Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1906-05-18

"A N'l SoluleE, anu BraSplng MS WrlSC,
struggled for the cutlass. A brawny,
bull-necked fellow next him dashed his
clmched fist into the soldiers face, and
the man, maddened by the blow, let go
the cutless, and, drawing his pistol, shot
his new assailant through the head. 1t
was this second shot that aroused Mau-
rice Frere.
AS the young lieutenant sprang out
upon the tdesck, he saw by the position of
the guard that others had been more
MINDFUL of the safety of the ship than
he. There was, however, no time for ex-
PLANTATION, for, as he reached the hatch
way he was met by the ascending giant,
who uttered a hideous cry at the sight
of this unexpected adversary, and, too
close to strike him. locked him In his
arms. The two men went down togeth-
er The guard on the quarterback dar-
ed not fire at the two bodies that, twined
about each other, rolled across the deck,
and for a moment Mr.. Frere's cherished
existence hung upon the slenderest
thread imaginable.
The Moocher. spattered with the blood
and brains of his unfortunate comrade,.
aad already set his foot upon the low
est step of the ladder, when the cutlass
was dashed from his hand by a blow
from a dubbed frelock, and he was
dragged roughly backward. AS he fell
upon the deck he saw the Crow spring
out of the mass of prisoners who had
been, an instant before, struggling with
the guard, and, gaining the cleared space
at the bottom of the ladder, hold up his
hands, as though to shield himself from
a blow. The confusion had become sud
denly stilled, and upon the group be-
fore the barrlcade had fallen that mys-
FERROUS silence which had perplexed the
inmates of the prison.
They were not perplexed for long.
The two soldiers who, with the assist
ance of Pine had forced to the door of
the prison, rapidly unbOIted a trap door
in the barricade and, at a signal from
Vickers, three men ran the loaded how
itzer from it's sinister shelter, and. train
ing the deadly muzzle to a level with
the opening in the barricade, stood ready
to fire.
Surrender cried Vickers, in a voice
from which all humanity had vanish
ed. Surrender. and give up your ring
leaders, or I'll blow you to pieces"
There was no tremor in his voice, and
though he stood. with Pine by his side
at the very mouth of the leveled can
non the mutineers perceived with that
acuteness which imminent danger brings
to the most stolid of brains, that, die
they hesitate an instant, he would keeT
his word. There was an awful momen
of silence. broken only by a skurryini
noise in the prison, as though family
of rats, disturbed at a flour cask, were
scampering to the ships side for shell
ter.
The entrapped men looked up thu
hatchway, but the guard had alread!
closed in upon it, and some of the ship
crew were peering down upon them Els
cape was hopeless.
"One minute"' cried Vickers, conf
dent that one second would be enough
zone minute to go quietly, OF"
Surrender. matesw shrieked some un
known wretch from out of the darkness
of the prison. do you want to be tn
death of us y
Jenny Vetch feeling. by that curiOu
sympathy which merry Gus natures pos
sess. that his comrades wished him t
act as spokesman, raised his shrill tones
1--WE surrender" he said. Its no MS
getting our brains blown out" AND
| raising his hands, he Obeyed the motto
of Vickers finger, and led the way tc
| ward the barrack.
Bring the irons forward there.
| shouted Vickers. Fastening from his pei
! ilous position; and before the last ma
| had filed past the still smoking mattel
| the clinx of hammers announced that tn
! Crow had resumed those letters whic
| had been knocked off his dainty limbs
month previously in the Bay of Biscay
In another moment the trap door wa
closed. the hOwitzer rumbled back to il
| clea rings. and the prison breathed again
In the meantime. scene almost a
exciting had taken place on the uppe
deck. Gabbett, with the blind fur
| which the consciousness of failure bring
to such brute-like natures, had seize
Frere by the throat, determined to pI
an end to at least one of his enemie
But desperate though he was, and wit
all the advantage of weight and strengt
upon his side, he found the young lie,
tenant a more formidable adversary tina
he had anticipated.
Maurice Frere was no coward. Take
by surprise as he was, he did not 10.
his presence Of mind. The convict wl
so close upon him that there was I
time to strike, but, as he was force
backward, he succeeded in crOoking b
and thrust one hand into his cola
Over and over they rolled. the bewt
dered sentry not daring to FIRE, until Il
ships side brought them up with violel
Jerk, and Frere realized that Cable
was below him. Pressing with all Il
might of his muscles, he stroye to resi-
the leverage which the giant was appl
ing to turn him over, but he might
Awen have pushed against a stone wa
it'll his eyes prOtruding, and eve
ew strained to Its utmost he W