Part 26 (2/2)
For hours his contorted and hideous features lay grinning back at those in the stern of the little boat, until Jane Porter could endure the sight no longer ”Can you not drop his body overboard, Williaered toward the corpse The two reht in their sunken orbs
Futilely the Englishman tried to lift the corpse over the side of the boat, but his strength was not equal to the task
”Lend me a hand here, please,” he said to Wilson, who lay nearest him
”Wot do you want to throw 'im over for?” questioned the sailor, in a querulous voice
”We've got to before we're too weak to do it,” replied Clayton ”He'd be awful by to sun”
”Better leave well enough alone,” grumbled Wilson ”Weof theAt last he realized the fellow's reason for objecting to the disposal of the dead man
”God!” whispered Clayton, in a horrified tone ”You don't otta live? He's dead,” he added, jerking his thumb in the direction of the corpse ”He won't care”
”Co toward the Russian ”We'll have soet rid of this body before dark”
Wilson staggered up ly to prevent the contemplated act, but when his comrade, Spider, took sides with Clayton and Monsieur Thuran he gave up, and sat eying the corpse hungrily as the threeit overboard
All the balance of the day Wilson sat glaring at Clayton, in his eyes the glea into the sea, he commenced to chuckle and mumble to himself, but his eyes never left Clayton
After it became quite dark Clayton could still feel those terrible eyes upon him He dared not sleep, and yet so exhausted was he that it was a constant fight to retain consciousness After what see his head dropped upon a thwart, and he slept
How long he was unconscious he did not know--he akened by a shuffling noise quite close to him The moon had risen, and as he opened his startled eyes he saw Wilson creeping stealthily toward hi out
The slight noise had awakened Jane Porter at the saave a shrill cry of alarm, and at the same instant the sailor lurched forward and fell upon Clayton Like a wild beast his teeth sought the throat of his intended prey, but Clayton, weak though he was, still found sufficient strength to hold the maniac's mouth from him
At Jane Porter's screa the cause of her alarm, both men crawled to Clayton's rescue, and between the three of them were able to subdue Wilson and hurl him to the botto and laughing, and then, with an awful screaered to his feet and leaped overboard
The reaction from the terrific strain of excite and prostrated Spider broke down and wept; Jane Porter prayed; Clayton swore softly to himself; Monsieur Thuran sat with his head in his hands, thinking The result of his cogitation developed the followingin a proposition he made to Spider and Clayton
”Gentlemen,” said Monsieur Thuran, ”you see the fate that awaits us all unless we are picked up within a day or two That there is little hope of that is evidenced by the fact that during all the days we have drifted we have seen no sail, nor the faintest sht be a chance if we had food, but without food there is none There remains for us, then, but one of two alternatives, and we ether within a few days, or one must be sacrificed that the others ?”
Jane Porter, who had overheard, was horrified If the proposition had coht possibly have not been so surprised; but that it should come froentleman, she could scarcely credit
”It is better that we die together, then,” said Clayton
”That is for the majority to decide,” replied Monsieur Thuran ”As only one of us three will be the object of sacrifice, we shall decide
Miss Porter is not interested, since she will be in no danger”
”How shall we knoho is to be first?” asked Spider
”It may be fairly fixed by lot,” replied Monsieur Thuran ”I have a number of franc pieces inthem--the one to draw this date first from beneath a piece of cloth will be the first”