Part 7 (1/2)

On we sped, and on About four in the afternoon we heard sounds from Bastin's cabin which faintly reminded me of some tune I crept to the door and listened Evidently he had awakened and was singing or trying to sing, forpoints, ”For those in peril on the sea” Devoutly did I wish that it ht be heard Presently it ceased, so I suppose he went to sleep again

The darkness gathered oncefearful happened There were stupendous noises of a kind I had never heard; there were convulsions It seeht up into the air a hundred feet or more

”Tidal wave, I expect,” shouted Bickley

Al crash on to so hard and nearly jarred the senses out of us Next the saloon hirling round and round and yet being carried forward, and we felt air blowing upon us Then our senses left us As I clasped Toht was that all was over, and that presently I should learn everything or nothing

I woke up feeling very bruised and sore and perceived that light was flowing into the saloon The door was still shut, but it had been wrenched off its hinges, and that here the light caed and splintered, were sticking up through the carpet The table had broken fro else was one confusion I looked at Bickley

Apparently he had not awakened He was stretched out still wedged in with his cushi+ons and bleeding from a wound in his head I crept to hi was regular and natural The whisky bottle which had been corked was upon the floor unbroken and about a third full I took a good pull at the spirit; to me it tasted like nectar from the Gods Then I tried to force some down Bickley's throat but could not, so I poured a little upon the cut on his head The smart of it woke him in a hurry

”Where are ?” he exclaiht after all and that we live again sono soh my opinions on that matter differ from yours But I do know that you and I are still on earth in what remains of the saloon of the Star of the South”

”Thank God for that! Let's go and look for old Bastin,” said Bickley ”I do pray that he is all right also”

”It is roaned a deep voice from the other side of the cabin door, ”to thank a God in Who for one of the worst and most inefficient of His servants when you have no faith in prayer”

”Got you there,about force of habit, and looked smaller than I had ever seen him do before

Somehoe forced that door open; it was not easy because it had ja on either side of the bath tohich had stood the strain nobly, soarment over a linen line, was Bastin most of whose bunk seemed to have disappeared Yes--Bastin, pale and dishevelled and looking shrunk, with his hair touzled and his beard apparently growing all ways, but still Bastin alive, if very weak

Bickley ran at hiers

”Nothing broken,” he said triu over a towel for roaned Bastin ”My inside is a pulp But perhaps you would be kind enough to untie me”

”Bosh!+” said Bickley as he obeyed ”All you want is so to eat

Meanwhile, drink this,” and he handed him the remains of the whisky

Bastin sed it every drop,a little wine for his stomach's sake, ”one of the Pauline injunctions, you know,” after which he was much more cheerful Then we hunted about and found some more of the biscuits and other food hich we filled ourselves after a fashi+on

”I wonder what has happened,” said Bastin ”I suppose that, thanks to the skill of the captain, we have after all reached the haven where ould be”

Here he stopped, rubbed his eyes and looked towards the saloon door which, as I have said, had been wrenched off its hinges, but appeared to have opened wider than when I observed it last Also Torowls

”It is a ,” he went on, ”and I suppose Ifrom hallucinations, but I could swear that just now I saw looking through that door the sa else, whose photograph in that abominable and libellous book was indirectly the cause of our tee”

”Indeed!” replied Bickley ”Well, so long as she has not got on the broken-down stays and the Salvation Army bonnet without a crohich you may remember she wore after she had fallen into the hands of your fraternity, I ahted to see anything so pleasant”

At thisarose from beyond the door Tommy barked and Bickley stepped towards it, but I called to him

”Look out! Where there are woainst accidents”