Part 38 (2/2)

We were astonished at the ease hich the spar was lifted It was an iave was enorave us in poe paid for in distance; as th, that th of rope I heaved in The tackle dragged heavily across the rail, increasing its drag as the spar arose more and rew severe

But when the butt of the top caht have known it,” I said iain”

”Why not fasten the tackle part way down the ested

”It's what I should have done at first,” I answered, hugely disgusted withoff a turn, I lowered the mast back into the water and fastened the tackle a third of the way down from the butt In an hour, what of this and of rests between the heaving, I had hoisted it to the point where I could hoist no ht feet of the butt was above the rail, and I was as far away as ever fro the spar on board I sat down and pondered the proble jubilantly to ht to make the tackle fast at the point of balance And e learn of this will serve us with everything else we have to hoist aboard”

Once again I undid allthe mast into the water But I miscalculated the point of balance, so that when I heaved the top of the mast cahed and said it would do just as well

Instructing her how to hold the turn and be ready to slack away at command, I laid hold of the mast with my hands and tried to balance it inboard across the rail When I thought I had it I cried to her to slack away; but the spar righted, despite ain I heaved it up to its old position, for I had now another idea I rele block affair-and fetched it

While I was rigging it between the top of the spar and the opposite rail, Wolf Larsen cas, and, though he could not see, he sat on the rail out of the way and followed by the sound all that I did

Again instructing Maud to slack away at the windlass when I gave the word, I proceeded to heave on the watch-tackle Slowly the les across the rail; and then I discovered to my amazement that there was no need for Maud to slack away In fact, the very opposite was necessary Making the watch-tackle fast, I hove on the windlass and brought in the mast, inch by inch, till its top tilted down to the deck and finally its whole length lay on the deck

I looked atsorely, and I felt extrele stick of ti's work For the first tihly realized the extent of the task before us But I was learning, I was learning The afternoon would show far more accomplished And it did; for we returned at one o'clock, rested and strengthened by a hearty dinner

In less than an hour I had thethe shears Lashi+ng the two topth, at the point of intersection I attached the double block of the le block and the throat-halyards the tackle To prevent the butts of theon the deck, I nailed down thick cleats Everything in readiness, I made a line fast to the apex of the shears and carried it directly to the windlass I was growing to have faith in that windlass, for it gave me power beyond all expectation As usual, Maud held the turn while I heaved The shears rose in the air

Then I discovered I had forgotten guy-ropes This necessitated uying it fore and aft and to either side Twilight had set in by the time this was accomplished Wolf Larsen, who had sat about and listened all afternoon and never opened his alley and started his supper I felt quite stiff across the shtened up with an effort and with pain I looked proudly atto shoild with desire, like a child with a new toy, to hoist so with my shears

”I wish it weren't so late,” I said ”I'd like to see hoorks”

”Don't be a glutton, Hu, and you're so tired now that you can hardly stand”

”And you?” I said, with sudden solicitude ”You must be very tired You have worked hard and nobly I am proud of you, Maud”

”Not half so proud as I a ht in the eyes for a , treave ht, I know not why, for I did not understand it Then she dropped her eyes, to lift the

”If our friends could see us now,” she said ”Look at us Have you ever paused for a moment to consider our appearance?”

”Yes, I have considered yours, frequently,” I answered, puzzling over what I had seen in her eyes and puzzled by her sudden change of subject

”Mercy!” she cried ”And what do I look like, pray?”

”A scarecrow, I'led skirts, for instance Look at those three-cornered tears And such a waist! It would not require a Sherlock Hol over a ca out seal-blubber And to cap it all, that cap! And all that is the woman rote 'A Kiss Endured'”

She made me an elaborate and stately courtesy, and said, ”As for you, sir-”

And yet, through the five minutes of banter which followed, there was a serious so underneath the fun which I could not but relate to the strange and fleeting expression I had caught in her eyes What was it? Could it be that our eyes were speaking beyond the will of our speech? My eyes had spoken, I knew, until I had found the culprits out and silenced them This had occurred several times But had she seen the clamour in them and understood? And had her eyes so spoken to , tre more which words could not describe And yet it could not be It was impossible Besides, I was not skilled in the speech of eyes I was only Humphrey Van Weyden, a bookish felloho loved And to love, and to wait and win love, that surely was glorious enough for ht, even as we chaffed each other's appearance, until we arrived ashore and there were other things to think about