of-the-past"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE MESSAGE OF THE PAST</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The next morning so soon as day broke he turned to -his treasure trove. He could do this without fear, -since one of the customs of the island, which had never -been broken save the first time that he had been summoned -from slumber, was an inviolable respect for the dwelling -places of the islanders. None entered another's hut -unbidden. The curtain dropped before the door was a sign -that the dweller would be alone, and it was as strong a -barrier to alien entrance as the taboo about the temple. -Was the instinctive protection of privacy a heritage of the -past, too?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The larger, more bulky book was, as he had suspected. -an ancient Bible printed in old Dutch which he could make -shift to read largely because what he was reading was more -or less familiar to him. It was leather-bound, brass-clasped, -and, though it was mildewed and decayed, the stout paper -and the honest ink and the clear type had resisted the ravages -of time in a way that would not be possible even in the best -bound and printed of modern books.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He laid the Bible reverently aside after quick examination -and turned to the other volume. This also was leather-bound, -its pages written over in the same old-fashioned -Dutch. It was much harder to read, but a glance told him -what it was. It was a ship's log book. There were weather -records, observations, nautical comments, and remarks; he -glanced at these and then fell to the story. In it he knew -would be found the solution of the mystery of the presence -of Truda and all the rest on the island.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was with beating heart that he pored over the first -page. In after years Derrick Beekman made a fair -translation of that wonderful volume which he had printed upon -the finest parchment paper at the most exclusive printery -in the land in a limited edition for his friends and his -descendants, and he presented some of the copies to the -great libraries of the world, where the curious can inspect -them and read the story in full. It is sufficient now to -say that this was the log of the ship </span><em class="italics">Good Intent</em><span>, which -Beekman decided to be the English equivalent of the quaint -Dutch name. The </span><em class="italics">Good Intent</em><span> had belonged to the Dutch -East India Company, and early in the seventeenth century -had set sail from Holland with a good crew commanded by -Captain Adrian Harpertzoon Van Rooy. With him, -according to the enumeration, came his brother, Jacobus Van -Rooy, and a number of other sailors, with a few soldiers -and a supercargo, Hendrick Handen. The soldiers were -to garrison a factory in the East Indies, and they were -accompanied by their wives; and it further appeared that -Captain Van Rooy had brought with him his wife, Gertrude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The long voyage to the Indian Ocean had been made -without untoward events until a storm had dismasted the ship -and she had sprung a leak, after tremendous and -uncontrolled rolling. They had patched up the leak, rigged a -jury mast, and had driven before the wind--their only -way of sailing. They had picked up, near one of the -islands, a native canoe containing nearly a score of -Polynesian men and women. The canoe was in bad shape and about -to founder. Captain Van Rooy had charitably received -the natives aboard his own almost wrecked ship. It was -impossible for him to land them in that storm, and they had -wit enough to see that their only chance lay in going with -him or sinking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After sailing many days, the </span><em class="italics">Good Intent</em><span> was run into the -vast cuplike harbor. Evidently there had been an opening -through the barrier reef at that time. They had beached -her and made their way to the top of the island, which -they found uninhabited, but fertile and teeming with plant -life. They had stripped the ship of her cargo and -equipment, and it had been Captain Van Rooy's intention to -build a boat out of her when his heterogeneous company -had recovered from the hardships of the terrible voyage, -during the latter part of which they had suffered greatly -from the dreadful scourge of scurvy; but some catastrophe -had swept the hulk out of the harbor and had blocked up -the opening in the reef. Beekman could not gather what -it was, an earthquake or a tidal wave. Whatever it was, -Captain Van Rooy had been marooned with a dozen surviving -Dutch soldiers and sailors and his brother and mate -Jacobus; Handen, the supercargo; with eight women, the wives -of as many soldiers, and the captain's own wife, together -with half a dozen Polynesian men and twice as many women.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] There is historic parallel to this incident in a similar settlement -of Dutch and natives on the little Island of Kissa, where they were -left unvisited and forgotten for over two hundred years.--C.T.B.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The book described in detail the building of the settlement. -The stone was easily quarried. They were solid and -substantial people, these Dutchmen. They had built their -houses in that way. They had built a church, too; had -endeavored to act as civilized, God-fearing Christians should. -The counting of time had soon been lost. Entries in the -log book, at first very full, grew more and more infrequent. -There was, indeed, little to note. Nothing happened. Life -was as monotonously pleasant then as now. They had saved -seeds and plants, and some European animals such as dogs -and pigs--the animals multiplied; the seeds, being planted, -grew and offered a welcome supplement to the fruits of the -tropic island.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By and by the entries were confined to records of -marriages, births, deaths. The Polynesian men appeared to -have died first. Captain Van Rooy, while he lived, had -acted as the schoolmaster and the spiritual leader of the -inhabitants. He had married them in due and proper form. -Their marriages were recorded in the log book. The births -of their children were entered. He had allotted to these -records a section of the book which was even yet not full. -It was possible to trace the lines of descent of different -families for as many as six generations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had died, others, obviously less skillful with the -pen, less well informed, but with good intent, took up the -task of keeping the records. Beekman afterwards made -calculations based upon the probable duration of lives, and -found that they had managed to keep the record, although -more and more imperfectly, until the birth of old Kobo, -the present patriarch of the island, who was Truda's -grandfather--descendant of the first Jacobus, certainly. Of -course all of these things did not come to Beekman at once, -but gradually. As the summary of his investigations is -alone necessary for this history, they are set down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He discovered that old Captain Van Rooy had alone -among the Dutchmen apparently been proud of his line, -and had kept his children and grandchildren from any -intermarriage with those who had Polynesian blood in them. -Evidently the custom, or his habit, had become a fetish -for his descendants; for in so far as it was possible, and -Beekman noted this with delight, in one family at least the -pure Dutch blood had been maintained. It was not possible -to avoid all admixture, but there was less of it in Jacobus -and Truda than in any other dwellers upon the island, and -next to her and old Jacobus in the purity of blood was Hano -of the supercargo's line, although his strain did not compare -with that of the woman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The records of the first fifty years on the island were -fairly complete, but after that there was only the register -of marriages, births, and deaths among these people whom -the world forgot, and by whom it was soon apparent the -world itself was forgotten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The joy which filled Beekman's heart as he disentangled -the story from the confusions of the blurred, faded, -time-worn records of the past which he had discovered, -indicated to the man the depth of his feeling for Truda. He -had to the full the white man's pride in and sense of -superiority to any other race, and the unpleasant thought -that the woman who was so impregnably entrenching -herself in his heart had any large admixture of Polynesian -blood had been one against which he had struggled, with -not a great deal of success. To be sure, that objection -did not bulk very large upon an unknown island in the -South Seas; it would be no bar whatever to any irregular -connection, which would have been natural enough with -most men under the strange circumstances in which he found -himself. But Beekman was of a different breed. He -honestly loved the girl with a passion which was sufficiently -great to consider her future before his own gratification. -Inevitably, while pondering any real and lasting future -relationship with her, he realized that her purity of -blood--white blood, that is--would be a much more important -consideration when they got back to civilization, if they -ever did. And in the case of children, if any ever came, -a preponderance of Polynesian blood might create an -almost unbearable situation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had not a particle of the spirit of the -beachcomber. The good blood of decent, God-fearing America -at its best pulsed in his veins. Nothing would have induced -him to settle down in some lotus-eating, non-moral life of -</span><em class="italics">dolce far niente</em><span> on some golden South Sea strand with his -wild, primitive goddess for a moment longer than he could -help. He wanted her for a wife, and a wife of whom he -could be proud even before the men and women of his kind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sudden realization that the woman he loved was a -meet and fitting mate for him, not only in beauty and -intellect, but in blood as well, was wonderfully stimulating. -Naturally, he had often thought of escape from the island, -but he had never considered it before as he would consider -it hereafter. He did not see any way as yet, but he was -persuaded that a way would be opened eventually. He had -confidence enough in his own ability to devise it, he thought, -as soon as it was necessary. Meanwhile he had another -task, and that was to complete, or to continue--for the -completion would be long deferred--the finely progressing -education of Truda--Gertrude Van Rooy, as she -undoubtedly was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And he could hardly wait for the moment when he could -tell her of his discovery. It would not mean much to her -then, of course. She was not troubled with scruples as to -relationships or any future complications. In that matter -she was neither moral nor immoral. That question did not -enter her mind at all. It was simply non-existent. But two -facts counted. He loved her and she loved him. Nothing -else mattered. In his own good time he would take her, -and she would be glad to be possessed. Of course, that -ceremony, so meaningless to them all, but to which as a -sacred tradition from their mysterious past they all adhered, -would take place, and then they would go and live together -after the simple primitive way of the island, where the -human beings mated almost like the animals. Artlessly she -longed for the day that was to be, but she was content to -await his pleasure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He knew all this. He realized, being neither blind nor -a fool, that he need only will to have, take to enjoy. And -it made his restraint the harder. If he had resigned -himself to life indefinitely on the island, it might, it would -have been different. He might not have been able to find -the strength to resist temptation so freely, so innocently, -yet so passionately presented to him. But he was always -seeing her in a different environment. He was always -dreaming of another life in another land. He wanted her -for a wife and nothing else. Some day she would thank -him for this. Now she only wondered, sometimes with -a touch of disappointment.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-watcher-on-the-rocks"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE WATCHER ON THE ROCKS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The day after their visit to the church, or temple, he -had imparted the story to her, explaining carefully, -so she could grasp at least the salient points of the -narrative, how she and those who survived came to that island. -It was difficult to make her understand. She had few -abstract notions as yet. The concrete alone appealed to -the primitive. But she had developed amazingly, and by -repetition and explanation over and over again she began -to appreciate the truth. When he told her that she differed -from the rest of the inhabitants of the island, she could -understand that better, for she too possessed, albeit it had -been latent, a full measure of the pride of the white race. -She had gloried that her skin was fairer, her hair brighter, -her eyes bluer even than those of Hano and Kobo, much -more than those of any of the others. Now she began to -catch a glimpse of the reason why, not only for her personal -difference, but for her instinctive joy in it as well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I am like you," she said at last, "of your people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; of my race, of my blood," answered the man, and -the joy and satisfaction she felt in his voice thrilled her, -and satisfied her, too; for what pleased him pleased her -even more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is to be done now?" asked the woman as they -retraced their steps from some island haunt where they -loved to linger in the cool of the evening of that day of -revelations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She spoke English. Her mind, like her body, was virgin. -She was excessively quick to respond to the stimulus of -his teaching, and she possessed a rare faculty for language, -he discovered. Conversation was easy and unrestrained; -she could use Dutch words if necessary to supplement her -English, and even on occasion revert to the island dialect, -and he could easily understand both.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am going to teach you to understand the message of -the books."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The words of your God and mine?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And where, and when, and how?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen; I have thought of a plan. I don't know what -they would do to us or to me if they caught me with the -books."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl shook her head with grave foreboding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They might kill you," she said, "but I don't know. -The things of the God--what do you call them?--books, -have never been taken from the taboo house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Church," he corrected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The church," she repeated, endeavoring with considerable -success to form the unaccustomed sound. "I can't tell -what they would do, but old Kobo would be terribly angry -and afraid. They are all afraid of that house, as I was -until you showed me a better way. And Hano hates you, -anyway."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course. Personally, I don't fear the lot of them," -said the man, smiling and quite confident in his splendid -vigor, "but I don't want to have any trouble. I don't want -to be the means of introducing bloodshed and hatred into -this little paradise."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He spoke unwittingly, not realizing for the moment that -wherever human passions enter, even the highest and holiest, -they usually make a way through which others that come -not in the same category follow. His arrival upon the -island, the unconscious supremacy he assumed as related -to the rest, the love that had sprung up between him and -this fair child of Europe, and of the nurture of the tropic -seas, had brought jealousy and hate and envy in their train. -There had been no crime committed on that island perhaps -since it had been discovered, certainly not for generations, -but now--well, he would see. He went on in natural -unconsciousness of all that while the obsessed woman hung -upon his words--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That place overlooking the deep bay, where first I saw -you, where you go to meet the sunrising--I know now -why you do it," he broke off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is where they used to watch and hope for the ships."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sometimes I have seen a black cloud far away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The smoke of a steamer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She nodded, not comprehending fully, but acquiescing -naturally in anything he put forth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But it never came near," she added as he went on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"From there we can see not only the sea but the whole -island. No trees grow near. No one can approach without -being seen for a long distance. We will take the books -and hide them there in the rocks and cover them up carefully. -There I will teach you to read the speaking leaves."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But when old Kobo discovers they are gone?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We will put them back in good time. It will be as -easy to put them back as it was to take them. No one -goes into the church except at that monthly visit. Are -you sure?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, the rest is simple."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Using one of the cocoa-fiber baskets with which the -islanders were accustomed to carry their produce from -field to house, the two books were carried to the hiding -place without suspicion the next morning. Beekman found -a suitable recess, rounded it out with loose stones, and -made a dry hiding place for the volumes when they were -not in use. The natives generally avoided that spot, but -once or twice Hano or Kobo or one of the elders had visited -it when the two were there. And, as they had done before, -they came again in the days that followed, but the lovers -were always found apparently idly scanning the sea and -talking about indifferent things.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course, some suspicion was at first aroused by their -unusually long visits to that semi-sacred spot, but it was -soon dissipated in the indifferent and inert minds of every -one of them except Hano. As he was whiter, so he was -abler than the rest. He made up his mind that he would -overhear what those two, one of whom he hated as much as -he loved the other, had to say to each other in those long -hours. He came in the night, searching for a place of -concealment where he could lie hidden and whence he could -overhear, but at first he found none. To hide on the slope -that went upward to form the walls of the little amphitheater -which opened upon the bay or gulf and sea at the -top of the cliff was an impossibility. In the first place, he -never could get there without traversing the only -practicable path and being observed the whole way. In the -second place, if he had found a spot where he could lie -hidden, he would be so far from the lip of the wall that -he could neither hear nor see. There were no caves or -crannies big enough to conceal him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In despair, he stepped to the extreme edge and glanced -down, and instantly the solution of his problem presented -itself. About six feet below the level of the little -amphitheater was a shelf of rock. Access to it would be difficult, -dangerous, but not impossible. He tried, and, although -he was not used to great heights, he made it. Such was -the stimulus of his hate. He examined the shelf of rock, -discovered that it ran inward a little, so that if necessary -he could conceal himself even from direct observation from -above.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day he would try it. He would get up before -daybreak, and when Truda visited the place for her unfailing -survey of the sea at dawn, he would be concealed. After -that visit the two invariably went back to the village for -breakfast. Then they returned and the lessons began. She -had proved an amazingly apt scholar. She could spell out -many of the words of the Dutch Bible and express most of -the thought in simple English. The written word of the log -book was still a mystery to her. He had read it to her, -but had not tried to teach her from it then; but she had -made great headway with the printed word. After she -had learned enough of that, Beekman intended to devise -some means to teach her to write, but for the present -printing was enough. He began with the Gospel according -to St. Luke, which he had preferred to the others for its -clear, simple, and beautiful style. Truda not only learned -the letters and the simpler words, but she also began to -apprehend the great truths of religion which Beekman had -held perfunctorily and sometimes lightly, but which on that -heaven-kissed hill, on that forgotten island, in the midst of -that great sea, he too began to appreciate and realize as -he had never done before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sweet indeed were those hours when he sat with that old -Dutch Bible open on his knee, while she sat upon a lower -rock by his side, leaning innocently upon him, her head -bent close to the pages of Holy Writ, following eagerly -his pointing finger with her glance and imbibing the -teaching that he gave her. Imbibing other things, too, for -sometimes he broke off and closed the book and laid his -hand upon the girl's head or shoulder, or turned her face -up to his while she nestled closer to him. They spoke -together, without reserve, of the deeper things of love and -life. There were no conventions save such as the instinctive -sweetness and purity of the woman and the stern repression -of the man imposed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda had become so proficient in her English now that -they no longer used Polynesian at all; they spoke English -or Dutch habitually. Consequently, the listening Hano, -his ears attuned by jealousy and hatred and love and tumult -of passion to catch the slightest meaning, could make out -but little of what was said, especially as they sometimes -whispered with the soft yet passionate cadences of lovers -alone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no wind that day. The long, slow silting -of the waves through the crevices in the barrier far below -only came up to the top of the island in faint murmurs. -The listener could hear voices but not understand. Indeed, -the clearest sound that came to him was the rustling caused -by the turning of the stiff, thick, parchment-like leaves of -the book. He could not understand what it was. He was -greatly puzzled by it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the hours wore away. As it approached noontime -the cooling shadow cast upon the lovers by the rock wall -of the little cup in which they lingered, was withdrawn -from them by the upward movement of the sun. The -lesson for the morning was over. Hano heard them rise, -preparatory to going back to the camp for the noon meal -and the afternoon siesta. He heard them put something -away in the rocks and pile other rocks around it. That at -least was clear to him, his wits sharpened by his desire. -He waited until they had gone, calculated the time it would -take them to disappear in the clump of trees, and then -climbed back to the little amphitheater.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His first business was to search for what had been -concealed. Without a clew it never would have occurred to -him to do so, nor had he wit or experience enough, as a -higher intelligence would have shown, to go directly to -the spot where the loose stones were piled artificially; but -he had the patience to leave no stone unturned, and his -persistent search under that burning sun was at last -rewarded. After moving some of the larger stones, the -books were at last revealed to him. He was struck dumb -with terror. He knew very well what they were. He -recognized them instantly. He had seen them at a distance -upon the altar of the taboo house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In his half-savage way he wondered that the blasphemers -who had broken the taboo had not been struck dead by the -angry, mysterious god whom they worshiped. He could -only attribute Truda's immunity to some powerful spell, -or charm, cast over her by this mysterious visitor whom -he regarded as a devil. He did not know what to do in -the emergency. He realized that it was a matter for a -wiser head than his, if such could be found on the island. -Under other circumstances, unconsciously acknowledging -Truda's superiority, he would have gone straight to her, -but that was not to be thought of now. His only recourse -was Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Putting back the stones which covered the sacred volumes, -he turned and ran with all speed to the settlement. The -noon meal was over. The islanders were resting in their -houses. All was quiet, still. Without a moment's -hesitation, breaking what was almost a taboo itself, Hano -dashed into Kobo's house, knelt down by him, shaking the -old man violently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Awake," he whispered. "The taboo has been broken."