West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-04-01
CHAPTER XII.

at high noon some sort of n decision
seemed to have been reached, as York
can.o nft with flag Of truce and asked
TO speak TO the captain. When told to
80 ahcad, he said
Captain, we have given you plenty
az time TO consider our offer, and have
come for your answer. You can hayo
the boats all fitted out, aud che doctor
and Roberts shall go with you We are
bound 10 have this ship and carry her
where we will, and if you refuse our
Offer tho results be upon your own
head"
'Harkee, you bloody traitor and viii
lainP shouted the captain in reply,
eve not only refuse your offer, but are
ready for what may comep'
Then you won't go?''
"Not step. Begin the attack as
Soon as you please''
stood behind the captain while he
spoke AS he finished, folt soft hand
on my arm, and turned to find Mary
Williams at my side. She was very
pale, as was the case with nll 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
fae step or two aside, "there are but
few Of us and many of them. Will You
show me how to load one Of these weap-
ons, that | may be Of some assistance
when tho attack comcs?'
'I,or bless you for your brave hearth
eays in reply. but maybe it will be
better il you look after the women and
children bit / see you are the only
woman WHO spark of courage left,
thoEgll this is only the beginning of it.
And what do you think of the situa-
tiou:"
Its bad one, Miss Williams, as
I'm ia honor bound to say, but wo are
not at such "a disadvantage as you may
suppose. Those fellows know nothing
OF these iron shutters or IF the number
Of guns at hard ="
"You-you heard Ben Johnson. say
chat you and | were not to go in the
boats with the others?'' she queried,
with break or two i'll her voice.
AYE, that did, but there will DO
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"
81 want you to promise rao some
thing" she persisted, draw ing me still
farther from the portfolio. 1T you are
still alive when they break into the
cabin, want you TO shoot me.
"Lor save you, missl 1 whispered,
taken all abaclS by her look of appeal
and strange words. at will surely
never come to that
but if it does"
"Mary," says l, never knowing that
/ had spoken her given name and never
knowing till long afterward that took
both her hands in mine, "if L had a
dozen lives, I'd give them all to save
yours, and so 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 if worst comes to
worst, / may give you my last bullet "
Remember, Ralph. 1 shall depend
upon It..
l had called her Mary, and she had
called me Ralph. 1t was "a declaration of
love, made under such circumstances as
were never known before. You smile at
me, but as 7 told you in the beginning,
was but plain sailor man and hardly
knew the meaning of the word "ro-
NANCE" We were standing in the face Of
death, as 1t were, and yet could have
hfted mp my voice and shouted for JOY.
The number Of the mutineers gave
thom confidence. They perhaps argued
that rush aft Of all hands would carry
our position, with little or no damage
TO their eide. They gathered up what
ever could be made TO answer for weap-
6ns, and the cool and lawless way in
which they made ready for the attack
made rs wild with anger and impa-
thence. We could have poured a yolley
into them at any moment during the
forenoon, bat Captain Clark did not
wish 20 be the first 90 shed blood
though he would have been fully justi-
fed in sweeping the decks. I believe he
hoped, az 1 did, that something might
occur % stop the trouble before any ono
was laid low. When it became evident
tnat they meant TO rush, he turned to
ug and said:
Il want every one Of you 10 shoot TO
kill Do noe be satisfied with killing
one man, but kill two or three, if you
can. II we give them a good dose at
tho start, it viii take the fight out Of
them. Every ono To his post
Thirty seconds later the fall gang of
villains York and Johnson leading,
came rushing at us, aud tho yells they
uttered would have done credit 10 q war
party II savagcs. Eight Of them carried
spare ard TO be used as o batteriuR
rom, wuil. tro others bad axes. capstan
bors. irou Delaying pins and what not.
A few had Inuske's. but no apore am.
iUuritiou SO the Grst ~ the mob passed
The ioainmoet, wo opened on it and
quickly exchanged our guns TO fire
a9ain. ] believe that some Of our bullets
BIT Two meu. which was not at an nm
$500 ----s-----.----------