Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-12-20
CHAPTER XVIII


After having laid bare his plan the
deserter of the XenophOn sat for a long
time in silence. He gazed upon the yes
sci which lay at anchor like some mon
ster sea bird. He glanced down at the
beach where number of boats and small
crafts were mOOred.
Gould we not overhaul them now?"
Griffith asked Of the deserter, who had
risen to his feet.
mo, the British would discover you,
and your motive be guessed. When night
fall comes every boat must be drawn up
that bit Of head land, andbhen we can cut
boughs of bushes and so arrange every
thing as to screen them from the enemy
on ship or shore.
To Griffith Alton it seemed an age be-
fore night would come. He hunted up
Jack Ratchet and laid bare the plan.
That's it, said Jack. That's jest eX-
actly it. I'll go to the shop and put a
fire in the forge an begin now maxim
cutlasEes.
"No, no, Jack; build no fire until night, "
said Captain Alton. THE smoke would
be seen and the cause might be guessed.
But get together as many assistant smiths
as you can and hunt up all the material
YOU can find that viii be suitable to fash
ion into cutlasses, be they ever so rude.
Then you must also get together all the
old lockIess pistols that can be found and
repair such as can be repaired Put them
in as good condition as possible"
@I'lI do it, GriH. Ye needn't fear but
what I'll do it, said Jack Ratchet, whose
eyes sparkled with excitement at the
proposition. I know jest how to work
on guns, too, fur I've been at that kinder
business fur a long time. Then there are
lots o. boys in town who kin pound iron
and tinker with gun locks, too.
Jack at once set to work and hunted up
such persons as he needed, and they be-
gan gathering together all such material
as they could find. Bars of iron and
steel, reaping hooks, corn knives, and
wagon springs, everything which could
possibly be shaped into 8 weapon These
were carried to Jacks shop. Two more
temporary FORCES were set up that even
ing, and all night long the work of gath
erlng in material went on.
No fire was built in the FORCES, for our
friends were not ready.
The youthful commander went down TO
the beach as soon as it was dark. The
two deserters and Henry Small accOmpa-
MED him.
you have considerable experience In
repairing boats, have you not, Henry2
the young commander asked the carpen-
Eyes. a good deal, Grit, the carpen-
ter answered, with Chuckle. Fact IS,
Grif, I've made most Of these boats my
self.
Now. how many assistants can you
muster?"
dun know; but most anybody can
help carry these boats up the creek out
on dry ground, where we kin caulk
EN-.
A hundred hands we're soon busy, and
the silent work went on.
One after another the boats were dragged
up the creek, taken out behind a bit OF
heRdland, and put on temporary dry-doeks
/ prepared for them.
Thar, they cant see us now when We
work on EN-, said the carpenter.
Can they be repaired Tonight" ON
/ hero asks.
"EO, Grif. that would be impossible,
! the carpenter answered. You see, some
/ on EN- bev been badly split up by the
balls and shells from the ship, an others
I are a most rotten.
DO you suppose the vessel Win bonn
bard as tomorrow the anxious com