Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-05

- l. = -
LIFT, BossY!5 LEFT FER DRIFT! KIvEB
QUICK!"
the channel, well into the, slack below,
and well-Pete ihoped-below the an
chored ships, he glanced over his shout
der. With that glance the black lifted
his oar, Evans stroke spinning the
boats head upstream, as he caught the
quick whisper:
Lift, bossy! Left 'er drift! Kiver,
quicl1!''
For either had the darkness made Pete
miscalcula4e the drift, or Evans quicker
stroke had headed the boat diagonally
across, not) straight. For-not twenty
yards ahead-into the eyes Pete conf
IDENTIFY turned, cleaned the stern-light
! of a vessel, its height proving her big
one. Them as he spoke and turned, he
glanced below, and dimly through the
gloom shone the lights of second!
No time for speculation now. They
were almost beneath the towering hull,
well within hail or easy pistol-rangel
I Only careless security, or untried ears,
had failed to catch the plash of oars,
the breathless trio waiting for a hail.
probably a volley. But neither came;
| and silence as of death covered what
might have been aIphantom ship.
Meanwhile, the skiff, in slack from
| the current, began to drift slowly to-
| wards the second light; and Pete, low
| crouched in thestern, noiselessly shipped
| his paddle and turned her head shore
| ward.
Intuitively the others had stretched
| in the hay, drawing the !oilcloths well
| over them, breath1essly expecting the
whirr of bullet or the glare of ben
| COLA.
Flat on the water, no. head showing
above her sides, the light craft an
swered well the feathertof Pete's strong,
slow wrist. Inch by inch she bore
away, passed under the din-looming
stern, almost grazing the still blades Of
the propeller. But, spite of the blacks
strength, the skiff ,drifted fast; and he
dared not quickenl his paddle, fearing
noise. For now on his quick ear
sounded the dull tramp of the deck
watch on the second transport, and the
dim CLEAN of her consort's stern-ight
fell on the low black sliff drifting be-
tween twin dangers! So the steersman
let her swing closer in, beyond the
light,-almost too close,-before he
softly turned her shoreward.
For high above him doomed the Sec
ond bow; and biscuit dropping from
it had fallen in the skiff. And the muf-
fed tread above now sounded clear even
to the two honeath the oil-cloths But
to neither of the three did thought of
capture come, the Notwithstanding Of the
boy relying on his tried, trust-to-luclz
theory, the (calmer courage Of the girl
upheld by nearness to the goal she
must reach now, the peril-hardened ne
gro crouched quiet and cool, his body
motionless, his strong wrist barely feel
ing the noiseless paddle.
Under the very nose Of the tall ship
drifted the sl1tf, quicls-turned into the
gloomy shadow of her great sides, car
ried slowly downward by the slack.
They were through the barrier, the
enemy well behind themi They were
sa8el And Pete, turning the boats head
to shore, wore away cautiously, but
; faster. Just then, out from the black
shadow astern, came the calls: "Boat
astern, sirl"-"Where away2"-"Port
! quarter, tsirP'-so rapidly as to merge in
one.
All three could hear, the officer run
his night-glass:
> Nonsense, Keefel I see nothing"
No time to lose now! Quicker, but
,, still noiselessly, the brawny black wrist
twisted the paddle, the boat answering
, As live thing and gliding swiftly
away, but not before the ghostly blue
bengal-Mght cleaned ominous across
the water. And just within its radius
l scarcely visible, Aoated ON the low
? black boat.
. "There she lays, sirl" the watch cried
pointing.
: "Pshaw, mani that's only an old log
! But give her a shot, anyway"
Pete heard the shrin hiss Of Q bulle
: close above his head. and splash as II
struck the water well beyond. But b.
: did not even vince; and no sound a
movement showed the dim, loa-liles %
: ject floating there to be anything @oss
suspicious.
But at the shot the first shlp 0sshet
J her lights, and, still beyond, the thirS
, answered the signal, lighting the wate1
, 30 brightly that the b0et--glidin@ swifa
IL Nlz6oGA anA OF EaAlna A0R-&e@eI