The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-24
GheGntdIiqeurer
FOULPLAY.
ny cuAs. nrADE AxD ploN noUcICAuLr.
ClIAPTERNN.

and, instead of looking at the mems
eyes. IL was hers he examined. But no;
tho sweet cheek was white, the eyes had
fearful hollow all round them, but,
out OF that cave. the light hnzel eye,
preternaturally large, hut calm as ever
looked, full of fortiIude, resignation,
and reason.
Don't look at me-" said she, quietly;
but take an opportunity and look ut
them. They mean to kill me-"
Hazel looked furitively around md
being enlightened in part by the
wOman's intelligence, he observed that
some OF the men were actually glaring
at himself and Helen lSolleston, in a
dreadful way. There was. II remarka-
BILE change in their eyes since he looked
last. The pupils seemed diminished,
the whites enlarged; and, in a word,
somehow, died out of those blOodshot
orbs, and the animal alone shone in
| them now the wild beast, driven
desperate by hunger.
What he saw, coupled with uelen's
positive Interpretation OF 1t, was truly
SiCkening.
These men were six, and he but one
They had all clnsp. knives and he had
only an old penknife that would be sure
to double up, or break of, IL blow
were dealt with it.
He asked hirnselfin utter terror, what
on earth he should dc.
The first thing seemed TO be to join
the men, and learn their minds: ii
might also be as well to prevent this
secret conference from going further.
lie went forward boldly, though sick
at heart, and said, "Well, my lads,
what is it?"
The men were silent directly, and
looked sullenly down, avoiding his eye;
yet not ashamed.
In a al
are sharpened; and Hazel dissected, in
his mind, the sinister look, and saw
that Morgan, Prince, and Macintosh
were hostile TO him.
But WEIGH and Cooper he hoped were
still friendly.
"Sir," said Tcnncr, civilly but dog.
gedly, 1--WE arc come to this now, that
one OF us must die, for the others to
live: and the greater part OF us are for
casting lots all round, and let every
man, and every woman, too, take their
their chance. That is fair, Sam, is MT
it?"
"It is fair" said Cooper, with ter
:.bIe doggedness. "but ii is hard" he
"Harder that seven shonld die for
one," said MackintoSh. "No, no; one
must die for the seven"
Hazel represented, with all the force
language possesses, that what they
OF which WAS known by experience.
But they heard in ominous silence.
Hazel went back to Helen Rolleston,
and sat down right before her.
"WellW said she, with supernatural
calmness.
"You were Mistaken" said he.
"Then why have you placed yourself
between them and me. No, no; their
eyes have told me they have singled me
out. But what does II matter? We
poor creatures arc all to die; and that
one Is the happiest that dies first. and
dies unstained by such a crime. 1 heard
every tgord you SAID, SIR"
Hazel cast IA piteous look on her, and
finding he could no longer deceive her
Ms to their danger, and being weakened
by famine, fell TO trembling and crying.
Helen Rolleston looked mt him with
calm and gentle pity. For a moment,
the patient fortitude OF a woman made
her n brave mans superior.
Night came. and, for the first time,
Hazel claimed two portions of the rum;
ono for himself and one for Miss Roles
ton.
He then returned aft, and took the
helm. He loosened it, SO as to be ready
TO unship it in Il moment, and use 1t as
weapon.
The men huLdled together forward {;
and it was easy TO see that the boat was
now divided into two hostile camps.
Hazel sat quaking, with his hand on
the helm, fearing an attack every mo-
ment.
Both he and Helen listened acutely,
! and, about three O'Clock in the morn
ing, a new incident occurred, of a terri
BILE nature.
Macintosh was heard to say, "Serve
out the rum, no allowance" and the
demand was instantly complied with
by Morgan.
Then Hazel touched Miss Rplleston
on the shoulder, and insisted on her
taking half what was left OF the mar
malRde, and he took the other half. The
time was gone by for economy; what
they wanted now was strength, in case
the wild beasts, maddened by drink as
well as hunger, should attack them.
Already the liquor had begun to tell
and wild hallos and yells, and even
fragments of CHASTITY songs, mingled
| with the groHns of misery, in the DOOM
ed boat.
At sunrise there was n great swell
upon the water, and sharp gusts at in
tervals; and on the horizon, to wind
ward, might be observed n black spot
In the sky, no bigger than IL fly. But
none saw that; Ha2el's eye never left
| the rRving wretches in the forepart OF
the boat; Cooper and Welch sat in
gloomy despair amidships; and the 9TH
ers were huddled together forward, en-
| COuTdRl0R. edCu OlneI 10 u ueSIeEhte act
| It was about eight o'clock In the
morning Helen lolleston awoke from
brief doze, and said, "Mr. Hazel, !
have had a strange dream. I dreamed
there was food, and plenty of 1t, on the
| outside of this boat"
While these strange words were yet
in her mouth, three OF the sailors sud
denly rose up with their knives drawn,
and eyes full of murder, and staggered
aft as fast as their enfeebled bodies
could.
Hazel uttered loud cry, "Welch!
Cooper! will you see us butcheredJ
and, unshipping he helm, rose to his
feet.
Cooper put out his arm to stop Mac
kintosb, but was too late. He did stop
Morgan, however, and said, "Cone,
none OF that; no foul playl"
Irritated by this unexpected resist
ance, and maddened by drink, Morgan
turned on Cooper and stabbed him; he
sank down with grOan; OH this WelcE
gave Morgan fearful cash, dividing
his juRular, and was stabbed in return
by Prince, but not severely: these two
grappled and rolled over one another
stabbing and cursing at the bottom o
the boat; meantime, Macintosh was
received by Hazel with a point blank
thrust in the face from the helm, tha
| staggered him, though a very powerful
man, and drove him backwards agains
the mast; but, in delivering this thrust
HaZel's foot slipped, and he fell witt
great violence on his heah and arm
Macintosh recovered himself, ant
sprang upon the stern thwart with hit
knife up cleaning over Helen ROLES
ton. Hazel writhed round where he
lay, and struck him desperately on thu