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="twice-saved-by-truda"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">TWICE SAVED BY TRUDA</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Not being tropic-born, Beekman did not take naturally -to the siesta. Nor had he been long enough in -the tropics to have acquired the habit. It was his pleasant -custom to lie awake during the rest period, day-dreaming -of the princess of this enchanted island. Sometimes he -never even dozed, the occupation was so entrancing. It -happened on that afternoon, however, that he had fallen -asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was not left to his own devices. He was awakened -to find himself covered with something thick and heavy, -and his first movement was greeted with savage cries which -came to him through a grass mat which had apparently -been thrown over his face. At his first movement he was -conscious that men had thrown themselves upon him from -every side. Half choked and weighed down by a number -of heavy bodies, he yet struck out blindly with arms and -legs. He was a powerful man, but he was taken at a -disadvantage, and, although he upheaved himself mightily -and strained like a Titan, he did not succeed in getting free.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the contrary, a rope made of cocoanut fiber was passed -around his legs. The slip-noose was tightly drawn and, -almost before it could be told, his feet were bound tightly -together. He perceived that it was useless to struggle -longer. As he ceased his wild efforts the cloth was dragged -from his face and he instantly sat up. Before he had time -to do more than recognize the angry faces of the men on -the island, another rope was slipped over his shoulders. As -before, the noose was drawn tight, and before he could -prevent it his arms were bound and the rope wrapped -around his body again and again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was as helpless as a trussed fowl. His first thought -as he stared at the passion-convulsed faces of the men -was of shame that he had allowed himself to be so easily -caught; his second emotion was surprise. What had transformed -these peaceful, listless, indifferent, gentle, decadent -islanders into truculent savages? For the moment he did -not connect the violation of their sanctuary with his -present plight. The whole male population of the island -had fallen on him; even the larger boys had joined their -elders. If he had been on his feet and ready and possessed -of a weapon, even his sheath knife or his boat hook, -perhaps he could have beaten them off, for there were fewer -than a score of them, and the only one who had any real -vigor in him was Hano. Obviously, he had taken the lead -in the capture. Hano's determination and old Kobo's -cunning had brought about Beekman's undoing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The American could not yet regard the situation as -particularly serious. Passion and anger and bloodshed -were so far removed from any possible association with -those islanders that Beekman could only consider his present -plight as a temporary inconvenience. To be sure, Hano -hated him, but the others not only liked but almost revered -him. He would not have been human if he had not been -glad to see Hano limping from a particularly vicious kick -he had received. Indeed, he laughed as he saw him -rubbing his leg, and that only infuriated the young man the -more, which was not wise on the part of the prisoner. He -had yet to learn that even perverted religion, especially when -it serves as a cloak for other passions, as in the case of Hano, -could change the natures of men and bring about the most -malefic consequences to those who stood in its way. It is -always the abuse of the useful that is most dangerous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About the only thing really strong in the lives of these -islanders was their curious mixture of Polynesian idolatry -with degenerate recollections of Christianity. Like a -half-truth, their religion in theory seemed to combine the worst -elements of the savage inheritance with debased Christianity. -They did not indulge in the savage rites of the -South Seas, those hideous practices had been abandoned -under the influence of civilization, but in theory at least the -worst features of that religion persisted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The only laws upon the island were, first, the law of -ceremonial religious observances, which was as easy as it -was uncomprehended, and which no one had any interest in -violating; and, second, the law which made a taboo of the -temple, which was infinitely more important. The more -unfamiliar they were with the temple, the more dread with -which they regarded it. The mysterious taboo was the most -powerful thing in their lives. The temple was, as it should -be, the house of their god, but there was a mixture of the -stern severity of the Christian--for Christianity was held -very strenuously in the days in which that Dutch ship blew -to the island--and the tremendous diabolism of the -Polynesian Tangaroa. The rule of that compounded god was -fear-begotten, a rule of consuming fire. They had by no -means learned the perfect love which would cast it out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Hano whispered into the ear of Kobo that the -taboo had been broken, the shrine had been violated, the -sacred--he did not call them books--objects, the property -of the god, had been taken from the temple and made a -plaything of by the stranger and Truda, the old man's -soul fainted within him. So soon as he had realized the -purport of Hano's excited words, he had almost collapsed. -It had needed the young man's fiery urgency to awaken -him to the obligation of doing something.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just what should be done did not come to old Kobo. -It would have to be debated by all the worshipers of the -god--the men, that is. But one need was obvious. The -blasphemer, the violator of the sanctuary, the breaker of -the taboo, must be secured before he could work further -mischief. Doubtless into these dark and degenerate minds -had lodged the idea--among the very oldest of all -religious ideas--of propitiation. They could perhaps placate -the angry god and avert from themselves the consequences -of his anger by punishing the man who had dared to raise -his hand against divinity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is on record that One Who His enemies said sought -to make Himself equal with God was punished by man, and -perhaps for the same reason.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That idea, so agreeable to the natural man, had been -strengthened by the struggle which had resulted in the -binding of the criminal. Conflict always calls for -punishment of the vanquished. Without shedding of blood is no -remission. Battles are measured by butchers' bills, and the -fact that men fight makes the butcher a welcome assistant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The women and children of the settlement, not having -been summoned to the conference of men which Hano had -brought to Kobe's hut, were not fully aware of the reason -for the commotion. They clustered about the door of -Beekman's hut, peering within, but not daring to enter. -Indeed, Hano, at Kobe's direction, drove them back with -the curt statement that the men would explain to them -later what was the cause of their action and what was -toward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman's glances had eagerly searched the little huddle -of women at the door, but he had not found Truda among -them, for a very good reason. At Hano's suggestion, -Kobo had bade two of the sturdier women keep Truda a -close prisoner in her own hut until he should decide what -was to be done with her for her participation in the dread -crime.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Speaking in Dutch-Polynesian, of which he had easily -learned enough for ordinary purposes, Beekman now -demanded to know the meaning of the extraordinary assault -upon him. The men had been consulting in low tones in the -far corner of the hut. Old Kobo detached himself from -the group and came forward, Hano following and standing -next to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have broken the taboo. You have taken the -treasures of our god. He will be angry with us. We -have decided to kill you in order that he may not hurt us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The conclusion was strictly in accord with the ancient -law of self-preservation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he is angry with me," said Beekman at once, perceiving -the seriousness of the situation, "he will hurt me, -not you. Therefore you have no reason to be afraid. Let -the god himself kill me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was shrewdly suggested, but there was not wit enough, -except perhaps in Hano, to follow the reasoning. Kobo -shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have broken the taboo. Who breaks the taboo -must die. It is the only way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a simple finality about the statement of the -old semi-savage which at last struck terror to Beekman's -heart. His blood ran cold. He knew what atrocities were -sometimes perpetrated under the name of religion in the -South Seas. The situation suddenly seemed to him to -be absolutely hopeless. Arguments and appeals flashed -through his brain, came to his lips, yet something -withheld utterance. In the first place, he was a white man and -he would not beg his life of these mongrels. In the second -place, the only argument he could think of had been used -without effect. Then his mind flashed to Truda. Was she -involved? How did these islanders learn of the theft of -the books? for of course he knew instantly that was what -Kobo meant. And did they know of her part in the -adventure? Her absence was convincing proof that she too was -suspected and in mortal peril. He must find out for sure, -if possible, before anything else.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You say that I have taken things belonging to the -god?" he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and broken the taboo."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What things?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Things from the taboo house, that lay on the stone at -the other end. I have seen them there every time I have -gone in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I also," said Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we," chimed in the men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where are they now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hidden in the rocks," answered Hano, "where Truda -watches the rising sun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you know that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I saw them there. I heard you and Truda this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible!" cried Beekman. "Where were you? I -looked everywhere."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was hidden below on the face of the rocks. There is -a place there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see," said Beekman. "And Truda, what of her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did she go into the temple?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Beekman, quickly and unhesitatingly, lying -like a gentleman to save her if he could. "I went alone. -She was afraid. She tried to stop me. She begged me -not to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She should have told me," said Kobo, "but because she -did not go, she shall not die."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give her to me," cried Hano. "This stranger has cast a -spell upon her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall know how to free her," said Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Meanwhile, may I ask what death is designed for me?" -asked Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have said it," answered Kobo gravely; "the god -will determine that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He nodded his head to the men. Six of them stepped -over and picked Beekman up. They bore him out into -the open enclosure. At Kobo's direction Hano summoned -the women. Truda did not come, and neither were her -guardians present. As those women who had been detailed -to watch her were among the most prominent in the -settlement, Beekman, lying on the ground with his head and -shoulders against a tree, noted their absence. As the -islanders assembled Kobo waved his hand for silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This man," he said, not without a certain dignity, "was -cast up by the sea upon our shores. We received him -kindly. We gave him a house to live in. We supplied him -with things to eat. He was free to come and go. In return -for our welcome he has broken the taboo." A wail of -horror came from one old woman. It was caught up by -the others, and even the men and children joined in. It -was quite evident that the crime was a real one in the eyes -of the people and there would be no hesitation in the most -extreme methods. "The god will be angry with us," -continued Kobo when he could be heard again. "Perhaps we -can please him by giving him this breaker of the taboo."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What would you do, O Kobo?" asked one of the older women.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lay him as he is, bound hand and foot, in the taboo -house for the god to dispose of. It wants ten days before -we worship in the temple. We will leave him there during -that time, bound, alone. If he is alive then we will know -the god has pardoned him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But if he should get away?" asked one of the men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We will be the arms and eyes of the god. We will watch -every moment the taboo house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And food?" asked one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And drink?" asked another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If the god wishes him to live, he will provide," said -the old man simply. He signed to the bearers. "The -taboo is broken, so all may come in this time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They picked up the absolutely helpless Beekman and -bore him to the temple. Kobo unbarred the door. He -stood hesitating a moment on the threshold. The taboo -was broken indeed, or had been, yet it was a great thing -he was about to do. He could only trust to the god that -he would understand. With a muttered jargon of prayer, -at which the people sank shuddering to their knees, and -which to Beekman was grotesquely and horribly Christian, -he finally entered the building, beckoning the bearers, who -followed, stepping hesitantly and fearsomely with their -heavy burden. After them crowded all the rest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We will lay him there," said Kobo, pointing to the -opening in the railing or balustrade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stepped forward to give direction, and as his eyes -became accustomed to the dim light he discovered on the -altar or table the two books that Hano had declared he -had seen in the rocks. He stopped, petrified. Hano had -lied. There had been no profanation of the temple. He -had broken the taboo himself, and without cause. His -veins turned to water within him. He staggered and would -have fallen but for the strong arm of the younger man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There," he whispered, pointing, "the things of the gods -are there. You have lied."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was Hano's turn to be stricken with terror. Had his -eyes deceived him? Could those objects have been -duplicated? What mystery, what magic was here? He was -younger, stronger, and the sooner realized the necessity -for action.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out!" he cried, waving his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shall we leave him?" asked the first bearer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; bring him, and out, everybody, lest the god strike -and spare not."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He suited action to word. Half carrying old Kobo, he -drove the rest out of the temple. Kobo dropped on the -threshold. Hano had nerve and courage to swing the -door, and then he backed up against it, ashy with terror. -Old Kobo rose to his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"People of the island," he cried shrilly, "we have broken -the taboo. Hano has spoken falsely. The things of the -god are there. O Tangaroa, pardon." He bowed his head -in his hands. "Woe, woe, woe!" he cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment the islanders stood silent, and then they -joined his lamentations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps you will release me now," said Beekman at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Old Kobo's hand went out to the lashing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forgive me. This liar will take your place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait," said Hano, his courage coming back. "I saw -the things of the god in the rocks. I heard them moving -in the hands of this man and Truda. She can testify."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is she?" asked Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let someone go for Truda. Let her be brought here," -said Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One of the younger women started in the direction of -Truda's hut, when, from a clump of trees to the right of -the temple, around which the path ran, appeared the two -women who had been appointed to watch Truda. The girl -herself was between them. Each one clasped an arm. She -came along the path without reluctance, her head held -high. She shot a glance at her lover which reassured him. -He instantly realized the explanation of the happy chance -which had saved him, temporarily at least.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda had somehow escaped, had got the books, entered -the church through the rear doorway as before, and had -replaced the books on the altar. What it had cost her he -could well understand. Old Kobo stared at the three in -amazement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you come here?" he cried to the two women. -"I told you to keep Truda in her house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"While we watched the door, O Kobo, she escaped -through the window. When we found out we searched -for her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We saw her--" the woman hesitated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where was she?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At the back of the taboo house," Answered the younger -woman in awe-struck voice, "with the things of the god in -her arms."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see," cried Hano, triumphantly, "I told you the -truth. She went to the rock to fetch them. She put them -back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did she get in?" asked one old man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is an entrance at the other end, vine-covered and -forgotten," answered Kobo, his eyes sparkling. It had -been shown him as a boy, and had never been used.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We were afraid to follow. When she came out we -seized her and brought her here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What have you to say, Truda?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is true," answered the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the use of questioning Truda?" interposed -Beekman, stopping the confession which trembled on her -lips. "I took the books; I hid them in the rocks. Through -them your God, which is my God, speaks to me. I tried -to teach Truda His speech. I will teach you all if you -will free me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us put him back in the taboo house," cried one of -the oldest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, that will be best," cried a second.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Leave him with the god," urged a third.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I, too," cried Truda; "I also--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Be silent!" appealed Beekman in the language they two -alone understood. "If you love me, say nothing. Alive, -you can help me. Dead, and we die together."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you say?" asked Kobo of the men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have a suggestion to make," said Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You thought that my tongue was doubled, that I did -not speak the truth--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We were wrong," said Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me speak now," said Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us hear him," cried one after another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out of the deep this man came to us. Doubtless his -God brought him to our shores. Let us commit him to the -deep again. Doubtless his God can take him away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us cast him down from the cliff into the gulf below."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is well," said Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is," shouted one after another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They loosened the lashings around Beekman's feet, lifted -him up, and forced him, surrounded by the men, along the -path that led to the little amphitheatre. Everybody -followed. This was business of the highest importance, and -until it was settled, nothing mattered. When they got to -the little amphitheatre, in which all crowded who could -possibly enter, the lashings around Beekman's feet were drawn -tight again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean to do?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thrust you over the cliff."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a fall of perhaps over five hundred feet sheer -down. If he were thrown far enough he might fall into the -water, but even that would kill him. In all probability he -would drop to the rocks. There was that shelf of which -Hano had spoken where he had concealed himself. By -bending forward from his place on the brink, Beekman could -see it. So could Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not here," said the latter, "but there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They dragged Beekman over to a spot where nothing -broke the descent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bring staves for all," said Kobo with obvious meaning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All the men must join in the thrust, it seemed. It would -be the only way to avert the anger of Tangaroa-God from -them all. Meanwhile they laid Beekman carefully back -against the rocks while some of the men ran back for long -pieces of stout bamboo or cane. Their intent was evident. -When the time came they would each one seize a staff and -together they would thrust him over. So all would -participate, and from all the vengeance of the gods would be -turned away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda," began Beekman in that language which they -alone understood, "there is no help for it. I must die. It is -not the end I expected. I hoped to get away from the -island, to take you with me, to teach you of the things that -lay beyond, to make you my wife. I love you, facing death -as I am I say it with all my heart. You can do nothing -for me. But no matter what happens to me or what happens -to you, there is another life. I have tried to tell you -about it and I shall wait for you there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I love you, Beek-man," answered Truda in return -just as simply as he had spoken. "You know that. I -would gladly give my life for yours, and I shall follow -very soon. You will wait for me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop them," said Hano at last.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let him talk with his God, if he will, in these last -moments," answered Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But not with Truda," persisted Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When Truda is yours you can make her forget what -she had learned."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I will never belong to Hano," cried Truda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a quick movement she broke loose from the women -who held her on the outskirts of the crowd. She leaped -up the wall of the amphitheatre that wound around a -little distance away from the rest, and there she stood -poised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda," cried Beekman, who was placed where he could -see her every movement, "what would you do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop," cried the girl in the language of the island, as -Hano started for her, followed by the others coming up -with the staves. "Let no one come near me. Hano and -Kobo, stand forth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Such was her imperious emphasis that her command was -at once obeyed. The two addressed separated themselves -from the crowd, which halted, but Hano again started for -the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you come nearer, I shall leap over," she said quickly. -"Stand where you are, Hano."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stopped in the face of this threat and stood as if -rooted to the spot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beek-man has broken the taboo," said the girl in -the deep silence. "Perhaps you do right to punish him--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"O Truda," groaned Beekman under his breath, but if -the girl heard, she made no sign.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He came from the deep. You may return him there, -but he came alive, and you must return him alive."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must send him down through the place where the -water falls. You must unbind him. You must give him -what he brought, the sharp thing that cuts and the bright -thing that strikes. You must give him food."