The Island Bride — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

64 CAST AWAY. | in hand, our hero sprung to the edge of the platform, ready to uppose him, when he suddenly wheeled round and struck out for the shore! Surprised by this maneuver, Harmon was still staring at the receding figure, when his shrill ern cry rung far.slong-the, waters! “ Sharks! sharks!” shouted the man, & the top of his voice ; “a whole school of ’em bearing down upon us! swim for your lives—swim for the beach! They’ll be upon you be- fure you can get to the raft! Weldon looked around him in every direction, but coald see nothing of the dreaded: monsters. The man had either made a mistake or had purposely raised a false alarm, in order to save the young sailor’s life. Whatever may have been ihe cause of the outery, it is certain that -it was successful in frightening the other swimmers. Panic-stricken—their eyes protruding from their sockets—their hair fairly bristling on their heads, they turned at once and struck out for the beach. “ Surely this is an interposition of Providence!” cried Min- nie, throwing herself upon her husband’s bosom, with tears of joy in her soft. eyes. ‘“ And -yet,” she added, glancing around her, “I can see nothing of the sharks.” “The man probably made a mistake,” said Weldon. “T think he was deceived by the twilight shadows quivering yon- der among the ripples. . And now,” he continued, glancing at the sail, “the wind has freshened, and we will be far away from those rascals before they think of making another attempt to reach us,” They watched the receding swimmers until they were swal- lowed up in the deepening shadows; then Weldon continued to ply his paddle, while his little wife, seizing another, play fully assisted him. Soon after, the moon came up, lighting the sea and the beau- tiful shores of the island. “ How far are we from the land ?” inquired Minnie. “ About half a league!” he answered. “ da less than an hour we will be as far from it as I care to go.” When the time he mentioned had expired, he threw down his paddle. ~ “ There, my little wife,” said he “we are now about.a league and a half from our island and I must try to keep } | : conmiciooks, com