The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-05

| And now for those on board the hulk
| began chase that meant possibly lite or
death to them, and which certainly
meant life or death to the two brave lads
| padding away down the full, strong cur
| rent OF midstream. 1t was soon evident
the great war canoe, propelled by the arms
of thirty or forty men. was gaining rapidly
| in the track of the fugitives, the quick mo-
| ton OF whose paddles. as they flashed
to right and lett, seeming to beat the water
almost as rapidly as the hearts OF those
| watching breathlessiy from the Rosy
| Morn smote against their ribs.
But on, steadily on, crept the war ca
| noe. the water rushing from her PROV IN
| foam as she tore down stream, keeping
| we'll out of range of the guns of those on
| board the hulk. and on sped the little ca
| noe ahead faster and even faster her two
| paddles seemed to dip in unison until at
| last the fresh, strong breath of the sea
| blows steadily in the lads faces and they
can see the white waves tumbling on the
| bar, broken only in one narrow line.
where an oily green swell OF rollers sweeps
| laZily across the shadows, only now and
then one of them to fall in thunderous
| crash of shattered FOAM as, reared too
high on its shallow base, it topples over.
| Through this passage lies the only way.
| On each hand spreads roaring sea OF
! broken water in which no craft such as
| theirs could live single instant.
Onward the boys urge their canoe, until
the swell of the water on the bar rocks it
| up and down, but on too comes the great
war canoe with rush that sends the water
swirling far behind In eddies. as the thirty
| paddles churn it into foam, and the hiss Of
the, paddlers' breath, exhaled with
the continuous escape OF steam
| pipe. On they come, gaming at
every stroke, until the distance between
them and their struggling, toi!ing prey, is
now scarce hundred yards, and. to the
| straining eyes of Williams, looking
through the telescope of the Rosy Morn
| far up stream, it seems as though another
| moment will see Tom and Jim Doe in the
| hands of their pursuers.
| But keeping their eyes fixed on the way
before them the brave lads urge by almost
superhuman exertions their little craft
until they enter the narrowest part of the
channel across the bar, rising and falling
| with the swell of the great rollers. Sud-
| denly Tom gives half-scream and yells,
Faster, faster" for right in front of them,
only few yards away rises with an
| ominous roar q mountain of green
| water, higher and moving swifter towards
them than any they had already passed.
! Onward it comes.s gathering strength and
height, and ere the little canoe has fairly
| righted to face it the crest of the wave be-
! gins to hiss into foam. With the strength
| of despair the two lads strike their pad
/
monster, and gliding up almost perpen-
dicularly. the canoe shoots clean length
/ into the air beyond the summit just curl
ing to fall. With smack that sends both
| boys almost flying into the sea the canoe
| strikes the downward slope on the far
side, and clingiDg to the gunwale they are
| the next moment floating in the bubbling
hollow left by the great wave as it fell just
| behind them.a
| Intent on capturing the fugitives, the
occupants of the war canoe had not heed
| ed the swell on the bar, and at the mo-
| ment Tom had caught sight of the break
| ing wave the prov OF the pursuers was
| only a few yards behind. A moment
| later the steersman shouts to his men to
| paddle faster-he, too. has seen whist is
coming. and they with him, but too late,
and with yell that sounds in the boys
| ears above the roar of the falling wave the
Brass men dip their paddles for the last
| time; for as the canoe endeavors to rise to
| meet the oncoming sheet of water that
| towers above her, the great mass seems to
| stand straight up for an instant of time,
staggers, and then, with crash, falls
| down and over the doomed canoe.
| A boiling, seething tumult of water that
| sweeps onward over the bar succeeds, in
| which for some moments it is impossible
| to distinguish any object, but as the boys
| gain the calmer water of the open sea they
| can catch glimpse on looking back of the
| wal CdIOe, UOttOH uDWdrus, ueaVlHR ana
| tossing in the heavy breakers far in on the
| bar.
| Resting seldom, Tom and Jim Doe
| reached BOnny next morning, where to
| their JOY, they discovered a gun brig, the
| FLYING Fish, and on learning their news
the captain decided to set out for Brass
| Immediately.
| In an hours time the brig was under
weigh and by night fail she had gained the
| entrance to Brass river, but it being i'm
| possible to cross the bar in the darkness,
| they were forced to anchor for the night.
Next day an offshore breeze delayed them
| until afternoon. but as the sea breeze filled
her sails the gallant brig stood boldly
| across the bar.
| As she forged up stream all eyes were
| turned on the distant hulk. On nearing
| her they observed numbers of canoes put
ting off from her and making for the shore,
| and their fears were too soon confirmed
| that the Rosy Morn had fallen into the
| hands of the savages.
| A search party was soon on board the
| hulk, and after a long and fruitless search
| for traces of the white men or any of the
| crew, they were about to return to the brig
| when jim Doe discovered In the forehold
wounded Kruboy lying hidden behind a
| large puncheon of earthenware. The
| wounded boys story was soon told. The
| previous night the attack had been re-
newed, and after hard struggle the enemy
| nau succeeded In DOdFulflg Tie nuIk.
| Many of the Kruboys were killed. and the
| white men had been carried off to the
| shore, along with the surviving members
| of the crew, to undergo treatment all now
| feared to think of.
Returning to the Flying Fish, it was
| determined to sail on up at once and to
land a strong party of sailors on the
| beach, while the briggs guns covered the
| town.
The captain of the Flying Fish, taking
! Tom and Jim Doe, headed party of fifty
| well armed blue jackets, while one of the
| lieutenants accompanied them. Guided by
| Tom, the party advanced through the
| deserted streets until they came into the
| large square at the further end of which
| lofty palisade of stakes enclosed the Jul u
| houses, filled with the bleached skulls Of
those who had been sacrificed by Elabu,
| or his predecessors.
1t was here that Tom hoped to find
traces of the white men.
| As the sailors were just about to follow
him across the square the party was ar
| rested by cry as Tom stopped and pointed
| toward the enclosure
Raised above the palisade was the figure
of Ejabu. with uplifted hand, warning the
| advancing sailors to halt, and speaking
slowly words that only Tom compre-
| hended
When translated by Tom they were to
the effect that the three white men were
at that moment prisoners In the Ju-lu
| house; that If the sailors advanced step
| TO their assistance they would be Killed
| before the rescuers could reach the pals
AIDE. and that if they wished to save their
Il l.