e of extinction had gained significance.
What if the man wished to die? No matter, he must be saved, saved from
himself, given another chance, made to face it out, whatever it was.
Not until then did Reynolds remember another life that be had dared to
threaten, that even now he meant to take if the wheel of chance swung
against him. Suddenly he faced the awful judgment of his own act, and
shuddered back as one who, standing upon a precipice, trembles in terror
before the mad desire to leap.

"I'll stick it out!" he said half aloud as if in promise. "Whatever
comes, I'll take my medicine, I'll--"

An eager murmur swept through the crowd. A sailor with a rope about him
was being lowered from the life-boat.

For five tense minutes the two men rose and fell at the mercy of the
high waves, and the distance between them did not lessen by an inch.

Then a passenger with a binocular announced that the sailor was swimming
around to the far side to get the man between him and the boat.

With long, steady, overhand strokes, the sailor was gaining his way, and
when at last he reached the apparently motionless object and got a rope
under its arms, and the two were hauled into the life-boat, a rousing
cheer went up from the big steamer above.

Reynolds drew in his breath sharply and turned away from the railing. As
he did so he was hailed by a group of friends who were returning to
their cards, waiting face downward on the small tables in the
smoking-room.

"Behold His Nibs!" shouted Glass, the actor, "the luckiest duffer that
ever hit a high-ball!"

"How did you happen to do it?" cried another.

Reynolds lifted his hand to his bewildered head. "Do what?" he asked
dully. "I'm not on."

"Oh, come!" said Glass, shaking him by the shoulder; "that bet you sent
in last night! When the Chink said you wanted to buy the low field for
all six pools, and to bet five hundred to boot that you'd win, I thought
you were either drunk or crazy. Yesterday's run was four-fifty-one, a
regular corker, and yet with even better weather conditions, you took
only the numbers below four-thirty-one. I argued with the Chinaman 'til
I was blue in the face, but he stood pat, said, you were all right, and
had told him what to do. Nothing but an accident could have saved you,
and it arrived. You've won the biggest pool of the crossing, don't you
think it's about time for you to set 'em up? Say Martini cocktails for
the crowd, eh?"

Reynolds was jostl