Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-01-03

w dttF Just touching the FoDtS.
"Well, it's pretty close work.
That gives six feet scant in the
Murderer's Chute. We can Just
barely rub through If we hit it ex-
actly right. But it's worth trying.
she don't dare tackle it''--mean-
ing the Aramanth.
In another instant the Boreas
plunged into what seemed a
crooked creek and the Aramanth's
approaching lights were shut out
in a moment. Not whisper was
uttered now, but the three men
stared ahead into the shadows, and
two ofthem spun the wheel back
and forth with anxious watchful
ness while the steamer tore along.
The chute seemed to come to an
end every fifty yards, but always
opened out In time. Now the
head of it was at hand. George
tapped the big bell three times,
two leadsmen sprang to their
posts. and in moment their
weird cries on the night air
were caught up and repeated by
two men on the upper deck.
moo bottom ~
'De e-p fourr'
"Half threep
"Quarter three ~
MARK under wa after three !"
"Half twain ~
"Quarter twain -"
Davis pulled d couple Of ropes
there was a jingling Of small bells
far below. The boats speed slack
ened, and the bent steam began to
whistle and the gauge cocks to
scream.
"By the mark twain !"
"Quar-ter-her er-less twain -
eight and a haIfn'
eight feet -
"Seven and q half"
Another jingling of little bells
and the wheels ceased turning
altogether. The whisiling of the
steam was something frightful
now--it almost drowned all other
noises.
''Stand by to meet her! ~
George had the wheel hard
down and was standing on
spoke.
"All readyw
The boat hesitated- to
hold her breath, as did the pilots
and captain-and then she began
to fall away tostarboard and every
eye frightened.
"NoaO, then Inject her !-snatch
her!"
The wheel flew to port so fast
that the spokes blended into spi-
der web-the swing of the boat
subsidized she steadied herself
Seven feet ~
"Sev-six and a half!n
''Six feet! Six"
Bang! She hit the bottom
George shouted through the tube:
Spread her wide open! Wha5e
ii at herr
PoW-vow-chow The escape
pipes belched snowy pillars of
steam aloft, the boat ground and
surged and trembled-and sliu
over into
an ark twain -
'Quarter-he
SLAP! tap! tap!n TO signify
Stay in the heads ~
And away she went, fyinp up
the willow snore, with the whole
silver sea ofthe Mississippi stretch
ing abroad on every hand.
No Aramanth in sight.
"Ha! ha, boys, we taoh eou-
pie of tricks thai t.mo," said the
Captain.
And just at that moment a red
glare appeared in the head of the
chute and the Aramanth came
springing after them!
"Well, l swear!"
"Jim, what is the meaning of
that? ?"
cpl tell you what's the mean
ing of it. That hail we had at
Napoleon was Wash Hastings,
wanting to come to Cario-and we
didn't stop. He's in that pilot
house, now, showing those mud
turtles how to hunt for easy
water"
"That's it. l thought it wasn't
any SLOUGH that was running that
middle bar in Hogs Eye Bend.
If it's Wash Hastings well, what
he don't know about the river is
not worth knowing-a regular
goldleaf, kid-glove, diamond
breast-pin pilot Wash Hastings is.
We won't take any tricks off him,
old man."
81 wish I'd a stopped for him,
that's all.n
The Aramanth was within three
hundred yards of the Boreas and
still gaining.
The "old man" spoke through
the tube: