The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-05-09


the danger broke suddenly upon him.
lie seemed stricken dumb, and the Oar
duivered in his fingers At the same
moment, Ballagan called out TO me to
loosen my line. The boat dropped like Il
bolt we clambered down as hastily.
The detective seized the scull, while |
crouched with the rife at the bow, and
pushing away in a trice, we had almost
collidcd with Ingram's vessel, before he
was aware of our presence. 1t was d
pause of second. The wretch gave one
fierce glance at the shore, the steamer and
the cataract, and then, with the impulse
of despair; struck out boldly for tho
rapids.
lie had not the strength of Ballagan,
but he was better hand with the oar.
His hairs blazed with the wind his rags
huttered, and his eyes distended till their
pupils grew small and glittering. Both
men worked with the energy of death;
The one to overtake and capture before the
sluice had pulled them in the other to
intimidate, perhaps by n semblance of
ingulfing beth, Or failing, to make that
semblancc terrible tedlity.
My senses were marvelously acute;
there was no tiny moving thing in nature
which did not observe the twitter of
passing swallow; a chip moving on the
waves; little fish hutterlng at the sur
face Il distant hawk, swooping like
speck in the sky the rocking Of the boat
and the crack of a splay IN the oar; each
carved device upon the stock of the rifle;
the first sunbeam; the cry of an ALARMED
man upon the steamer and the passengers
hurryng upon deck. 1t was like the
awakening of every energy-prelude to
violent death-admonisliing man Of the
glory Of that organism which moment
is to shatter forever
had still hope, for we Gld5i yet
smoothly upon the current. 1t must bo
that we were gaining upon Ingram; lie
dared not perish with the crimes upon
his head he meant to turn and submit
there was still time to escape the cataract
Should stop his career with the rifle
lifted the bright barrel, with murder
halfway in my heart; my nerves were
taut as wires; [ coull have dropped him
dead at his helm as readily as one wings
a crow. He saw me glance down the
groove, and his face frozc my blood it
was mine reflected, all the agonies Of mans
nature pleading for life, life life
"Do not fire, boy!" cried Ballagan
between his teeth; g | will take him
alive, or die with him !"
On, and on, and on we galloped-the
two oarsmen with black faces wrenching
the waters apart, and 1 could hear the
hard breathings of both till the roar of
the river absorbed all sound. So quickly
ran my thought, that | likened the noise
of the waters to human speech they
seemed to be shrieking !-"Drowned,
drowned ~ and the cry rang out so SON.
orously thrilling that caught myself
repeating it. wondered if each drop
Of water had not identity, and the waves
a community of intelligence, and every
cataract a like ambition and that am
bition now my death Still / saw
everything. There was a rocky island
covered with trees, just in the edge of tho
rapids; that was our last salvation; if
the boat passed it by, there was nothing
left for hope. Already the spray was
tapping us; the waters were hoarse and
thirsty; looked at Ballagan with dry
mute eyes, but saw no mercy there.
"Pray boy" he said-''pray for us
both, ard hold fast! l am going down
the flood"
The island passed us at wink. I felt
the boat lifted bo lily, and the earth
semed to leap up and crush it as we fell
Again we vaulted aloft, so far that in the
terror of the end had time to note on
the crowded decks of the steamer one
woman praying with clasped hands, and
another who had swooned the planks
of the bateau were bent like witches of
straw, the waves gushed from stem to
stern; | was lifted from my feet; and
the oar like rock l saw through my
drenched eyes the forger as rigidly fixed;
his vessel moved like winged thing,
rather of the air than of the element
and even i'll this time of despair, his face
was dark and naughty. Something stood
amidstrcam as | gazed-black Jagged
rocks, and we were hurled upon them.
| l. uc Cldli SCclllcu W dtOluS us VIZ
struck it rose vertically, and the foam
gushed in at the bow. | knew that this
was all. Once more | marked the white
waste Of waves, the vanishing islands, the
fitting banks and trees and dwellings;
and as soft vision Of home blinded my
eyes | called ubon the name of One
mighty to save, and clutched the cold
planks, and knew no more.
A thunderbolt apparently awaked
me, and terrible weight was pressing
upon my chest. was lying in the bot
tom of the boat, now half full of water,
and Ballagan was holding me fast with
his foot could scarcely Sc his face
for smoke, but a moment revealed him,
standing grimly erect with the rifle at his
shoulder.
''Rise :" he said, releasing me, eve are
fast sinking. Bear and hand with the
oar, and give me place in the bow"
r. staggered up trembinsly; we had
passed the rapids they were churning
behind us; the felon glided on before
but marked that the scul had splintered