Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 187 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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eo 33 Fred Halyard, the Life Boat Boy. ee all Beach City. time to waste.” **T am not dressed for rowing,’ returned Howard, his face va.ing, while he switched his boot nervous- ly with ..is cane. “T’. {nd you an outfit. Isit yesorno? You can take your choice. If you want to be shown up as a blustering voward I’m your man.” A fierce change came into Howard’s face, **T never backed down yet, for man or beast,’ he cried, “Tu row, if you dare keep me company.” “What is all this whispered conference?” asked Mr. ty Camp, BA stepping up. His daughter looked on with a pale face. She had ary some of the words of the kers. “Tt only means that we are a hand short in the life boat, and that this gentleman has volunteered to pull an oar,"’ Fred explained. “What madness is this, Will?’ “There is no madness about it,” said Will, with a pale face, but in an energetic tone. ‘‘ They want an oarsman, andl don’t go back of any man in hand- an oar.”’ ** But this is tomfoolery. Your life can’t be risked in that manner. It is too valuable to be thrown away.” * That’s the notion we've all got,’ remarked Fred, resolutely. ‘There's half a dozen valuable lives to berisked. This man can swim as well as I can, for i’ve seen him at it.’’ His lip curled scornfully as he alluded to Howard’s feat of the previousday. ‘He will have an equal chance with me, and what more has he a right to?” “But heisagentleman! A ema ere “So am [ a gentleman,” returned Fred, curtly. “* And as for wealth—it’s not money against money now, but man against man. Are you coming, sir? The boat is ready to launch.”’ There was a covert threat in his words that cut Howard to the quick. He turned toward his friends. Rose was looking beseechingly in his face, too much agitated to speak. He da not risk the tale that would be set afloat; that he had insulted a stranger in a tipsy brawl, that he had accepted a a and had then feared to meet his antagonist half- way. He would not have Rose Darlington know this for the world. There are men whose mental cowardice is stronger than Soest pa He turned again to Fred, say- y: ng on, Wherever you dare go I dare follow.”’ There was more than bravado inthis. Will How- ard was not without a sort of athe though it might be the bravery of the corne do , and he. saw a chance of ng capital among friends asaman of mettle,if he should come successfully through this exploit. ‘‘They would hardly venture out ne thought there was great risk,” he said to himself. | “ But, father!” cried Rose, earnestly, as the two young men walked away together, * this is a ter- rible risk They will be drowned! Will you not stop em ”’ ‘*T dare not, Rose. It would never do to obstruct the movement of the life boat, And Will Howard did not trouble himself much when he left you to be drowned.”’ ** But that was—” rr “The act of a coward, Rose, Say no more about Rose became deathly pale as she saw the group thered about the boat, which now stood, r for unching, on the beach o ite the wreck. She could hardly recognize Will Howard's form among the crew, he was s0 c ed by the rough water- proof dress which Fred found for him, In fact her eyes seemed to fix themselves more closely on the tall slender form by his side. Had he not saved her life yesterday? Could she avoid dread- ing his peril apg Come, Fred, I’m afraid of your fresh-water sailor,’’ said Harry Bains, with a glance of disdain at the fair-taced, mustached landsman. ‘Better let him slide. I have a volunteer here who has smelt salt water."’ ** All right,” returned Fred. ‘‘He can back down if he will.” But there was that in his tone which Will Howard hardly liked. He felt, moreover, that he had gone too far now to recede. His heart trembled within him as he looked upon the tumbling surf, but he an- swered haughtily enough: **Tf the life boat goes out, I go out with it. There is no back down in the Howard blood.”’ Mf Bains looked at him with an instinctive ad- ration. “There is something in blood, after all,’’ he mut- tered. ‘*The fellow will pull through all right.” Yet it was a desperate a> gage that lay before this devoted crew. The wind had lulled slightly, and the roar of the breakers had lost some of its ter- ror, yet every heart ceased for a moment its pulsa- tions as they saw the boat forced headlong into the wild waters, and beheld the oars rise and fall like clock-work in the ae breakers. The light craft was hurled like a feather on the to of vast breakers. It sunk asif to the bottomless pit in the boiling din of the waters. Now it seemed ut- terly lost. Nowit rose again ona newbillow. And the flerce waves dashed overit asif bent on utterly destroying the daring boat which had thus boldly invaded their domain. ut still the oars rose and fell like clock-work. Still the erect form of the youthful coxswain rose through the dying foam, keeping the boat unchang- ably head on to the waves. th suspended breath the spectators watched this slow and perilous passage, fearing every minute to see the crew hurled into the drenching brine. But irom the vessel came eries of joyful encouragement Yes or