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But he will come back," said one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can watch the place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can wall it up with stones," said Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you give this man life?" cried Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you do not," continued Truda, "if you do not swear -by the god to do as I say--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will throw myself over the cliff before your eyes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"O Truda!" exclaimed Beekman again, but in a different -way, for now he understood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now the most determined character of them all was Hano. -There was an assurance in the girl's words that carried -conviction to his mind, at least. If she threw herself over the -cliff, she would be hopelessly lost to him, and the fact that -he could wreak vengeance on Beekman would not bring her back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let it be as she says, O Kobo."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man was naturally inclined to mercy. The fierce -passion of the morning had spent itself. The taboo had -been broken, but nothing had happened. The things of the -god were back in their places. Truda's suggestion might -have persuaded him without the threat. But the threat -had persuaded Hano.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It shall be as you say," answered Kobo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Swear it," cried Truda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the broken taboo, by the god whose things you have -put back, by the great Tangaroa himself, I swear it," cried -Kobo, turning to the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We all swear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda instantly stepped back from the verge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you will marry me, Truda; you will be my woman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall see as to that when you have disposed of -Beekman," said the girl. "You will wait for me," she said -to Beekman; "not in another life, but there." She glanced -downward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman nodded. He understood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you say?" asked Hano jealously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I only gave him a message for his God," answered Truda.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="truda-comes-to-his-prison"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">TRUDA COMES TO HIS PRISON</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And thus it came about that Beekman once more found -himself lying on the strand near the waterfall at the -foot of the cliff in the great cup-like harbor where he had -landed on the island not many months before. Although the -lashings had not been cast off by those who had lowered -him to the strand, yet they had been loosened in the descent, -and he realized that by patient application he could presently -free himself from his bonds. That, of course, was the -first thing to be done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had finally cast off the loose piece of coir rope, -he rose to his feet and looked about him. The place was -entirely familiar. It had been etched upon his consciousness -in those agonized days when he had dreamed of getting to -the top. There had been no change whatever. Indeed, since -the blocking up of the original opening through which the -</span><em class="italics">Good Intent</em><span> had been hurled so many years before, there had -been no change, unless the slow disintegration of the rock -had slightly altered the face of nature.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had been dropped by the lowering ropes to the very -spot where he had found the pineapple bedded in the sand. -He had no immediate need of any such providential -happening now, for behind him lay one of the cocoanut-fiber -sacks or bags which had been packed full of food enough to -last him for a week. Truda had insisted upon that, and -they had grudgingly consented, all the women in the settlement -being more or less openly on her side. But they had -failed to give him either boat-hook or sheath-knife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman had no shelter, but he could get along very -well without that. Here were food, water, liberty, life, -within the circumscribed limits of the great cylinder. He -had stepped back to the extreme edge of the stretch of sand, -the tide being low, and scanned the bed of the creek up which -he had once before climbed to the top. In the narrowest -part he could see the natives piling up huge stones, -making an impassable barricade. Of course, any considerable -increase in the quantity of water flowing down would -eventually roll them away. The island must have a rainy season, -but unless or until it came, that wall of rock, especially if -it should be guarded, as he fancied it would at first, would -render ascent to the upland impossible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was absolutely nothing he could do. Unless help -came to him from above, or from the sea, he would die of -starvation eventually. He did not fear that, however, -because he believed that Truda would find some means to -get food to him. Indeed, going over the incidents of the -afternoon, he marvelled at the resourcefulness and courage -she had displayed. If it had not been for her escape from -her guardians, and her replacement of the books in the -temple, he would be now lying there bound hand and foot, -slowly starving to death.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He knew how hard it must have been for Truda to have -broken the taboo a second time, and alone. That was the -first bold action which had saved him, and the second was -when she had stood on the brink of the cliff and threatened -to cast herself down unless he were lowered to the beach -rather than thrown bodily over. And she would have done -it, too, as he very well knew. That was the second time that -day she had saved his life. True, she had been compelled -to make some kind of a promise to marry Hano, but he knew -her well enough to realize that she would never keep it. -Love, such as had not been known upon that island for two -hundred years of quiet mating, had entered her heart, and -she was made of the stuff that would willingly die rather -than profane it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She said that she would join him on the strand, and he -was confident that somehow she would, and that her presence -would bring him fortune; yet, what would happen if she -came? His own condition would be changed for the worse -immediately, since he would have no friend above to look -after his interests. It was to her influence alone that he -could look for food. If she were with him, her open defiance -of Kobo, Hano, and the others might, and probably would, -result in the abandonment of them both. Yet, illogically, -but naturally, he longed for her presence as never -before. He was proud of her wit and courage, and he -longed to tell her that--and other things. He did not -think any of the islanders, unless it were Hano, would dare -descend into the harbor, which he shrewdly suspected was -as taboo as the temple. If any did come, they would have -to come one by one, and he could deal with them, if -necessary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The day was almost gone. Before nightfall he was -minded to do one thing. He clambered around the rocks -to the outer edge of the island and stared eagerly at the -barrier. Yes, there on the reef, where it had been hurled -or lifted by an unusually great wave or tide coming at the -same time, lay the wreck of the whaleboat. It had been -firmly fixed on the jagged rocks of the barrier, and as it -was just above the assault of any but the highest seas -coming at the full flood of the tide, it was still in much the same -condition as when he had left it some months before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no way by which he could repair the boat -and make it seaworthy. It was of no earthly use to him, -yet the sight of it gave him strange comfort. It was -something which somehow tied him to his own land and -people. He waded and swam out to it and looked it over -carefully, observing before he did so that the copper tanks -which he had taken from the boat and put in the niche -where he had slept the first night on the island, were still -there and apparently in good condition. With some vague -idea that it might be well if he replaced them in the boat, -he swam back across the lagoon, launched the tanks, which -floated, proving that they were air-tight; paddled across -the lagoon a third time and set them back in their -compartments. In one instance, the after end, he found this -difficult as he had been compelled to break the catches aft -to get it out, but at the other end, the bow compartment, he -experienced no trouble. The boards had warped, but by -exerting all his strength he got the clamps caught and the -tanks replaced. Exactly why he did it, or what he expected -from it, he could not tell, but, at any rate, it was occupation. -The boat could not take anyone anywhere, but, unless the -clamps broke, the tanks would keep it afloat, even if awash, -if it were ever washed off that reef.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He got back to the ledge when night fell with the -startling suddenness of the tropics. He had made up his -mind to sleep where he had slept before: beneath the ledge; -but thought better of it. He decided that he ought to be -where he had been seen last in case Truda should make any -effort to communicate with him. He reasoned, naturally -enough, that such an effort would have to be made in the -dark to avoid observation. The air at the bottom of the -great cylinder, its sides rising about him like the walls of a -tower, was cooler than he had been accustomed to. He -emptied the mat-like sack, or basket, piling its precious -contents high up on the rocks, above any possible tide, and, -after he had made a very frugal meal, although he was -ravenously hungry after all he had gone through, he ripped -the mat apart, hollowed a place for himself in the sand, -drew the mat over him and lay there thinking; and, for the -first time in days, Stephanie Maynard came into his mind!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, there was no disloyalty to Truda in his thoughts -of the other woman. He realized that he never had loved -her, and he was pretty confident that she had never loved -him. The marriage which had been arranged had been one -of convenience, purely. He was glad that he had escaped; -glad for every experience except that terrible one in the -cabin of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>. He wondered if, in her heart, -Stephanie would not be glad also, and George Harnash. -Little things which he had not noticed at the time bulked -larger in his imagination now, and he wondered if his friend -had not been more interested in his former betrothed than -any one had suspected. He thought whimsically that it -would be a strange thing if Stephanie and George married -eventually, and then his thoughts went further.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suppose they could prevail upon old Maynard to consent, -they might come to search for him as a wedding trip -on the great Maynard yacht, the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span>. It would be -strange, he thought, lifting his head and peering seaward, -to wake up some morning and find the yacht in the offing. -He knew that was absurd. If he were to get off that island, -it would have to be by some other means, and the possibility -of escape had grown much fainter since his present -misfortune. Well, whatever had been back of that shanghaiing -process, and he was as bitterly resentful over it as if -it had not brought him happiness, it had resulted in his -meeting with the sweetest and most innocent woman on earth, -whose love for him had led her to the most amazing sacrifices -and exhibitions of courage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a singular commentary on the man's mind that he -was as bitter against the men who had shanghaied him as -if only misery and sorrow had come to him. He had -promised himself many a time if he ever did get free and could -find out who was responsible, it would go hard with that -man. He would not let the law take charge of his -vengeance. He would make it a personal matter. One does not -live in the forecastle of a hell-ship like the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>, -where there is no law but that of force, and no right but that -of the strong, without getting a new view of individual -relation to individual and to the mass. Nor does one live -in a tropic island with no law at all, except the taboos of -vague superstition, without intensifying that personal -element.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently, Beekman's thoughts turned to Truda. -Lightly, he forgot Stephanie. All his hardships, the -horrors of that forecastle, the tragedy of that cabin, even the -events of the day, faded from his mind. He saw her -white-skinned, golden-haired, blue-eyed and passing fair. He -recalled her passionate devotion, her wit, her courage. He -stared upward to the top of the cliff, cutting a black line -across the stars at the place where he had seen her for the -first time. He could shut his eyes and see her still. He -tried it again and again, and by and by his eyes did not -open. He fell sound asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was not aware that in the still watches of the night -a figure bent over him. Someone knelt beside him. A -listening ear was held close to him as if seeking for -reassurance that he breathed, and then there was a stealthy -withdrawal and the figure slipped down upon the sand and -sat watching him. It was not until the sun struck through -the entrance upon his face that he opened his eyes. The -first object that met his vision was Truda. She was half -seated, half reclining on the sand just out of touch, looking -at him as she had watched throughout the night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda," he cried, raising himself at once and throwing -aside the mat, "how did you come here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She pointed to the cliff, through which the brook plunged. -He noticed a long rope hanging down, buffeted by the -leaping waters into which it swayed back from time to time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Amazing," he cried, rising to his feet and stepping -toward her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think anything could keep me there when you -were here?" said the girl, stretching out her hands to him, -and then he noticed, for the first time, that her palms were -cut and scratched and had been bleeding. Her knees, her -feet, were in the same sorry condition. He sank down on his -knees before her. He took the hands which she yielded to -him without question and pressed them tenderly against his -cheek.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have hurt yourself," he said, that petty little fact -bulking larger at the moment than any other; "and for me, -my poor child."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The joy in my heart," said the girl, laying one bruised -palm beneath her tender breast, "when I saw you asleep -and safe here, made me forget this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why didn't you wake me?" asked the man, looking up at her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You were so tired," said the girl, laying her other -maimed hand on his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could feel her wince as she did so. He had opened a -cocoanut the night before. The broken shell lay at hand. -He lifted her up, carried her to the bank of the brook, set -her poor, torn feet in the cool water, and, with the shell, -laved her hands and knees. It was all he could do. He -had nothing else. Then he bent and kissed her lips, her -hands, her feet. He strained her to his breast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You shall not walk a step or carry a thing until those -precious hands and feet are well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are well now since you kissed them. See, I feel -no pain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She took him in her arms, in turn. What mattered that -the white hands left little blood marks on his shoulder?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"First, you must eat," said the man, "and then you must -tell me how you came."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He pressed upon her the cooked food and fruit which she -herself had forced the islanders to provide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We may not get any more when this is gone," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," he quoted -recklessly; "eat now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She did not understand, but the command was simple, -and she obeyed. Whatever her lover said was right, of -course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, tell me," he said, when they had stayed their -hunger, "how did you come here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They put me in the house with the two women to guard -me after they had lowered you down here. I was to be -married to Hano today. I would have died rather than -that. I had told you I would join you here. I persuaded -the women. They like you, Beek-man. They don't like -Hano. They let me escape. I went to your house, and -brought the bright-tipped staff and the thing that cuts. -I crept down the brook where you had come up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There was no watcher?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did he let you pass?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He could not help it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I struck him with the staff, and--" She shuddered -and hid her face in her hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't cry over that," said the man; "in all probability -you only stunned him. He will be all right by now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope so. He had done nothing to me, but if the whole -island had stood in my way, I was determined to come to -you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I climbed over the rock wall. At first I thought I would -push it down, but it was too much for me. Besides, the -stones might have fallen upon you. I had a rope with a -piece of wood at the end. I fastened the wood in the rock -and came down. The rope cut my hands."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the staff and the knife?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I threw them over. You will find them there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait." He ran and brought them back. "Arms," he -said, shaking them exultingly before her. "With these we -can defy everything."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, the boat-hook and the sheath knife would be -invaluable should it come to a fight in the end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Truda. "In all the days of my life there has -been no anger, no bloodshed on this island; but since you -came--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you sorry I came?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Glad. You have taught me life, love. They are worth -the price we have paid."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Always a price has to be paid for these things. Whether -they are worth it or not is another matter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun was well above the horizon now. Truda glanced -upward, stopped, and pointed. In the ravine whence the -brook fell, clustered against the wall, stood the islanders. -Their cries came faintly into the vast gulf in which the -two lovers stood. Their gestures of hatred and scorn were -unmistakable, but they made no effort to come down. The -rope was still fast. Presently, they observed it, for it was -quickly drawn up, and, after a time, the islanders went away, -leaving a watcher at the wall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This place is like the temple," said Truda; "it is taboo. -I think none will come here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you came."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would go anywhere for you," said the girl, simply.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="so-farre-so-fast-the-eygre-drave"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXIV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"SO FARRE, SO FAST THE EYGRE DRAVE"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>There was nothing they could do to better their -condition, but if there had been, it was not in Beekman's -mind to attempt it then. Their near touch with death, -Truda's sleepless night, the condition of her hands and feet, -the nervous reaction in him, warned Beekman that no -demands upon her must be made yet. He decided that they -should have one day of complete and utter happiness, -whatever the future held for them; so he devoted himself to her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again and again he bathed her hands. He tore up the -tattered remains of his shirt sleeves to make bandages for -her feet. He compassed her with such sweet observances -as he could achieve under such conditions. He told her -how he loved her. He pictured what their life beyond the -seas would be when they got away. He told her that they -should escape, although he had no idea how. His -determination was contagious. She thought nothing could he -impossible, ultimately, to this god-like creature who had -come from across the seas to enlighten her as to what love -really was, and she believed him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He carried her around the broken point of rock where -she had never been; he showed her the wreck of the -whaleboat which had brought him there. He made her a bed for -the night in the niche of rocks, facing seaward. He -covered her over with the mat he had made for himself. He -sat down by her side, holding tenderly the bruised palm, -which really appeared to be very much better; clean flesh, -such as she had, healed quickly. She went to sleep with the -trustfulness of a child, yet not with the emotions of one. -Indeed, her strange feelings matched his own as he sat -there on the sand by the woman who was his, body and soul.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Was he minded to take her? He prayed God, as he -watched through the long hours, that whether he were -minded or not, he might be given strength to treat this little -child of nature as he would have treated the proudest woman -of his own world. Let no man think that he had an easy -task, or that he passed pleasant hours. When she was sound -asleep he laid her hand gently, palm upward, on the sand, -and walked away, pacing up and down the strip of beach the -long night through.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was well that he remained awake, for, just before -sunrise, when the short dawn had already come, happening to -pass the jutting rocks around which he must go to get into -the harbor, he saw the outlines of a dark figure in the gloom; -seen faintly against the brighter sand, the figure of a -crouching man! Something bright and slender quivered -in his hand. He was peering forward eagerly. Beekman -snatched the boat-hook and the knife from the sand where -he had laid them and ran toward the figure. It was Hano. -He rose to his feet as the American approached. He lifted -his arm. Something flew through the air and cut a gash -along the side of Beekman's face and then struck the rock -behind him with a metallic clang, later he found it was an -old Dutch knife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment the American closed with him. Hano, -mad with passion, struggled desperately, but he was as a -child in the hands of the white man. Beekman broke his -hold and dragged the man's arms from about him, lifted -him in the air, threw him headlong on the beach. He -lay sprawled in a heap, motionless, stunned, apparently, his -head bleeding where he had struck an outlying stone on the -sand. Beekman was sorry that it had happened. He could -enter so fully into the feelings of the man that he could not -blame him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned back and awakened Truda. He gave her the -knife and boat-hook and told her to watch the prostrate man -until he went around the rocks and got the ropes with which -he had been bound. He did not think that Hano was likely -to recover consciousness, but, nevertheless, he had never gone -so fast as he did then. Lightly binding the feet and hands -of the man so that he could make no further mischief, he set -himself to restore him to consciousness, which he presently -accomplished.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hano would say nothing, nor would he answer questions, -not even to Truda. He turned his head away, and suddenly -his eyes filled with tears. Otherwise, he was as silent as a -stoic on the beach before them. After the two made their -breakfast on the rapidly diminishing store of food, they -brought a share for Hano. Beekman unbound his hands -and stood over him while he ate and drank, then he lashed -him again and drew him up into the niche where Truda had -passed the night. Then he examined the wounded feet and -hands of Truda, and found them in much better condition, -but he did not allow the girl to walk over the rough and -broken rocks. He picked her up in his arms and carried her -into the bay, that they might have the benefit of the fresh -water of the brook. Then, and not until then, did he take -time to look at the sky and observe the weather, which, if he -had been a more experienced sailor, he would not have -deferred for so long a period.