The fit of passion passed, hurried by increasing fatigue. He became silent--silent as was the sea, for even the ripples were subsiding into the glassy smoothness of the surface. He swam on mechanically along the track of the ship, sobbing quietly to himself, in the misery of fear. And the stern light became a tiny speck, yellower but scarcely bigger than some of the stars, which here and there shone between the clouds.
Nearly twenty minutes passed, and the man's fatigue began to change to exhaustion. The overpowering sense of the inevitable pressed upon him. With the weariness came a strange comfort. He need not swim all the long way to Suez. There was another course. He would die. He would resign his existence since he was thus abandoned. He threw up his hands impulsively and sank. Down, down he went through the warm water. The physical death took hold of him and he began to drown. The pain of that savage grip recalled his anger. He fought with it furiously. Striking out with arms and legs he sought to get back to the air. It was a hard struggle, but he escaped victorious and gasping to the surface. Despair awaited him. Feebly splashing with his hands he moaned in bitter misery--
The moon, then in her third quarter, pushed out from behind the concealing clouds and shed a pale, soft glitter upon the sea. Upright in the water, fifty yards away, was a black triangular object. It was a fin. It approached him slowly.
[Illustration: "UPRIGHT IN THE WATER, FIFTY YARDS AWAY, WAS A BLACK TRIANGULAR OBJECT--A FIN."]
[Footnote A: As by a very remarkable coincidence there are two Winston Churchills, both writers, we may mention that this Mr. Churchill is the son of the late Lord Randolph Churchill.]
With the present January number Six Numbers of the Harmsworth Magazine have now been published, and they compose
_BOUND IN THE ELEGANT AND CHARMING COVER_,
of which a facsimile is given on page 594, its =672= pages form =the most sumptuous Magazine Volume= ever published. This First Volume of the HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE is
and at that price it STANDS WITHOUT A RIVAL in Contents, in Attractiveness, and in Size.
Nearly every page of this volume is illustrated. Among its contents are over =60 Full Page Reproductions= of famous and interesting pictures. =The Stories number 39=, and the =Articles 53=, and these are so varied as to suit all readers.