Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-11
CONTINUED FRoM PRECEDING PAGE


that the enemy would be stirring at that hour
aud the sun had not yet risen when tney
reached the shore .
With but one hatchet. the work of getting
brush enough to send out what was though,
to be sufficient amount of smoke required
considerable time, and it was quite late when
three piles had been built, each distant about
hundred yards from the other
Percy had whitfield some shavipgs from
pieces of dry wood found on the beach, and
on these the suns rays were focused by means
of the watch crystal. 1t was not a particu-
larly easy task to kindle fire by such means
but it was done finally, and when one brush
heap had been ignited, it required but few
minutes to carry blazing sticks to the others.
The flames, famed by the morning breeze,
were just gathering headway, when Bob or
dered the advance, by saying:
"Let's go a little more than half across the
key before we strike off for the harbor. Then
we shall come upon the camp in such way
that II more than one man is there, we shall
Rave, chance to make our escape. You take
the hatchet, Percy and I'll carry the COM
pass. We must travel fast; but, at the same
time, be careful not to make too much noise,
Tor some OF the men may be about"
Dudley shut his teeth tightly together as
he followed his companions. He had very
little faith that they would succeed in accom-.
pushing anything, and it was the hardest
kind of work to screw his courage up to any
tnlng near tne sticking point.
Bob set off at pace as rapidly as could be
maintained. and yet carry the compass sufi-
ciently steady for the needle to point the
way, while Dudley followed close behind him,
and Percy brought up the rear. In this or
der they continued their westward journey
for twenty minutes, when the leader turned
abruptly to the right, at the same time slack
ening his speed perceptibly.
No one of the three acted or felt very much
at ease when they finally arrived at point
on the harbor overlooking the camp, and
Bob's voice trembled as he said, in whispers;
I'm going to hide the compass where we
can find it again easily, and then I'll creep out
until / can see the tent If | wave my hand
come on; and, when we make the dash re-
member that we must succeed, or we shall
be worse off than before"
will you try for the camp or the raft
asked Percy.
"The raft If we can get away on that,
we can reach the mainland without trouble:
Pick. up anything you can see in the way of
provisions, and I'll do my best to find water
cask. If we have to fight Launce, Dud must
try to get the things on the raft, while we
keep the pirate back until we can make, n
rush; but, if he is armed. then we will strike
into the underbrush at our best gait
With these final instructions, Bob made his
way cautiously through the bushes that firing
ed the shore of the harbor, and from there
he had an unobstructed view of the camp.
He could see nobody in the vicinity, al
though it was possible that one of the men
might be in the interior of the tent, or on
the opposite side. The raft, with its sail
furled. was lying close by the shore.
Scattered around on the beach were sew
efal boxes and kegs, and matters looked pro-
pitious for the success of the plan.
Everything seemed to be ready. There was
no time to lose, and Bob waved his hand as
the signal for his companions to join him.
<,rnA r,,rrDr Wv