The Hope pioneer., 1899-05-25
Though it may be unbccoming in me to

ing from his ears, nose and mouth. l had
little doubt that | had killed him, and as
little care, but with natural instinct fol.
lowed and bent over him.
At that instant the fresh wind from the
south struck us. Possibly we had lain in
calm for space while the breeze yeercd
from the east, but Of that have 10 knowl-
| edge, only, as We presented full beam to
the blast, it lurched us to larboard, and
| caused me to straighten myself to get bal
ance.
| 1t was we'll did, and have since looked
upon that gust as an interposition Of the
Almighty to save me from the knife of an
assassin, for as | lifted myself caught
glimpse of the bare feet of negro making
toward me. He was on me in a breath. |
saw the glitter of his knife and wheeled in
time to catch the descending blade in my
LETT arm just above the elbow. With
mighty wrench l 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 l saw him not.
In the maddened fury possessing me nv
wound felt no more than the prick cf a
needle, 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, ior both galley and fore
castle were bare of everything human. As
came up from the latter | saw him astride
the starboard spreader of the foremast with
a pistol in his hand. doubted not that he
would have shot at ine 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 un.
der the thunderous thrashing of the foresail
made 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 hatchel before leaving Nor.
folk. But the coWardly cur had either
skulked at the last moment or | had been
too rapid for him, and he had swarmetl 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 whimpercd, 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
Tor his life, his black face turned to a sckly
green through abiect terror.
The blood | was losing from my arm land
it was sight) took it from my head, and
my temper was triilc less murdcrous by the
time the fellow had come within my power
| had traded on his ignorance, as, had he but
known my gun was unchanged, matters
might have taken a different complexion
Sternly ordering him below, drew the slide
over the hatch, and then, feeling my life was
safe from him, fetched deep breath and
took Il lock about me.
The ships were in fair sight by this, the
one eastward doubtless troop ship bound
for New York with rcenforcemcnts for Sir
Henry Clinton, who had already begun his
call for help, and kept it up through his ad-
mlnstrat!on. The ship to the west looked
to be man-of-war, judging by her size and
rig, but twas the third that caused me the
most uneas!ncss-a fine, large schooner com
ing down before the wind, and now about
four miles away.
That the Phantom was her object nowise
doubted. To pass myself as a royalist bound
from Savannah to New York with lead for
his majesty (that being the gst OF my forged
napers) would hardly do in the face of one
black hand driven below. But saw nothing
else to be done, for to have my true colors
known would be to lose liberty and property
at once. To fight was impossible; to run,
as far out of the question:
BE the upshot what it might, my arm de-
manded my first attention, and passed into
the cabin, where / made a shift to stop the
How of blood, bind it up and get it into u
sling. Owing to the twist Of the knife twas
an ugly cash, though, fortunately, no artery
was severed, and in the end it served NE a
good turn instead Of being source Of great
trouble
My next step was to get my papers into
proper shape by destroying Che regular clear
ance, and twas here discovered the cause
of the tone Of my mate, for, though there
had bcen taken nothing Of value besides, the
locker showed itself to have been rilied of
the false documents. To be without cradcn-
tlals showing my business on the high seas
were as damning as to openly sail under the
flag OF The colonies, and the discovery of the
theft left me fer the moment high and dry.
bcthinking me, then, of the bare possibility
OF 1-ounsDury having carried the matter with
him, / jumped to the deck for the purpose
OF ove,haulns his body.
a glance scaward showed the schooner
now about two miles away, but bearing
straight for nc. l could easily imagine the
pe"pieXitr that possessed them at sight of
the actions Of the Phantom, for, as the helm
was still free and all plain sail made on her,
she hove into the wind for space, and there
hung in irons with Il thundc: of canvas over
head; then filling on the opposite tack she
staggered off, until, rounding up again, the
entire performance was repeated. For all
the world she was like a man well Slowed
with liquor, using the width Of the road in
his journcying.
That Which lay before me to do must be
done quickly. Lounsbury sprawled On his
back, SO that access to his pockets was an
easy matter. There was nothing in his pea
Jacket save the junk carried by seaman,
though / soon discovered that around his
body was a belt stuffed full of papers. But
the stolen ones were not among them, and
felt sense Of hopclessness come over me
as the certainty OF their loss was forced on
my mind.
But it was not for long. A hasty glance
at the belts contents at once opened my
eyes to the character of the man before me,
and caused me to come to sudden dctermi-
nation regarding my future action. Twas
a desperate resolve, but, saving some un-
toward circumstance, it insured liberty, or,
at least, immunity from present imprison-
ment, although it would put my fortune in
jeopardy. 1t was no time to look far beyond
the present; freedom was worth more than
fortune. and even that might not, in the end,
be lost: SO, throwing the belt overheard /
placed the papers carefully in my pocket and
went forward.
The pistol dropped from aloft found on
the deck, and with it in my hand slid back
the hatch cover Of the forecast!c and called
to the black to come up. This he did, blink
ing nightly as he struck the strong light,