 tired of the everyday grind ever dream of a life of romantic adventure want to get away from it all we offer you escape escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure you are in an open boat with three desperate men 200 yards from land and safety but while you scream frantically for someone to rescue you you realize that from the mountainous breakers between you and safety there is no escape listen now as transcribed escape brings you Stephen Crane's unusual story the open boat 1897 a tale intended to be after the fact being the experience of four men from the sunk steamer Commodore they were a captain an oiler a cook and a correspondent and many a man ought to have a bathtub larger than the boat which they rode upon the sea none of them knew the color of the sky their eyes were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them the horizon narrowed and widened dipped in rows and at all times it was jagged with waves that seemed to thrust up in points like rocks a singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover there's another behind it just as important just as anxious to swamp a boat we're a little more south Billy a little more south sir there's a house of refuge just north of the speed of wind and light as soon as they see us they'll come off their boat and pick us up as soon as who sees us cook crew houses of refuge don't have crews only places where clothes and food is stored for the benefit of shipwrecked people they don't carry crews oh yes they do no they don't we're not there yet the oil is right we're not there yet good thing it's an onshore wind if not where will we be now that's right do you think we've got much of a show now boys I don't know captain oh well we'll get ashore all right yes if this wind holds we don't we're down on the surf sometimes the girls would sit on the sea comfortably in groups its wrath was no more to them than it was to a convoy of prairie chickens a thousand miles inland often they came close and at these times they were uncanny and sinister in their unblinking scrutiny the captain was hurt and couldn't do anything the cook bailed the oiler and the correspondent sat together in the same seat and rode and then the oiler took both oars and then the correspondent took both oars the correspondent the oiler will you spell me yeah sure but it was easier to steal eggs from under a hen than it was to change seats in the dinghy the man in the stern slid his hand along the thwart and move with care the man in the rowing seat slid his hand along the other thwart is the two-sided past each other the cook and the captain kept watchful eyes on the coming wave good boy Billy lighthouse at Mosquito inland wait wait I see it too Billy might be I don't see anything look again it's exactly in that direction well and I see it's real small like the head of a pin huh I think we'll make it captain if this wind holds the boat don't swamp we can't do much else fail here cook I can serve all right the brown mats of seaweed that appeared from time to time and formed the men in the boat that they were making progress slowly for land and slowly the lighthouse grew larger an upright shadow on the sky and then land appeared thinner than paper I wish we had a sale we might try my overcoat on the end of an or give you two boys a chance to rest I'll try anything what you say let's try it here's my coat right sir blow them both down toward me I'll tie it on yeah there you go so rope there Billy you can lash it better sleeves will do better I think you'll have to hold one or do the other right all ready all right better lower what we're making it way Billy you'll swap this way just too far off balance well just have to roll how in the name of all this saying could there be people who think it's fun to row a boat you put things right smart yeah yes at least a bad if we'd eaten something before yeah we got ourselves in a pinker condition before we got ourselves shipwrecked how to be butter too would be shit there'd be less people drowning at sea I'll spell you we can both do it take the ride or Billy let's go slowly and beautifully the land loomed out of the sea and the wind came again and then went and then came again varying from northeast to southeast and a new sound struck the ears of the men in the boat the sweet low thunder of the surf on the shore we must be about opposite noose Myron yes I believe they abandoned that life-saving station about a year ago did they take her easy now boys don't spend yourselves if we have to run a surf you'll need all your strength because we'll show you have to swim for it take your time yeah yes captain that's the house of reference sure they'll see us before long come out after the keeper ought to be able to make us out now if he's looking for his glass you'll notify the life-saving people none of these other boats got in the shore to give word of the wreck helps the lifeboat would be out hunting us that's right Billy that's right I don't think it'd be wise to try for the lighthouse now swing ahead a little more north Billy little more north sir steady now there Billy my boy that if she is captain you know no perhaps maybe to we'll be a shore I drink to captain yes I still got the water jug well let's have it