unting another electromagnet beside
the one he had set up, and rigging up two more X-ray bulbs beside the
packing box which held the meteor. The motion of the boat in the
fire-rimmed window kept drawing it swiftly away from us, and Charlie
showed me how to move the dial of his rheostat to keep the girl in
view.

* * * * *

Before he had completed his arrangements, a patch of white foam came
into view just ahead of the drifting boat. In a moment I made out a
cruel black rock, with the angry sea breaking into fleecy spray upon
it. The boat was almost upon it, driving straight for it. Charlie saw
it, and cried out in horror.

The long black hull of the splintered boat, floating keel upward, was
only a few yards away. A great white-capped breaker lifted it and
hurled it forward, with the girl clinging to it. She drew herself up
and stared in terror at the black rock, while another long surging
roller picked up the boat and swept it forward again.

I stood, paralyzed in horror, while the shattered boat was driven full
upon the great rock. I could imagine the crash of it, but it was all
as still as a silent picture. The boat, riding high on a crest of
white foam, smashed against the rock and was shivered to splinters.
Virginia was hurled forward against the slick wet stone. Desperately
she scrambled to reach the top of the boulder. Her hands slipped on
the polished rock; the wild sea dragged at her. At last she got out of
reach of the angry gray water, though spume still deluged her.

I breathed a sigh of relief, though her position was still far from
enviable.

"Virginia! Virginia! Why did I let you go?" Charlie cried.

Desperately he fell to work again, mounting the magnet and tubes.
Another hour went by, while I watched the shivering girl on the rock.
Bobbed hair, wet and glistening, was plastered close against her head,
and her clothing was torn half off. She looked utterly exhausted; it
seemed to take all her ebbing energy to cling to the rock against the
force of the wind and the waves that dashed against her. She looked
cold, blue and trembling.

The water stood higher.

"The tide is rising!" Charlie exclaimed. "It will cover the rock
pretty soon. If I don't get her off in time--she's lost!"

* * * * *

He finished twisting his wires together.

"I've got it all ready," he said. "Now, I've got to find out exactly
where she is, to know how to s