Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-03-10
CHAPTER XXVII-
on tsTTsTIrT' %

Owing to the cant of the vessel the
masts hung far out over the water, and
from my perch on the cross-trees
had nothing below me but the sur
face of the bay. Hands, who was not
so far up, was, in consequence, nearer
10 the ship, and fell between me and
the bulwarks. He rose once TO the
gurface in lather of foam and blood
and then sunk again for good. As the
water settled j could see him lying
huddlcd together on the clean, bright
sand in the shadow of the vessels
sides A fish or two whipped past his
body. Sometimes, by the quivering o.
the water, he appeared to move little,
as If he were trying to rise. But he
was dead enough, for all that, being
both shot and drowned, and was food
for fish in the very place where he had
designed my slaughter.
was no sooner certain of this than
/ began to feel sick, faint and terri
fed The hot blood was running over
my back and chest The dirk, where ii
had pinned my shoulder 10 the mast,
seemed TO burn like u hot iron; yet
ing,s that distressed me- for these, II
seemed to me, / could bear without a
murmur; IL was the horror / had upon
my mind of falling from the cross
trees into that still green water, beside
the body Of the cockswain.
clung with both hands till my nails
nched, and 1 shut my eyes as il to
cover up the peril. Gradually my mind
came back again, my pulse quoted
down 10 more natural time, and
was once more in possession Of myself.
1t was my first thought to- pluck
forth the dirk; but either it stuck too
hard or my nerve failed me, md / dc
sisted with n violent shuddcr. oddly
enough that very shudder did the busi-
ness. The knife, in fact, had come the
nearest In the world to missing me
altogether; il held me by mere pinch
of skin, and this the shuddcr tore away.
The blood ran down the faster, to be
sure; but / was my own master again
and only tackled TO tho mast by my
coat and shirt.
These last / broke through with n
sudden jerk and then regaincd the deck
ny lllt blbIDDdlN hIliihiF. = VI mum
ing in the world would have again ven
turcd, shaken as ! was, upon the over
| hanging port shrouds, from which Is
rael had so lately fallen.
went below and did what / could
| for my wound; ~ panied me great
! deal and still blcd freely; but 1t was
| neither deep nor dangerous, nor did IL
| greatly gall me when | used my arm.
! Then / looked around me- and MS the
ship was now, In sense, my own, /
| began to think Of clearing It from It's
| last passcnger-thc dead man, O'Bricn.
| He had pitched, as have said, against
| the bulwnrks, where he lay Ike some
| horrible. unguinly sort Of puppct; life
size, indeed, but how different from
| Iife's color or lifc's comelincBsl In that
| position | could easily have my way
| with him, and MS the habit of trngical
adventures had worn of almost all my
| terror for the dead, | took him by the
| waist as IL he had been II sack OF bran
| and. with one good hcave, tumbled him
| overheard. lie went in with n sounding
plunge, the red cap came Off and re
| maiued noating on the surface, and ns
| soon us the splash subsided | could see
| him and Israel lying side by side, both
| wavcrinp with the tremulous movement
| of the water. O'Bricn, though still
| quite "a young man, was very bald.
| There no lay, with that bald head