Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-06-28

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dead weights, but more to the marine
growth which had collected on her bottom
during her long anchorage, and which could
easily be seen streaming below like long
and ragged green beard. Beyond the dull
gurgle of the cutwater and an occasional sob
in our wake, not sound broke the intense
stiffness of the afternoon. Ames was for
ward, guarding the forecastle hatch, and his
sister had gone below. From the prisoners
,who had come at last to realizing sense
of their position) nothing had been heard
beyond demand for water, which had been
given to them, and air, ocean, and schooner,
with all on board, had quieted into what
babe fair to become dead calm.
We had seen number Of sail during the
day, but nothing had as yet come hull above
the horizon, even these showing south and
west mere specks of light against the pearl
of the sky line. thanked God for the scare
given the British by the advent of the
French feet, and knew that each cables
length we made to the east brought US so
much nearer safety. The day was waning;
night would soon be on us, and if the wind
held, under cover Of darkness we would be
secure in our flight, and possibly the NOR
rows sun might rise and show me the gor-
geous reds and yellows Of Gay Head bluff
with its cap of green turf, q sign that we
were in home waters.
Even as my heart warmed at the thought,
cast my eye landward over the larboard
quarter and saw coming out of the haze
which had all but blotted out the Long
Island coast topsail schooner bearing
southeast or directly toward the Phantom.
She was some five or six miles away, but
even at that distance I could see by her
slope that she had found fresh slant OF
wind, and that from her forward cloths to
the tip of her main boom every rag was
drawing, her progress being nightly helped
by the square sail set on her foretopmast.
There was NO knowing what she was, but
the fact that any craft had gotten go close
without having been marked, gave me a
start, and I put the helm down that the
jib and staysails might draw, which would
at the same time bring the stranger over our
taffrail A landlubber could have seen she
was no Frenchman, for the Gaul had style
of cut, rake and carry, all his own, be.
sides which they were not given to sailing
small craft in these waters. She might be
a privateer, in which case all would be well,
hut if not, and feared my own intuition,
then my air castles were doomed TO ruin,
my borrowed happiness was but the swan
Song Of hope, my dream that Of . con-
demned man.
The jibing Of the foresail and my hail to
Ames brought Miss King to the deck. Her
brother Joined US, and we three stood look
ing at the oncoming vessel which had ap-
peared like cloud to mar the brightness
Of a perfect day. There was no need to ex-
plain the menace lying beneath that bunch
of swollen canvas. By the faces of the two
saw they realized it was q plain case of
chase, the only doubt being whether it
would prove for good or evil. Iwould have
given the gold in my pocket for a good glass
with which to make her out, but, as that was
impossible, it took me but q few seconds to
come to the conclusion that our only hope
land that slim one) was to make the chase
stern one and give the poor Phantom,
with her foul bottom, all the speed possible.
Putting the wheel in charge of Ames, with
no loss of words went forward, clambered
up the fore shrouds and managed alone to
unfurl the square sail, settling the bracing
and the sheet and tack on my return to the
deck. In the present light air the pull of the
canvas was small, but it was something, and
l knew the stranger would mark the increase
u sail and read as plainly as print that we
wanted nothing of her.
As time went, we saying little or nothing
betwixt us. marked our follower 3 growth
as she drew on. Little by little out came the
details of her canvas, and, az 1 picked point
after point, there dawned on me the almost
certainty that our pursuer was none other
than the Sprite, the last vessel Of his maj.
esty's Aotilla cared to meet.
From the deck of the Ajax had been
informed Of the Sprite's absence on patrol,
and through the whole morning had held
in my mind the dread of meeting her, only
feeling safe from that particular craft since
NOON. Probably abe had been snealring un-
der easy sail along the Long Island coast,
and had only fairly sighted us after the
sun had thrown broad light on
our canvas Then with a keen nose for
anything less than three-d decker, she had
piled on her clothes the sooner to come BY
about what business trader had to sail
the kings sea without being under convoy.
dared not unfold my suspicious, but the
girl, with the eye Of hawk and the in
srinct OF woman, saved the necessity.
Turning to me after long and searching
look at our pursuer, she said:
Capt. Thorndyke, that vessel looks like
the one that took me from Philadelphia to
New York. hardly know why / think
80, but fear me tits the same" "a
"Ay, answered, hoarsely, II have that
fear, and God help US il they overhaul us, as
they are like to do, barring amiracle!-Have
You aught to Offer, Ames ?" said I, address
ing her brother, whose face had taken on a
look of hardness the like of which had
marked at the Dove when he was posing as
an old man.
NAY. friend" he returned, suddenly fall.
ing into the Quaker style of speech, and
without taking his eyes from the vessel
friend, have but a light
knowledge of sea possibilities. To run as
thee be running means to be beaten in the
race. Thee has head for tricks. Are thee
lost? If so, there is but one thing for thee
and me-" And turning his eyes to mine, he
made quick gesture toward the water,
which motion thought was unobserved by
the girl. But I was wrong in my surmise.
Has it come to this then" she ejacu-
lated with sudden terror in face and voice.
Am to be left alone and at the mercy of
those yonder?-Beverly! brothert you will
not commit suicide and leave me without a
protector!-Donald Thorndyke," she con-
tinued, her terror giving place to an i'm
periousness royal in its effect, 'syou have
sworn not to desert mel Are you nerveless
at last? Nay, know you too we'll. ask
your pardon" she faltered with bend of
her head and . rapid change to Humility;
Il am wrong. Better give buck to the Al
mighty direct the life He gave you rather
than have those yonder, if enemies they be,
take the giving into their merciless hands.
was wrong. I let the woman in me speak
first. Your burden is greater than mine!"
And with this she placed both hands to her
face and sobbed aloud.
] listened in silence to this outburst with
its shifting emotions. There was no an
swer to make. The blaclness of the last few
days seemed to gather and settle itself over
me like pail. We had been on the brink Of
safety, the threshold of content, honor and
success, and to see the prizes snatched
away at this late hour YVES beyond human
endurance. The softness Of the air, the
mellowing light. the sHky yelling on the
sky above us, and the Lively sparkle of the
ocean, suddenly changed from gay congrat-
ulation to hideous grin of irony and malice
Without word in return I grasped the
sDokes of the whaa1 usth INV ,vkoja bao,&