The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-04-19

10 graphic with his unseen antagonist.
and Fair. snatching up the weapon,
swore to blow out his brains if he raised
a finger. Seeing the sentry thus Sc
cured, Cheshire leaped down the after
hatchway and passed up the muskets
from the arm-racks to Lesly and Russen.
There were three muskets in addition
to the one taken from the sentry. and
Barker. leaving his prisoner in charge
oil Fair, seized one of them and ran to
the companion-ladder. Russen. left un-
armed by this maneuver, appeared TO
know his own duty. He came back t.
the forecastle, and passing behind tine
listening soldier, touched the singer on
the shoulder. This was the appointed
signal, and John Rex. suddenly termin-
atlng his song with a laugh, presented
his INST in the face of the gaping Grimes.
n noiser" he cried; "the briggs ours
and ere Grimes could reply he was seized
by Lyon and Riley and bound securely.
Come on, ladsr" says Rex, land pass
the prisoner down here. We've got her
time time, I'll go BALL" In obedience to
this order. the now gagged sentry was
huIIg down the fore-hatchway, and the
hatch secured. STAND on the hatch
way, Porter" cries Rex again; and if
those fellows come up knock 'em down
with a h~andspike. Lesly and Russen.
forward to the companion-ladder, Lyon,
keep a lookout for the boat, and if she
comes too near, 6re,''
As he spoke the report of the first
musket rang out. Barker had apparent
~ fred up the companion-hatchway.
When Mr.. Bates had gone below, he
found Sylvia curled up on the cushions
of the stateroom. reading. "Well,
missy?' he said, well soon be on our
way to papa"
Sylvia W by asking a question
altogether foreign to the subject. "Mr.
Bates" said she, pushing the hair out
of her blue eyes, whats a coracle?"
"A which? p asked Mr.. Baaes.
"a c~oracle. C~-o-r-a-cle." said she.
spelling it slowly. II want to know"
The bewildered Bates shook his head.
Never heard of one, missy" said he,
bending over the book. What does it
sayY
The Ancient Britons,'" said Sylvia.
reading ~gravely, were little better than
barbarians. They painted their bodies
with woad'-that's blue stuff, you know.
Mr.. Batcs-'and seated in their light cor
acles of skin stretched upon slender
wooden frames, must have presented a
Wild and savage appearance"
WELL" said Bates, 81 think it's a car
rage, missy A sort of pheayton, as
they call it"
Sylvia, hardly satisfied, returned to
the book. 1t was a little, mean-looking
volume-a "Child's History of England"
--Nnd after 'perusing it a while with
knitted brows, she burst into a childish
laugh.
why, my lear Mr.. Bates!' she cried.
waving the history above her head in
triumph, what a pair of geese we are!
A carriage! Oh, you silly man! It's a
| boatr
Els IT" said Mr.. Bates, In admira tion
of the intelligence. of his companion.
who'd ha' thought that now ?" and he
was about to laugh also, when. raising
his eyes, he saw in the open doorway
the figure of James Barker, with a mus
ket in his hand.
Halle! What's this? What do you
do here, sir?'
SORRY to disturb YER" says the con-
vict, with a grin, but you must come
along o. me, Mr.. Bates"
Bates, at once eomprehending that
some terrible misfortune had occurred.
did not lose his presence of mind. One
of the cushions Of the couch was under
his right hand, and snatching il uD. he
flung 1t across the little cabin full In
the face of the escaped prisoner. The
soft mass struck the man with force
o1H4 osonf 20 hlsnI hs., e.
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
ny" locked the cabin-door on the inside,
The noise brought out Mrs. vickers from
her berth, and the poor little student OF
English history ran into her arms.
It's a mutiny, ma'am," said Bates
go back to your cabin and lock the
door. Those bloody Williams have risen
on us! Maybe 1t amt so bad as il
looks; I've got my pistols with me. and
Mr.. Frsre'n 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 mockinc
laugh from above was the only response
Thrusting the woman and child int
the state berth, the bewildered pilot
cooked a pistol, and snatching a cutlas,
from the arm-stand fixed TO the butt OF
the mast which penetrated the cabin
he burst open the door with his foot, an(
rushed to the companion-ladder. Barker
had retreated to the deck, and for al
instant he thought the way was clear
but Lesly and Russen thrust him bacl
NTH tho pnx11ao 90 The 1ooIol ,-~f<~k
He struck at Russen with the cutlass
missed him, and, seeing the hopelessnesi
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 tina
all was not yet lost. made shift TO fore,
up the fore-hatch. Porter, whose cour
age was none Of the f~iercest, and VIII,
had been for years given over to tina
terror of discipline which servitude in
duces, made but a feeble attempt at re
sistance. and forcing the handspike from
him, the sentry, Jones, rushed aft to he'll
the pilot. As Jones reached the waist
Cheshire. a cold-blooded, blue-eyed man
shot him dead. Grimes fell over III
corpse. ard Cheshire clubbing the mus
ket coolly battered his head as he lay
and then selling the body of the ,infor
tunate Jones in his arms, tossed IL int
the sea. Porter, you lubber." he cried
exhausted with the effort to lift th
body. come and bear a hand with thi
other one" Porter advanced aghast
but just then another occurrence claime
the villains attention. and poor Grimes
life was spared for that time.
Rex, inwardly raging at this unexpeci
ed resistance on the part of the pilot
flung himself IN the s~kylight, and tore
up bodily. As he did so, Barker, VIII
had reloaded his musket, fred down int
the cabin. The ball passed through tn
stateroom door, and, splintering tn
wood, buried itself close to the golde
curls of poor little Sylvia. 1t was thei
hair-breadth escape which drew from tn
agonized mother that shrek which, pea
ing through the open stern windows, ha
reused the soldiers in the boat.
Rex, who by the virtue of his dandy
. ism. vet possessed some adherence q