Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-11


| REACH HIS SIDE.
must have the pleasure of thea,
company aboard the Shark at once!
They are disarranging my plans.
Check your yacht and l will send
launch over after you. There is my
old college chum, L. Sylvester Vim
cent! How are you, old chap! You
look like the real thing! No non
sense about this, Sidney! Stop your
boat, or will stop her for you!"
''You keep off our course!' shouted
Sidney. These gentlemen do not
care to see you. Go your way and
do not modest us. You will do so at
your peril. Capt. Waters, that man
is insane. You should put him in
irons and take him to New Orleans.
Are you the captain of pirate ship?
This is Mr.. Carmody's yacht, with
ladies aboard. We demand that we
be allowed to proceed, and request
you to. do your duty and turn that
man over to the authorities. He is
a criminal or lunatic.''
81 am, am Il" shouted Hestor.
He dashed the megaphone to the
bridge and leaped to the lower deck.
Like flash he jumped to the rapid
fire gun. Capt. Waters yelled an or
4 der. 1t was not finished when there
came a spit of fire from the muzzle
of the gun. Three of the crew dashed
at Hestor.
I The same instant there was the
crack of a rifle from the bow of the
"Helen Carmody."
| A dozen bullets tore through the
glass and mahogany sides of the for
ward deck house. Sidney Hammond
fell to the deck. The Shark swung
sharply to the starboard, and in few
seconds was speeding away to the
| east. It all happened SO quickly that
/ with one exception the men on the
Helen Carmody" were too dazed to
make a move. The wheelsman sent
! the yacht hard to port.
4 Mr. Kent was the first to reach the
4 side of Sidney Hammond. There was
a stain of red on his shoulder, and
they tore and cut away the coat and
shirt. AS they did so, Sidney opened
his eyes. He stared for moment
+ and jumped to his feet.
1 sit is nothing!" he said, as he took
| a long breath. st is merely flesh
wound. The shock dazed me for a
moment. / am all right"
i In the meantime the "Shark" con-
tinued on its eastern course, and the
"Helen Carmody'' neared the mouth
of the Mississippi. 1t was seven
o'clock in the evening when they took
a pilot. Sidney was moved to the
n forward deck, and all gathered
around him to discuss what had hap
pened.
"That was about as rapid a bit of
work as ever I witnessed" said Mr..
Kent, who had been slightly cut in
the hand by a flying piece of glass.
"Who fired the shot from our
boat?" asked Sidney, with slight
grimace of pain as his shoulder
twinged where the shot had lacerated
muscle. sit was the last thing I
heard
81 fred it," said Bernard Seymour.
z "And l got your man Hestor all
right. Did you see him drop?"
II did, said Mr.. Morton. His
hands went up and he fell into the
arms of two of his crew who were
rushing forward to grab him"
'Did any one hear the order given
} by Capt. Waters?" asked Mr.. Carmo-
dy.
81 heard every word he said,' re
piled Miss Helen
''You did" exclaimed her father,
a frown darkening his face. 81 asked
you to go below, Helen, and sup
7 posed you would obey me-
Il went below, papa, just as you
. told me to do" said Miss Helen, con,
tritely. But you did not tell me
i could not look out. / opened the
: port hole in the saloon, and saw and
: heard everything that happened on
the Shark. When Mr.. Hestor
jumped from the bridge and ran to
the gun, Capt. Waters shouted, STOP
! him! Hold him! Then he yelled
'Starboard!' to the wheelsman, and
) rushed down the steps to the deck
But before the men could stop He's,
, tor, he had commenced firing. Their