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was alarmed beyond measure by what he saw. There -was no sun visible, yet the sky did not seem heavily overcast. -A strange, coppery light seemed to filter through an -unusually thin but very absorbing mist that spread over the -whole heavens. The sea had been very still throughout the -night. Apparently, a calm had extended far and wide over -the waters. There was always some slight motion on the -shore, and the silken slithering of the waves on the barrier -came to him very faintly. The absence of any wind at all -had aroused no attention. There was no wind now, yet -the surface of the deep was troubled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After he had washed the girl's feet and hands and had -set her down on the sand, his attention was attracted by a -sudden resounding crash on that stretch of barrier that he -could see through the entrance. It was as if some mighty -heave had raised and lowered the surface of the ocean. As -he stared seaward, he thought that the mist was thickening -on the horizon. It was growing darker there. Indeed, on -the line where the sky and sea would have met on the horizon, -if he had been able to see, it was suddenly black dark. The -sun was more than an hour high, he judged, although he -could see nothing but the coppery light through the mist, -and the mist was in rapid wraith-like motion far above his -head and far beyond the reef. He could see that clearly -enough, although even yet no wind came to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently, there was another of those long, swinging -undulations, which broke with tremendous force on the -barrier, sending a cloud of water and spray twenty feet into -the air. It was uncanny. There was no cause for it. It -was as if some subterranean monster had turned over in the -depths and upheaved the surface. Truda joined him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never saw anything like that before, and I have seen -the sea ever since I was a child," she said. "The waves broke -on the rocks, but not like this. It is so still. Oh, look."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another of the great undulations struck the reef, and -a gust of wind from nowhere, apparently, and gone almost -as quickly as it had come, carried the spray across the -lagoon and into the still harbor. They saw it patter upon -the smooth surface. They marked the wide circles spread, -interlace, break. It was a warning to the man, at least.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some terrible storm is brewing," he said. "If it equals -the promise of these waves, it will flood this gulf. We must -seek shelter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now he had marked before--indeed, in his first exploration -he had essayed to get to the top by it--a broad shelf -of rock fifty or more feet above the level of the sea. It -was inconceivable that any tide or storm could ever reach -that shelf.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must go there and wait," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ascent was not particularly difficult for a man alone, -but burdened as he was with the girl, it was almost impossible. -He carried her up in his arms as far as he could that -way and then set her down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can leave me here," she urged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense; I'll have to take you the rest of the way on -my back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, in the old-fashioned way by which children were -carried pick-a-back, her arms and legs tight around him to -leave his hands free to help him climb, he scrambled up to -the shelf with his burden. It took some time to get her -there, and the labor was tremendous. Although there was -a strange chill in the air, sweat bedewed his brow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was wonderful," said the girl. "I didn't know you -were so strong. No man on the island could have done that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, we shall be safe here," said Beekman. "Look -yonder."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were directly opposite the entrance. As he pointed -seaward the black clouds on the horizon were torn by flashes -of lightning. There was a deep sigh of wind in the air, -and the next moment, with a terrific roar, the strange and -terrible storm broke. Truda shrank closer to the man. She -was still sufficiently a child of nature to be awed by this -display of its terrible force.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's worse than I thought it would be," said Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were still more or less sheltered from the wind, and -conversation was not yet difficult.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must go down again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I forgot Hano."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He tried to kill you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; but he is lying there, bound hand and foot. He -would have no chance at all if the water came flooding in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that the white man's way?" asked the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is the way of the white man's God."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Has He told you to do this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go, then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He kissed her and climbed down the declivity until he -reached the sand. It was already covered. The tide was -at full flood and the wind was now driving into the gulf -with increasing force. The barrier was a mass of white -mist and spray shining eerie and ghost-like against the -black horizon, torn with lightning, fast merging into the -copper-misted sky above.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He must hurry. He scrambled over the rocky promontory -with reckless haste. Hano was lying where he had left -him. The waves were sliding over the little mound of sand -into the hollow. His face was grey with terror. As -Beekman bent over him with the sheath-knife, he shrieked, but -what he feared did not occur. His lashings were cut. -Beekman dragged him to his feet. He pointed to the sea -and upward to the rocks. He took him by the hand and -started to lead him, but Hano broke away and ran in the -other direction. There were ledges of rock there, and, -dumbly and dimly alive to the danger, he chose to go that -way. Beekman followed, but he could not prevail upon the -islander to go with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His own position was becoming precarious. The wind -was beating upon him with amazing power. The waves -were sweeping over the barrier as if it were not there. He -must think of Truda. She would be mad with anxiety. He -even feared she might attempt to descend if he did not -return. He waved his hand at Hano, whom he saw climbing -up the rocks, and turned back to the harbor. As he had -suspected, Truda had started to come down. She stopped -when he appeared, and waited until he joined her. He -brought up what he could carry in his hands of the -provisions which he had stored in the rock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was coming for you. Where is Hano?" asked the girl -as he drew himself up by her side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He climbed the cliff and went the other way. I tried to -bring him here, for this is the better place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is in the hands of his god," said the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As we are in the hands of ours," answered Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned toward her, and for a moment his back was to -the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look," she cried, peering over his shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned his head. What had happened before was -child's play to what met them now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext" id="id1"><span>"My God!" cried Beekman, staring into the white mist, -appalled by what he saw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A wall of water thirty feet high, although, to the man, it -looked to be a hundred, was rolling in from seaward with -the speed of an express train. Its top was curling, the -spray whipping from it, but it was yet an unbroken mass. -The thoughts of men take strange turns in such emergencies. -It reminded him, for a second, of the pictures in -his mother's Bible of the passage of the Red Sea, the waters -a curling wall, concave over the heads of the pursuing -Egyptians, about to break.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it?" screamed the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A tidal wave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The words meant nothing to her, but the voice of the -man told her that there was death in the moving water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whatever happens, don't let go of me," he shouted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stooped and kicked off his heavy shoes, clasped an arm -around the girl's waist. Her arms met around his neck. -He was staring seaward, ready for a plunge. Woman-like, -she kissed him, and then the wave struck the island--wall -of water meeting wall of rock. For a second, Beekman -thought he could feel the massive cliff on which he stood -quivering. The next moment the great bore tore its way -into the harbor. It leaped and surged through the narrow -entrance in a madly foaming, green avalanche. Constricted -by the walls, it rose and rose. He had one glimpse of the -mighty wave towering above his head where he stood fifty -feet above the sea level, and the next moment it broke, and, -with a crash like a thousand thunderbolts, fell upon them.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-indomitable-ego"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE INDOMITABLE EGO</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The crest of the wave was traveling faster than its -middle section, which had been retarded by the land. -That fact, and that alone, saved the lives of the two poor -mites upon whom it fell, for, instead of being dashed back -against the rock wall by the terrific surge of the inward -sweeping sea, the wave curling above their heads struck the -wall a second in advance of the great body of water. It -broke, fell upon them, swept them from the shelf, plunged -them into the depths with such force and violence that it -was the return thrust of the water which finally caught -them--the backward undertow, rather than the inward rush.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beckman had never heard so deafening a roar in all his -life. He had, on one occasion, felt a great superdreadnaught -roll and quiver under the simultaneous discharge of -her own principal batteries under actual service conditions. -It was child's play to this. Not that he had any thought -about it now. He was only conscious of the roaring in his -ears, the awful pressure upon his body, as he was driven -down, down, down, until it seemed as if the bowels of the -earth had opened before him and swallowed him up; as if he -would never be lifted again out of the great deep which -had sucked him under.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He held his breath instinctively, of course, but it seemed -as if his lungs and heart would burst. His whole being was -merged in two frantic desires: to keep on holding his breath, -and not to let go of the woman who clung to him. Mercifully, -although his body had shielded hers, she had almost -lost consciousness. There remained to her only the -desperate instinct to cling. She twined her arms and legs about -him. He drew her closer and closer, although the tremendous -thrust of the sea seemed to be striving to tear them -apart as well as draw them under. Thus linked into a human -warp and woof, they were hurled down and down, out -and out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just when he had come to the conclusion that further -resistance was impossible, that he must breathe or die, or -breathe and die, the two interwoven figures, caught in a -mad whirl of the torrent, were thrown upward. Their -movements were arrow-like in their swiftness; or, better, -they were driven as a stone from a mighty catapult. -Swimming was impossible. There was no effort that could be -made. There was nothing that he or the woman could do -but to cling tighter and tighter. To hold on, that was all!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda's grass petticoats were torn to pieces in an instant. -The water, in its awful churning, stripped Beekman to his -bare skin. It would have torn his shoes off if he had been -wearing them. Nothing that he had ever imagined equalled -the force, the pressure, the stripping, ripping suction; the -driving, beating, thrusting of the sea, unless it was a -full-fledged western tornado. He had met such on the plains. -Of course, these comparisons did not occur to him then. All -he thought of when they were thrown out of the water and -into the spray-laden air, which made seeing difficult, but not -impossible, was to breathe, to breathe quickly and deep so -as to be prepared for the next buffet of fortune.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As soon as he struck the air he opened his eyes. They -were still in the very midst of the deep, cylindrical harbor, -its dark walls seen vaguely through the spray uptossed by -the broken bore. His brain registered impressions almost -faster than the afferent and efferent nerves could carry them. -The swiftness with which the two bodies, still clinging -together, were whirled about in the maelstrom caused by the -introduction of these titanic forces within the narrow -confines of this gulf alone kept them from sinking. Beekman -could not have made a stroke for any reason. He was -incapable even of movement of his own.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the first place, he was so bruised and beaten and -exhausted by the tremendous pressure of the water that -every muscle was almost useless. In the second place, he -could not let go of the girl, even with one arm. He had -held her only by a superhuman effort of will and strength -which must have been met and equalled by a similar -determination on her part. Even to free one hand, meant -parting. It flashed into his mind that death was at hand; that -no human beings could live in such a sea; that the next -second would find them cast beyond the whirling periphery -of the vortex and hurled against the rocks. At least, they -could, and would, die together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet, Beekman suddenly became aware that the harbor -entrance was wider than before. He noticed, too, that the -waters appeared to be receding, although the tumult, for -instance, of the rapids of the Niagara River, was as nothing -to it. The next instant, as if nature had not yet exhausted -her malefic powers, a second earthquake, traveling more -slowly than the wave which the first shock engendered, reached -the island. By chance--or was it God?--the whirling -revolution of the two human beings carried them farthest from -the nearer shore when this last appalling cataclysm of -nature took place. The solid wall before them seemed to -melt away before Beekman's eyes and dissolve into the vague -mist and foam. The sight terrified him perhaps more than -anything else. It benumbed his very soul. Not only had -the foundations of the great deep been broken up, but the -immutable hills themselves were shaking like the sea. Was -it the end of the world, or only the end of Beekman and -Truda?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The quivering transmitted even through the boiling water -seemed to still the wave for a moment. As Beekman hung -poised, almost as a soul might, 'twixt heaven and earth, the -moment the mad action of the water stopped they began -to sink. Then he did strike out feebly, but desperately. The -girl clung to him, half senseless, a perfectly dead weight in -his arms. The great wall of rock before him wavered, bent -forward. It seemed to rise in the air. It slipped downward -with the sound of a mighty rending. Screams as of an -earth in labor pains seemed to fill his ear. He caught a -glimpse of a great rift, beyond which he could see, as no -mortal had ever seen before from where he floated, the palms -of the upland. And then the falling rock smote the water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Being luckily farthest away, and just opposite the -entrance, the great wave which was engendered drove the -two far out to sea. He had time to note, as he swept -through the now strangely widened entrance, that he could -not see a trace of the barrier. The water, which barely -reached its highest point at the highest tide, had completely -buried it. Outside the narrow, enclosed harbor, while the -waves still rolled terribly, the sea was smoother. They did -not break. The force of the surge which had hurled them -seaward being spent, they began to sink again. The -instinct of life was still present, and although every motion -was anguish, Beekman thought it safe to free one hand with -which he continued to strike out boldly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His painful swimming was aimless. Indeed, it was only -the result of a now unconscious determination to keep afloat -as long as strength remained. He must go whither the -waves carried him. By this time Truda had fainted dead -away. Her grasp on his neck relaxed. She straightened -out in the water. He turned her on her back, caught her -long hair, which had been blown out like a flag, in his teeth -and swam on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While it would only be for a few moments, still the spirit -of the race, the indomitable persistence of humanity--that -quality by which at least it has some claim to be -considered begot of Divinity--made him swim on, driven by wind -and sea and tossed helplessly about. He set his teeth more -tightly, shut his eyes, and struck out and out and out. He -would not give up his own life. He would not desist from -the efforts to preserve, even for a few swiftly passing -instants, that life, dearer than his own, which trailed behind -him as he swam.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But he reached the end of his strength. Some instinct -made him open his eyes and lift his head: the old instinct -to die with head up, facing the enemy; not to pass with -averted countenance and in shrinking posture. Before him -he saw something white. He did not know what it was, but -the next moment, in the grinding sway of the sea, it struck -him hard on the shoulder. He had strength enough to -clutch at it ere he went down. It had struck him on the -right arm, and the force of the blow had deprived him of -the use of that vital member. Ordinarily, he could have -swam with one arm, but not now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he clutched the object before him, it occurred to -him that this was the end. He wished that he could have -had another word with Truda; another kiss; but, to his -surprise, he found that he was not sinking. To his brain -came the consciousness that he was touching something -familiar. He looked again. It was dancing and bobbing -in the seas, but he was near enough now to recognize what -brief stay Providence had thrown to his hand. It was wood, -painted white. He saw the boards lap-streaked together. It -presented a strangely familiar look.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Through water-filled eye gate, through numbed arm and -bruised body gate, it told its story to the man's brain. That -he could read the message, was an evidence of his vital force -and infinite determination. A ship's boat, the forward part -half under water, yet riding singularly light. He could not -yet reason as to what boat it was, or how it came to be there, -but the fact was indelibly impressed upon his consciousness. -It meant a further respite from death; another temporary -stay on their dread journey. They were not beaten yet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His right arm was useless. He tried desperately to lift -it, but could not. He thought it might have been paralyzed, -but the pain, when he attempted to move it, suggested to -him that it might be broken. He did not dare to let go with -his left arm, and yet if he did not draw his fainting -companion up on that boat, she would die. They were now -surging far to sea, the reflex of the great tidal wave rolling -them on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could turn his head and see Truda's body half buried -in the water. Still holding the boat, which lay across -him--he had struck it broadside--with his left hand he worked -himself around till the sides running aft embraced him. He -felt about with his foot and discovered at once that the after -part of the boat was gone. He did not yet have wit enough -to determine why the forward part of the boat floated so -far out of water. At any rate, he was in a much better -position for action.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Pulling and swimming, he got himself well between the -two sides, with the bow directly in front of him. Then he -drew himself to the right, and, although the pressure by -which he held himself by hand and shoulder from washing -out of the boat induced the most excruciating pain in his -arm, he dared to release his grasp on the gunwale with his -left hand. Still holding Truck's golden hair in his teeth, -he reached out and drew her forward with his left arm. By -an effort--he never knew how to account for the feat of -strength--he got her to the boat; then, seizing her under -the arms with his left arm, he forced her upon the bow of -the boat until her head lay back upon a little flat platform, -which he soon discovered was a locker, or compartment in -the very eyes of the boat. Thus, himself lying across the -boat, holding himself steady by the pressure of his knee -and back, and the girl lying along the boat lengthwise, her -head on the forward compartment, his left arm holding her, -he knew he had done all that was possible. The pain in his -right arm and shoulder had passed away, leaving a sort of -deadness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a broken thwart just back of him, and he -found that he could relax his pressure a little and sink back -against this jagged piece of wood without slipping into the -sea. It was a good thing, he realized, for the tremendous -thrust of his legs against the unsupported side of the boat -might have torn apart even the frail support that was left.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In all this, Truda had, as yet, made no sign of life. He -was sure that she had not been drowned. He thought the -shock, and the battering, and the terror had rendered her -unconscious. Whatever it was, there was nothing more that -he could do except to hold on in his constricted condition and -wait. He told himself a thousand times that it was useless; -that it would be, perhaps, best in the end to let go, but the -indomitable ego did not sanction that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rising and falling on the seas, he could catch glimpses -of the island. It was so changed by tidal wave and -earthquake that he never could have recognized it. The harbor -was gone. Here and there, when they rose on the crest of -a wave, he could see the barrier reef. A part of it had been -torn away. Where had been a wall was a great concavity -that led upward and inward. The earthquake had done -that. What had it done to the people of the island? He -was too far away by this time to distinguish much except -the general transformation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they floated on, his eye, ceaselessly roving the waters, -caught sight of a brown object rising and falling, tumbling -and turning with the helpless look of a once living thing -driven and tossed. A freak of the sea brought it nearer. -Another freak of the sea turned the brown object over. He -saw that it was Hano, dead. He wondered if all the other -denizens of the island had met a like fate. Of course, the -water could not reach them as it had reached Hano, and -Beekman, and Truda, but the earthquake--then, as he -speculated hazily, the sun suddenly appeared. The black -bank of cloud was riven and torn. Its greater moiety -drifted to leeward, driven by some strange and powerful -wind of the upper air. Fortunately, where they floated -there was but a gentle breeze.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The warmth, the rest, it may be, he knew not what, -revived the woman. She opened her eyes, lifted her head, his -left arm tightened about her. She bent to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is this another world?" she gasped brokenly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not yet," answered the man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did we come here?" Before he could answer, she -cried, "I remember. The wave. What is this?" she asked -after a time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A boat," he answered, and then he knew that it was -the forward half of the wrecked whaleboat which had -brought him to the island, had landed on the barrier, had -been torn from the pinnacles of rock by the same sea that -had overwhelmed them, and which had been thrust into his -hand for their salvation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall die here in the water," said the girl, "but we -shall die together."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think not. God, our God, has preserved us so far. He -has given us this poor support. It can not be that this is -the end."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was almost the end of Beekman, in spite of his brave -words; for, now that Truda was safe and alive, now that -he had achieved the impossible, now that, by God's will and -her lover's help, she had been brought through the -maelstrom, he fainted dead away. His head fell back. His -knees relaxed. His hand unclasped. His arm released her. -But for that broken thwart, he would have slid away and -out of sight. It was Truda's turn. She caught him by -the shoulder. She crouched down on the forward compartment -and held him until consciousness returned. When he -could think coherently, he remembered how he had put the -air-tight tanks back, and he blessed God for having -inspired him to that, at the time, useless action. It was that -air-tight compartment which held them. Truda dragged -his head free of the water and held him there until he -recovered his strength a little. The sharp pain in his arm, which -had been numbed, helped to keep him from fainting again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so they drifted side by side, a naked man and woman, -as they might have come from a Garden of Eden, on the -poor shattered remains of a small boat, their weight -keeping it awash in the long, still rolling, but gradually -subsiding waves, thanking God for life, for that poor support, -and for love. And by and by the night fell, and still -they clung to each other, floating on calming seas, until -presently the boat came to a rest beneath the tropic stars -staring down upon these jettisoned inhabitants of that -island paradise, these bits of human flotsam kept above the -waters by love and God.