The daily Alaskan., 1906-12-27
The Man h the Skiff
IOrlglnRl.l

 down the Allegheny river between the twin cities" It moved with the cur rent, the sole occupant standing in the stern, keeping 1t in the middle of the stream by means of single oar iD- stead of a rudder The pilot of ferry. boat saw it and rang to stop the en- zines. Though the skiff passed a hun dred feet from the ferrybOat'S bow the pilot again rang. this time to back water. As the skin tiOated on under q bridge the man in the stern looked anXiously at the abutu-ents and kept away, using his oar for paddle. He was watched from above by a little knot of people. who wondered at his anxiety to keep off from contact and as to what was the load i'll the skifr's waist covered with tarpaulin, giving the effect of coffin under pail.
 A wheezy little steamer pulling up stream. as soon as her pilot caught sight of the red flag. turned to star board and gave the mysterious little boat wide berth. Then the skin drift ed past a wharf boat and passed very near 1t. A watchman with a lantern called to him to keep at safer dis tance.
 Aye. aye" grunted the other, but be- fore he could direct his skin nearer to midwater 1t had passed the wharf boat
 Coming to the mouth of the river where it meets the MonOngahela the current took the little boat nearer to A steamer than was intended. Indeed it passed along the steamers side with in a dozen yards. There was commO- ton among those on watch on the steamer. A man, seizlng pole, made ready to shove the skiff of should it come within touch; another stood swinging a lantern, yelling to the skins pilot to stand away and enforc- Ing his order with volley of oaths.
 Then the skin passed out on to the bosom of la belle riviere and com menCed its descent.
 An hour later the morning broke. and steamboat came snOrting down be- hind the mysterious skin The light had been put out and the red flag taken iu As the steamer passed the man in The skin sang out:
 Gimme a lift"
 All right" grunted the captain from the hurricane deck.
 A rope was thrown and the little boat taken in tow All day the steam CT lowed the Skiff Toward evening a knot of mea leaned over the steamers stern guard. The man In the skif saw them. but a hat was pulled over his eyes and they could not see his face except his mouth. which was firmly set. Suddenly the steamers wheels stopped The man in the skin quickly thrust hls oar Into the water beside his bout and commeuced to pull: backward hastily. He avoided even any contact with his tower, and those looking ou wondered why he was so cautious. Surely slight bump would not have hurt hlu.
 Then they unused upon the corpse like burden. Was 1t d body: If 50 that was no reason for the steersman's tlmidity at contact Something must be wrong with the little craft. Whatever we don't understand must be wrong. One of those who had been looking on went forward and interviewed the cap tain. who came aft and stood looking at the skin.
 What V got there:" he inquired grut1y.
 The man in the skin looked up at him as though loath to tell, then drawird:
 dynamite"
 The secret was out. They were tow ln. a dynamite boat that in case of far might blow them all into eternity.
 Cast of. yelled the captain.
 The mIu reluctantly went to the bow. Passing his load giugerly, and looScued the rope.
 The man in the skin saw the boat pass around a bend in the river below and turned his head -50 look for anoth- CT to come from the eastward. Far in the tlStlNtt TWO lulAltlN NVlG PSNA AAS forth columns of black smoke. steamer came by, and again the skin was taken in tow, but this time not for long. The mate came aft, asked the nature of the cargo and, when told, with one blow of an aX severed the tow line.
 This time the man iu the skif gave q low laugh, J laugh of intense satis- faction. "Over there" he said to him self. "iS Ohio. And over there Is either West Virginia or Kentucky" Then, looking at line of twilight where the suu had gone down. he added: An other hour Il do. No bit of bad luck for sixty minutes. and the games won"
 When darkness fell he padded bis boat toward the southern bank.
 Ben" he said. there's not craft in sight. Get up"
 The tarDauliu was lifted, and a man