Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-10-12

crew, / had given no thought (Which came
near making an end of mel, but my wrath
was boundless, and, as his frearm came
nearly within reach, / quickly stretched out
my left hand and struck up the weapon then
with an oath | made a step forward and
planted my right fist in his face The blow
fell jsg .oo short to bring him down, only
knocking his pipe from his mouth; but, as if
surprised, his little eyes opened wide as he
turned undsr its force, and again with all
my power l struck him fairly beneath his
left ear.
Though it may be unbecoming in me to
chronicle my own strength, the blow was
fearful one. 1t lifted him clean off his feet;
the pistol and spyglass went spinning into
the larboard scupper, where he followed
them, falling with a crash, the blood spurt-
ing from his ears, nose and mouth | had
little doubt that | had killed him, and as
little care, but with a natural instinct / fol-
lowed and bent over him.
At that instant the fresh wind from the
south struck us. Possibly we had lain in a
calm for space while the breeze veered
from the east, but of that / have no knowl-
edge, only, as we presented a full beam to
the blast. it lurched us to larboard, and
caused me to straighten myself to get bal
ance.
1t was well I did, and I have since looked
upon that gust as an interpostion of the
Almighty to save me from the knife of an
assassin, for as I lifted myself / caught
glimpse of the bare feet of a negro making
toward me. He was on me in breah h. |
saw the glitter of his knife, and wheeled in
time to catch the descending blade in my
left arm just above the elbow. With
mighty wrench | twisted about, breaking
the steel in my flesh, and, catching the fell
low by the throat, held him for one instant,
then, lifting him, flung him clean over the
rail into the sea. From first to last he ut
tered no sound, and if ever he came to the
surface | saw him not.
In the maddened fury possessing me my
wound felt no more than the prick cf a
reedle, though found the steel was through
and through the flesh. Plucking it out, ran
forward with the determination of taking
the status of the remaining hand, but | could
not find him at first, for both galley and fore
castle were bare of everything human. As l
came up from the latter l saw him astride
the starboard spreader of the foremast with
pistol in his hand. doubted not that he
would have shot at me as l passed under
him on my way forward, only that the helm
being relieved of pressure the vessel had
gone into the wind, and the violent motion
of the headsails and tremor of the mast I'M
der the thunderous thrashing of the foresail
name an aim impossible. His attitude and
the pistol told the story of the part he was
expected to play in the mutiny which had
probably been hatched before leaving Nor
folk. But the cowardly cur had either
skullled at the last moment or / had been
too rapid for him, and he had swarmed up
the shrouds to be out of reach, and there
sat looking down at me. passed no words
with him, but, running back on the lar
board side, fetched my rifle from the cabin,
and, standing by the break of the poop,
drew bead on him and commanded him to
drop his pistol and come down. At first he
demurred, then whimpered, and, finally
dropping the pistol, swung himself to the
halyards, down which he slid to the deck,
where, falling to his knees, he began begging
for his life, his black face turned to sickly
green through abject terror.
The blood was losing from my arm land
it was sight) took it from my head, and