Part 27 (1/2)

”I shall have nothing to do with any such diabolical plan,” hted or a shi+p appear--in time”

”You will do as the majority decide, or you will be 'the first' without the forly

”Come, let us vote on the plan; I for one am in favor of it How about you, Spider?” ”And I,” replied the sailor

”It is the will of the majority,” announced Monsieur Thuran, ”and now let us lose no ti lots It is as fair for one as for another That three may live, one of us must die perhaps a few hours sooner than otherwise”

Then he began his preparation for the lottery of death, while Jane Porter sat wide-eyed and horrified at thought of the thing that she was about to witness Monsieur Thuran spread his coat upon the bottom of the boat, and then from a handful of money he selected six franc pieces The other two men bent close above him as he inspected them

Finally he handed them all to Clayton

”Look at thehteen-seventy-five, and there is only one of that year”

Clayton and the sailor inspected each coin To thehtest difference that could be detected other than the dates

They were quite satisfied Had they known that Monsieur Thuran's past experience as a card sharp had trained his sense of touch to so fine a point that he could almost differentiate between cards by the mere feel of them, they would scarcely have felt that the plan was so entirely fair The 1875 piece was a hair thinner than the other coins, but neither Clayton nor Spider could have detected it without the aid of a micrometer

”In what order shall we draw?” asked Monsieur Thuran, knowing from past experience that the majority of le prize is so--there is always the chance and the hope that another will draw it first

Monsieur Thuran, for reasons of his own, preferred to draw first if the drawing should happen to require a second adventure beneath the coat

And so when Spider elected to draw last he graciously offered to take the first chance himself His hand was under the coat for but a ers had felt of each coin, and found and discarded the fatal piece When he brought forth his hand it contained an 1888 franc piece Then Clayton drew Jane Porter leaned forith a tense and horrified expression on her face as the hand of the roped about beneath the coat Presently he withdrew it, a franc piece lying in the palm For an instant he dared not look, but Monsieur Thuran, who had leaned nearer to see the date, exclaimed that he was safe

Jane Porter sank weak and treainst the side of the boat She felt sick and dizzy And now, if Spider should not draw the 1875 piece she ain

The sailor already had his hand beneath the coat Great beads of sere standing upon his brow He treue

Aloud he cursed hi taken the last draw, for now his chances for escape were but three to one, whereas Monsieur Thuran's had been five to one, and Clayton's four to one

The Russian was very patient, and did not hurry the man, for he knew that he himself was quite safe whether the 1875 piece came out this time or not When the sailor withdrew his hand and looked at the piece ofto the bottom of the boat Both Clayton and Monsieur Thuran hastened weakly to examine the coin, which had rolled from the man's hand and lay beside him It was not dated 1875 The reaction from the state of fear he had been in had overcoh he had drawn the fated piece

But now the whole proceeding ain Once more the Russian drew forth a harmless coin Jane Porter closed her eyes as Clayton reached beneath the coat Spider bent, wide-eyed, toward the hand that was to decide his fate, for whatever luck was Clayton's on this last draw, the opposite would be Spider's Then William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke, reht pressed within his palht see it, he looked at Jane Porter He did not dare open his hand

”Quick!” hissed Spider ”My Gawd, let's see it”

Clayton opened his fingers Spider was the first to see the date, and ere any knehat his intention was he raised hied over the side of the boat, to disappear forever into the green depths beneath--the coin had not been the 1875 piece

The strain had exhausted those who remained to such an extent that they lay half unconscious for the balance of the day, nor was the subject referred to again for several days Horrible days of increasing weakness and hopelessness At length Monsieur Thuran crawled to where Clayton lay

”We must draw once more before we are too weak even to eat,” he whispered

Clayton was in such a state that he was scarcely master of his oill Jane Porter had not spoken for three days He knew that she was dying Horrible as the thought was, he hoped that the sacrifice of either Thuran or hith, and so he ireed to the Russian's proposal

They drew under the same plan as before, but there could be but one result--Clayton drew the 1875 piece

”When shall it be?” he asked Thuran