Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-10-21

your coai IOT WldU III VIII IcCcn, DID,
viscd a man who had come off in Il
skitf to hail them. "If you don't, the
Scccsh will seize it and chuck YOU fell
lows e,erboard to the catfish"
IL hope things amt quite as bad
as that" returned Lcathers.
/ "lf they're not now. they will be
before you get 200 miles further"
by this time the man i'm the skitf
was so far astern that his voice could
scarcely be heard, and the pilot
winkcd at his assistant and chucklet.
The third night after passing Cairo
they were startled 10y seeing Il boat
containing six men shoot out of the
darkness, and its occupants spring
over the rail.
The strangers were armed and
quickly covered the two pilots with
their r%evolvers.
''Where are you FROM" demanded
the leader.
"We left Louisville two weeks ago."
promptly replied Brown.
"No lies. This is Yankee COAL,
asserted the new comcr.
"Now, If that stuff your standin'
on warnt mined in Kentucky you may
hang Jack Leather to any tree on the
bank" retorted the pilot.
"4Ah, feathers, is that you?:" went
on the officer of the guard. "Now /
know we've captured Il prize And
turning to his followers he continued,
1.-TWO of you men jump into the skitf
and run his line out to shore. And
you. LcatIlers. order your crew to the
oars. You must make Il landing at
N%icksburg. All, ha, this lot OF YAM
kcc coal is just about what the boys
ere in need Of"
81 tell you,' persisted the pilot,
live got Kentucky coal aboard"
''Pcrhaps you have, but we'll see"
AS the two sccessionists got into
the boat, Brown went forward to
hand them the end of the warping-
line. In passing among his own
crew he whispered
''Look here, if those fellows take
us to Nicksburg, every n of us will
hang before daylight. 1t seems to
me mighty cowardly to allow half a
dozen men, though they are armed,
to capture thirty big fellows like us. +"
"a low growl was the response.
but it meant volumes.
"Tay out. Pay OUT" shouted the
soldiers in the boat.
"All right returned the second
pilot. "l'ull away, YOU'RE getting it
now EASTERN YOU can take it. "
Though in reality Brown vas holding
on to the rope until he could secure a
piece of timber to it, to mislcad the
would-bc captors and induce them to
think they were towing a hawscr.
Then he cut the line and n~oiSclcssly
dropped the log of wood into the
water.
In the darkness the four southern
crs, who We're gathered about the in
dignant pilot. could not see what was
going ON, nor did they realize any
change i'm the situation until they
felt their arms pinioncd to their sides,
and heavy hands placed over their
mouths.
..Whatdocs this mcan?> questioned
feathers.
"Mcans,' replied the intrepid
Brown. that we don't propose to make
a landing at Nicksburg, that's ALL"
sIt's IL bold stroke, but perhaps
the best one replied Leathers. Sc
cure them firmly until we get by the
city. 1t won't take half an hour to
leave the lights behind. Where are
the two rascals that went off i'm the
skif:"
Glowing a log of wood ashore to
secure it to the bank" answered
Brown, with IL chuckle.
All eyes wsre now strained to dc-
tee: The presence of another guard
boat, should one be abroad upon the
river, but our friends were not mo-
Tested. and the broadhorn swept by
tho city which ere long was to be she
scene of carnage and strife.
As the SUI arose the coal-boats
wsre we'll down in the sparscly set
tied country, and Leathers, having
secured the soldiers weapons. ordered
them to be released. and invited them
10 join him at breakfast.
"What are yon going to dc with
U.s." demanded the officer, as scon as
he recovered speech.
.'Sct you adrift in one of my
skiffs, when you have finished cat
:ag," was the cool reply.
.sYou'll be made to suffer for this,
believe me, feathers"
sob, 1 reckon not. My instruc-
tions were to take this coal south as
quickly as possible, and not to site
up or allow myself to be stop2s1 un-
der any circumstances. And l Judge
Che officer who is looking for this
cargo is a little bit higher up than
you are, my friend"
"But where are you taking it?:"
"Therc's another of my instruc-
tions. Not to tell a soul on the river
to whom it is consigned. So if you
have finished your rcpast you may
climb into the skitf and go back to
V~icksburgh. It'll bc a hard pull, ]
know, but it is your fault. You should
have taken my word and not made
the attempt to retard my progress.
In a surlv mood the soldiers took
their seats in the boat, and without
r~nSpon6inu tn tho ni1Ot.S frraVa1I