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="in-danger-all"><span class="bold large">BOOK IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"</span><em class="bold italics medium">I've a neater, sweeter maiden, -<br />In a cleaner, greener land</em><span class="bold medium">"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold medium">CHAPTER XXVI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">IN DANGER ALL</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was, indeed, a solemn little group that was seated -around the table in the great cabin of the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span>. -The dominant spirit of the occasion was not the masterful -financier, the brilliant young executive, or the beautiful -and charming maiden. It was a grizzled veteran sailor who -had called the conference in that section of the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> -which he rarely entered save for business purposes. The -grave anxiety of Captain Weatherby's face was reflected in -the faces of John Maynard, George Harnash, and Stephanie -Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you think the yacht's condition is serious, do you?" -asked Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just about as serious as it could be, Mr. Maynard," -answered the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yet there's not a better built ship on the seas than this," -observed Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Granted," said Captain Weatherby; "she's all that -money and skill and steel and science could make her, but -she's only a manufactured article, after all, and she has -just bucked the biggest thing in nature. That she has come -off as well as she has is a tribute to her builders."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And to her sailing master," put in Stephanie deftly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you hadn't handled her just as you did, none of us -would be here now," added Harnash heartily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's as may be," answered the captain modestly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's the blessing of God and your own skill," commented -Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the captain went on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are here, but the yacht is in bad condition. She is -making water faster than the pumps can keep it down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is there any immediate danger of our foundering?" -asked Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every danger. In fact, it is certain, unless--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain paused.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Unless what?" asked the owner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've sailed with you a long time, now, Mr. Maynard. I -know your temper on land and sea, and that of these young -people, as well. What you want is the plain, blunt truth, -and you're going to get it. Unless I can beach this yacht -somewhere within the next twenty-four hours, send a diver -down, and, if necessary, careen her, and come at the leaks, -she--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He paused again. It was not necessary for him to go on. -His meaning was obvious to all of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In that case, there are always the boats," observed -Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you been on deck this morning, Mr. Harnash?" -asked the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I have."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many boats did you see?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By Jove!" exclaimed Harnash, "I forgot that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said the captain, smiling grimly at his own -sarcasm; "and a landlubber like you, meaning no offense, -sir, wouldn't be apt to notice it, but the deck has been swept -clean. The bridge is still there, and the smoke stacks, -but pretty much everything else is gone. There's not a boat -left at the davits, and even the launch amidships is badly -stove up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A raft?" said old Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's not much woodwork in this boat fit to make a -raft out of, sir," answered the captain, "but I've got the -men at work on the wooden fittings and doors trying to -patch up something."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course, we're not in any immediate danger," said -Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Depends upon what you mean by 'immediate,' Miss -Maynard. The yacht will float for twenty-four hours; -perhaps thirty-six."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, after that, we shall be in God's hands," said the -girl quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a platitude, of course; but, in great emergencies, -humanity always resorts to platitudes. They are familiar; -made to order, as it were; and resorted to as the line of least -resistance. There are certain conventional expressions to -which man instinctively reverts. Men exclaim, "My God!" -in the crisis, even though He be none of theirs and they -have not hitherto known Him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In His hands, Miss, and mine," said the captain steadily -with the assurance of the capable and efficient.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What else have you done or planned?" asked Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've searched for the leak but we cannot locate it. The -hours after the tidal wave were so full that it got a start -on us, but we are keeping the pumps going while working -away at the raft."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course; but that is a last resort."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm driving the ship as hard as I can, too, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In the hope of what?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's an uninhabited island to the nor'west of us; -hasn't even a name that anyone recognizes. I'm heading -for it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you careen the ship there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The charts say that it is completely surrounded by a -barrier reef. It appears to be a volcanic rock about which -the coral builders have been busy. But it is the nearest -land; the only land we can possibly make in our present -condition; and, at least, we won't drown on it. We can save -enough from the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> to support life, and I have no -doubt we can find some means of getting away or communicating -with other ships," continued the veteran sailor -confidently, although he knew, and everyone else realized, more -or less, that the chance of either was very slim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, whatever happens to us, Captain Weatherby," -said Harnash, "I'll never forget my last glimpses of you -on the bridge, jumping the boat at full speed into that tidal -wave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was our only chance, Mr. Harnash," said the captain. -"If that wave had caught us broadside, or even on -the quarter or astern, we would have gone down like a -stone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, no one aboard the ship would ever forget the -approach of that great, roaring, thunderous tidal wave. -No one would ever fail to remember how Captain Weatherby, -as cool as he was at that moment in the cabin, standing on -the bridge, had shifted his helm, had pointed the bows of the -yacht at the rushing, whirling water, had signaled for every -pound of steam, and had driven the great white ship at full -speed fairly and squarely into the midst of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before it broke and fell the three passengers had been -ordered--yes, that is the word, ordered--below. Captain -Weatherby had been prepared to detail seamen, who would -have obeyed him unquestionably, to carry the great magnate -who owned the ship and the other two below if they had -hesitated a moment in complying with his command. He did -not even stop in the emergency to put it in the form of a -request or suggestion. John Maynard knew a man when -he saw him, and without a moment's hesitation, he went aft -and plunged below with the others, just in time, too, for -the hatches to be battened down and every opening through -which the water could penetrate the ship from above as -tightly closed as the wit of man could devise. They would -never forget, either, how they stood close together in the -cabin, waiting the meeting of ship and sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They could not see, but they could feel the appalling -shock of the bows of steel encountering the hurtling water -wall. They could feel the gigantic wave break over the deck -and fall crashing upon the steel ceiling over their heads. -So great was the tumult, so loud the smashing falling of -the water, that they did not hear the rending and tearing -of the upper works of the ship, the boats carrying away, -the deckhouse going adrift, and everything movable swept -astern; and even the screams of some of the men, washed -helplessly away, in spite of the life lines, at which they -clutched frantically, were not noticed in the wild tumult -of the storm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Following the great wave came the short but terrible -cyclonic disturbance, which almost completed their undoing. -It was not until calmer weather supervened and the night -fell that Captain Weatherby could take account of his ship -and of his crew. He deemed it best to say nothing of his -terrifying discoveries until the morning, but at dawn he had -awakened his passengers to the melancholy conference in the -cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was rare, indeed, that John Maynard found himself -helpless. There were few situations to which his readiness, -his resources, his inventiveness were unequal; but this was -one. It was Captain Weatherby's field of action. There -was nothing that Maynard could contribute, except an -example of cheerful willingness to do what he was told -without hesitation and without argument. It was a good -lesson for the master financier, albeit the price he bade fair -to pay for the learning of it might render it of little avail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Captain Weatherby," he said, rising, "as my -daughter says, we are in God's hands, and, as you justly -added, in yours, too. We have every confidence in you that -you will do the best for us that humanity can do under God. -If it should prove of no avail, it will not be your fault. -Meanwhile, this is the first chance I've had to express my -admiration and gratitude. My friendship and respect you -have had for a long time, but never as today." Maynard -extended his hand to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mine, too," said Harnash, following the older man's -example.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie, more moved than the other two, less restrained, -perhaps, slipped her arm about the captain's neck and -kissed him on his weather-beaten check.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As from your daughter at home," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here are brave hearts," said the captain, deeply touched. -"Good stuff in all of you. We'll all fight harder because of -this," he added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment the hatchway was darkened by one of -the junior officers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Captain Weatherby," he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, Mr. Lefner?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We've made out the wreck of a boat adrift off the starboard -bow with two people on her; one of them at least is -alive, for through the glass we can see hands waved."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have a boat cleared away at--" He stopped. He -had forgotten for the moment that there were no boats. He -glanced up at the telltale compass above his head and noticed -the shifting of the needle. The first officer was changing -the course of the yacht to run down the wreck; that would -be the only way. "We are still capable of saving life, -Mr. Maynard, even though it be for a little space. Perhaps you -would like to come on deck. It is safe enough now. I've -rigged up a railing of life lines to take the place of those -carried away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He put his foot on the ladder and mounted to the deck, -followed by the others. Harnash snatched a glass from the -transom as he passed. They knew exactly where to look -for the wreck. It was quite visible to the naked eyes. There -were no glasses on the bridge. It had been stripped clean -of everything by the wave and only stood by a miracle. The -whole party moved up toward the bow of the ship and -mounted the bridge. Harnash handed the glass to Captain -Weatherby. He focused it and fixed his eyes on the rapidly -nearing object, now directly over the bows, since the yacht's -course had been changed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I make out two naked figures on what appears to be the -fore part of a whaleboat. One of them is a woman, sir," he -observed, handing the glass to Mr. Maynard, who stared -and then passed it to the others standing by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ropes to the starboard gangway," said Mr. Gardner, -the first officer, after a word with the captain. "Mr. Gersey," -he spoke to a veteran seaman, who stood forward, easily -balancing himself to the roll of the ship, his arms folded. -Instantly the boatswain turned and saluted. "Stand by the -starboard gangway. Have some hands ready at the battens -with a rope. One of those castaways doesn't look able to -help himself, and we'll have to draw him aboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, aye, sir," he answered, turning aft to the gangway, -followed by the seamen he summoned to his assistance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Although she was already deep in the water and sluggish, -the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> was under complete command. Nicely steered, -she passed the bit of wreck to windward and rounded to. -Her engines had been stopped previously, and just as the -wreck surged to the gangway she came to a rest in the -gently moving sea. Gersey had sent Templin, who had -proved himself one of the smartest seamen on the yacht, -down the battens of the starboard gangway with a rope's -end, in which a bowline had been cast. Standing on the -lower batten with the water halfway up to his waist on -account of the ever-deepening draught of the leaking yacht, -Templin caught the surging boat by the stem and held it -firmly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The woman was sitting crouched down on the forward -lockers, or what remained of them. Templin motioned her -to try the battens. She shook her head and pointed to the -figure of the man, who lay at her feet, his head in the very -bows of the boat, his legs dragging in the water. He was -alive, but apparently helpless. His face was flushed and -his eyes bright with fever. Templin sensed the situation -at once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The lady wants the man passed aboard first," he called out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Gersey nodded. He sent another seaman down to help -Templin, and although the situation was difficult, the two -men worked together intelligently. They passed the bowline -around the body of the man, drew it tight, and the next -moment willing hands aboard ship hauled away, and while -Templin bore the body out so it would not scrape along the -sides of the yacht, the man was soon drawn aboard. The -girl watched without a word, but in great anxiety, until this -rescue had been effected. Then she strove to rise, but she -had been so cramped by sitting so long in that position that -she could not make it. The seamen helped her to her feet -and, half carrying, half urging, they finally got her on the -deck. She had no sooner set foot thereon than she collapsed -and fell in a dead faint. The officers and men were crowded -about the two figures near the gangway, when Maynard, -Harnash, and Stephanie approached.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take the woman to my cabin," said Stephanie. She -turned to her maid, who had also come on deck, as two of -the seamen picked up the fainting castaway and bore her -aft. "Celeste, you and I will look after her, with -Dr. Welch's help."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At your service, Miss Maynard," said the ship's surgeon, -following her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take the man aft to the spare cabin," said Maynard, -as the others moved away. "Dr. Welch, you'd better examine -him as soon as you can. Harnash--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Harnash did not hear. He was bending over the -prostrate man. The man's face was covered with a thick, -short, dark beard and mustache, but there was no mistaking -him. Harnash had been struck by something familiar in his -appearance as the wreck lay alongside, and when he bent -over him on the deck he knew at once who it was, in spite -of his beard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is the man we have been seeking," he said to -Mr. Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good God!" exclaimed Maynard, looking hard in turn. -"Yes," he added, "it's Beekman!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-speechless-castaways"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXVII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SPEECHLESS CASTAWAYS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was broad daylight by this time, and the high peak -of the island was already visible, although low on the -horizon. Ordinarily, the arrival of the castaways would -have been a matter of deepest interest to Captain -Weatherby, his officers and the men on the ship, but under the -circumstances their presence simply meant two more persons -to feed and care for. His owner could look after them. -Indeed, Captain Weatherby had not left the bridge as the -two had been passed aboard, and he had not heard that one -of the persons he had picked up was the man for whom they -had been combing the seas in an exhaustive search of every -island in Polynesia.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was engaged in the desperate task of getting the -sluggish ship to the island, if possible, before she sank. The -existence of that island was charted, but it was marked as -uninhabited, desolate, completely encircled by a formidable -reef and very dangerous. Ships avoided it, giving it a wide -berth. It promised them little. Still, in their condition, -perhaps a very little meant the wide difference--or is it -narrow?--between life and death. A good sailor, like a -good doctor, never gives up entirely until the very end. -While the ship floats she has life, and while she has life there -is hope; but Captain Weatherby was forced to admit to -himself that the amount of hope was very small, indeed; that -is, for the ship, and not much more, he feared, for her -people.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ordinarily, he could have made the run to the island in -half a day. It seemed to him under present conditions he -would be fortunate if he reached it by evening, and yet he -must reach it before dark if he were to save the lives -committed to his care and skill. To make a landing through the -breakers on a reef-encircled island by means of an improvised -raft would be an almost impossible task in daylight, and -under the most favorable circumstances, and quite an -impossible task at night in any sort of sea. Consequently, he -drove the waterlogged </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> as fast as she could be -driven in her condition, his chief engineer ably seconding -him, employing every expedient to keep up steam and to -increase the speed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Weatherby was a resourceful man. He had spent some -years in Cramp's shipyard in Philadelphia, after retiring -from the command of great liners. The love of the sea was -strong upon him, however, and he had been tempted to the -easy and pleasant work of commanding the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> by -the munificent offers of Maynard, who, since he owned the -biggest yacht afloat, was not satisfied with any but the best -captain. Therefore, if Captain Weatherby could find a -suitable strip of sand on which to beach the ship, if necessary -to careen her, he believed that with his carefully selected -force of engineers and mechanics and seamen he could stop -the leak and put her in seaworthy condition again. -However, that was not to be thought of. That desolate, -reef-guarded island toward which they were heading was the only -one they could by any possibility hope to reach, and if the -charts were true, as they undoubtedly were, it would not -afford any facilities whatsoever for such work as would be -necessary. It never occurred to him that the earthquake -which had raised the tidal wave which had wrought their -undoing might have broken the barrier and have changed -conditions at the island, so as to provide him with the beach -he craved. He was simply going to the island, because, when -the ship sank, it would at least enable them to keep alive, -for a little while longer, at any rate. Consequently, he paid -no attention whatever to the pair he had rescued as he put -the ship on her course again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were plenty of people capable of looking after -them better than he. Indeed, to his casual inspection they -seemed to be two islanders, rather fairer of skin than those -whom he knew. He wondered how they came to be where -they were. He had seen that the wreck which had kept them -up was part of a ship's boat and not the remains of a native -vessel. It did, indeed, occur to him that possibly they might -have come from that island for which he was heading, which -might not be uninhabited, after all, but time would soon -settle those problems. In the meantime his duty was clear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman was incapable of recognizing any one. He had -been silent enough in the water, but when they got him on -deck he had begun to mutter incoherently things they could -not understand. Harnash, after his discovery of his identity, -seemed incapable of action. The sight of his friend brought -back vividly his own perfidy, and the desperate condition in -which he saw Beekman to be intensified the swift and sudden -recollection of his own baseness. Mr. Maynard had nothing -with which to reproach himself, of course, and it was he who -first recovered himself and repeated his order that Beekman -should be taken to the cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment Harnash found himself wishing they had -not found Beekman, and for a moment Maynard, in whose -good graces Harnash had become more and more solidly -entrenched, had the same thought; on his young subordinate's -account only, of course. As the days of the cruise -had passed without any tidings of the missing man, and as -the possibilities of their search grew smaller and smaller, -they both became resigned to and in a measure satisfied with -the situation, even if Stephanie had not shared in their -feelings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash had made a grievous error; he had done an -unworthy thing. The consequences had been such as no -one had dreamed of, but Harnash had manfully confessed -and he had done his best to atone. Mr. Maynard could not -be in the presence of Harnash and his daughter without -realizing the depth and permanence of their devotion. It -was deplorable, of course, that Beekman had been sacrificed -to their happiness, but there was no use blinking the facts. -Here was Beekman alive and on the ship. Maynard never -dreamed but that he would at once claim Stephanie for his -wife, and by putting himself in Beekman's position, -Maynard could easily imagine what his feelings toward Harnash -would be when he knew. Whatever happened, Beekman had -to be told if he lived. It was all terribly awkward and -embarrassing and quite an impossible situation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nor was Maynard unmindful of the fact that the naked -man before him, over whom a coat had been hastily thrown, -had been found adrift with a woman. He had no doubt -that some irregular connection had been entered into, or -some sort of relationship had grown up between the -castaways. This woman was presumably a native, but that -would be no ultimate barrier toward Beekman's claim to -marriage with Stephanie. At any rate, the situation, which -had gradually been clearing because they had not found -him, became suddenly more complex than ever when they -did. Both Harnash and Maynard were ashamed of their -feelings, and that very shame, the personal humiliation a -man experiences who has given way momentarily to unworthy -thoughts or impulses, made them more resolutely determined -to do everything in their power for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The yacht carried a surgeon, of course, who messed with -the officers, and was scarcely admitted to any more social -intimacy with the owner and his party than the others. -Dr. Welch had met the party in the gangway, and in obedience -to the suggestion from Stephanie, he had followed her into -the cabin. The maid's cabin was abaft the bathroom and -dressing room, which separated it from Stephanie's luxurious -cabin. There was a spare berth in Celeste's cabin and there -the unconscious Truda was bestowed. The doctor made a -swift personal examination.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's nothing very much the matter with her," he said -at last; "exposure, cold, lack of food or drink, prolonged -nervous strain, and surprise probably account for her -collapse."