WILLIAM W. ATKINSON — THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

...a hundred feet high. When morning dawned, the fishermen on shore saw that her boats were all gone, and all the crew and officers had apparently been lost—all except three men. Two of these three men were standing on the bridge; the third was aloft, tied original: "lashed" to the rigging. Later, the observers saw a tremendous wave strike the vessel, sweeping away the bridge and the two men who had been standing on it.

Several hours later, they saw the man in the rigging untie himself original: "unlash him" and beat his arms against his body vigorously, evidently to restore his circulation, which had been almost stopped by the bindings and the extreme cold. The man then took off his coat, waved it to the fishermen on top of the cliff, and then plunged into the sea. The first thought was that he had given up the fight and committed suicide—but he was not that kind of man. He struck out for the shore and, reaching it, made three separate attempts to secure a foothold on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. But he failed—three times he was swept away by the surf. Finally, seeing the futility of his efforts, he swam away again, back toward the ship. As the narrator well says: “At that crisis in the struggle, ninety-nine men out of a hundred would have given up and allowed themselves to drown; but this man was not a quitter.”

After a fierce battle with the waves, the man reached the ship, and after a desperate struggle managed to board her. He climbed again into the rigging and waved his hand to the fishermen high up on the cliff, who were unable to help him. He tied himself fast, and until dark could be seen signaling the fishermen above to show them that he was still alive and full of spirit original: "game," meaning courageous or showing "pluck". When the following morning broke, the fishermen saw that his head had fallen to his chest—he was motionless, frozen during the night.

He was dead—his brave soul had gone forth to meet its Maker. Who can doubt that when that man confronted his Maker, his eyes were looking firmly and bravely toward the Divine Presence, and not bowed down in shame or fear? Such a man was indeed worthy to face his Maker, unabashed and unashamed. As the writer, George Kennan George Kennan (1845–1924) was a famous American explorer and journalist noted for his accounts of endurance in Siberia., has said in words that make one thrill:

“That man died as a man in adverse circumstances ought to die: fighting to the last. You may call it foolish and say that he might better have ended his sufferings by allowing himself to drown when he found that he could not make a landing at the base of the cliff; but deep down in your hearts, you pay secret homage to his courage, his endurance, and his indomitable will. He was defeated at last, but as long as he had consciousness, neither fire, nor cold, nor tempest could break down his manhood.”

The people of the Caucasus original: "The Caucasians." This likely refers to a regional proverb from the Caucasus Mountains, a region then famous for its rugged warrior cultures. have a favorite proverb that says: “Heroism is endurance for one moment more.” And that “one moment more” marks the difference between the “quitter” and the person who has “done their best.” No one is dead until their heart has ceased beating—and no one has failed as long as there is one more bit of fight in them. And that “one moment more” often is the moment in which the tide turns—the moment when the enemy relaxes his hold and drops back, beaten.