The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-12-03
branches of the tree, and laid him ir
the boat at their feet.
CHAPTER XVI.
Daring the Elements.

Daring the Elements.
"Give him drop of whisky. He is
not dead by any means."
"Raise him up-light in. boys, and
rub him! He is one of old Seadog' s
slaves, but he is human and we will
treat him as SUCH"
Thus spoke the men who had rescued
Dan Lapham from the floating timber.
They worked with him sometime be-
fore he was restored to thor rough con-
seriousness. The men knew him we'll
and treated him kindly, though they
now regarded him as legitimate
"prisoner of war"
Lapham was favorably known by all
of the fishermen and boatmen of the
river His extraordinary strength gave
him prominence among the toilers of
the river, while his courage and kind
ness gained for him their respect.
The half-drowned fisherman received
the same CAFE and attention as would
one of their own number. One shared
a dry vest with him; another had an
extra rain coat and with this garment
and that he was soon warmly clad, and
with youth and reviving strength be
was soon himself again.
But the scenes were rapidly shifting.
Dawn was breaking and the approach
of the northsiders had been discovered.
The boats began to line up for the cap
tule of the fishermen from the north
side who were supposed to be ignorant
of the presence of the southsideIs
Dan Lapham was placed in peculiar
position, but one common in war. He
was to sit side by side with the enemy
and receive the fire of his friends. He
knew what his companions in the boat
did not know. He knew that the north
side fishermen were armed, and that
they would come prepared to do war
unto death. He knew that he would
soon be subjected to their fire and that
they would shoot to kill.
Closer and still closer the northsid-
ers approached. They lined up through
the gloom of dawn like so many specks
on the river and bay. The southsiders
lay upon their oars with guns in hand.
To row down upon them and capture
them at given signal was the pre-
viously arranged plan.
The keen whistle of small launch
rang out over the water from the head
of the southside fotilla and the little
feet moved to the north under the
steady strokes of the oarsmen.
"Bing!" rang out rifle shot from
the north side.
"Bing! Bling! Bing!" followed a
succession of shots from the same di.
rection.
The southsiders were taken complete
ly by surprise. They had come to
capture, not to fight, but now that the
trouble was on, it was left to them to
fight or to flee. The bitter feeling so
long existing between the two stubborn
factions would not permit the latter
alter native, and as if fro : common
command, the soutbsiders raised their
rifles and poured forth volley in the
direction of their competitors. This
was returned by heavy volley from
the north side, and then a desultoly
firing began all along the line.
The fishermen were not accustomed
to the use of fire arms nor this manner
of warfare and it was better for them
that they were not: After the second
volley the members of each contending
element began to fall back and the
boats scattered in every direction.
But neither side would abandon the
struggle. It was the purpose of the
southsiders to destroy the traps, while
it was the determination of the north
siders to defend them to the last.
At the very first volley from the north
a rifle bullet struck the fisherman di-
rectly in front of Dan Lapham, the
very man who had aided in resuscitat-
ing their captive. He was wounded in
the side and fell into Dan arms. Dan
begged them to pull for the island that
the wounded man might receive better
care. His request was granted, for the
fishermen now were anxious for an ex-
cuse to get out of a fight that was sc
much more real than they had ex-
pected.