The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-17

giye-a- Way-SO-SO.
They had got me sitting on the sec
ond thwart, and the dago showed one
of the big, heavy sweeps into each
hand. The Scandinavian had thrown
another flashing around my ankles and
made it fast through one of the linn
bers. and not satisfied with that ne
passed another around my waist. me
dago was trying to get up forced
draught by jabbing me in the ribs with
the hilt of his knife.
At first / was as stiff as tWo-year-
old after the day of his first run, and
| came in for more maulihg than I've
had to take in all the rest of my lie
put together, but the pulling was the
best thing L could have done to get
my hinges in working order, and pref
ty soon | could feel the strength COM
ing back, and the blood beginning to
circulate again.
The island lay right abeam OF us
when l was BOWED over, but was hid
den in a light haze on the horizon.
AS L twisted my head around to look
at it, l could see that it was long
pull to get there, but that didn't both
er me any-my only worry was about
getting there at all. The crew Nbe-
ing pretty well used up from pulling
all night long, had dropped off to
sleep one by one, but the hairy
bruiser' in the stern sheets lolled back
against the tiller and once in a While
would give me a grin that put me in
mind of q colt with his ears back; it
was SO full of cussedness. There was
still great blue swelling over his eye
where / had planted my fist two days
before, and once in a while he would
rub it gently, and look first at me,
then over the side.
Whether it was to trick me into
bringing things to a head or not L
am sure l don't know, but pretty soon
he pretended to be asleep. L was
watching him out of the tail of my eye,
pulling away evenly all the While, and
at the same time overhauling my brain
as a machinist goes over his running
gear with a hammer, looking for
flaw. The difference was that L found
some flaw at every rap. Then sud
denly, just as / was about to give it
up in disguest, and was making up
my mind to try to take what was com
ing the way captured Malay pi-
rate takes the Chinese New Year
my heart gave a leap into my throat
that almost strangled me. Dead astern
and hull down over the horizon,
sighted a sail.
OF course. l managed not to let on
that I'd sighted anything, and pretty
soon the devil in the stern dozed
off again, and this time l think that
he was really asleep for a few min
utes. for he woke up suddenly with
a quick start and the way that hi,
hand flew out to the rifle at his side,
as we'll as the startled look that he
threw my way, gave him dead away.
/ pretended not to notice it. but swung
away at the sweeps, and directly his
eyes closed again. But somehow l
suspicioned that this nap was all Il
fake. Now and then l looked past
him as indifferently as l could and
saw that the vessel way astern was
bringing a fresh breeze. Pretty soon
the dark blue patch showed distinctly
on the thin edge of the horizon.
After that first pang of hopefulness
my heart sank again bit by bit, just as
the lead-line craWls slowly over the
side where the water is deep. l knew
that the breeze was bound to reach us
while the vessel was still a long way
off, even supposing that her course
would have brought her close aboard
us, and, at the first puff, my hand
would be played out. Besides this,
there was the chance of one of them
waking up and casting a weather eye
along the skyline; but still they slept,
and soon l was able to raise the hull
of the vessel. which appeared to be
an island schooner-but the blue,
dimpling water had filled half the
distance between us.
The watchdog in the stern was evil
IDENTIFY asleep again, for an uncom-
Portable sounding gurgle was coming
from his hairy throat with every slow
breath-evidently the genuine artiIe
this tme-and suddenly from the
sheer knowledge that for the moment
! no ones eye was on me, a thought
shot across my brain like the flash of
a meteor through the black night
Behind me, right within the reach
| OF my arm. the Scandinavian was calk-
| ed off, and | could see the hilt of his
knife sticking out under the skirt of
| his dirty cotton jumper. 1t didn't
seem possible that | could slip it out,
cut my lashings and Chamber aft over
all that crowd in time to reach the
| big fellow before he woke; still if |
failed there was still chance to put
up a bit of a fight and although it
would be an uphill game it was a sight
better than being butchered in cold
blood. If L did miscue, at any rate [
could peg out with my dander up,
Softly dropping the oars, 1 half
turned on the thwart and, reaching
behind me, fumbled gently at the
waist of the sleeping man. My fingers
found the hilt of the knife by instinC t,
and with an easy tug it slipped from
the sheath and quick as a flash
twisted back, showed it under my
thigh, and swung forward on the
sweeps again, but my touch had
reused him, and with a sleepy grunt
/, he dug his knuckles into his eyes and
yawned with a creak like a rusty gat g.
The others stirred a bit and the helms
man woke with another start
Then my heart stood still for the
Scandinavian suddenly Strengthened
himself shaded his eyes with his han /,
and took long look astern. The man
in the stern, curious from the intent
ness Of his gaze, twisted around and
looked over his shoulder / slipped the
knife from under my thigh, and with
two quick slashes cut the ropes around
my feet and waist. Almost at the
same moment the Scandinavian bel
lowed, "Sail-O," and the others sprang
to their feet. But the helmSman
swung round, fixed his wicked eyes ON
me, and softly reached for his rifle.
My time had come. With a yell |
sprang suddenly to my feet, ana,
swinging with all my strength landed
my fist on the side of the Scandin2-
VANS jaw, knocking him clean across
the gunnle. The sudden list of the
boat threw the others to the same
side, and before they could right