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He administered proper restoratives, directed that she -be well rubbed down and wrapped in blankets and given -suitable food and drink, and predicted that in a day or -two she would be all right, which, indeed, proved to be the -case.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Remarkably light colored for a Polynesian," he observed -professionally to Stephanie as he turned away to leave his -patient in the care of the two women.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and with a distinctly European cast of countenance," -answered the girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She bent over her as the doctor left the room in obedience -to a summons from Harnash that he come to the other -cabin to look at the other castaway immediately.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie was the exact antithesis of Truda; dark where -the other was fair, brown eyed where the other was blue eyed. -To be sure, Truda's dazzling fairness had been modified by -the sun under which she lived, and Stephanie's complexion -was clearer, if darker, owing to her more sheltered habit of -life, but Stephanie recognized to the full the extraordinary -beauty of the sea nymph before her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda, who had never seen so splendid a brunette, made -the same unconscious acknowledgment as her civilized sister. -The yacht, its sumptuous fittings, the wonderful things -about her, this extraordinary being bending over her in her -unusual clothes, all added to the poor little islander's dismay. -Even Celeste, by no means unpleasing in her trim maid's -dress, was a thing for Truda to wonder over. These were -the women of that other faraway world of which Beekman -had told her. It could not be that in their presence he could -continue to love her, and so Truda, agonizingly jealous, -was afraid. Everything was new and strange; the yacht -itself, the deep throbbing of the hard-pushed engines, the -very bed on which she lay, the expensive furnishings of the -cabins, added to her trepidation and alarm. Save so far as -mental habit and life had been altered by intercourse with -Beekman and what he had taught her, she was still, in -many of her instincts and habits, a savage, and a savage -suddenly and with no warning introduced to the highest -civilization.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fear tied her tongue. She had not said a word. She -would not speak. It seemed to her that she had forgotten -how to use any language but the native speech of the island. -She could only stare in dismay, appalled, silent. Stephanie -had an exquisite voice; low, trained, cultivated. Beekman -had often admired it and her use of it. She was a singer, -and her speaking voice, unlike that of many singers, was as -musical as the other. She bent over the girl and addressed -her in English.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is your name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda understood well enough, but she was utterly -incapable of answering. Her lips could scarcely frame a -Polynesian word, much less an English one. She could only stare -wildly. On a venture Stephanie repeated the question in -French, then in Italian, then Celeste shook her head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She is not of the south, not Latin, mademoiselle," she -said; whereupon Stephanie, summoning the remains of a -brief schooling in the harsh tongue, repeated the question -in very indifferent German.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no answer. That exhausted the linguistic -possibilities of the cabin. Presently the steward appeared with -broth, which the doctor had ordered. The two women, social -differences more or less laid aside with this new and -interesting plaything, had meanwhile covered the nakedness of -the poor girl, who was entirely submissive and unresisting. -in their hands, with one of Stephanie's daintiest and most -beautiful night robes. Save for the grass or fiber petticoat -of the Polynesian, with an occasional grass mat about her -shoulders, Truda had never been so completely dressed -before. She was scarcely dressed in that filmy, diaphanous -adornment; but by comparison it seemed to her that she -was strangely and fully clothed. The lace and linen and -silk had a strange feeling to her, yet she was woman enough -to delight in the beauty of the garment, to marvel childishly -at its color, its softness. She lifted her lovely arm and -stared at the short sleeves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A thought struck Stephanie. At a word from her Celeste -brought from her toilet case a silver mirror. Without -explaining, she suddenly held it before Truda's eyes. The -girl stared, screamed, threw up her hands. There had not -been a still pool on the whole island. She had never seen -herself before. She was frightened, but Stephanie, a little -repentant, reassured her. She held the glass before her own -face, so that Truda could look and see the reflection. She -took the girl's hand and put it upon the glassy surface and -then she put the mirror back in Truda's hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mindful at last of the doctor's orders that the castaway -should have sleep and rest, Stephanie and Celeste left her, -carefully closing the door of the cabin behind them, and, -worn out, Truda fell asleep, the mirror lying by her side, -reflecting a very pretty picture indeed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, Beekman was in a very much worse condition than -Truda. He had done the fighting. Truda had been a -more or less passive instrument in his arms during that -horrible struggle with the tidal wave. Not only had his -been the physical strain, but the mental as well. It is true -that Truda had not been without her share of that mental -strain after Beekman lapsed into unconsciousness a second -time and presently grew delirious. It was Truda who had -held him on the wreck of the boat during the night, who had -kept him from sinking, and who had repaid him in this way -for her life, which she owed entirely to him. It was Truda -who had seen the ship in the growing dawn, who had made -the signals which Beekman could never have made. Had it -not been for Truda's erect position on her knees, the -watchers on the ship might never have seen the wrecked boat -with its human freightage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In addition to all that he had gone through, when -Beekman had been slammed against the boat by a wave his right -arm had been severely injured. It was obvious to Dr. Welch -and the others that Beekman was in bad condition. The -physician made a very thorough examination of him. His -eyes were open, his lips muttered unintelligible things from -time to time, but he was obviously not in possession of his -reason. He knew none of them and could tell no coherent -story. That right arm, especially, attracted the doctor's -attention. The skin was scraped and torn from its upper -half. There was one long bruise. But for the antiseptic -effects of the salt water it probably would have been in -worse condition than it was. Fortunately, the numbness and -pain were caused from muscle strain and muscle bruise, for -it was found that no bones were broken. Physically, so -far as his bones were concerned, Beekman, like Truda, was -intact.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know what happened to them," said Dr. Welch. -"They must have been caught in that wave somehow. They -have both had a terrible battering."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is Mr. Beekman," said Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What, the man we have been seeking?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The same."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, by Heaven!" exclaimed the physician. He recovered -himself in a moment. "I think we'll have him all right -in a day or two. That's a nasty scrape he got on the right -arm. The flesh is torn nearly to the bone, but the salt -water has helped it, and as soon as it heals he will be all -right. He is suffering now from fever brought on by the -exposure. I have no doubt he saved that woman, and for -a man to bring himself, let alone another human being, -through a tidal wave like that--well, what he wants now -is food, sleep, and complete rest. If you gentlemen will -turn him over to me, I'll look after him, and when he -wakes up, I'll guarantee he will be able to tell you all -about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The doctor's advice was good. There was confidence in -his bearing and in his words, which carried conviction to the -two men. They withdrew and sat down together in the -cabin, while the doctor, summoning his mate and a steward, -busied himself with his patient.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Maynard, in anything but a joyful manner, -"our cruise has been a success."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In so far as finding Beekman," was the equally melancholy -answer, "but if the yacht sinks we won't have bettered -his condition appreciably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, of course, not," returned Maynard, thoughtfully. -"Yet, I have great confidence in Captain Weatherby. I -shan't give up hope until I feel her sinking under us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The only thing to be decided now is, shall we tell -Stephanie?" he went on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell me what?" asked the girl, coming into the room -and overhearing the last words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I--er--" Harnash hesitated. "About our castaways, -the man we picked up--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he alive yet? Will he live?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dr. Welch guarantees it," answered her father. "He -has been badly buffeted, his arm is cut and bruised, and he -is prostrated from physical and nervous strain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he conscious yet?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, but Welch thinks he will be when he wakes up. -How about your patient?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's all right. She's conscious and Dr. Welch says that -she only needs nourishment and rest. She's asleep now, I -imagine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who is she? What is she?" asked her father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She didn't say a word. She must be a Polynesian, -although she looks strangely like a European, especially -since we clothed her for the night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't she say anything at all?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a word. She seemed frightened. On a wild venture I -tried her in English, Italian, French, and even German. -She made no response, yet she seemed to understand. -Incidentally, she's one of the most beautiful girls I ever -looked at."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men stared at each other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't your man say anything at all?" asked Stephanie, -no suspicion at all in her mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a thing. He muttered continuously and more or -less unintelligibly, but he is not sane yet," answered her -father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Does he look like a South Sea islander?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He isn't one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is he, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men looked at each other again. Neither answered -the question. Stephanie stared, greatly surprised, and not -in the least understanding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why don't you answer? What is the mystery?" she -asked, obviously somewhat annoyed by their inexplicable -hesitancy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is an American," observed Maynard, slowly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's Beekman," said Harnash.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="they-comfort-each-other"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THEY COMFORT EACH OTHER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The three seekers after Beekman were spared the -necessity for immediate decision as to the telling of the -story they had come so far to relate, for Dr. Welch came -from the cabin on the heels of Harnash's startling revelation -and reported that the patient was already quite composed -and that he would soon be asleep. He guaranteed that he -would awaken refreshed, in his right mind, and, save for -the wound in his right arm, as well as ever. More careful -examination disclosed that the wound was more superficial -than otherwise. It would yield rapidly to treatment, the -surgeon declared. Then having looked at his other patient, -and finding her also fast asleep, Dr. Welch discreetly left -the trio to their own devices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Stephanie, relentlessly, "as soon as -possible he will have to be told that our engagement is -broken, and why."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," added Harnash, mournfully, "and as soon as he -wakes up I shall tell him that I alone am responsible for his -whole sorry plight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the contrary," put in Maynard, sagely, "while I have -no doubt that Welch is right, that Beekman will be much -better when he does come to, yet he won't be completely -himself. It takes more than a few hours of sleep to recover -from such an experience as he must have passed through, -and that torn arm is going to give him some trouble, at any -rate. How he is going to receive both announcements no -one can tell."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He has a just right to be angry with me," said -Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And much more with me," confessed Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a community of responsibility and blame, -which, if anything were necessary, bound the two lovers -more closely together than before, and, in answer to a -common impulse, a human craving for sympathy, they -approached each other to supplement invisible commiseration -with something more tangible. Mr. Maynard looked -away while George kissed Stephanie softly. When Maynard -turned his head back they were standing side by side, -while George was supporting Stephanie, who really needed -no physical assistance whatever, by clasping her firmly -about her waist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never appreciated before as I do now what an infernal -scoundrel I was and what a dastardly thing I did," said -Harnash, in bitter self-scorn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stephanie was too honest and too clear eyed not to -realize the truth of his words. She was too acutely -conscious, however, of a certain share in his guilt, at least -constructively, and too much in love to let him affect -her in the least degree, except, perhaps, to fill her heart -with compassion and tenderness for her lover at the -terrible task imposed upon him. She patted the hand upon -her waist and nestled a little closer to him, if that were -possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We won't go into that any more," she began, gently. -"It was awful, as I have always said, but it was as much my -fault as yours, and you have done everything you could to -atone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash sighed deeply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He may not forgive me for all that," he said, doubtfully; -"I don't see how he can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He must when he knows how you have repented and -what you have done since then," continued Stephanie, firmly. -"Why, if it hadn't been for you and the sailors, father and -I never would have been here, would we, father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Maynard had his own views as to that, but he saw no -reason for obtruding then upon these two lovers. With wise -discretion and ready tact he nodded acquiescently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there is one thing," went on Harnash, repeating -himself, "that he cannot possibly condone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what is that?" asked Stephanie, swiftly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The loss of you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, he can't blame you for that, at least. That's -my fault entirely. I never should have promised to marry -him in the first place. I never should have continued to -let him think I would marry him in the second place. As -soon as I found out I loved you I should have told him. -If I had, what trouble and sorrow might have been -avoided."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This time it was Harnash who attempted to comfort her, -tritely enough, too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You acted for the best, of course," he said. "You were -the soul of honor."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I suppose so. But unless one acts in the right -way, the fact that one's desires are for the best is of little -moment; besides," she went on, after a little pause, which -no one broke, so weighty and grave were the responsibilities -and possibilities of the situation, "I don't believe he ever -really cared very much for me, after all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's impossible," protested Harnash, with a conviction -which was a delight to her soul, "that anybody could come -in close and intimate association with you without--caring."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You say that because you love me, but lots of other men -have known me very well, and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It strikes me that the conversation is becoming rather -purposeless," interrupted Mr. Maynard, a little impatiently. -He had quite forgotten that the airy nothings of lovers -true are much the most purposeful things which can engage -their attention, when they are in the mood. "It is settled -that we shall not tell him until he is better able to sustain -the shock. For one thing, if what Captain Weatherby fears -comes to pass, we shall all be so busy saving our lives that -these love affairs will be of little moment." Again -Mr. Maynard blinked the fact that love affairs are of infinitely -greater moment to lovers even than the saving of life. "Of -course," he went on, "whether he is still in love with -Stephanie or not, Beekman is going to be frightfully indignant -and resentful over the outrage, of which he was the victim. -But we knew that when we started. We knew the -engagement was broken. We knew that you and George had to -face the music, Stephanie, and now that the time has come, -face it, that's all. As for me, I'm going on deck." He -paused at the foot of the companion ladder and looked back -at the other two. "I wonder what sort of a relationship -subsists between Beekman and that woman we picked up -with him," he added as he ascended.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder, too," said Stephanie, turning to Harnash, a -gleam of surprise in her eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would solve everything beautifully if he had fallen -in love with her," returned Harnash, optimistically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What, Derrick Beekman in love with a savage!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well--er--not exactly in the way in which I love you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to tell me he would fall in love any other -way with any respectable woman?" flashed out the girl, -changing her tactics to the great bewilderment of the more -conventional man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I don't wish to say anything about this island -person, of course, but--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"George," said the girl, "she's as beautiful as a dream, -much more beautiful than I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was a statement which Harnash could not allow to -pass uncontradicted, and he denied it in the most effective -way, which interrupted further speech, if only for a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense, impossible!" exclaimed he, when the kiss was -finished.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you get a glimpse of her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I only saw a limp, drenched figure being hoisted aboard. -I noticed she was whiter than the people of the islands we -have visited."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, her skin, save for the touch of the sun, is whiter -and finer than mine. Her figure, which has obviously never -known the restraints of--of--civilization is absolutely -perfect. Her hair is like spun gold, and there's enough of -it to cover half her beautiful little body."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What you say is very interesting," observed Harnash, -indifferently, "but it doesn't particularly concern me. The -only type of woman that appeals to me is your type."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He emphasized this statement in truly appropriate, if -somewhat conventional, fashion, and Stephanie received -statement and emphasis alike with obvious satisfaction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's another thing," she went on, when this second -kiss had also run its course, "she doesn't look in any -way--form or color or feature--like a South Sea islander. In -these weary months of cruising and visiting island after -island we have seen a great many, and not one of them has -been as she."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does she look like?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A European. Our kind of people. She has white race -somehow stamped all over her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think she can be European?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who knows? She didn't answer to any European language -at my command. There wasn't a thing on her save -the remains of a belt that seemed to have held some kind of -a native skirt."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"After coming through that tidal wave the surprise is -not that she had nothing on, but that they were alive at all. -Beekman was in about the same case. Indeed, I don't think -he had anything on, either. Probably the suit he wore when -he went adrift was pretty old and could not stand much -weathering. It was a happy thought of yours to have me -bring some of Beekman's clothes with us in case we did -find him. He couldn't have worn your father's or even mine -now. He seems to have grown broader somehow. He looked -as though he were a head taller than I am and he seemed in -splendid bodily condition."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The girl is shorter than I," said Stephanie, "but on a -pinch she can wear my clothes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If she's an islander you'll find it difficult to get her -into--er--many of the things civilized people wear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shan't try," said Stephanie, smiling at her lover's -sudden hesitancy. "I've got all sorts of negligées and -kimonos that she can wear without--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you can break her into the harness of civilization -gradually," laughed George.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, including shoes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sure she'd never get your dainty slippers on," went -on the fatuous lover, and Stephanie, looking down with him -at her small, exquisitely shod feet, agreed with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Her feet, while they are not large, are larger than mine, -but beautifully shaped, and I dare say they have never been -bound up in a shoe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I feel that this is to be our last happy day," said -Harnash, irrelevantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll hope not," said Stephanie. "Indeed, I'm sure it -won't be."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so they babbled on, forgetful for the moment of all -the facts of the case and the demands of the situation, not -the least of which was Captain Weatherby's firm conviction -that unless he got the ship ashore in a very short time, they -would be adrift on whatever makeshift support they could -compass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It came into Harnash's mind, as he thought of what was -laid upon him, that such a catastrophe might not be the -worst thing to which to look forward. At least, he and -Stephanie would die together, and if contrition, sincere -repentance, and an earnest purpose of confession and -amendment availed, they would be together in some future, -where there might be no giving in marriage, but where there -would be love and joy and the communion of soul with -soul in ways scarcely to be apprehended by poor humanity.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-island-haven"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXIX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE ISLAND HAVEN</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The two patients, aided thereto by the doctor's wise -regimen and skillful prescription, slept quietly on -through the long day. Celeste watched the maiden most -of the time, but she was relieved on occasion by Stephanie, -who did not tire of studying the innocent, charming, and -beautiful face and figure of the girl, so quietly sleeping; -the mirror which had so frightened and fascinated her lying -near to the cheek that it so beautifully reflected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash and Maynard visited Beekman's cabin from time -to time, but his slumber was even more profound. The -doctor found that the nascent fever had been broken, and -that nature, good health, splendid constitution, and the -medicine were doing exactly what he had prophesied they -would.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was late in the afternoon when the yacht drew near -the island. The very best charts of the South Seas were -in the chart room, and Captain Weatherby had mastered all -they told about this unknown, unvisited island. He was -greatly surprised, when the sluggish ship drew near enough -for those on deck to make things out, to find that the -formidable barrier, which was reported on every chart to be -continuous, was obviously broken. They could see the -white water above the encircling reef on either side, but right -in front, opposite what appeared to be a deep circular -harbor, embayed and surrounded by enormous and towering -cliffs, the sea ran smooth!