The Russellville Democrat., 1892-07-14

still water or tu6 pay
 Then he took big draught ot fresh air and looked around him He was nearly hundred feet from the Carstairs, and be heard ''old Tasker'' swearing and believing some commands to the boat.
 Turning his head in the direction of the shore Ie saw, not twenty feet distant. the boat which he judged had been put out after him. The men were lying on their oars and the officer in the stern was standing up with his back toward him, scanning the bay around him.
 It was evident they had not yet detected him. They were looking in every direction but the right one But it was equally evident to Larry that he could not hope to pass them and get to shore, his only place of refuge, without be- ing seen, when his captu would be only a matter of short time. The night was dark, but there was a good deal of phosphoresence in the water and his movements would show him to them very speedily. Swimming under water for that distance was beyond even him, and he was an ex- cellent swimmer.
 As the boat lay there, not moving except for slight rocking, and he saw them all looking away from him, an idea came to Larry which made him silently sink his head below the water again and strike out under water towards his pursuers.
 A few strokes and he allowed himself to rise very gradually. Everything depended upon bow ac- curately he had judged the distance between his first position and the boat. If he had gone three feet too little or too much his capture was insured. What he wanted-what he must do-was to come up immediately under the stern of the boat.
 Presently, just as he thought his head would come above the surface of the water, he felt something hard over him, and, reaching up, he touched the boats bottom. With a little maneuvering he moved back ward and felt his head rise above the water. He was just under the counter of the boat.
 "Let her go on there!" voice growled overhead, and Larry thrust one arm forward and down and grasped the keel; the other arm he bent above his head against tho sternmost part of the counter to fend himself off with.
 As he lay his position was not an easy one, but he thought he could retain it for time. His body sloped astern, entirely covered by water, so that only his head and part of his shoulders which were concealed by the boats overhang, were above the surface.
 The boat started ahead slowly and Larry thanked his stars-toward shore. For awhile they patrolled parallel with the water front and he had to hang on and hope they would come little nearer to the wharves.
 He was beginning to get very tired. He had nothing to grasp which afforded him any good hold and his fingers were becoming numb. The water swirled and rushed past his head, but it was evi- dent the triaing noise it made was not heard by those above him.
 Presently the boat turned toward shore. In minute or so he saw the dark outline of one of the bulk heads of the piers. He glanced at the water intervening. There was about POO feet between him and the shore. He made up his mind to try it.
 Once again he sank, having taken a long breath, and made for the shore under water. By and by he had come to the surface again.
 The instant his head broke the water there was a yell from out in the river. They had discovered him he knew. But they were nearly hundred feet away and he had not more than that to cover in order to be safe.
 He went at 1t arm over arm. He had never known before how fast he could swim. They gained on him, but Larry kept it up. When he reached the pier he dived under the stringer piece and his pursuers halted They couldn't follow him there.
 A couple of minutes later figure on the wharf. It was Larry.
 The men in the boat saw him shake his fist at them and then move quickly away. The second mates heart quaked as he thought of the reception "Old Taskern would give him when he came back empty handed. And Larry went to his lodgings, well satisfied with the out come of his adventure, notwithstand- ing it had given him the most un- pleasant experience of his life of danger and hardship. Francis c. Williams, in Detroit Free Press.