Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-01-13
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE FATAL EXPLOSION.

Meghorn's eyes flashed fire, and he
drew revolver from his belt, and
loosened the cutlass IN it's hold upon
the same.
The men of the cutter seemed intui-
lively to have understood the move
ment in the other, and to be prepar-
ing in like manner; while the boats,
no longer propelled by the oars, were
drifting nearer with every wave. The
wind was rising, and now blew IL
hasty and lnconstant gusts.
Suddenly the pirate uttered an eX-
clamation, and, with a quick move
ment, cried to his men. "For the
shore, lads! quick lay down tot with
will make for the shore!"
In a few brief words he spoke to
Yawman, and indicated, in a gesture,
one spot where the Unsuitable flames
had taken a devious course and, rum
ming down q thicklywooded incline,
had caught at the bushy foliage of
some hugefern and furze bushes, upon
whose dried leaves and twigs it led
with unsatiated appetite.
1t must!" he muttered, In a hoarse
tone, to his mate. BY my life, care
lads right heartily!''
Close in shore they drew, in silence
ignorant, even, of what their dread
leader might purpose. The cutter,
amazed at this new course, and fear
ing some cunning sleight Of their prey,
asquickly were upon their track and
as eagerly and as recklessIy Piled
their oars hoping to seizet hesmugglers
upon shore, where assistance would
be certainly at hand.
Closer yet they drew, and the boat
almost grazed the face of the craggy
rock, just beneath where the fired
bush yet blazed.
| The cutter was close upon them.
Swift as the wind, Saul, by a sudden
moyement-not to be SO quickly fol.
lowed by his pursuer- altered. the
course Of his boat; then, throwing
himself upon an oar, added the
strength Of his own skilled arm to en-
force her speed from the dangerous
proximity.
For a second the cutter paused fol
lowing this sudden man@uvre, and in
that moment fell destruction. AS by
the shock OF an earthuuake, the rock
was suddenly rent, with the noise of
thunder high into the air were hurled
the mighty fragments, to fall, seeth-
| ing and kissing, into the boiling sea
beneath. Torrents OF sparks mount.
ed into the air-the chasm yomi-
ted forth. blue fame;, and
the sheeted fire ran y up the
hugh sea-wall, and along the top; and
sdefied.thes d ark heavens that drowned
down upon the ruthless devastation.
A huge, -gnarled, and weather beaten
trunk ola tree-which had for ages de-
| fed the elements fixed on it's granite
| throne. was torn from it's roots, and
hurled into the depths of ocean, which
| parted with an unwilling groans to re-
ceive the veteran.
Panic-stricken, themen IN the cutter
had Piled their oars, but too late. A
huge fragment of.rock had struck the
foremost headlong from his seat in the
stern into the water, which only
! opened to receive a corpse. Horrlfled,
/ and knowing not to what visitation
(, they were subject, some leaped into
the sea, others manfully held to their
j duty; but fast as they might move,
still fasterfell ruin and dismay. They
who met instant death werefortunate.
The manned, the bleeding, thecrushed,
who vet lived, and were alive to all
the horrors of that night, might have
envied the fate Of such as tioated by