The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-04

Sn2SOng, but Win lisp. lie tOlu lllelll
partly in pigeon English and partly in
Cantonese, which Charlie translated
/ that their men were eight in number
and that they had intended to seize the
schooner that night, but that probably
his own capture had delayed their
plans. They had no rifle a shotgun
had been on board. but hard gone down
with the sinking of the junk The am
bergris had been cut into two Jumps
and would be found in couple Of old
| flour sacks IN the stern of the boat in
which he and hi5ihen had come ASHORE
They were I'LL armed with their little
hatcliets. He thought two of the men
carried knives as well There was
neither pistol nor revolver among them,
1T seems to me" said Wilbur that
we've got the long end"
"We calcium boss, too" said Char
lie, pointing to IIoang
"And we arc better armed" assent
ed Moran. We've got the cuttng-in
spades"
"And the revolver. If 1t will shoot
any farther than it will kick"
They'll give us all the fight we
want declared Moran.
"Oh, him Ka-gingh, him fight all
same devil"
GIVE the men brandy. Charlie COM
handed Moran. "We'l rush that camp
right away"
The demjohn of spirits was brought
down from the Bertha and passed
around, Wilbur and Moran drinking
from the tin cup, the coolies from the
bottle. lIoang was fettered ana lock
cd in the Bertha's cabin
"Now, then, are we ready?" cried
Moran.
Il tink all light, answered Charlie
The party set off down the beach.
The moon had long since gone down,
and the dawn was whitening over the
eastern horizon. Landward, ragged
blankets Of morning mist lay close in
the holoWs here and there. 1t was
profoundly still The stars were still
out. The surface of Magdalena bay
was smooth as a sheet OF gray silk.
Twenty minutes passed, half an hour
an hour. The party tramped steadily
forward, Moran, Wilbur and Charlie
leading, the coolies close behind car
rylng the cuttlng-in spades over their
shoulders Slowly and in silence they
made the half circuit Of The bag The
Bertha Millncr was far behind them BIZ
now, Il vague gray mass in the early
morning light.
Ibid you ever fight before Moran
suddenly demanded Of Charlie.
zone time fight plenty much in
San Francisco in Washington stect.
Fight um See Yups"
Another half hour passed At times
when they halted they began to hear
the faint murmur of the creek, just
beyond which was the broken ANA
crumbling shanty, relic of an Old
Portuguese whaling camp where the
beachcombers were campcd At Char
y
cult, describing a half moon, to land.
ward, so as to come out upon the enc.
my sheltered by the sand dunes.
Twenty minutes later they crossed the
creek about 400 yards from the shore.
Here they spread ont into long line
and, keeping an interval Of about fif.
teen feet between each of them NOV
cd cautiously forward The uneven
ness of the sand breaks hid the shore
from view, but Moran, Wilbur and
Charlie knew that by keeping the
creek upon their left they would come
out directly upon the house.
A few minutes later Charlie held up
his hand, and the men halted The
noise of the creek chattcring into the
tidewater Of the bay was plainly au.
dible just beyond 4 ridge Of sand
covered thlnly with sagcbrush and n
faint column Of smoke rose into the
air over the ridge itself They were
close in. The coolies were halted. and.
dropping upon their hands and knees.
the three leaders crawled 10 the top Of
the break Sheltered by Il couple Of
sagebushes and lying fat TO the
ground Wilbur looked over and down
upon the beach. The FIRST object he
made out was n crazy, roofess house
built of driftwood. the chiaEs plaster
ed with adobe mud. the door fallen in
Beyond on the beach. was Il fat bot.
toned dngCy, unpainted and foul with
dirt But all around the house the
sand had been scooped ard piled to-
form a low barricadc. and behind this
barricade Wilbur saw the bcachcomb-
ers. There were eight Of Them They
were alert and ready. their hatchcts
ID their hands. The gaze of each of
them was fixed directly upon the sand
break which sheltered the Bertha Mil
ncr's officers and crew. They seemed
TO Wilbur TO look him straight in the
eye. They neither moved nor spoke.
The silence and absolute lack Of mo-
ton on the part Of these small. half
naked Cinnamon. With their apeil,e
muzzles and twinkling eyes. were om-
nous
There could be no longer any doubt
that the beacheombers had known Of
their enemies movements and were
perfectly aware OF their presence be-
hind the sand break. Moran rose to
her feet. and Wilbur and Charlie fol-
lowed her example.