around all hands you go ahead you first sir thank you all right cook thank you Billy tastes good freshwater there you go thanks well since we're celebrating I got a surprise look cigars aren't they wet some of mine some of them are dry I don't know how yeah I got dry matches there you know thank you this is more like it yes sir in another row why and then there don't seem to be any signs of life about your house of refuge no funny they don't see us yeah we have to go through that surf with swamp for sure funny they don't see us I suppose we'll have to make a try for ourselves if we stay out here too long will none of us have strength left to swim after the boat swamps yeah it is straight in then Billy I should right in if we don't all get ashore I suppose you fellas know where to send news of my finish yes sir I don't get ashore the boys can tell me old lady what happened my family lives in New Brunswick just ask for them at the Hampton Inn and why don't get ashore I don't get ashore it won't matter to anyone but me it's getting rougher sure still pretty far away sir we can't go in any closer boys she won't live three minutes more if we keep her headed to our shore swim like I take her out to see again captain just really go ahead pick her out to see again for men in it the captain the oiler the cook and the correspondent turned back away from the land and bumped over the furrowed sea to deeper water he will return to escape in just a moment but first just sit back relax and watch the cars roll by watch the heavy traffic on the highways in the summertime watch the traffic jams and the roadblocks and the tired hot drivers sitting behind the steering wheels of their cars trying to make time and getting nowhere fast just help yourself to a nice refreshing cool drink sit on your chair and the porch your stoop or lawn under the shade of a big elm tree with your radio tuned to some nice sweet music or a thrilling who done it on CBS radio and watch the summer rush on the roadways gosh you're smart and now back to escape when it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important and that he feels she should maim the universe by disposing of him yet first wishes to throw bricks at the temple and he hates very much the fact that there are no bricks and no temples and he finds that nature is serene among the struggles of the individual she's not cruel nor beneficent nor wise nor treacherous she is simply indifferent anyhow they must have seen us from shore by now all coming to the south east sir I see it Billy keep her the way she is I think of those life-saving people ain't they peaches yeah funny they haven't seen it you think we're out here for sport I mean they think we're fishing or maybe you think we're stupid fools sorry yes sir St. Augustine those dots no no I don't think so too near mosquito inlet do you ever like to row building no did you always loved it loved it there's a man on shore where Sam Sam yes sure he's walking along and he sees us he's waving yeah now we're all right there'll be a boat out here for us in half an hour he's going on he's running he's going up at a house there standing still again he's looking I think there he goes again toward the house come on he's not again is he is he waving at us sir no not now he was though look there's another man look at him go would you he's on a bicycle a bicycle on the beach they're both waving at us there comes something else up the beach is it a lifeboat sir I think so no no that's not a lifeboat oh it's not them at a bus for those big hotel buses by thunder you're right what do you suppose they're doing with a bus I don't they get a lifeboat hey hey maybe they're going around collecting the lifeboat group that's it yeah I keep around into the wind Billy sure look there's a fellow waving a little black flag at us he's standing on the steps of the bus and there comes two other fellows another all talking together look at that fellow with the flag he sees us all right he knows what he's about oh it's his coat I certainly that's his coat so it is it's his coat what would you look at him swing it isn't any life-saving station there that's just a winter resort hotel some of the customers came to see us drown what's that idiot but the coat mean what's he signaling anyhow it looks as if we were trying to tell us that to go north must be a life-saving station up there no no he thinks we're fishing Billy just giving us a wave that's all we need now a cheery little wave to send us on a way to eternity he don't mean anything he's just playing to be just signalist to try the surfer but go to sea or wait or go north or go south or go to there be some reason and if it would look at him why doesn't he stop waving that coat long enough that tell him we're out here dying why doesn't he for it's all right now they'll have a boat out here in less than no time now that they've seen us yeah night coming on sir oh now now boys we'll never have to stay here all night now don't you worry they've seen us now and it won't be long before they just come chasing right out after say oh come on boys cheer up now the shore grew dusky the man waving the coat blended gradually into this gloom and it swallowed in the same manner the bus and the group