The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-25

00INl8 BVAAI oNeG bIa8
his eyes slittcrine with diabolical delight;
the blow was In the act Of descendinG
when . .ss arm M"s nsssssi" with a hI"s
~electric light, and q peal 81 thunder, iosd
as the crack Of doom, broke over the
raised, as though he had sudd-niy bs.n
The crash Of the thunder awoke Capt.
Dunnett from his slumlsrs and he spranR
to his feet. He took. in the situation att
glance, and fiinRin9 himself on his would
STRUGGLE Was for dear life. and the mate
fought ~savagely. but at last tho captains
superior skill and strength prevailed, and
"Strike, man, strikc!" shrickcd the
mate. ut is your life ar miner"
"You are mad, Jarvisc," exclaimed the
"Yes, I am; hut strike, man, strike. Put
an end To In torture; l can stand no more
"No!" cried the captain, throwing him
from him.
Then he turned and left the cabin, lock-
Out on the deck n grand and startling
sight met his view. The whole OF the
northern part of the heavens was envel-
southern half was clear and bright. The
next instant the northern half was ablaze
thist that caused such excitement i'm the
breast of Captain Dunnett. The central
object in this scene was q large brig, not
ing down To their succor, under press OF
canvas.
For a second or two he stood rooted tn
the spot. Then, In a wild transport of joy
he threw mp his arms and cried:
sawed! Saved! Thank heaven! Thank
All thoughts Of Jarvise's diabolical at
tcmpts on his life vanished and In an i'm
slant he had unlocked the c'iddy door,
and, scixing the mate by the arm, dragged
him, half stunned and dazed by his fall,
out an to the main deck, and as another
flash OF lightning disclosed the brig again
tn their view. cried.
.Ihersi There! See what a mercif"l
of lightning moved over the mizzen mast;
IL ran down the mast, which tottered and
with a crash fell over the = With the
wise rushed toward the side and was i'm the
act of ~sprinRing into the sea, when Cap
tain Drnnett seized him by the collar and
flung him violently hack ON the deck,
where he lay tunned and bleeding.
The lightning flashed almost inccs-
The brig still held ON her course. BY this
time d was within half "a mile Of them.
lay notionless i'm the water.
All this While Captain Dunnett and the
mate, who had soon recovered his con-
sciousncss, stood watching her i'm the
The gloom was rapidly deepening: the
clouds were h',rrying on; the moon and
was one vast pail Of inky blackness.
Broad sheets of lightning now and then
shot up from the bS..nm OF the ocean, IL;
clouds with "a blue. spectral light, which
made the p~ortentio's aspect OF the
when unbroken by the thunder, WAS sol
eunn and impressive.
But wha, is that curling mp from the
Al first il came i'm small wreaths; but now
IL is pouring out i'm IL great volume.
The lightning which had shivercsi the
m~izzcnmast had descended into the hold
and set fire tai the cargo, and the confia-
grafton was spreading rapidly.
The two men, when they made the dis
covery, stOOd appalled, with horror. They
knew they were standing, as IL were, on "a
stored ~ quantity of Runpowder, which
might explode at any moment and blow
The smoke beIchetl forth i'm large vol
ynes and now and again n bright, flicker
ing flame shot mp from the h~atchway.
pouring into the cuddy aud the whole
structure was ON fire. The flames ex-
tended, and in less than ten minutes the
fire, the lurid glare lighting up the super
clouds and leaden sea and pro-
"u Xmaf now Sss another nh. danger M xss', .%ss.nten-
ing them. Away i'm the distance there
was a dull, sobbinR moan, which each
minute became more distinct-the tor
The last time they had looked at the
brig she was lying h.calmed. and they
aeu iIhissktutsu tikst ~ tht shte tte ~
grafton was extending there was little
chance of succor arriving in time
tn save them, for now the deck
was getting hot under their feet,
and the fire had extended tn the fore
castle deck house, but at hat moment
they were startled 10y u sharp cry of "Ship
ahoy! ship ahoy!" and, looking in the di-
rection from whence the sound came,
they saw n boat, manned with four oars.
pulling rapidly toward them. In another
minute the welcome sound of '.ln how ="
was heard, and the boat was alongside.
No time was to he lost. The storm was
brewing i'm the north, and " il burst upon
them before they reached the ship their
doom was certain. Again, the powder i'm
the hold might explode at any minute, so
they hurriedly lowered themselves into
the boat and pushed of.
While the second mate was re- the
two men from the burning sh -
tain and mate of the brig were ma.a..Ix all
preparations for the coming gale, and,
before the boat had got alongside. the
sails had been furled and everything made
snug.
Captain Dunnctt and his mate had been
kept up by the excitement of the sitUation,
hut the moment they were ou board In
brig they tainted dead of and were. taken
below in "a state of unconsciousness This
hal scarcely been accomplished and the
qulrtcrboat hoisted up and made fast
when the tornado burst upon them with
terrific f~iervcness. For "a few minutes
they could neither see nor hear anything
hut the roaring Of the tornleutcd waters