Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-03-02
.THEMATEOP PTHE hindu
By Captain RALPH DAvM
lcopyrigh.. ispa by the Author.l
CHAPTER XII.

(COpyrtght, l6tob by tn0 Autnof.I
CHAPTER XII
THE INCIDENTS OF AN AFTERNOON.
At high noon some sort of . decision
seemed to have been reached. a. Yori
came aft with flag Of truce and asked
to speak to the captain. When told Il
60 ahead, he said
Captain, we have given you plenty
Of time to consider our offer, and have
come for your answer. You can have
the boats all fitted out. and the doctor
and Roberts shall go with you. We are
bound to have this ship and carry her
where we will, and il you refuse oul
offer the results be upon your OWL
head.
"Harkee. you bloody traitor and vii.
laini" shouted the captain in reply,
"We not only refuse your offer. but are
ready for what may comeP'
"Then you won't go?''
Not STEP Begin the attack ~
soon as you please.
stood behind the captain while he
spoke. As he finished. felt soft hand
on my arm, and ] turned to find Mary
Williams ut my side. She was very
pale, as was the case with all the other
women and perhaps some Of the men,
but / could not fail to notice that she
was also calm and collected.
"Mr. Tompkins, she said, pulling
me step or two aside, there are but
few Of MS and many Of them. Will you
show me how to load one Of these weap-
ons. that may be Of some assistance
when the attack comes?"
''Lor bless you for your brave heart"
says l in reply. "But maybe it will be
better il you look after the women and
children Bit see you are the only
woman who q spark OF courage left,
though this is only the beginning OF it. "
"And what do you think Of the situa-
tion:'
"It's q bad one, Miss Williams, as
I'm in honor bound TO say, but We are
not at such disadvantage as yon may
suppose. Those fellows know nothing
Of these iron shutters or Of the number
Of guns at hand.
"You-you heard Ben johnson say
that you and were not TO go in the
boats with the others?" she Queried,
with u break OF two in her voice. :.
"Aye, that did. but there will be
no taking TO the boats by any OF US
The man means murder for both OF US,
but we went let that bother Us yet
awhile.
~ want you TO promise me some
thing" she persisted, drawing me still
farther from the portfolio. III you are
still alive when they break into the
cabin, want you to shoot me-"
"Lor save you, miss!" whispered,
taken all aback by her look Of appeal
and strange words. "It will surely
never come 20 that"
"But II it does. "
MARY" says !. never knowing that
I had spoken her given name and never
knowing till long afterward that ! took
both her hands in mine, "if / had q
dozen lives, I'd give them all TO save
yours, aud so l don't like TO think OF
taking the only life dear to me in all
this world. I'd rather see you lying
dead, however, than In the power OF
that villain, and il worst comes to
worst. may give you my last bullet. "
Remember. Ralph. shall depend
upon it.
had called her Mary. and she had
called me Ralph. II was declaration OF
love, made under such circumstances as
were never known before. You smile at
me, but as I told you in the beginning,
I was but plain sailor man and hardly
knew the meaning Of the word "ro.
nance" We We're standing in the face OF
death, as it were, and yet / could have
lifted up my voice and shouted for JOY.
The numbers Of the mutineers gave
them confidence. They perhaps argued
that rush aft Of all hands would carry
our position. with little or no damage
to their side. They gathered up what.
ever could be made TO answer for weap'
ons, and the cool and lawless way in
which they made ready for the attack
made US wild with anger and impa-
tience. We could have poured q volley
into them ut any moment during the
forenoon. but Captain Clark did not
wish to be the first to shed blood,
though he would have been fully justi-
fed in sweeping the decks. ! believe he
hoped, as l did, that something might
occur to stop the trouble before any one
was laid low. When it became evident
that they meant to rush, he turned to
rs and said:
IL want every one Of you to shoot to
kill. Do not be satisfied with killing
one man, but kill two or three, il you
can. If we give them good dose at
the start, it will take the fight out OF
them. Every one to his post.
Thirty seconds later the full gang OF
villains, York and johnson leading,
came rushing ut rs, and the yells they
uttered would have done credit to war
party of savages. Eight Of them carried
o spare yard to be used as battering
ram, while the others had axes, capstan
bars. iron Delaying pins and what not.
A few had muskets, but no spare am
munition. AS the first Of the mob passed
the mainmast, we opened on it and
quickly exchanged our guns to fire
again. believe that some Of our bullets
hit two men, which was not at all an
likely in such crowd. Some Of them
reached the cabin, and one burly. big
ruffian lived long enough to strike one
blow with his Ak, but the rapid ire 80
astonished them and the slaughter
among them was SO appalling that they
broke back like q fock Of frightened
sheep. We kept peppering them until
the last living man had disappeared b.
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