ake their
fortunes from the rookery. You know they never escaped."

I remained silent, undecided.

"Besides," she added haltingly, "it's your idea, and I want to see you
succeed."

Now I could harden my heart. As soon as she put it on a flattering
personal basis, generosity compelled me to deny her.

"Better years on the island than to die to-night, or to-morrow, or the
next day, in the open boat. We are not prepared to brave the sea. We
have no food, no water, no blankets, nothing. Why, you'd not survive the
night without blankets: I know how strong you are. You are shivering
now."

"It is only nervousness," she answered. "I am afraid you will cast off
the masts in spite of me."

"Oh, please, please, Humphrey, don't!" she burst out, a moment later.

And so it ended, with the phrase she knew had all power over me. We
shivered miserably throughout the night. Now and again I fitfully slept,
but the pain of the cold always aroused me. How Maud could stand it was
beyond me. I was too tired to thrash my arms about and warm myself, but
I found strength time and again to chafe her hands and feet to restore
the circulation. And still she pleaded with me not to cast off the
masts. About three in the morning she was caught by a cold cramp, and
after I had rubbed her out of that she became quite numb. I was
frightened. I got out the oars and made her row, though she was so weak
I thought she would faint at every stroke.

Morning broke, and we looked long in the growing light for our island.
At last it showed, small and black, on the horizon, fully fifteen miles
away. I scanned the sea with my glasses. Far away in the south-west I
could see a dark line on the water, which grew even as I looked at it.

"Fair wind!" I cried in a husky voice I did not recognize as my own.

Maud tried to reply, but could not speak. Her lips were blue with cold,
and she was hollow-eyed--but oh, how bravely her brown eyes looked at me!
How piteously brave!

Again I fell to chafing her hands and to moving her arms up and down and
about until she could thrash them herself. Then I compelled her to stand
up, and though she would have fallen had I not supported her, I forced
her to walk back and forth the several steps between the thwart and the
stern-sheets, and finally to spring up and down.

"Oh, you brave, brave woman," I said, when I saw the life coming back
into her face. "Did you know that you were brave?"

"I never