DAYS STOLEN FOR SPOBT 289 



rowers so opposite in every way as manned the boat 

 we fished from at Carna." 



Anthony was hauling at a rope with his back 

 towards us when I saw him first and, thinking he 

 was a thin slip of a boy, I asked Mike where his 

 mate was, and got reply : " That's Tony, sorr, hoist- 

 ing the sail." 



I looked forward again, and then at the speaker, 

 and I could see in fancy this strong man rowing 

 circles round the oar worked by the boy whose out- 

 line from where we walked was little thicker than a 

 chalked line with an O upon it. I suppose I was 

 looking grieved over my mislaid plans for Harry 

 glanced at me and then dropped behind to laugh. 

 It was not until I saw this strange figure's face and 

 heard its voice that I discovered that, after all, An- 

 thony was a man or as a near to one as he could 

 ever hope to be again. I had thought Noah's 950 

 years a clerical error and his not getting married 

 until he was 500 a mistake until I saw Anthony's 

 face, which 1000 years could not account for, as 

 there would still be left a look as if the spirit had 

 quitted it more than once to return again after fail- 

 ing to discover another such saintly habitation. 



The sail he hoisted proved useless as the little 

 wind there had been died away before we started 

 and so the oars were put out and, to my surprise, 

 Tony's automaton figure was seated just in front of 

 me to row the stroke while the man of flesh and 

 blood took the easy bow. I could only guess how 

 little flesh still remained to aid Tony to sit in comfort 

 by what was left upon his arms and legs, as shown 

 by the way their coverings hung. There appeared 

 to be so little flesh upon his bones that I thought he 