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course, the encircling reef might continue below the -surface without showing above, but after carefully -studying the smooth water through the glass, Captain Weatherby -did not think so. Furthermore, an inspection of the cliffs -that surrounded the harbor showed wide differences of color. -A part of the cliff wall was dark and weather-stained, as -if it had mellowed for ages under the assaults of sun and -wind and sea. Other parts were lighter and the wall sharper. -Points of rock freshly jagged and serrated, as if the -erosions of time had not softened them, rose on one side -where a brook now tumbled down a rather gentle incline -from the upland to the harbor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you make of that, sir?" asked the captain of -Mr. Maynard, who was also examining the island with his -own powerful glass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I know anything about it," was the answer, "it is -freshly broken rock. See how much lighter and sharper it -is to starboard than that black towering mass to port."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What would have broken it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps it was the earthquake."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is more than likely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is still argument about these tidal waves, sir, but -the consensus of the best opinion is that they are caused by -subsea earthquake shocks. Such a shock may have struck -the island, broken the barrier, torn down the cliff wall."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is this the island that has sheltered Beekman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Must have been. There is no other hereabouts."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will be uninhabited, then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's as may be," answered the old sailor, lifting his -glance to take in the upland, which was now clearly visible -through the enormous rift, which looked as if it might have -been made by an avalanche or landslide, and down which -the tumbling, dashing stream of water sparkled like silver -in the light of the declining sun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see any smoke or any evidence of life," observed -Maynard, following his example.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If the charts are true, this island hasn't been visited -in the memory of man, and a ship as near as this one is -would be a sight to arouse the curiosity of any native. They -ought to be on the cliffs watching for us if there are any," -said the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On the other hand, they might think it is some kind of -god or devil and be in hiding."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, we will soon know," said the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean to do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going straight through that dark space where the -barrier is broken, and, if the way is clear, right into that -harbor. Off to starboard there's a stretch of sand. I'll -beach the ship there. It is high tide. We will go on easily. -Then I will send a diver down and see what is to be done. -Have you anything to suggest, Mr. Maynard?" he continued, -turning to the owner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing. The job is yours," answered Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I had a boat I'd send her in ahead to take soundings, -but as it is we must depend upon ourselves. For'ard there," -he shouted, "Mr. Gersey?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, aye, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let two of the best men take soundings with the hand leads."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time everybody on the yacht was on deck, except -the castaways and their watchers. Two leadsmen on either -side leaned far out from the ship and as she swept slowly -through the somewhat narrow opening between the jagged -jaws of the barrier on either hand, they began to heave -their leads. The water shoaled rapidly, but not alarmingly. -Indeed, bottom was the thing that Captain Weatherby -wanted most of all to feel under his water-laden ship. The -engines were stopped. The ship under its own momentum -moved slowly across the lagoon into the smooth, still waters -of the great cylindrical harbor. The deep silence was -broken only by the rippling splash of the bow wave and by -the long-drawn musical calls of the leadsmen in the chains. -So she drifted through the entrance beyond the wall over -which Beekman had so often clambered, and the whole -wonderful harbor burst into view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman would not have known one side of it, for one -side of it was gone. The rocks still rose as of old upon -the other side. The heaven-kissing cliff where he had first -seen Truda in the glory of the morning, still stood, and -the unbroken rocks ran around the left hand, but the other -side was changed. Where the brook had plunged over -precipitous cliffs it now rolled down a long, easy slope, terribly -broken, to be sure, but quite different from the mighty -rampart of old.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The narrow beach whereon he had lain had somehow -been lifted up and extended out at a very gentle angle far -into the harbor. The eye of the captain took it all in. -There was his resting place. His hand sought the -Chadburn signal. The throb of the engines broke the silence. -The man at the wheel put the helm to port. The sluggish -yacht gathered additional way, swung heavily to starboard, -and finally slipped through the shallow seas, glided up on -the sloping sand, and came to a dead stop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Providence had favored the sailor, as it often does and -has done. The </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> was safe, exactly in the position -in which her captain desired her to be. He turned to -Mr. Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The tide is at full flood. We are fast aground. If we -can't make her seaworthy now, I'll forfeit my head."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His eyes sparkled. He gave orders for carrying out -anchors to moor the ship, for rigging tackle, for getting -the diver's uniform ready for an under-water inspection -of the hull; at the same time he directed the capable -engineers, now that there was no more steam needed for the -engine, to turn every ounce of power into the pumps, and, -if possible, to rig others temporarily to clear the ship of -water and keep it down, hoping that perhaps they could -come at the leak from within as well as from without.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was so late in the evening before the ship was safely -moored that it was not practicable for any of her people -to go ashore that night. Captain Weatherby thought that -at low tide the next day the sandy beach would be largely -uncovered and with a very little ferriage they could make -most of the journey on foot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was not the slightest evidence below in the -sumptuous cabin that night at dinner of the sorry condition of -the yacht. Her fittings and appointments had not been -damaged. The napery and silver and glass were shining -as usual under the electric light. The service was as perfect, -the food as delectable, as if the ship was not lying on a -sand bank embayed in a cavernous harbor in front of a -deserted island, leaking; a ship which they might or might -not be able to render seaworthy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was characteristic of the two men and of the young -woman that they all dressed for dinner as was their custom. -And although Beekman and his story and theirs were -uppermost in everybody's mind, because there was nothing -new that could be said about either under the circumstances, -they talked at dinner of other things entirely--the ship, -the probabilities of Captain Weatherby's getting control of -the leak and making the necessary repairs, the island they -would inspect tomorrow, the wonderful adventure they had -gone through. In the middle of the dinner they heard -voices raised in the cabin in which Beekman had been -sleeping. They recognized his own deep tones expostulating -with the steward; they even caught the sound of a little -struggle. In her agitation, Stephanie arose from the table -as the door opened and Beekman, clad in a set of his own -pajamas, stood staring at the party.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stephanie!" he exclaimed. "Thank God!" He made a -step forward. "Just as soon as the steward told me the -name of the yacht and her owner, I couldn't remain in the -cabin. What happy fortune brought you here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We've been searching for you. Thank God, we've found you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And Truda?" asked Beekman, his eye taking in the -cabin and overlooking Harnash, who sat on the opposite -side, his face as white as linen, fingering the tablecloth -nervously. "Truda?" he raised his voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda was awake. At the sound of the voice of the -man she loved she brushed by the scandalized Celeste, and, -clad only in Stephanie's nightgown of diaphanous linen, -she appeared in the doorway with extended arms. Beekman, -who seemed strangely oblivious to the fact that he too was -not arrayed in clothes appropriate to a dinner party, -instantly crossed the cabin and took her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This," he said, "is Miss Truda Van Rooy, two hundred -years ago of Amsterdam, Holland, and--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And today?" asked Stephanie, bewildered beyond -measure and scarce knowing what she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of the island at which your yacht has sought harbor."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="revelations-and-withholdings"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">REVELATIONS AND WITHHOLDINGS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The only acknowledgment Miss Truda Van Rooy -vouchsafed to this amazing introduction was to sink -to her knees by the side of Beekman and press her pretty -lips to his hand. The introduction and the action startled -Stephanie almost beyond the power of expression, but her -surprise was instantly lost in another consideration.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Truda Van Rooy on her native heath, clad only -in a Polynesian petticoat and her native modesty, was -entirely unexceptionably clothed, and no one would give -a second thought to any possible deficiency in her raiment; -but Miss Truda Van Rooy in the luxurious and very up-to-date -cabin of the yacht, her delicate figure clearly discernible -through French lingerie, was an entirely different -proposition. Everyone, even Beekman, was acutely -conscious of the situation except the girl herself. If she -thought about it at all, it would be with a sense of -discomfort begot by unusual draperies. For the rest, she -made a lovely picture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had rebraided her hair, and Celeste's deft fingers -had given a civilized touch to the twisted locks so -gloriously crowning her lovely head. Celeste, herself, more -scandalized or at least less restrained in her horror, stood -in the doorway of the cabin, a picture of nervous dismay. -Stephanie, realizing the situation at last, was quicker to -act. She drew Truda to her feet, interposed her own -person between the girl and the others, and sought gently -to force her back to the room whence she had come; but -Truda opposed this urging with a sudden fierce vigor, -despite her smaller stature and slighter build, against which -the American girl was more or less helpless. An unseemly -struggle was only prevented by a word from Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go with her; I am in no danger," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And who, may I ask, is she?" asked Mr. Maynard as -the three women disappeared in the cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She is the last descendant of a shipload of Dutch -soldiers, sailors, and traders who were cast away on this -island two hundred and fifty years ago, together with some -Polynesians they had picked up and who had lived here -ever since; 'the world forgetting--by the world forgot,'" -he added, the quotation being so exquisitely apt, although -he was not in a poetic mood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And her relation to you, if I may ask?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have held her in as much respect as I have held your -daughter, Mr. Maynard," returned Beekman haughtily, for -the question irked him exceedingly, although he could not -fail to recognize that it was natural and indeed inevitable. -"Until the earthquake and the tidal wave yesterday," -continued Beekman, "the barrier reef completely surrounded -the island. The people on it lived in a sort of cup, crater -of an old volcano, I think; very fertile and beautiful, but -quite hidden from the sea, access to it from the beach being -extremely difficult, almost impossible. The earthquake -changed all that." Beekman had noted through his cabin -ports the situation of the yacht and the havoc wrought -by the awful catastrophe. "Tomorrow I will show you the -island and we will seek for survivors of the catastrophe. -Have any been seen?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"None," answered Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps they have all perished," said Harnash, forcing -himself to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A fitting end for an isolation of two centuries and a -half," said Beekman mournfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how did you come to the island?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a long story," answered Beekman. "I'll tell it to -you when we are all assembled. Meanwhile, if I could get -some clothes--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have only to choose from your own, Derrick," -said Harnash. "At Stephanie's suggestion, when we -started this search for you, we brought along some of your -clothes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good. And this beard--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My man will fix you up," said Maynard. "I'll send -him to you. Are you hungry?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The steward has been feeding me what he thinks is proper."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And your arm?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sore and stiff, but it will be all right in a day or two. -I suppose I should have stayed in the berth, but when I -heard the name of the yacht and caught the sound of your -voices--well, you know. I'll be back just as quickly as I -can dress."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Beekman returned to the cabin half an hour later -he was completely metamorphosed. He laughed at his own -fancy, but from the very complete wardrobe they had -brought him he had chosen to attire himself in the same -sort of a conventional dinner suit as Maynard and Harnash -were wearing. The thick beard and mustache which had -so worried him had disappeared under the deft manipulations -of Mr. Maynard's man. Clean shaven, clothed, in -his right mind, one might have thought that the adventures -of the last year had passed over his head without a -trace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment poor Truda was hard put to recognize -in this new man the one she had loved and who had won -her heart. On her part the change was even more striking, -albeit in a different direction. She was now completely -covered up. With exquisite taste, Stephanie and Celeste -had arrayed her in a soft, rich silken garment of mandarin -blue fantastically embroidered in delicate gold thread, a -product of one of the most famous looms of ancient China. -It was confined about her waist by a sash of cloth of gold, -and fell in loose folds to her feet. The two women had -got stockings on her feet, but the ordinary slipper was -impossible. Soft footwear of Turkish leather met the -situation. The broad mandarin sleeves of the coat, or kimono, -fell back when she lifted her hands, revealing her -exquisitely proportioned rounded arm. The garment was cut -low at the throat and held by a brooch of pearls, and, to -please her fancy, as one adorns a doll or child, Stephanie's -famous pearl necklace was clasped about Truda's warm, -brown neck. From this mass of blue and gold and white -her lovely head with its golden crown rose magnificently. -Poor Truda had been as clay in the hands of the potter. -She had suffered everything silently without resistance. It -had been his will and she was his property. She had -possessed all the beauty of wild and lovely nature before. -Without losing much of that appeal, she now exhibited it -in conjunction with an ancient oriental civilization, albeit -to occidental eyes half barbaric.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Looking not unlike a lamb dressed for the slaughter, -Truda sat by the side of Stephanie, who seemed to the -untutored eyes of the semi-savage not unlike a goddess. -The table had been cleared of all save the after-dinner -coffee and the decanters. Later, Beekman found himself -amazed at the ease with which he took up the customs of -civilization and its refinements after so long and so violent -a break therewith. For the moment he could only stare -at Truda, and she returned the stare with interest. Who -was this radiant creature to whom the delights of color had -been added? he asked himself. Who was this godlike figure -of man in the awesome and yet enhancing raiment? she -questioned. It was not until Beekman smiled and spoke -to her, using instinctively the familiar Polynesian dialect, -that she could catch her breath and feel her heart resume -its beat. He used the Polynesian because somehow it was -more intimate, because he could say in it what he liked to -her without the others being privy to his communication; -and, finally, because he instinctively divined that in her -agitation, which was obvious, her birth-language, which she -had used from childhood, would be more soothing and -agreeable to her. Naturally, his first question was as to -her condition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you feel after all we have been through?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well; and you?" said the girl, and all who listened -so closely never suspected that Truda knew any other -language than that Beekman used, and they were amazed at -the music in her voice, the soft syllables falling through -her lips entrancingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm all right, save for this bruised arm, and that -be well in a day or so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Truda herself struck at him with a question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This beautiful woman. You know her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That seemed perfectly natural to Truda. She had no -idea of the size of the world. All of these godlike beings -must know one another as a matter of course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you love her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did once, but not now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is she the woman you told me of on the island?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you don't take me and keep me," said Truda, suddenly -passionate, her face flaming, "I shall die. You might -better have let me go in the waves yesterday."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman crossed the cabin and stopped by her side. He -laid his hand on her head and turned her face up to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're the one woman for me, Truda," he said simply. -Then realizing his obligations to the rest, he turned to -them. "You will be anxious to know what we were talking -about. I asked her how she was, and she told me she was -well and asked in her turn for my welfare."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was obvious to Stephanie at least that his translation -by no means represented the sum total of the conversation -that had passed between the two, but having her own -ends to serve, like a wise woman, she gave no voice to her -suspicions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, if you feel like it, we should like to hear the whole -story," said Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To begin with," said Beekman, "as George has -probably told you, I guess we had a glass too many on that -last night in New York, although we really drank so little -that I have been inclined to the belief that there must have -been foul play somewhere. At any rate, all I really know -is that I woke up twenty-four hours or so later in the -forecastle of an old-fashioned sailing ship called the -</span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We learned that much ourselves," said Mr. Maynard. -He pressed an electric button on the bulkhead by his side, -and to the steward who answered he directed the boatswain -to be summoned. "Just a moment, Beekman," he said; -"we have an old friend of yours aboard, and here he is," -he added as the weather-beaten, grizzled head of James -Gersey was cautiously projected around the door-jamb. -"Come in, Bo's'n," he exclaimed heartily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant Beekman caught him by the hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you come here, Gersey?" he cried, "and how -are Templin and the rest of the men?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Templin an' some others of us shipped aboard this -yacht, Mr. Maynard makin' the proposition an' Captain -Weatherby bein' agreeable. We wanted to hunt you up, -an' bein' as we'd seed the last of you when we set you -adrift, 'twas thought we know'd more about you than -anybody else an' could be the best help."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wonder of wonders!" exclaimed Beekman. "I guess -your story comes before mine, Mr. Maynard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, to make it short," said Harnash, after a glance -from Maynard, "the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span> caught fire and was -burned at sea. Captain Fish went down with her, refusing -to leave the bridge. The mate's boat was lost. Gersey's -boat was picked up and brought into Honolulu, and from -him we learned the whole story of your adventures on the -ship. As soon as we heard them we decided to search for -you, in the hope that you might have landed on some of -these islands, or have been cast away, which has proved to -be the case, and here we are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know the unfortunate cause of my leaving the -ship?" asked Beekman, his brow darkening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course; we have the log book of the </span><em class="italics">Susquehanna</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I must face a charge of murder when I get back?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You needn't worry about that," said Maynard quickly. -"Manuel made a deposition saying it was in self-defense. -The testimony of the men was added. You'll never hear -from it again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank God for that!" said Beekman fervently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go on with your story."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rapidly and graphically Beekman put them in possession -of the wondrous romance of which he had been a part. -Without reserve he told them everything that had happened, -except one thing--his love for Truda. He suppressed -that most carefully, and Truda, who sat silently listening, -her wits sharpened by love and jealousy, understanding -much more than he or anyone dreamed, noted that fact -with a horrible sinking of the heart. In her simplicity she -could not believe that anyone could love her after seeing -Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, Beekman purposely left out of the conversation -that feature of his life. His relations with Stephanie were -still, to all intents and purposes, what they had been. As -he reflected upon it while dressing, it seemed to him that -she had offered him the greatest evidence of devotion to -him by coming on the cruise to search for him. That any -other motive was back of her action naturally did not occur -to him. He inferred that she was more in love with him -than he had dreamed. He recognized that her presence -added to her claim upon him. It was a situation fraught -with difficulty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was evidence to his own heart of the depth and -sincerity of his feeling for Truda that the presence of -Stephanie only disquieted him, and that even her lovely -perfection did not move him one bit. He could not, -however, as he was a gentleman, blurt out the fact that he no -longer loved her, did not want to marry her, and would -not marry her. Hence the constraint and restraint with -which he told the story. It was a tale sufficiently thrilling -in itself, such as Sindbad the Sailor might have told to -some auditory in the </span><em class="italics">Arabian Nights</em><span>, and their arrival at -that very island after that tremendous, titanic convulsion -of nature which had brought them together, was not the -least wonderful feature of the whole situation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he was finished they questioned him. Especially -were they interested in the history of the people of the -</span><em class="italics">Good Intent</em><span>, whom they had followed into the harbor after -a lapse of two hundred and fifty years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have no doubt that the earthquake shock, which was -sufficient to tear away one side of the island wall and this -harbor, as you have seen--for, before, every side was as -sheer as the side off to port yonder--has wrought -terrible damage to the settlement; but we shall find that out -tomorrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Meanwhile," observed Maynard, "I think we have had -quite enough excitement for the day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And our interest in your story has caused us to forget -the awful strain you have sustained, to say nothing of this -dear girl here," said Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She patted Truda's hand as she spoke, and smiled at -her kindly. She had hoped that in Truda lay the solution -of the tangled relations between Beekman and herself, and -her natural kindliness of heart was thereby intensified. And, -besides, with a thought for her lover, she was glad for a -postponement of the inevitable disclosure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must all turn in," chimed in the wretched Harnash, -thankful for a further respite of a few hours. "Captain -Weatherby will want us out of the ship in the morning, -anyway."