The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-16
FOULPLAY.
A Novel.
BY CHARLES RrApE AND p,oS norc,cAvL1

ny CHARLES REApE AND DION noUcIcAuLr.
CHAPTER II.
The fearful the sickcning truth burst on
MIN in all its awful significance
Some miscreant or madmnn had locked the
door, and no Fastened him to the sinking
ship at time when, In the hustle, the alnrm
tn" selfshness, oil would bc apt to forget
him, ind leave him to his death.
lie tried the door in every way, no ham.
mcred at it; he shouted, he ragcd. he screnm.
ed. In win. Unfortunately the door ofthis
cabin was of very unusual strength and
thickness
Then he took up one of those great augers
lie had found in the mates cabin, and bored
holo in the door, through this hole no fired
hi spistol, and then screamed for help. II
ON shut up in the cabin. shall be drowned
o, for Christie sake, snve me! save mel and
II cold swsat of terror poured down his whole
body.
What is that?
The soft rustic Of woman's dress.
D how he thanked God for that music, and
the hope it gave him!
1t comes toward him; it stops, tho key ii
turned, the dress rustles away, swift IA a
winged bird; he dashed al. tho door; it flies
open.
Nobody was near. He covered his courage
in pnrt, fetched out his hug and his tools.
md ran across to the starbour,l side. There
he found the captain lowering Miss Rolleston
with due care, into the cutter, and the young
lady crying: not ut being shipwrcckcd, il you
please, but ut being deserted by her mnid.
June Holt, ut this trying moment. had de-
serted her mistress for her husband. This
WIS natural but, MS liz the rule with persons
Of that class, abe had done this in the siliest
and crueest way. Had she given half IN
hours notice fhcr in ention. Donovan might
have hesn on board the cutter with her nn.l
her mistress. But no: being liarand q fool,
she must hide her husband to the lust mo.
mrnt, and then desert her mistress. Tho
captain, then, was comforting Miss Rolleston,
and telling her she should have lcr maid with
her eventually, whom Hazel came. He hand
ed down his own bag, and threw the blankets
into 4 he stern sheets. Then went down him.
self: and sat on the mi,ship-thwart.
"Sliovc OH" said the cup, ain; and they fell
astern.
But Cooper, with boat hook. hooked on
them both.
Five minutes more elapsed, and the captain
did not come down. SO Wylr hailed him.
There was no answer. Hudson had gone
in the mates cabin. Wylr waited IL minute
Their hniled ngain. lily! ON deck there!'
"liullo!" cried the cnptuin. Mt last.
why didn you come in the CUTTER?
The captain crossed his arms, and leaned
over the stern.
Don't you know that Hiram Hudson is
always the last to leave sinking ship"
"Well, you are the last, snid Wylic. 80
now come on board the long boat ut once. l
dare not tow in her wake much longer, to be
sucked in when she goes down"
Come on board your craft and desert my
own" snid Hudson, dsdainfully, Know
my duty to m employers better"
These words alarmed the mnte Curse it
all.'' he cried: "the fool has been and got
some more rum. Fifty guincas to the man
TINT will shin up the tow-rope. and thrown
that mailman into the sea- then We can pick
him up. He swins like IL cork"
snilor instantly dnrtcd forward the
rope hut, unfortunately, Hudson heard
this proposal and it enragcd him. He got
to his cutnss The sailor drew tho bont
under the ships stern, hut the drunken
Skipper tlourshcd his cutlass furiously over
y In head. BOARD me! ye pirates! the first
that laysa finger on my hulwarks off goes
to the word. lie hacked ut tho tow-rope so
vigorously that it gave way, and the boats
foil astern.
Helen Rolleston uttered shrek OF dsmay
nnd pity. 20 save him. she cried.
MAKE sni!" cried Cooper; and. in a few
seconds, they got all her cunvas set upon
the cutter.
1t seemed a hopeless chase for these shells
to snil after that dying monster with her
cloud of canvas all drawing, allow and aloft.
But it did not prove so.
The gentle breeze was nn advantage
to light craft, aud the dying Proserpine was
full of water, and could only crawl.
After few moments Of great anxiety, the
boats crept up, tho cutter on her port, and
the long boat on her sturhonrd quarter.
Wyle ran forward. and mailing Hudson,
implored him, in the frendliest tones, to give
himselfa chnnce. Then tried him by his
vanity, Come, and command the boate, old
fellow, How cnn We navigate them on tho
Pacific. without you?"
Hudson WINS now leaning over tho tafirail
utterly drunk. IIo mode no reply to the
one hand. and his bottle in the other, and
gurgled out. DUTY to m employers"
The Cooper, without word, double. reeed
the cutter u mainsail, and told Wcch to keep
as close to the ships quarter rs he dare.
Wylie instinctively did the same, md the
three craft crawled on in solemn nnd deadly
silence, for nearly twenty minutes.
Tho wounded ship seemed to receive q
denth blow. She stopped dead and shook.
The next moment she pitched gently for
ward, and her bows went under the water,
while her after part rose into the mir, mud re-
vealed to those in the cutter two splintered
holes in her run, just below the wnter-line.
The next moment her sterl. settled down
the sen yawned horribly, the great waves O
1ar Ovu ninEintr rla1lO,l nvnr lor un,lnr n pek
and tho lofts musts and sails remaining
erect, went down with sad majesty into tho
Deep and nothing remained hut tho huh
bling and fonming of the vorarinus warer
that had swallowed up the good ship, and
her cargo. and her drunken muster.
All stood up in the boats, ready to Rnvt
him. Bnt either his cutlnss sunk him, Of
the suction Of SO great n body drew hin
down. He was seen no more in this world.
A loud sigh broke from every living bosom
that witnessed that terrible cntnstrope.
1t was beyond words; and none wer,
uttered, except by Cooper, who spoke sc
seldom; yet now three words OF terrible i'm
loud, deep voire rung like the sunk ship
kncll over the still bubbIing water
ScUTTLED-Rx GoD'"
CHAPTER XII.
"Hold your tongue" said WEIGH, with al
Mr Hazel looked ut Miss Rollrston, NM
she at him. II was n mOmrntnry glance
and her eyes sunk directly and filled will
patient tears.
For the first fow minutes aftor the prosar
pine went down: the survivors sat benumled
ns II awaiting their turn to be i:gufed.
| They seemed NO little. and the proserpin,
so big: yet she was swallowed before thei
eyes, like rrumb. They lost, for Il few mo
ments. all iden Of escaping.
But, true it is, that "while there
life there's hope" and, u
soon as their hearts began to beat again
their eyes rovei around the horizon,
| md their elastic minds recolel against de
spnir.
| This was rendered easier by tho wonderful
beauty of tho weather. There were men Their
who had got down from o sinking
ship. into boats hcavinG and tossing againa
her side in n gale Of wind, and yet be saved
and here all was calm and delightful. To By
sure, in those other ship wrecks land hal
been near, and their greatcst peril was owe
when once the bout got clear Of the distress
I'd ship WITHOUT Gnpsizing. Here was NO i'm
meiiate peril; but certain death menacei
them, al an uncertain distance.
| Their situation was briefly this. SHOULD !
come GU to blow q gale these open boats
email aud londed. could not hope to live
no more: they must either make land-or b
picked up at sea-hefore the weather changed
But how? The nearest known land was til
group of islands called Juan Fernandez, an,
they lay somewhere to lcewarl: but ,listnn
ut least nine hundred miles: and. should the,
prefer the other chance, then they must ben
three hundreds miles and more to wind wn ri