Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-10-30
WHEN THIEVES FALL OUT.
BY DUKE SHARP.

The freight steamer Russian Bear
was thrashing along down the Pacific
Ocean with her blunt PROV facing
south, and the captain reckoned be
was somewhere off the Queen Char
lotte Islands.
The Bear was an iron ship of old
fashioned build, and as slow as they
make EN- +; any old thing on the
ocean could pass her; yet, pro TEN,
she was passenger boat and was
bringing down the last of the sea-
sons crop of Klondike miners. She
was reputed to have 100000 worth
of gold dust and nuggets on board
and her coming was watched with
some anxiety.
On the morning of the 7th the cap
tain noticed on the western horizon
what appeared to be steamer COM
ing toward him. AS craft are scarce
on these waters, except in the seal.
ing season, tie captain watched the
strangers approach with interest not
unmixed with anxiety, because of
the valuable cargo be had aboard.
The sea was calm for the time of
year, anj the steamer seemed to be
making for across the bows of the
Bear. The captain ordered the flag
hoisted, but the oncomer showed no
answering colors, which did not tend
to make the captain feel uneasy.
She was trim craft, looking like
private yacht, painted black with
two slim, tapering masts set at a
rakish slope in line with her one fun
mel. She came swiftly through the
water and turned her broadside to-
ward the Russian Bear, when the
man at the wheel calculated that she
was as near as was safe, and her en-
CINE slowed down so that the stran-
gers speed more nearly accorded
with the slow progress the larger
ship was making.
A man on the bridge came TO the
edge nearest the slower vessel and
placing his hands to his mouth,
shouted
"Ship ahoy. Is that the Russian
Bear?'
"Who are you? p reared the cap
tain. "and what do you want ?"
81 want an answer to my question;
then I'll tell you what more
want"
After speaking, however, the new
conner did not wait for an answer,
but gave command to the man at
the wheel, who promptly signalled
for the engines to stop, whereupon
the yacht dropped to the rear, not
withstanding the slowness of the old
Bear.
The name was plainly painted on
the stern, and the captain of the
yacht having seen that this was the
ship he was after moved quickly
along side again, this time with only
a couple of hundred of feet of water
between the two ships.
During the slight interval The
crew of the yacht had been busy,
and now forbidding looking can.
non pointed its ominous muzz!e to-
ward the Bear.
"I'm after the gold. captain said
the first speaker, nonchalantlv, 'as
no doubt you are aware. I'm going
10 nave 1t quietly or I'm going to
sink your ship. Which is it to be ?"
Whatever gold we have on board
if we have any, is not mine. I don't
see what good the sinking of the
ship will do you, and it would be
very inconvenieut to me. Better
sheer of and we'll say no more
about it. | can take joke as we'll
as the next man.
For time it locked as If the
stranger heeded the good advice Civ
en- him. The captain of the yacht
rang full speed ahead and the sharp
prov cut the water like knife.
The yacht described large circle
and seemed to be showing off its
PAGES, but this, as the captain of the
Bear remarked, was unnecessary, for
he already knew that any scow on
the Pacific could pass him. How
ever, it was soon evident that this
was not the intention of the enemy.
Ranging along side once more, but
this time further away, there was a
cloud of smoke from the cannon, a
sharp report and the crash of rend-
ing plates. A jagged hole had been
torn in the ships side near the bull
warks, which, while it did no harm,
enarcalv ;p,provo1 4ba n,.,oa~o ~