Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-09-13

on your ShoulderS, continued the older
man gravely, for tbs perfectly we'll
known If the French get away from
Brest successfully, and are not beaten
elsewhere, they have an army all ready
for descent upon Ireland, or perhaps
England herself"
Il shall remember it." answered Hat
field solemnly.
That's we'll Now, heave to and
have the dinghy dropped overheard
See that the mast is stepped and the
sail Is close reefed; put compass,
beaker Of water, couple of muskets
and bag Of bread in her; stow away
forward coil of signal halliards and
stout rope with a grapnel bent on
the end of it-about 80 fathoms of
each, I think--and send old Jabez to
me in my cabin .
"Ay, ay, sir" replied Hatfield. call
ing the hands to the braces as Grafton
enrned to the companionway and went
below, whittier he was followed short
" by the old sailor he had designated,
with whom he spent few moments
in busy preparation. Presently the
ship was hove to and the dinghy drop
ped alongside Grafton and slocum
came on deck. Grafton wore his uni
form and both men were fully armed
with sword, or cutlass, and pistols. ,
"You are surely not going in your
uniform?" queried Hatfield.
"Yes, why not? I've no mind to
hang as a spy, and if am captured in
this uniform I'm prisoner of war
| only. Remember my instructions.
81 shall rot forget them
Goodbye"
Goodbye, and God bless you. l
shall be in a fever of anxiety until you
return" exclaimed the lieutenant as
they parted.
Waving his hand Grafton stepped
to the gangway and dropped easily
down the battens into the boat, with
er Slocum had preceded him. A vigor-
GUS shove sent them clear of the frig-
| ate; a bit of close reefed sail was
hoisted on the dinghy and she gathered
way toward the distant shore.
After two hours of hard running,
having at last come we'll within the
| harbor mouth and reached point op-
posite the old chateau, they bore up
and began ratching in toward the
shore. 1t seemed to the old sailor at
the helm, after they had made several
short tacks, that they were getting
perilously near the breakers. AS he
peered ahead he thought he could see
the white caps, and he believed, as he
turned his ear up to Windward, that he
could hear the roar of the mighty
waves, One more tack and they would
certainly be in the midst of them.
Grafton had ordered him to throw
the dinghy up into the wind and check
her way while he Investigated the
situation. He had gone forward and
was kneeling down by the mast peer
ing ahead trying to get his bearings.
Finally, having satisfied himself as well
as he could in the darkness. he called
out command to the sailor at the
tiller. Although it looked like certain
1 destruction, old Jabez was too thorough
a seaman to hesitate to obey, and when
Grafton directed him to put the helm
over he let her go off, slipped out the
sheet. and in a few seconds they
gathered way and were rushing
straight for the breakers.
They could now dimly make out the
black mass of the cliffs before them.
In the tower of the chateau which
| rose above them were two lights
Grafton sought them out from other
| lights in other windows in the castle
He was sure of the tower, for he
thought he recognized its conical top;
though the darkness was SO deep, there
were signs Of break in the clouds
in fact, they had broken over the
tower. Was that star above it tc
lead him on?
One light Grafton surmised came
from the oriel window in the tower
the other from the window of tho
room adjacent to it. BY what happy
fortune did they chance to be lighted
that night? If he were right in his
opinion he knew his course to the
mouth of the passage to, the little bay
Once in the channel leading to it, he
would have to trust to instinct to fec
his way through.
Mind your steering. now, Slocum,
he cried. Keep your weather eye lift.
ing and obeying my orders exactly!
Our lives depend on it. starboard 6
little! So! l think we can wiz
through, but it's touch and Co. Steady!
Do you see those two lights?"
II sees m. sir"
/ Keep them in range until say
further Steady. now! Nothing off
for Gods sake, man! Hold her ur
to it,"
The boat steered with an uneas,
helm. She had a tendency to fall off
to go lseward, that is; but old Jabe.
set his teeth hard, contracted his
brows, and, peering steadily out at tho
lights high above and far ahead Of
them, kept her on her course.
| They were nearing the shore rapidly
now; it looked awfully close. The
cliffs loomed up in front of them grin
and terrible. There was no entrance