Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-05-25


flung 1t across the little cabin full in
the face of the escaped prisoner The
soft mass struck the man with force
sufficient to blind him for an instant.
The musket exploded harmlessly in the
air; and, ere the astonished Barker could
recover his footing, Bates had hurled
him out Of the cabin, and, crying Mutt
nyw locked the cabin-doOr on the inside
The noise brought out Mrs. Vlckers from
her berth, and the poor little student Of
English history ran into her arms
Its a mutiny, ma'am," said Bates
go back to your cabin and lock the
door. Those bloody Williams have risen
on us! Maybe it amt so bad as it
looks; I've got my pistols with me, and
Mr.. Frere'll hear the shot anyway
Mutiny. On deck there!" he cried at the
full pitch of his voice, and his brow
grew damp with dismay when a mocking
laugh from above was the only response.
Thrusting the woman and child into
the state berth, the bewidered pilot
cooked a pistol, and snatching a cutlass
from the arm-stand fixed to the butt of
the mast which penetrated the cabin,
he burst open the door with his foot. and
rushed to the companion-ladder. Barker
had retreated to the deck and for an
instant he thought the way was clear,
but Lesly and Russen thrust him back
with the muzzles of the loaded muskets.
He struck at Russen with the cutlass,
missed him, and seeing the hopelessness
of the attack, was fain to retreat.
In the meanwhile, Grimes and the 9TH
er soldier had loosed themselves from
their bonds, and encouraged by the fir
ing which seemed to them a sign that
all was not yet lost, made shift to force
up the fore-hatch. Porter, whose cour-
age was none of the fiercest, and who
had been for years given over to that
terror of discipline which scrvitude in
duces, made but a feeble attempt at re-
sistance, and forcing the handspke from
him, the sentry, Jones, rushed aft to help
the pilot. AS Jones reached the waist,
Cheshire, cold-blooded, blue-eyed man,
shot him dead. Grimes fell over the
corpse, and Cheshire clubbing the mus
ket coolly battered his head as he lay,
and then seizing the body of the unfor-
tunate Jones In his arms, tossed it into
the sea. Porter, you lubberv he CRIED
exhausted with the effort to lift the
body, come and bear a hand with this
other one" Porter advanced aghast;
but just then another occurrence claimed
the villains attention, and poor Grimes
life was spared for that time.
Rex, inwardly raging at this unexpect-
ed resistance on the part of the pilot,
flung himself on the skylght, and tore it
up bodily. AS he did so, Barker, who
had reloaded his musket, fired down into
the cabin. The ball passed through the
stateroom door, and, splintering the
wood, buried itself close to the golden
curls of poor little Sylvia. 1t was their
hair-breadth escape which drew from the
agonized mother that shrek which, peal
Ing through the open stern windows had
reused the soldiers in the boat.
Rex, who by the virtue of his dandy
ism, yet possessed some adherence of
useless crime, imagined that the cry was
one of pain, and that Barker's bullet had
taken deadly effect you've killed the
child, you villain!" he cried.
Whats the odds?" asked Barker,
sulkily. "She must die anyway, sooner
or later"
Rex put his head down the skylight.
and called on Bates to surrender; but
Bates only drew his other pistol. "Would
you commit murder?' he asked, looking
round with desperation in his glance.
mo, no." cried some of the men, will.
ing to blink the death of poor Jones.
/ ITS no use making things worse than
they are. Bid him come up and we'll
do him no harm"
Come up, Mr.. Bates" says Rex
"and l give you my word you shan't be
injured"
"Will you set the majors lady and
child ashore, then?" asked Bates, sturd
lily facing the scowling brows above him
"Yes."
Bates, hoping against hope for the re
turn of the boat, endeavored to gar
time. "Shut down the skylight, then,
said he, with the ghost of an authority
in his voice, until l ask the lady"
This, however, John Rex refused t.
do. "You can ask well enough where
you are" he said.
But there was no need for Mr. Bate!
to put a question. The door of the state
| iooLh opCuSu, 4hl lChtlS
trembling, with Sylvia by her side. "Ac
cept, Mr.. Bates" she said, "since i
must be so. We should gain nothing b!
refusing. We are at their mercy-GoC
help usp'
amen to that" says Bates under hi
BREATH and then, aloud, 1--WE agree!"
"Put your pistols on the table anC
come up, them" says Rex, covering th
tables with his musket as he spoke
Nobody shall hurt you"
Mrs. Vickers, pale and sick with ter
ror, passed rapidly under the open sky
light, and prepared to ascend. Sylvi'
clung to her mother with one hand, ant
with the other pressed close to her littl
bosom the English History"
"Get a shawl, ma'am, or something,
! says Ratea "end n hat for missy"