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly," said Maynard, with the same thought as the -others. "After another night's rest you will be in better -condition to show us everything we are so anxious to see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Before we separate," continued Harnash, "I want to -tell you, Derrick, that our business affairs are in the best -condition. On your behalf and my own, I have entered -into a business relation with Mr. Maynard. We have been -unusually successful, and our own investments have about -doubled, I think."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's good," said Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll take you in with me and Harnash, who has already -proved invaluable," said Mr. Maynard, "on the same terms, -Derrick, so your future will be assured."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was good news to Beekman, but it was bad news, -too, for it added to the obligations of the engagement. -He put a good face upon the matter, however, and thanked -Maynard cordially.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now we'll bid you good-night," said Stephanie, rising, -Truda following her example.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had extended her hand to Beekman. He had made -no previous effort to kiss or embrace her, of course, -although their engagement would have abundantly -warranted him in such affectionate greetings. Now he took -her hand, however, and kissed it tenderly. Poor little -Truda lifted her face up toward him in turn, but the -necessities of the situation made Beekman turn away, which -added to the girl's heart-break, for she could not know of -the pang his refusal gave him. She could not understand -why the parting that night was so different from other -partings which had taken place on the island. He had -always kissed her before, why not now? It must be because -of this new and glorious woman. She had felt, after the -terrible hazards they had survived, that nothing could -possibly come between them; but that something had was -obvious. She stifled her feelings with the stoicism of a -savage, which is exactly paralleled by the repression of -civilization, and turned and followed Stephanie to her -cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She refused the bed in the cabin. She even shook her -head at the luxurious sofa opposite, which was offered her. -She piled some cushions on the floor, divested herself of -her clothing, as was her primitive habit, drew a rug over -her as a concession to the civilization she was dimly -beginning to comprehend, and at once feigned sleep. So also -did Stephanie, and the two women lay awake a long time, -waiting with anxious hearts for the day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of the two, Truda was the sadder, because she thought -she was losing her lover; while Stephanie, in spite of her -anxiety, was confident that things would work out right -in the end for all of them.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="vi-et-armis"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXXI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">VI ET ARMIS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The next morning Captain Weatherby was glad indeed -to be rid of his passengers. His divers had already -found the leak. It was now his opinion that the broken -plate could be replaced and the leak made tight, or -controlled, until they could get to a dry dock in some civilized -port, without careening the ship. If all went well, in two -days the </span><em class="italics">Stephanie</em><span> would be ready to leave the island. Of -course they would have to get her off the sand, but she had -been so beached that with the numerous crew she carried -the captain could improvise a cofferdam and dig her out, -if necessary, although that would naturally be the last -resort. It was probable that ground tackle and her own -extra-powerful engines would do the trick. Meantime there -was much work for all hands, and the idlers were better away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After breakfast, which was a trying meal for Truda, -since she had no knowledge whatever of the utensils and -equipment of civilization, the two women and the three -men, accompanied by Dr. Welch, who had pronounced both -patients well on the way to recovery, but who thought best -to keep them under observation while he visited and -examined the island from a scientist's point of view, were ferried -over on an improvised raft to the strand, whence they found -it not a difficult climb to the upland.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Horrible indeed had been the destruction by the storm -that had followed the earthquake. What had been a -paradise was now devastated. A few of the animals -were still alive, but not a single human being was seen. -The little settlement was in ruins. Every house had -been leveled to the ground. A deep crevice had opened -in the basic rock. It ran underneath the ruin of the -church. Beneath the great heaps of stone on either -side of this gulf they could see the crushed bodies of the -islanders. It was easy to reconstruct the scene and to realize -what had happened. The storm had given them plenty of -warning. It was of so unusual a character that they had -had an abundance of time to choose their places of shelter. -Moved by such a mental stimulus, as can easily be imagined, -they had chosen to assemble in the taboo house. The taboo -had been broken, anyway. The god was angry with them. -This was the form of his punishment. What was more -natural than that they should turn to him? Perhaps they -had some idea of prayer; it may be some lingering remains -of Christian faith, which would have led them to assemble -in the church in time of peril, had been added to the -consciousness that the taboo was broken. At any rate, the -men, women, and children all of them had crowded into -the church. It was the largest and most substantial of -all the buildings, and the earthquake had thrown it down -upon them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The huge rift that had been opened in the island had -engulfed many of them, evidently. Whatever the case, -not one of them was alive. The rift had divided the ruin -into two parts. Most of the people evidently had remained -near the door. Old Kobe's body was found in the opening -in the rail, his hand stretched out to the broken altar upon -which the mouldering cross still stood. They found the two -precious books without much difficulty, and that was all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Truda had disappeared. She presently rejoined them, -clad in her usual way in one of the grass or fiber petticoats -which she had resurrected from one of the houses of the -women which had not been completely demolished. She -had laid aside the light garments which Stephanie had put -on her, and she seemed a different woman. They noticed -it, of course, but made no comment. And now Dr. Welch, -easily realizing that the friends would rather be alone, -made his excuses and wandered away, out of hearing, at any -rate, while he busied himself in observation and interesting -studies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll have Captain Weatherby send a party of men to -clear this away and give the bodies decent burial," said -Maynard, breaking the solemn pause.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's good," observed Beekman; "I was about to -suggest it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, there's nothing further to do here," said Stephanie. -"Let's go back to the yacht."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Before we go," broke in Harnash, "I've got something -to tell you, Derrick, and the best place and time is here -and now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The moment had come!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I also have something to tell all of you," answered -Beekman, realizing that he must settle his affairs sooner -or later, and his natural temperament inclining him to -sooner rather than later. Stephanie knew perfectly well -what Beekman had to tell. She had not seen him and -Truda together without becoming entirely aware of the -state of affairs, but Beekman had no idea of the -communication Harnash intended to make. He looked at him -as he spoke. "Good God, old man, what's the matter?" -he burst out. "You're as white as the spray yonder."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've a confession to make, and I want to tell you before -I make it that I do it of my own free will. After you know -what I've done, you will hardly believe that, but Mr. Maynard -and Stephanie can both testify to that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can," said Maynard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we do," added Stephanie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"George, I don't know how to take this tone from you. -I've always found you strictly honorable. Your word has -always been your bond. And your friendship has been -beyond price. You can't have anything very dreadful to -confess, I imagine. It can't be money, because you just -told me about the investments."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish to God it were," said Harnash bitterly. "I'd -rather be branded as a thief than--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A dawning suspicion flashed into Beekman's mind. Why -had he never thought of it before? His face changed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it?" he demanded. "Speak out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You wondered how you were shanghaied and I was not. -Well, I--I did it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I had it done, that is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, and Woywod?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was a boyhood friend. He would do anything for -me. It was through him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By God!" cried Beekman passionately, forgetting everything -else as his life on that hell ship came back to him, -as he recalled the brutal bullying and the miseries that he -and all the other men had endured, and that last terrible -scene in the cabin, which had stained his hands with the -blood of man; and that it was in self-defense did not make -the stain any less vivid. "You--my friend--the best -man--at my wedding!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Harnash, by a magnificent display of courage, kept his -head erect and forced himself to look squarely into -Beckman's eyes. Maynard watched the two men with a curious -interest as he might have watched a great dramatic climax -in a play. Stephanie was fearfully concerned, yet she was -proud of her lover, for in an utterly impossible position -no man could bear himself with more courage and more -dignity than Harnash exhibited then.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said, "you can't say anything to me that I -haven't said to myself. You can't characterize my conduct -more bitterly than I have done."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Damn you," cried Beekman, his quick temper entirely -uppermost, and before anyone could say a word or interpose -he leaped upon Harnash. He had only the use of his -left hand, but with that he struck him a fearful blow on -the side of his face. "When I think of all you made me -suffer," he continued, "I could kill you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I call heaven to witness, and you all," cried Harnash, -the blood flaming in his cheek beneath Beekman's hand, -"that I sustain this blow not because I fear but because I -merit it. You see that Beekman's right arm is helpless; -I could kill him if I would, but I deserve it." He turned -his face toward his friend. "Strike again," he said, with -sublime, almost heroic, purpose; but Beekman's hand fell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What Harnash said was true. The two were not equally -matched. Under ordinary circumstances Beekman was the -stronger, but now the advantage was with the other man. -"I couldn't strike a second time a man who won't strike -back. If you would fight me I'd kill you with one hand. -Why did you do it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now it was Stephanie's turn. She interposed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because I loved him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And our engagement?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would have carried it through. I refused to tell you -the truth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What truth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That I loved George and that he loved me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you made love to my promised wife behind my back, -did you?" cried Beekman, the scorn and contempt he infused -into his words fairly scorching Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I loved her before you did," protested the other, "but -I never said a word to her. I never sought anything from -her until--until--I--"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Until I let him see that I didn't care for you, except as -a friend, and that I did care for him," put in Stephanie -deftly again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I begged that I might tell you the true facts of the -case," said Harnash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And again I refused," said Stephanie. "I knew that -marriage was my father's wish. It had been arranged with -your father. I believed that you loved me. There was no -other way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And did you know that he intended to do this?" asked -Beekman in his rage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, by God, that's too much," cried Harnash. "That's -an infernal shame. You can insult me, but you can't insult -her, Beekman!" He stepped forward with clenched fist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Strike one blow. I beg you to do it," taunted Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mr. Maynard interposed between the two men and -held them apart, for now Harnash, as angry as the other, -would have struck him. Beekman had lost some of the -advantage of his position by his implied charge against -the woman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't know it," answered Stephanie quickly, "but if -I had I might have--the temptation--you didn't love me, -did you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did then, but not now," answered Beekman scornfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah," said Stephanie, quickly and greatly relieved, "I -thought so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you had only come frankly and told me the state of -affairs, how much trouble would have been avoided," -continued Beekman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Stephanie, "we see that now; but, on the -other hand, you wouldn't have won the heart of the woman -you do love," she continued boldly, staking everything on -her guess.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the first moment in the interview that Beekman -had given a thought to Truda. Instinctively he turned to -look for her. She had been standing near by, listening. -She had made out, with her imperfect knowledge of -English, only that these two men were quarreling over this -woman. It intensified her conviction that Beekman must -love this glorious woman. There was no place in his heart -for her. Outside his heart there was no life possible for -her. Her people were all gone. The island was a ruin. -There was but one course left her. She stole softly away -and presently began to run.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, the earthquake and storm had overthrown the clump -of trees which hid the little amphitheater on the top of the -cliff, still intact, whence Truda and her forebears for so -many years watched the open sea, and the long path was -clearly visible from where they stood. They could see her -bright figure, outlined against the gray rocks, running -toward the brink. Of what she would do there, no one, of -course, could be sure, but in Beekman's mind flashed a -suspicion which grew to a certainty. He forgot Stephanie; -he forgot Harnash; he forgot his wrongs--he forgot -everything but that far-off flying figure!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My God!" he cried, "she thinks I don't care. She'll -throw herself over the cliff."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without a word, he tore over the debris-encumbered path, -and without a second's hesitation the others followed. Even -Stephanie gathered up her skirts and ran like Camilla -over the ground. Dr. Welch, happening to turn at the -moment, saw them and followed also. As he ran, with -deadly fear in his heart, Beekman shouted after her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda," he cried. "Stop! for God's sake, wait!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the first intimation the others had received that -she understood English. But Truda ran on. She heard his -voice, indeed. She partly comprehended his appeal, but it -seemed to her that it was only in pity that he called. She -was possessed by a certain panic terror, a certain wild -jealousy, a certain horrible despair. She could never be -like that glorious creature over whom the men quarreled -as men have quarreled since time and the world began. -Even if he did love her, he could never love her long. There -was a passionate abasement in the swift comparisons she -had been making since she had been brought on board the -yacht. It was no use. She must go on. And not only did -her own misery impel her flying feet, but some vivid -considerations for his happiness. She was not of his kind. -She was only a savage islander. She only realized it since -she had been picked up by the yacht, because she had never -before had any standards of comparison. Thus, in spite -of the second that her heart gave to his appeal for the -moment, she ran on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beekman stumbled and fell. He fell on his wounded arm, -opening the wound again. He lay half-stunned for a -moment, and by the time he had struggled to his feet the -others had joined him. The race was lost. Truda had won. -The little group around Beekman could see clearly into the -amphitheater which Truda had entered. She stepped to -the edge and glanced down. The sheer fall of perhaps five -hundred feet would kill her instantly. It had been her -purpose to fling herself from the brink without a moment's -hesitation, but, like Lot's wife, she was fain to take one -look backward, one glance of farewell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, God!" cried Beekman, stretching out his left hand, -the only one he could move, to the little figure posed against -the sky in all its golden brilliance as he had seen it when -he had lain upon the sand, a castaway, the first morning on -that island. He thought and they all thought she would -go over without hesitating, but she looked back. That -backward look was her salvation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quicker witted than any, and realizing from her own -womanly intuition what was in her sister woman's mind, -Stephanie saved the day. As Truda's head came around, -Stephanie took the boldest and most astonishing action of -her whole life. There, in plain view of Truda, she struck -Beekman full in the face with her clenched fist, and before -anyone could stop her she struck again and again. She -rained blow after blow upon him. She was a vigorous -young woman, and in her excitement she had no idea of -the power which her frantic excitement gave to her blows. -Beekman, half-dazed from the other fall, and weakened -from loss of blood from the reopened wound in his arm, -was too astonished for resistance. Indeed, the first blow -was enough. Instinctively, as one blow succeeded another, -he threw up his arm vainly and then went down fairly -under a mighty thrust into which she put all the force -of her body. Indeed, she almost leaped upon him as he -staggered backward. She recovered her balance with -difficulty as Beekman fell a second time. He cut his head -on a rock as he went down, and lay there with his arms -outsprawled, senseless. As he did so Stephanie stepped -forward with uplifted foot as if to stamp upon him. The -next moment, Harnash, thinking her mad, clasped her in -his arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop, stop," he cried. "What has he done to you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was the only way," screamed Stephanie, hysterically. "Look!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, and not until then, did they appreciate the -meaning of her action. It was plain to the jealous heart of -Truda. She had seen the first blow and the second. She -had seen her lover go down. She saw him lying there. -What was this woman doing? How dared she lift a hand -against Beekman? Had he been killed? Rage--hot, -savage, passionate--filled Truda's heart. There would be -time enough to die later. Meanwhile she must teach this -woman a lesson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>More swiftly than she had fled, she turned from the cliff -brink and came bounding down the path, and yet there was -some joy in her heart. Whatever Beekman might feel for -this woman, it was obvious that she regarded him with -scorn. But it was mainly murderous resentment that filled -Truda's soul. Her face was transformed. It was -convulsed with passion, with anger, with savage rage. There -might have been some infiltration, some slight strain of -Polynesian blood in this woman. She was aflame to defend -her lover, with the spirit of the lioness sacrificing her life -for her cub. In fact, the passion in her face was appalling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father," cried Stephanie as she approached, "don't you see?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was Maynard who caught the island girl in his arms. -It was he who held her firmly, despite her frantic struggles, -while Stephanie approached, with Harnash holding her -tightly, but to protect her from assault, because now he -knew why she had done it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I only did it to stop you," she cried. "He loves you, -not me. This is the man I love. Don't you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The passion faded out of Truda's face. She did indeed -understand. She had been blind, mad to have doubted her -lover. A great anxiety came into her face. She stared -down at Beekman in agonized contrition and alarm. Her -heart almost stopped at what she saw. Mr. Maynard -released her, gave her freedom. She knelt down by her -lover's side. She lifted his head in her arms and laid -it against her breast. She called to him passionately in -every language with which she was familiar. She -pressed her lips to his lips, to his face, to his bleeding -forehead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dr. Welch now came up with the party. Fortunately, -he had brought a flask with him. A few drops restored -Beekman to consciousness. He opened his eyes and gazed -into Truda's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truda!" he said, struggling to a sitting position. -"Thank God, you came back to me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this woman?" asked Truda, looking up at Stephanie. -"Do you love her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She would have the truth from him, not from Stephanie -or any other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forgive me, Stephanie. I love only you, Truda."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But when you go back to that other world of which -you told me, and I am there, alone?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will love only you," he answered in a voice which -carried conviction even to Truda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She bent over him and laid her face in his hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It strikes me," said Mr. Maynard, "that you haven't -come out so badly, after all, Beekman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Beekman. "Harnash, it was a--it wasn't -a--pleasant--thing you did, but now that I love Truda, -I can understand. We'll say no more. Let's forget it and -be friends again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you forgive me?" asked Stephanie, kneeling by -his side, while Truda jealously raised her arm as a barrier. -Stephanie laughed. "I won't touch him," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What shall I forgive?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That violent assault of a moment since," she said as a -deep flush spread over her face. "It was the only way to -let her see we were nothing to each other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was a very effective way," said Beekman, his native -humor coming to the rescue. "George," he said, extending -his hand to his friend, "let me give you a piece of advice. -Take a few boxing lessons before you take this lady for -your wife."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>BY THE WORLD FORGOT</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46600"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46600</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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