The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-13
CHAPTER XIX.
THE FOUR NEGROES.

the two members of the Eureka's crew
1t was the sharp, agonized struggle il
which strong swimmer fights to re-
lease himself from the foolish clutchine
OF another who cannot swim and who,
with the blind, unreasoning instincts
of self preservation, hampers his rescu-
er's efforts to save them both
For moment it seemed as though
Guthrie would not be able to shake
Oft the grip of Henrietta round his
neck. but fortunately for them both his
struggles to do so brought him sudden
ly into the shadows In one of his con-
vulsive throws he felt the bottom, and
found that there was a fiat topped
bowlder beneath him. with less than
four feet of water covering it. Getting
his feet planted on this he first shook
the woman off and then drew her up
beside him and raised her head above
the water. As soon as she felt firm
ground under her Henrietta recovered
her presence of mind, shook her shout
ders like retriever to get the water
out of her hair and eyes and then be-
gan to look calmly and curiously about
her to see what it was that had caused
the undergraduate to back SO suddenly
down upon her and throw them both
headlong into the brine
Then for the first time Guthrie had
leisure to remember the gun episode
and looked up to see what sort of man
it might be who was at the butt end Of
the barrel which had startled him.
The path they had tumbled from was
at the other side Of the water channel
from the submerged rock on which they
were now perched, and standing at the
edge Of this path were four negroes
one with gun in his hand which he
still kept leveled at the two involun-
tary bathers, the others with their
hands stuck deep into the pockets of
their white cotton breeches. None of
the quartet had offered the slightest
help while Guthrie and the woman
were struggling in the water, and in
deed it seemed to the young man as lie
looked at their faces that they had
watched the scene out quietly in the
hope, perhaps, that one or both of the
bathers would get conveniently drown
ed. Their attitude of contemptuous
noninterference suggested this idea ire
sistibly and the look of disappointment
on their faces confirmed the grewsome
pocketed hands
Guthrie shuddered inwardly as this
conclusion was borne in upon his un-
derstanding. but none the less, with a
quick flash of prudence. he determined
to disguise his suspicion and put bold
face on the situation.
'What the mischief do you mean by
standing quietly up there to watch two
fellow creatures drown before your
eyes2' he demanded Indignantly.
A chuckle ran through the group.
and after pause of few seconds the
man with the gun replied. He was a
tall, lean negro, with face SO sallow
and feshless that it looked almost like
a skull However, pair of burning
black eyes. goggling amid perfect lakes
of white. showed that he was very con-
siderably alive. and, standing in the
eerie green light of the cave in that at
titude Of menace, he looked, to his
guestioner. sufficiently ugly customer
to have to tackle.
'.The question rather is, What are
you doing in our cave?" said he in per-
feet English and with purity Of ac-
cent which Guthrie had not expected
to hear from man of his color
We've missed one Of our ships
company, answered the young man
Again the three others, who seemed
TO act as a sort Of chorus to the lean
man, INDUCED in an amused laugh
But the spokesman kept his grim stare
nnrelaxed.
Are there any more besides you
twoY" he asked
..No. said Guthrie.
Don t lie now replied the man sus-
piciously
The undergraduate retorted holly
that he was not in the habit of lying
and asked again if they had seen his
lhipmate
"What sort of man is hep querieL
She spokesman "Fat chap? Stolid sort
of party. eh2''
Guthrie admitted with smile tina,
that sounded like him
4ucu NIL w uaGeVGT S-yOGT-Qam6,
you needn't hunt around any longer
Your mans here. and I'll tell you an.
other thing. he showed more pluck thar
you when he got gun barrel poked al
him. He didn't even wink-stood Xix,
tree. -
81 believe you, returned the young
man lightly. "He isn't the sort of maj
you could brighten easily. He's not ex
citable. you see-I am-that's just tn,
difference. But say. whoever you are
/ wish you'd bear hand and help u.
up on to dry land again. It's precious
cold standing here between wind ant
water, and the lady can't swim. or
wouldn't ask you. !"
''The lady?' exclaimed the lean ne
gro in surprise "Why, so it is a wo
mani I'm sure beg her pardon, but
in her mans clothes and in this dim re.
ligious light, l confess hadn' t tumbled
to the fact that we'd got female com
pany. You hear that, boys2 Off with
your toppersl We've got a lady paying
ns an afternoon call 20 - =