Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-05-17

pNNNNA ahA q ~ ioAl NdNAA
foul. provisions running out, knives
you, l never seen good come o. good
ness yet. Ham as strikes first is my
fancy; dead men don't bite; them's my
views-amen, SO be IL. And now. you
look here" he added, suddenly
changing his tone. we've had about
enough of this %foolery. The tides made
good enough by now. o just take
my orders, Cap'n Hawkins, and ell
sail slap in and be done with it"
All told, we had scarce two miles TO
run: but the navigation was delicate.
the entrance to the northern anchorage
was not only narrow and shoal, but
lay east and west, so that the schoon-
er must be nicely handled to be got in.
l think I was q good, prompt SUB
altern, and l am very sure that iiahos
was an excellent pilot; for we went
about, and lodged in, shaving the
banks, with a certainty and n neatness
that were a pleasure to behold.
Scarcely had we passed the head be
fore the land closed around us. me
shores OF the North inlet were as
thickly wooded as those of the SOUTH
ern anchorage; but the space was
longer and narrower, and more like,
what In truth 1t was, the estuary OF q
river. Right before us at the south
CTU emu, VIC SAW lne WYNN vi " Siti
In the last stages OF d~ilapidation. 1t
had been a great vessel OF three masts,
but had lain SO long exposed to the
injuries of the weather, that 1T was
hung about with great webs OF drip
ping sea-weed, and on the deck of 1t
shore bushes had taken root, n now
nourished thick with flowers. II was
a sad sight, but il showed us that the
anchorage was calm.
Now" said Hands, look there;
there's a pet bit for to beach a ship In.
Fine Nat sand, never a catspaw, trees
all around it, and flowers ALLOWING
like a garding on that old ship
And once beached,' / inquired,
"how shall we get her of again
"Why. So he replied; you take a
line ashore there on the other side at
low water; take n turn about one o
them big pines; bring 1T back, take a
turn round the capstan, ana lie 10 lor
the tide. Come high water, all hands
take a pull upon the line, and Off she
comes as sweet as natur'. And now,
boy, you stand by. We're near the bit
now, and she's too much way on her.
Starboard n Observation-Disclosures
board-larboard a little-steady-
steady"
So he issued his commands, which l
breathlessly obeyed; till, all of n sud
den, ne cried: "Now, my hearty, lutt'
And / put the helm hard up, n the
"Hispaniola" swung round rapidly, and
ran stem on for n low-wooded shore.
The excitement Of these last man
euvers had somewhat interfered with
the watch ! had kept hitherto, sharply
enough, upon the Cockswain. Even
then l was still so much interested,
waiting for the ship to touch, that l
had quite forgot the peril that hung
owe my head, and stood craning over
the starboard bulwarks n watching
the ripples spreading wild before the
bows. l might have fallen without a
struggle for my life, had not a sudden
disquietude seized upon me, n made
me turn my head. Perhaps | had heard
n creak, or seen his shadow moving
with the tail Of my eye; perhaps 1T
was an instinct like n cats, but, sure
enough, when I looked round, there
was Hands. already half way toward
me. with the dirk in his right hand.
We must both have cried out aloud
when our eyes met; but while mine
was the shrill cry of terror, his was "a
roar Of fury like q charging bulls. At
the same instant he threw himself
forward, and l leaped sideways toward
the bows. AS l did SO l left hold Of
the tiller, which sprung sharp to lee
ward; and / think this saved my life,
for it struck Hands across the chest,
and stopped him, for the moment,
dead.
Before he could recover, / was safe
out Of the corner where he had trapped
me, with all the deck to dodge about.
Just forward Of the mainmast !
stopped, drew a pistol from my pocket,
drew a cool aim, though he had already
turned and was once more coming d.
rectly after me, and drew the trigger.
The hammer fell, but there followed
neither fash nor sound; the printing
was useless with sea water. / cursed
myself for my neglect. Why had not
|, long ago, reprinted aud reloaded my
only weapon? Then / should not have
been, as now, n mere fleeing sheep be-
fore this butcher.
Wounded as he was. il was wonder
full how fast he could move, his griz-
Zled hair tumbling Ver his face, and
his face itself as red as a red ensign
with his haste and fury. / had no
time to try my other pistol, nor, In
deed, much inclination, for was sure
IT was useless. One thing i saw
plainly; l must not simply retreat be-
fore him, or he would speedily hold
me boxed in the bows, as Il moment
since he had so nearly boxed me in
the stern. once so caught, and nine
or ten inches of the blood stained dirk
would be my last experience on this
side of eternity. / placed my palms
against the mainmast, which was of
p goodish bigness, n waited, every
nerve upon the stretch.
Seeing hat / meant to dodge, he also
paused. and a moment or two passed in
feints on his part, and corresponding
movements upon mine. 1t was such a
game as l had often played at home
about the rocks Of Black Hill cove;
but never before, you may be sure
with such a wildly beating heart as
now. Still, as | say, it was n boys
game, and / thought / could hold my
own at It against an elderly seaman
with a wounded thigh. Indeed, my
courage had begun to rise so high that
/ allowed myself q few darling
thoughts on what would be the end of
the affair; and while i saw certainly
that ] could spin 1t out for long, / saw
no hope Of any ultimate escape.
Well, while things stood thus, sud
denly the "Hispaniola" struck, stag
gered, ground for an instant in the
sand, and then, swift as q blow, can
tered over to the port side, till the deck
stood at an agile of As degrees, and
about a p%uncheon of water splashed
into the scupper holes, and lay in a
pool between the deck and bulwark.
We were both of us capsiZed in q
second, and both of us rolled, almost
together, into the scuppers, the dead
redcap, with his arms still spread out,
tumbling stifily after us. So near were
we, indeed, that my head came against
the cockswain's foot with a crack that
made my teeth rattle. Blow and all, |
was the first afoot again, for Hands
had got involved with the dead body.
Tho CIh6an ~ nfinU of thn chin haI
made the deck no place for running
on; / had to find some new way of es-
cape, and that upon the instant, for
my foe was almost touching me.
Quick as thought l sprang into the
mizZen shI ouds, ratified UP hand over
hand, n did not draw a breath till
L was seated on the cross-trees.