Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-15
CHAPTER XVII.

NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY THE
DOCTOR THE JoLLY-BoAT's LAST
TRIP.
This fifth trip was quite different from
any of the others. In the first place, the
little gallipot of boat that we were in
was gravely overloaded. Five grown
men, and three of them-Trelawney
Redruth and the captain-over six feet
high, was already more than she was
meant to carry. Add to that the pow
der, pork and the bread!bags. The
gunwale was Tipping astern. Several
times we shipped little water, and my
breeches and the tails of my coat were
all soaking wet before we had gone 100
yards.
The captain made us trim the boat,
and we got her to lie a little more even
ly. AL the same, we were afraid to
breathe.
In the second place, the ebb was now
makinga strong ripping current rum
ming westward through the basin, and
then southland and seward down the
straits by which we had entered in the
morning. Even the nipples were dan
ger to our overloaded craft; but the
worst of it was that we were swept out
of our true course, and away from our
proper landing-place behind the point.
If we let the current have it's way we
should come ashore beside the gigs,
where the pirates might appear at amy
moment.
81 cannot keep her head for the
stoclade, SIR" said to the captain. ]
was steering, while he and Redruth
! two fresh men, were at the oars. ''The
! tide keeps washing her down. Gould
you pull little stronger?"
"Not without swapping the boat
said he. "You must bear up, sir, if you
please-bear up until you see you're
gaining"
I tried, and found by experiment thai
the tide kept sweeping us westward un
til had laid her head due east, or JUS
about right angles to the way we ough
to go.
we'll never get ashore at this rate,
said +.
"If it's the only course that we car
lie, sir, we must even lie it," returned
the captain. "We must keep upstream
You see, sir" he went on, ''if once w,
dropped to leeward Of the landing
place, it's hard to say where we shoult
get ashore, besides the chance of be
ing boarded by the gigs; whereas, til
way we go the current must slacken
and then we can dodge back along TIL
shore"
1.-THE currents less already, sir" sal
the man Gray, who was sitting in tn
fore-sheets; you can ease her off bit.
''Thank you, my.man," saidI, quite a
if nothing had happened; for we ha
all quietly made up our minds to trea
him like one of ourselves.
Suddenly the captain spoke up AGAR
and thought his voice was a littl
changed.
"The gun!" said he.
II have thought of that" said I, for
made sure he was thinking of bon
bardment Of the fort. 'They coul
never get the gun ashore, and if the
did, they could never haul it throug
! the woods"
"Look astern, Doctor" replied til
.. captain.
We had entirely forgotten the Ion
nine; and there, to our horror, were til
five rogues busy about her, getting o
her jacket, as they called the stol
tarpaulin cover under which 81
sailed, Not only that, but it flashed I'M
my mind at the same moment that tt
round shot and the powder for the gu
had been left behind, and a stroke wit
an ak would put it all into the posse
sion of the evil ones aboard.
"Israel was Flnt's gunner" sa
Gray, hoarsely.
At any risk, we put the boats he;
direct for the landing-place. By TIL
time we had got so far out of the +,
of the current that we kept steera,
way even at our necessarily gentle ra
of rowing, and could keep her steat
for the goal. But the worst of it w
that, with the course / now held, ,
turned our broadside instead of o
stern to the "Hispaniola," and Offered
target like a barn door.
anrld hear. a. well as .sse. til