West Wind Drift

The sun had not yet cleared the tree-tops to the east; the decks of the Doraine were still wet with dew. A few

go variety-(doubtless they were flamingoes); the blue surface of the basin was sprinkled with the myriad white, gleaming backs of winged fishermen, diving, flapping, swirling; on high, far above the hills, soared two or three huge birds wit

ay. The cleft through the hill lay almost directly ahead. It's walls apparently were perpendicular; a hundred feet or less from the pinnacle, the opening spread out considerably, indicating landslides at some remote period, the natural sloughing off of earth and stone in the formation of this n

ired a voice at his elbow. He turned

ands of years ago, of course. Sp

for the shallowness of the water in the passage and out here in the basin? An earthquake v

ottom time and again. As a matter of fact,-the way I figure it out,-she was simply bumping against the upper edges of a crevice that reaches down God knows how far. We took no soundings, you will remember, until we swung out into this pool. I'll bet my head tha

ing down at the water. "Captain Trigger is planning to send a couple of boats outside to survey the co

of sending boats out to explore the coast

make the circuit of it? And how in thunder are we to find out that there isn't

ed at the top of the higher

b. A few huskies with axes to cut a path through the underbrush, and we might get up there in a few hours. I've been figuring it out. That's why I got up so early. Had it on my mind all night

ncy he would have thoug

ink of it in time, you might

well-armed, equipped with axes and other implements, boat-hooks, surveying instruments, and the most powerful glasses on board. Percival was

e proposed expedition, sought out Percival

ely shaking her head in response to his objections. "Don't be foolish, Mr. Percival. It won't take me f

h better," he protest

t give me a chance last night to tell you how splendid you were in tack

t beat it when I

hat are you going

on of me is based on my ability to reason with an ignorant mob and no

s, a slight frown puckering her brow. "Do you know, Madame Obosky had the impertine

rson, isn't she? Wonderful facul

uld hav

hat's a little too tight, I think, Miss Cli

that better? Now th

coward," he said, a

able desire to lay his clumsy hand upon the soft, smooth brown hair. Through his mind flashed a queer rush of comparison. He recalled the dark, knowing eyes of the Russian dancer, mysterious and seductive,-man-reading eyes from which nothing was concealed,-and contrasted

ged hand,-as an amiable manicu

d smiling. "Now you may go, Mr. Percival. Good luck! Bring back good news to us. I

he asked, a t

ent required for comprehension. Her eye

ike you to remember always, Miss Clinton, that I-well, th

ied, and he was happy to see a flicker of alarm in

spirit as that which dominates the boy who wishes he co

ou really

u care-ve

n't I wished you goo

nd answering

ed calmly. "I am sure that everybody would be terribly

Clinton. I guess the

Just to put my foot on the blessed, green eart

ow long before we come back whether this island is inhabited or not. I am taking an American flag with me. If we do not

s side, their bodies aslant

there are other people here?" she said, her voice eager with supp

e,-some day," he

eers from the throng that lined the rails, the men pulled away, heading for a tiny cove on the

to take his place in the boat th

iven me by the son of a Grand Duke. It was his lucky piece. It brought me luck, for he was killed zat very same day, and so I was saved from him. Keep it in your pocket till you come safely back and then-then you shall retu

from his pocket she turn

and handkerchiefs were waved as the adventurers turned for

gger was making ready to transfer the passengers from the ship at the earliest possible moment. He was far from certain that the Doraine would ma

peared. The illusion was startling. It was as if they had actually emerged from the tree-tops. With straining eyes the observers below watched the group of figures outlined against the sky. They spoke in subdued tones. As time went on and the flag was not unfu

as highest, the Stars

port in private to the Captain, denying all information to the clamorous passengers. A brief conference of officers, to which a number of men from the first cabin were invited, was

the following fact

een and almost entirely devoid of timber. The central eminence from which the observations were taken was the loftiest of a range of ten or twelve diminishing hills that formed what might actually be described as the backbone of the island. The eastern extremity tapered off to a long, level, low-lying promontory that ended in a point so sharp and wedge-like that it bore a singular resemblance to the forward deck and prow

as it had appeared to him from the top of the mountain. This crude map was hung up in full view of the spectators, and s

bitation. Absolutely nothing appeared to indicate that m

undred feet high, absolutely perpendicular, and of solid rock. It was as if the hill had been split wide open with one blow of a

the eye could reach with the aid of lenses ther

veered around to the

way between the entrance to the channel and the eastern point of land. Inside the fringe of trees that lined

f the southern shore. A dead armadillo of extraordinary dimensions was found near the foot of the slope. It was at least thrice the size of the common South American mammal. The same could be said of the single iguana encountered. This large lizard, which was alive, must have been fully ten feet from head to tail, and gave rise to the belief that the supp

genous to the temperate zone were identified. What appeared to be a clump of cypress trees, fantastic, misshapen objects that seemed to, shrink back in terror from the assaulting breakers, stood out in bold relief upon a rocky point to the south and west of the observation hill. Their gaunt, twisted trunks leaned backward from the sea; their shorn limbs, racked by gales, were raised as if

ptying into the ocean some distance east of the gleaming beach. That its source was far up in the secretive hills was

ly sketched map of the i

f stranded ve

to channel f

to channel f

odland from channel a

eadow-land cl

Riv

wland leading do

bservations were taken with r

rocks with c

-like west e

rest reachin

ocky

lateau, wit

Be

Peng