Part 5 (2/2)

He was a first-rate swith and all his skill to save hi death

Encumbered by his clothes it was still more difficult, yet so fierce was the rush of wind and wave that he dared not stop for a les in order to divest hi

At first, by a mere blind instinct, he tried to swih by any possibility he could ever reach her again, but the hurricane was against him, and he was forced sideways far out of the course which he was trying to take At last the full possession of his senses was restored, and following the shi+p no longer, he turned toward the direction where that sand island lay which had been the cause of his disaster At first it was hidden from view by the swell of waves that rose in front, but soon rising upon the crest of one of these he perceived far away the dark form of the coffin-shaped rock Here then before him lay the island, and toward this both wind and wave iht, and it h to th, but in his efforts he ht not be able to reach even the western extre else to do but to try

Resolutely, therefore, though half despairingly, he put forth his best strength, and struggled manfully to win the shore

That lone and barren sand-bank, after all, offered but a feeble chance for life Even if he did reach it, which was doubtful, what could he do? Starvation instead of drowning would be his fate More than once it occurred to hiive up all efforts and let hiht of those dear ones aited for hiht of the villain who had thrown hireater villain who had sent him out on his murderous errand He could not bear the idea that they should triueance should not be taken from him; it had been baffled, but it still nerved his arle, which seeht hith was alht in the rush of the waves, and clinging to him, confined the free action of his liht Another half hour's exertionhim to the shore, but that exertion hardly seemed possible It was but with difficulty now that he could strike out Often the rush of the waves from behind would overwhelm him, and it was only by convulsive efforts that he was able to surain his breath

Efforts like these, however, were too exhaustive to be long continued

Nature failed, and already a wild despair caer he had continued his exertions; and now the island was so near that a quarter of an hour th was now no longer possible Faintly and feebly, and with failing li heart, he toiled on, until at last any further effort seemed impossible Before him was the mound which he had noticed from the shi+p He was at the western extre carried in such a direction that even if he did struggle on he ht be borne helplessly past the island and out into the open sea Already he could look past the island, and see the wide expanse of white foaht weakened what little strength was left, and ly he looked around, not knohat he sought, but seeking still for so, he knew not what In that last look of despair his eyes caught sight of soave hi by the waves it was but a few yards distant, and a little behind him It was the hen-coop which the Captain of the _Java_ had thrown overboard so as to give Brandon a chance for life That last chance was now thrown in his way, for the hen-coop had followed the sa not very far froht of this He turned and exerted the last reth in order to reach this h to be accessible A few vigorous strokes, a few struggles with the waves, and his hands clutched the bars with the grasp of a drowningseveralto this and at last had rest Every les as he had carried on restored his strength to a greater degree He could now keep his head high out of the water and avoid the engulfing fury of the waves behind Now at last he could take a better survey of the prospect before hi

The sand-bank lay before him; the mount at the western extremity was in front of him, not very far away The rock which lay at the eastern end was now at a great distance, for he had been swept by the current abreast of the island, and was even now in danger of being carried past it Still there was hope, for wind and ere blowing directly toward the island, and there was a chance of his being carried full upon its shore Yet the chance was a slender one, for the set of the tide carried him beyond the line of the western extreht him nearer, and soon his fate would be decided

Nearer and nearer he ca no efforts whatever, but reserving and collecting together all his strength, so as to put it forth at the final hour of need

But as he came nearer the island appeared to move more and more out of the line of his approach Under these circumstances his only chance was to float as near as possible, and then make a last effort to reach the land

Nearer and nearer he came At last he was close by it, but the extreht more than twenty yards This was the crisis of his fate, for now if he floated on any longer he would be carried farther away

The shore was here low but steep, the waters appeared to be deep, and a heavy surf dashed upon the island, and threw up its spray far over the uish the pebbles on the beach, and could see beyond the

Beyond this point was another a hundred yards away, but farther out of his reach, and affording no hope whatever Between the two points there was an inlet into the island showing a little cove; but the surf just here beca rollers careered one past another over the intervening space It was a hopeless prospect Yet it was his last chance

Brandonup all his strength he struck out for the shore But this ti him past the point, and the waves dashed over him more quickly and furiously than before He ept past the point before he had ; and now on his left lay the rollers which he had seen In spite of all his efforts he was farther away from the island than when he had left the hen-coop Yet all hope and all life depended on the issue of this last effort The fifteen or twenty ained had been of iled with all the force which could be inspired by the nearness of safety Yet, after all, human efforts can not withstand the fury of the eleest swimmer could not hope to contend successfully

”Never I immer In such an evil case”

He swa hi on the sea, drove hiress was made, but the force of the waters was fearful, and for every foot that he moved forward he was carried six feet to leeward He hi his chances he perceived with despair that he was already beyond the first point, and that at the present rate there was no possibility of gaining the farther point

Already the waves leaped exultingly about hi over him now more wildly, since he was exposed more than before to their full sweep

Already the rollers lay close beside hiulfed Turning his head backith a last faint thought of trying to regain the hen-coop, so as to prolong life somewhat, he saw it far away out of his reach Then all hope left him

He was now at the outermost line of rollers At the e wave raised hiled still, even in that tiht with his enemies They bore hi carried him with them

But now at last, as he descended with that wave, hope came back, and all his despair vanished

For as the wave flung him doard his feet touched bottom, and he stood for a moment erect, on solid, hard sand, in water that scarcely reached above his knees It was for a moment only that he stood, however, for the sweep of the water bore hiain himself another wave came and hurled him farther forward