The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-09-21

be .sle sss 10 vary .Ah eesssisss ,qasAi-
lag
The turmoil on the dscks incseas~d. The
-. chmsn started forward, and sfed on the
ali "a one Of the rae. TIE sDinsI turped
vpos him ard sans iis tseth into his ankle
~ish shrek.
There ~ss something abcut tbst note d'f.
srres, from The Others. Al its sound . dead
silence suda.nly fell upon the bark, ara
Hardy ~A. swsrs that every rat turned TO-
~.rd hIan Another phrill, v'cious call from
M, s..sa.pt, and 10 an Instant the engineer
soutd himself the obi a OF stack br sccres
of foes.
Against the blnuscle leaned wooden cap
stap.bsr Hardy ~is@d this with hh right
hand, and wiih the lantern 10 his leff, vault
ID up W the cabin roof, which rose about
four feet shcvs the deck.
He gsin, hereby momentsry respite,
but soon hi, enemies dire ,vsred his where
sbau,s. Up they swamed, clamtering
over the fe,toons oi rigging along to edge
OF the cabin top. The wa'chman sAt do~n
his lantern, graspsd the cspstan-bar txhf-
ly with both hands, and hegsn 70 lavaoout
him with long, sw@ping blows that sent
rat after rat nsing over the rail Into the
sea.
At nrst the engineer despised bis assail.
ant. II seemed absurd TO think that his
safety could he seriously endangered BY
such contemplate animals. They Assaii' d
him from behind, aud he wheeled to meet
them, rafting his blows 10 every direction,
and striving to shake himself from their
attacks. But they pressed him hard. With
An ominous. deadly earnestness, and II did
not take him long to realize that be WAS
lighting for his very life.
Hardy's wiriness now stood him In good
stesd. A bigger, clumsier man could not
have handled himself 30 quickly. Up and
down, right and left, swept the cspstsn-bsr
IKE Rail. He grew sick Of the massacre.
he could see nothing outside the little mist
walled circle illumined by the lantern Stay
aslmany a. be might. their numbers SEEM
ed unthinned, and their assault continued
with undiminished vlgor. His arms were
wesried with welding the bar. but be had
TO fight on.
Had Hardy dared, he would have Jumped
verboard but he was only q very ordln-
ary swimmer, the water was cold, and the
shore nearly mile awav,
But something must be done at once
His breath WAS ccmins short. BE stumb-
led and almost fell. Once down He shud.
dered at the thought and welded his bar
more desperately.
An incautious sweep caught the lantern.
ard whirled It over the rail with ingling
crash of glass.
The wa'chman's face WAS now turned
toward the bow. As he shot glance for
| ard through the mist he caught glimpse
of the forcastle, rsisirg above the Uttered
decks. Once on its top he would be safe.
Could he gain itg One jump took him of
| the cabin to the break another planted biz
| feet on the main deck amidshipa. His enc
mics pureued him. The black square Of
the open hatch yawned before him. Round
It he darued. threading his way among the
| rope coils. Once or twice be was almost
thrown headlong.
Close before him rose the forecastle Il
| was six feet high. Could he reach its sum-
mi,i He must.
10 be leaped and nung his hands over
the edge. Beneath him the rats bit at BIZ
feet and hung to the bottoms Of bis trous
ers. With mighty effort be threw hi
left leg up over the side Of the roof, caught
his heel, and moment later lay there II
safety, half.fainting.
There Hardy spent the remainder Of th'
night. With the coming Of dawn . fresf
land.bres 70 dispersed the fog, and - tn
tide fell the rats disappeared into the holt
to search for scattered rice grains. Whei
the orion took the waichman of At 81,
O'Clock the decks showed no sings OF life.
Late that evening, a. the lighter drew
away to ward the city with Its last load,
match touched to ball Of rags soaked u
kerosene lighted upa beacon visible ala
oycr se. and lsnd. the funeral pvre Of tn
Empress The 4 ines danced along her bul
warks and streAmed up her masts, unit
she stood 10 lurid outline against the sur
rounding gloom.
But before the conhsgration touched
them the rats leaped overheard, and sool
the flfelit surface was alive with swimnipi
forms. Few reached the shore, however
for the rea WAS rough through the loni
mile they had to traverse. Meanwhile tn
old bark burned far Into the night, until
her upper works we're consumed; and
vas well toward morning when the risinl
l . ko