no, at once. There is no a a - e - to the brave boatmen imperiling their lives for them. Fred did not lose sight of the face of Will Howard, in his vigilant duty of meeting the successive billows prow on, and giving the sea no ventage ground in its conflict with his stanch craft. . He saw the face of the amateur life-boatman grow paler and paler, as he realized the fearful danger, which he had not before ee understood. He saw his tip tremble, though he still manfully kept time with the oars of his hardier comrades. “Who cares if old ocean is emptying her wash- tub?” cried Fred, cheerily. ‘‘ We've all been through a worse boil than this, and not flinched an inch. Stick to it, my hearty; if you catch a crab now you'll be responsible for seven funerals. But I’ve got a better opinionof you. I saw that there was the blood of a man in you, or you should never have a ed over our gunwale.” s cheering address restored to Will Howard some of the courage he was fast losing. He set his lips firmly, and grasped the oar with renewed energy. “TL will show you what a gentleman can do when he is put to it,” he exclaimed, with a nervous en- ergy. "Wind I'd sooner prove you a man any day than prove you a coward,”’ returned Fred. “There's cowards to spare in the world, but no waste stock of men.”’ During this brief colloquy the life boat continued its perilous sage. It was now in the very roar and rage of the breakers. One false stroke, one uiver of the helm, and it would be all up with the aring oarsmen, The waves raged above and around them like rampant tigers, watc for the least weakness of their adversary to rend him into fragments. But still the life boat resolutely faced them, cut- ting through orriding over their white crests, still the oars rose and fell, forcing the boat forward through the turmoil of the waves. Though at times it seemed buried in the breakers, yet it always rose again—inch by inch, foot by foot, forcing its way out through the an sea. And Will Howard thoroughly justified his boasted mastership of the oar, for not a man of the crew rowed with a steadier and more orous stroke. The blood of the young man was fully roused. It was do or die between him and the sea. And he would die rather than show the white feather to that scornfully-smiling figure at the helm. And now a shout went up from the shore which was audible to the oarsmen even nst the fury of the storm, and which was echoed from _ the deck of the wrecked vessel. For the life boat had passed the line of the breakers, and had reached the stiller waters on the lee of the wreck. An involuntary cheer went up from her crew, as they felt her yielding like a mettled steed to their oars, and as the waves ceased to pour in flerce tor rents over her stanch sides. ** Hurra, ae We've won the belt!’’ cried Fred in irrepressible excitement. “One—two—three—and we are there!”’ The boat surged up under the Tee of the wreck, in waters almost unaffected by the outer turmoil. In a moment she was made fast, and in a moment more her crew were on the careening deck, bearing a line from the shore. “By all that’s good, you're a man—sound and solid!’’ cried Fred, seizing the hand of his late an- tagonist. “I knew it was in you! You can tread on me now, if you want, and I won't kick.”’ Howard led proudly, as he returned Fred’s grasp. -_--- CHAPTER X. THE LIFE-OAR SERVICE. Tr was no easy footing on the deck of the strand- ed barque. She lay at an oblique angle’ to the line of the beach, her head fo so deeply into the sand of the bar that the bow was quite under water, while the stern was lifted almost clear of the waves. This brought her deck to a steep slope that rendered footing very precarious on the drenched and — pery planks. The crew had gathered near the stern, where they were sheltered from the fury of the gale, the waters rushing in swelte torrents over the forward portion of the vessel, but only the flying 7 vid reaching their post of vantage. But there was another r, evidenced by the pn ae of the barque as every successive wave struck her exposed stern. With each billow she slightly lifted, her bow setting more firmly in the sands. As the waters rolled under and away she sunk again into the trough of the sea. But the fix- ed prow resisted this movement, and the whole weight of the after part of the barque bore upon the midship line, which threatened soon to part under this unceasing and violent leverage. As the life boatmen sp on deck they were greeted with a cheer from lately-desponding crew. “Take hold, for your lives!"’ cried the captain. ‘“‘Tt’s slippery footing aboard the poor Triton, and the chap that slips into that devil’s yeast below there is a dead goose.” Harry 8s sprung toward him, and grasped his extended Raat “clin to the same rope by which the captain sustain s foo ting. ‘“* Keep a stiff upper lip, captain,” he exclaimed. ‘“We will fetch you all safe ashore; and if your ship’s gone, there’s more in port waiting for a sound commander and a ready crew. How many men have you?” “*There are fifteen of us left, counting some pas- sengers,”’ replied the captain, a stout, red-faced, muscular-looking man. ‘“‘The sea has nabbed two or three. You saw poor Gil Bowline go under—as good a seaman as ever furled topsail.”’ “Pull out the life-car, lads,’’ s out H cheerily. ‘*There’s no time to lose. With a w now, boys. Where do you hail from, Cap?’’ “From Havre, touching last at Liverpool. This is ae barque Triton, in the French and New York trade.’ ‘* And what is your cargo?”’ ‘““We have some -goods, leathers, and fancy stuffs. But the bulk of our cargo is English iron.” ‘“*T thought you had a heavy strain a ‘ls Harry gravely replied. ‘‘The Triton won’t stand it long.” **No,”’ said the captain, shaking his head dubious- ly. ‘“‘lam sadly afraid she'll part.”’ ‘* Cheerily there, men! Cheerily ho!’’ yelled Harry. " p her out, boys! Rip herout! We have no time to play now.’ nder their strong arms the life-car shot rapidly through the breakers. The ship's crew assisted in the duty, bracing themselves ainst mast and shroud, and at every point that afforded firm foot- ne In a few minutes it was pulled in over the eck. “* Send your passengers ashore first, Cap,”’ cried Harry. ‘ Avast there, you lubbers, or Yl be shot if I don’t split your heads!’’ he ejaculated, as several of the seamen were about to install themselves in the car. ‘* We’ll have no shirking, here; and the man that don’t obey Se ag me if we won't leave him to play ship-master by himself. Trot out your passengers, “a The captain designated two gentlemen, who clung to the alter-rail, a middle-aged and a young man, their faces blanched almost to the whiteness of the foam that swept by them. Fred looked into their pallid visages with a rising contempt, as he lent the elder man his hand to as- sist him to the life-car. He could not comprehend 4 fear s0 abject as that which seemed wo affect em. “The car will hold another,’ he remarked, after the two passengers had been deposited within it. ‘* Who shall it be?”’ Several men started forward, but the captain sternly ordered them back, enforcing his orders by grasping a marlinespike in his vigorous right hand. ‘**You take the place, Jack Bunce,” he called out. “Every cur that shows the white feather shall wait till the last, and if a man among you mutinies, shoot me if I won’t knock him into the breakers.”’ The men drew back on hearing this flerce, deter- mined threat. They knew better than to disobey their captain when his blood was ‘*Send some one else, sir,’ said Bunce, a tall, handsome seaman. ‘Jack Bunce was never yet the first to fly his craft.” ‘*Now, none of your rascally airs, Jack. Orders and it’s every seaman’s duty to must be obeyéd, obey them.”’ Without another word Jack walked forward and placed himself in the car, though his face showed great dissatisfaction with the performance. The close cover of thecar was shut and fastened on the three men stretched lengthwise within its narrow limits. Their mem ae came through several holes pierced through t cover, which were pro- ae th raised borders to prevent the water from entering. ' A al being now given to the shore, the car was launched overboard and drawn rapidly through the surf, dozens of hands ping the shore rope, while its progress was steadied by a gradual paying out of line from the wreck. Through the fierce surf it went; now buried out of sight; now jerked clear of the water. A shout of exultation arose as it passed the danger-line and was hauled rapidly up upon the sands. pre and again the car was hauled to the wreck and left it with its freight of livingsouls. Again and again it came safely to land, though not always with equal success. For more than once the waters pene- trated to its interior, and half-suffocated the in mates. And once it overturned in the surf, filling instantly with water. With the greatest possible rapidity it was haled ashore, the cover loosened and the water emptied. But its three inmates were, to all appearance, drowned. They had been for several utes im- mersed in the deadly brine. Efforts were at once made to resuscitate them, while the life-car was ain sent out to the wreck. e number of persons on deck were now reduced to the captain and mate, two seamen, and the crew of the life boat. Of these all had been busily en- gaged in the duty of handling the sea-line of the car, except Fred, who was occupied in signaling the shore under direction of the captain. Wilbur Howard alone was idle, standing by the after shrouds, where he had stationed himself on first coming aboard, and to which heclung witha nervous gripe. His face was pale and his lip trem- bling, though he strove to hide these evidences of dread under a haughty expression. He would not have acknowledged it for the world, but he had had quite enough of life-boat service in his outer trip, and could not help but fear that raging sea, which roared and tumbled in such foaming terror past. ** She is lifting more and more astern, Cap,”’ said Harry Bains. “It was almost a death-groan she Nats after that last raise. We must make time or e hulk will part under our feet.” The life-car had just come aboard and been open- ed. Simultaneously another immense wave ro in, lifting the bark on its lofty brow. It rolled away inward, and in its place yawned a vast gulf, the whole after part of the vessel seeming to stand, for a moment, free from her watery bed. She settled downward with an alarming oreak, a - books (EIN MCE (E@)