FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137  
138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>   >|  
owder and ball. Come along, now, or shall I carry you up the ladder?" "No, I'm able enough now," said I, making an effort to seem free from pain while I stepped up on deck. I was not prepared for the affectionate leave-taking which met me here; each of the crew shook my hand twice or thrice over, and there was not one did not press upon me some little gift in token of remembrance. At last the boat was lowered, and Halkett and three others, descending noiselessly, motioned to me to follow. I stepped boldly over the side, and, waving a last good-bye to those above, sat down in the stern to steer, as I was directed. It was a calm night, with nothing of a sea, save that rolling heave ever present in the Gulf-stream; and now the men stretched to their oars, and we darted swiftly on, not a word breaking the deep stillness. Although the island lay within six miles, we could see nothing of it against the sky, for the highest point is little more than twelve feet above the water-level. I have said that nothing was spoken as we rowed along over the dark and swelling water; but this silence did not impress me till I saw ahead of us the long low outline of the dreary island shutting out the horizon; then a sensation of sickening despair came over me. Was I to linger out a few short hours of life on that melancholy spot, and die at last exhausted and broken-hearted? "Was this to be the end of the brilliant dream I had so often revelled in?" "Ah, Con!" said I, "to play the game of life, a man must have capital to stand its losses,--its runs of evil fortune; but you are ruined with one bad deal!" "Run her in here, in this creek!" cried Halkett to the men; and the boat glided into a little bay of still water under the lee of the land, and then, after about twenty minutes' stout rowing, her keel grated on the rugged, shingly shore of Anticosti. "We cannot land you dry-shod, Con," said Halkett; "it shoals for some distance here." "No matter," said I, trying to affect an easy, jocular air, my choking throat and swelling heart made far from easy; "for me to think of wet feet would be like the felon at the drop blowing the froth off the porter because it was unwholesome!" "I 've better hopes of you than that comes to, lad!" said he; "but good-bye! good-bye!" He shook my hand with a grasp like a vice, and sat down with his back towards me; the others took a kind farewell of me; and then, shouldering my little bag of bis
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137  
138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Halkett
 

island

 

stepped

 
swelling
 

hearted

 

broken

 

glided

 

exhausted

 

melancholy

 

ruined


capital

 
revelled
 

fortune

 
losses
 
brilliant
 

shoals

 

unwholesome

 

porter

 

blowing

 

farewell


shouldering

 

shingly

 

rugged

 

Anticosti

 

grated

 
twenty
 

minutes

 

rowing

 

throat

 

choking


jocular

 

distance

 
matter
 

affect

 

lowered

 

descending

 

noiselessly

 

remembrance

 

motioned

 

follow


directed
 
boldly
 

waving

 

thrice

 

making

 
effort
 

ladder

 
taking
 
affectionate
 

prepared