Part 5 (1/2)

Close by the rudder-post stood Cigole, looking with all the rest at the gathering storm His face was only half turned, and as usual he watched this with only a furtive glance, for at times his stealthy eyes turned toward Brandon; and he alone of all on board did not seeht

Suddenly a faint, fluttering ripple appeared to the southward; it came quickly: it seemed to flash over the waters; with the speed of the wind it moved on, till a quick, fresh blast struck the shi+p and sighed through the rigging Then a faint breathing of wind succeeded; but far away there rose a low reat distance, whose roar, subdued by distance, sounds faintly, yet warningly, to the ear

At this first touch of the te voice of its approach, not a as spoken, but all stood mute Brandon alone appeared not to have noticed it He still stood with folded ar at the island

The roar of the waters in the distance grew louder, and in the direction from which it ca flood advanced nearer in myriad-nu to the charge, tossing on high its crested heads and its countless foa to bear down all before it

At last the tornado struck

At the fierce blast of the storroaned, the waves rushed up and dashed against the side

At that instant Cigole darted quickly toward Brandon, and the moment that the vessel yielded to the blow of the storainst him Before Brandon had noticed the stor over the rail and helplessly into the sea--

”--liquidae projecit in undas Praecipite to the rail, and instantly shrieked out:

”Man overboard!”

The startling cry rang through the shi+p The captain turned round with a face of agony

”Man overboard!” shouted Cigole again ”Help! It's Brandon!”

”Brandon!” cried the captain ”He's lost! O God!”

He took up a hen-coop fro it into the sea, and a couple of pails after it

He then looked aloft and to the south with eyes of despair He could do nothing For now the stor furiously through the waters with the speed of a race-horse at the touch of the gale On the lee-side lay the sand-bank, now only three miles ahose unknown shallows made their present position perilous in the extreme The shi+p could not turn to try and save the lost passenger; it was only by keeping straight on that there was any hope of avoiding that lee-shore

All on board shared the captain's despair, for all saw that nothing could be done The shi+p was at the mercy of the hurricane To turn was impossible If they could save their own lives noould be as much as they could do

Aent the shi+p--away, farther, and farther, every led in the waters

At last they had passed the danger, the island was left behind, and the wide sea lay all around

But by this tiht; the shi+p could not ale, fled to the northwest far out of its right direction

CHAPTER IV

SINKING IN DEEP WATERS

Brandon, overwhel in the rush of the waves, shrieked out a few despairing cries for help, and sought to keep his head above water as best he could

But his cries were borne off by the fierce winds, and the shi+p as it careered