of people a night on the sea in an open boat was a long night hands on that bird away the coat I just like to live long enough to do that why what did he do nothing just seemed to blasted cheerful keep her head up keep her head up keep her head up sir the obligation of the man at the oars was to keep the boat headed so that the tilt of the rollers wouldn't capsize it the black waves were silent and hard to be seen in the darkness and on the northern horizon the light appeared a small bluish gleam on the edge of the world captain you like I should I keep her making for that light nor I keep it about two points off the port bow gleaming trail of phosphorescence like a blue flame was furrowed on the black waters it might have been made by a monstrous knife the speed and power of the thing was greatly to be admired it cut the water like a gigantic and keen projectile never leaving the vicinity of the boat a head or a stern or on one side or another at intervals long and short flew the long sparkling streak life-saving people take the time you see the shock laying around yes I saw him he was a big fellow all right I didn't know you were awake captain makes no difference he's gone now Billy huh what Billy will you spell me Billy for sure yes take her father out to sea so there's no danger from the surf you take that or to the stern there keep her facing the sea right sir all out if you hear that surf just once here hi well sir I will give you boys a chance to curl down for a while getting shape again and the correspondent and the oiler laid down in the bottom of the boat trembling with a cold and the damp and shattered themselves to sleep the dead sleep spray occasionally bumped over the side and gave them a fresh soaking but it had no power to break their repose and neither knew that they bequeathed to the cook now the only man awake on an ocean the company of another shark boys day huh I guess one of you better take her out to see again all right captain oh no I'll do it buddy take it easy we've been working hard no easy no sorry well yeah yeah I get it sure anybody shows me even a photograph of the door I'm gonna break ya yeah nothing on the beat no bicycle no bus not even a dog guess I'd even like to see the fellow with the coat again yes we always well at least the light towers still in sight that that rather not see why is that well well one thing I don't think anyone ever climbs up there they did we'd have help if no help is coming we might better try to run through the set when sir right away better if we stay out here much longer we'll be too weak to do anything for ourselves at all pretty so captain's right anything's better than this header into the beach there header into the beach there the beach sir I hear this she's gonna swamp shore all we can do is wake her in as far as possible and then when she swamps pile out and scramble for the beach yes you're hurt I can swim it all right if we get in close keep cool no boys and don't jump until she swamps shore I said captain I think I better bring her about keep her head on to the sea and back around all right Billy back her in I don't think we're getting very close captain we will try and remember to get well clear of the boat when you jump the sea pummeled them and spewed them about it plunge them downward and threw them skyward and all wondered am I going to drown am I going to drown with the sand and the trees over there am I going to drown the man came running along the shore he was in the water in a matter of seconds pulling the cook ashore first then returning to help the captain then the correspondence here you go now grab hold my arm grab hold my hand and take it no you're not come on now come on oh nice it's all right now it's all right I thought it was all over look in the shadows face downward lay the oiler his forehead touched sand that was periodically between each wave clear of the sea it seemed that instantly the beach was populated with men and flasks blankets and clothes and women with coffee pots but while the captain and the cook and the correspondent took all of these remedies a still and dripping shape was carried slowly up the beach and the lands welcome for Billy the oiler could only be the hospitality of a grave transcribed under the direction of Anthony Ellis escape has brought you the open boat by Stephen Crane adapted by E. Jack Newman in order of their appearance you've heard William Conrad is the narrator Tom Tully the correspondent Edgar Berrier the captain Bob Sweeney the cook Dave young the oiler and Jack Carroll the man the special music for escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens next week you are in a wild and dangerous country riding to stake your claim all the man who follows you without conscience of fear is waiting for the moment when he will stop you with a bullet in the heart so listen next week when escape brings you William J Radcliffe's exciting story the notebook remember the blood you give is vital in building a reserve of gamma globulin for the prevention of paralysis from polio call your local Red Cross chapter for an appointment to donate blood tomorrow this is Roy Rowan speaking and remember the Johnny Mercer show is heard weekday evenings on the CBS radio network