Part 2 (1/2)

By the time the ”Lavinia” was in the streae fairly begun, Cabot had learned that his new acquaintance was a bride of but a few hours, having beento the captain of that very steamer She had hardly made this confession when her husband, temporarily relieved of his responsibilities by a pilot, came in search of her and was duly presented to our hero His name was Phinney, and he so took to Cabot that froer found himself lonely or at a loss for occupation

As he had never before been at sea, the voyage proved full of interest, and his intelligent questions received equally intelligent answers fro man but a few years older than Cabot, and an enthusiast in his calling

Up Long Island Sound went the ”Lavinia,” and it was late that night before our lad turned in, so interested was he in watching the hts that were pointed out by his new acquaintance The nexther way amid the shoals of Nantucket Sound, after which came the open sea; and for the first tiht of land Halifax was reached on the following day, and here the steaht

The capital of Nova Scotia marks the half-way point between New York and St Johns, Newfoundland, which na to pronounce as do its inhabitants--Newfund-_land_--and after leaving it the shi+p was again headed for the open across the wide mouth of the Gulf of St Lawrence Thus far the weather had been fine, the sea s had occurred to break the pleasantdistant sails, the tell-tale ss of sluggishlyof porpoises about the shi+p's fore-foot, the wide circling overhead of gulls, or the dainty ski just above the wave crests of Mother Carey's fluffy chickens

”Who was Mother Carey,” asked Cabot, ”and why are they her chickens?”

”I have been told that she was the _Mater Cara_ of devout Portuguese sailors,” replied Captain Phinney, ”and that these tiny sea-fowl are supposed to be under her especial protection, since the fiercest of gales have no power to hared and twisted out of their original shape,” re Mother Carey!”

”That is an easy change cohed the captain ”For instance, I once put up at an English seaport tavern called the 'Goat and Coiven in Cromwell's time, had been 'God Encompasseth Us' Almost as curious is the present name of that portion of the Newfoundland coast nearest us at this minute It is called 'Ferryland,' which is a corruption of 'Verulainal owner, Lord Baltiland In fact, this region abounds in queerly twisted nainally French Bai d'espair, for instance, has become Bay Despair Blanc Sablon and Isle du Bois up on the Labrador coast have been Anglicised as Nancy Belong and Boys' Island Cape Race, which is aluese discoverer Cape Spear was Cappo Sperenza, and Pointe l'A part in conversations of this kind both Cabot and Mrs

Phinney, ere the only passengers now left on the shi+p, kept a sharp lookout for icebergs, which, as they had learned, were apt to bethe afternoon of the last day they expected to spend on shi+pboard, a distant white speck dead ahead, which was at first taken for a sail, proved to be an iceberg, and from that moment it atched with the liveliest curiosity Before their rapid approach it developed lofty pinnacles, and proved of thewhiteness, save at the water line, where it was banded with vivid blue It was exquisitely chiselled and carved into dainty for rivulets that ran down its steep sides and fell into the sea as miniature cascades So wonderfully beautiful were the icy details as they were successively unfolded, that the bride begged her husband to take his shi+p just as close as possible, in order that she ratify her every wish, Captain Phinney readily consented, and the shi+p's course was slightly altered, so as to pass within one hundred feet of the glistening ainst a dark bank of fog rolling heavily in from the eastward

Both ca cae of their finders, but just as the best point of vieas reached, and when they were so near that the chill of the ice was distinctly felt, Cabot discovered that he had exhausted his roll of filust, he ran aft and down to his stateroom, that opened froe As he entered the rooet at his dress-suit case that lay behind it

Recklessly tossing the contents of the case right and left, he had just laid hands on the desired object and was rising to his feet when, without warning, he was flung violently to the floor by a shock like that of an earthquake It was acco and rending At the same time the shi+p seemed to be lifted bodily Then she fell back, apparently striking on her side, and for several h of a heavy sea

In thefuriously to open his stateroo that his utmost efforts failed to move it The steel deck beams overhead were twisted like ands, the iron side of the shi+p was cruh it were a sheet of paper, and with every doard lurch a torrent of icy water poured in about the air port, which, though still closed, had been wrenched out of position With a horrid dread the prisoner realised that unless quickly released he an to kick at it with the hope of san to kick at it with the hope of s one of its panels]

With his first effort in this direction there came another muffled roar like that of an explosion, and he felt the shi+p quiver as though it were being rent in twain At the same moment his door flew open of its own accord, and he was nearly suffocated by an inrush of steah this, the bewildered lad finally reached the stairs he had so recently descended

In anotherfor breath and vainly trying to discover what terrible thing had happened

Not a hu was to be seen, and the forward part of the shi+p was concealed beneath a dense cloud of stea over it like a pall Cabot fancied he could distinguish shouting in that direction, and atteain the point from which it see in the deck, froh it were the crater of a volcano

Then he ran back, and at length found hi with his pocket knife at the lashi+ngs of a life raft; for he realised that the shi+p was sinking so rapidly that she e to the bottom at any moment

Fivethe sides of its wooden platform, while it spun like a stor the spot where the ill-fated ”Lavinia” had sunk

CHAPTER IV

ALONE ON THE LIFE RAFT

Anything less buoyant than aof two steel cylinders stoutly braced and connected by a wooden platform, would have been drawn under by the deadly clutch of that swirling vortex No open boat could have lived in it for around and round with dizzy velocity, was sucked doard until it was actually below the level of the surrounding water But, sturdily resisting the down-dragging force, its wonderful buoyancy finally triumphed, and as its rotary azed about him with the air of one who has been stunned

He was dazed by the awfulness of the catastrophe that had so suddenly overwhelmed the ”Lavinia,” and could form no idea of its nature Had there been a collision? If so, itelse had been in sight when he went below Yet it was incredible that such a thing could have happened in broad daylight