Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-27

| was hauled into the stern-sheets OF the
boat, and crowded down upon the bottom
Pallingrove held me by the collar of my coat,
though | made no resistance. 1t was useless
for me to attempt to do anything when my
assallants had all the advantage.
This will never do" said the elder rut-
fan in low tone. "The boatman will go to
the yacht and tell those on board what has
happened to his passenger"
Give him half crown and send him back
to the Shore" said Pallingrove, looking back
at the craft from which | had been taken.
| Stop and back her." he added sharply to
the two oarsmen.
! The elder ruffian was fishing his pockets for
the, coin his companion had mentioned. AS
Palhngrove relaxed his hold little, | straight
ened up my body so that l could see over the
gunwhale of the gig
My boatman seemed to be simply astonished
at the misfortune which had overtaken me.
he was standing up in his boat, and staring
at the villains with all his might. Possibly
he was thinking that he ought to have COL
lected his fare in advance, for it must have
looked to him as though he had lost his
job
II have nothing less than sovereign about
me- said the elder ruffian
Don't give him that. 1t will only excite
suspicion Pallingrove objected
Then Charley" began to fish in his own
pockets for the required coin.
In his sitting posture on the after-seat, he
appeared not to be. able to reach the bottom
of them, and he stood up, to find the coin
he wanted. The oarsmen had been backing
the boat, and the stern touched the boat.
mans craft before the rowers checked her
headway.
GO back to the dock for another gentle.
man you will find there" said Pallingrove, as
he reached out to hand the half-crown to the
boatman. If any, one asks you any questions,
say that the gentleman Is going to dine with
us on board of our yacht"
"Is that the way you ask a gentleman to
dine with you? Jerk him out of boat as
you would an eel from the brine?" demanded
the boatman, as he slipped the coin into the
depths of his trousers pocket.
Its only bit of Joke" replied Pallin-
grove
But could see that my captors were both
perplexed at the words of the boatman
This will never do" repeated the elder
ruffan.
Finding that 1 did not offer to escape Pallin-
grove had released his hold upon me when
he began to search his pockets. l am not
non-resstance individual, except under the
pressure of circumstances and 1t seemed to
me just then that the time had come for me
to do something. l did not allow myself an
instant to reflect upon the situation, or even
to think that l was only boy against four
men.
Palingrove was still standing up in the
stern-sheets of the gig There was just sea
enough in this part of the harbor to give the
boat slightly uneasy motion. The elder rut-
fan was more prudent and kept his seat at the
tiller lines.
With a desperate effort, l seized the two
legs of Pallingrove in both my arms, and, hug
ging them with all my might near the ankles,
| raised myself in the boat, and hfted him
from his uncertain foundation Ny hold was
SO near his feet that he could do nothing but
topple over, and | guided my burden IN such
a way as to make sure that he went over the
gunwhale of the gig.
He struck the water head foremost, and the
last | saw of him was his feet pointing up to
the sky.
With a long spring / leaped into the water
on the side opposite that where PaIlngrove
had disappeared. / could swim like fish, and
| struck out with the intention of widening
my distance from the eonspirators. If my
boatman had been confonnded before, he was
wide awake now He grasped the oars, and
pulled with all his strength toward me.
Here! Pull this way! Save this man"
shouted the elder ruf6an, pointing to the
side where Pallingrove had just come to the
surface of the water, couple of fathoms
from the gig.
In spite of the half-crown in his pocket, the
boatman paid no attention to the appeal, but
continued to pull toward me. In less than
minute had hold of the bow of his boat,
and he helped me into it.
Pull for the Sleeper!" l gasped, out of
breath with my exertions.
Never fear me, young sir. knows which
is the bottom dog and don't believe you
wants any dinner with them coves, replied
the man, resuming his oars, and pulling away
from the gig.
/ judged from the way that Pallingrove tum-
bled about in the water that he could not
swim. The men in the gig pulled to the spot
where he was struggling, and assisted by the
elder ruffian, dragged him into the boat.
watched the proceedings of the rascals in the
gig with intense interest.
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