Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-06-15
CHAPTER XVI

CHAPTER XVI.
Frere, coming to the pier next morn
Ing, saw Dawes strip himself, and piling
his clothes upon the stuffed goatskin,
stretched himself upon the reed bundles,
and, padding with his hands, pushed
off from the shore. The clothes foated
high and dry, but the reeds, depressed
by the weight Of the body, sunk so that
the head of the convict alone appeared
above water. In this fashion he gained
the middle Of the current and the out
going tide swept him down toward the
mouth Of the harbor.
Rufus Dawes, drifting with the cur
rent, had allowed himself to coast along
the eastern side of the harbor until the
pilot station appeared in view on the op-
posite shore. BY this time it was nearly
7 O'Clock. He landed at a sandy cove,
and, drawing up his raft, proceeded to
unpack from among his garments piece
of damper. Having eaten sparingly, and
dried himself in the sun, he replaced
the remains of his breakfast, and pushed
his floats again into the water.
Arrived at his destination about mid
day, he set to work to lay his snares.
The goats, with whose sides he hoped
to cover the coracle, were sufficiently
numerous and tame to encourage him to
use every exertion. He carefully exam
ined the tracks Of the animals, and found
that they converged to one polnt-the
track to the nearest water. With much
labor he cut down bushes, so as to mask
the approach to the water hole on all
sides, save where these tracks mmedi-
ately conjoined. Close to the water, and
at unequal distances along the various
tracks, he scattered the salt he had OBJ
tanned by his rude distillation of sea
water. Between this scattered salt and
the points where he judged the animals
would be likely to approach, he set his
traps, and retired to watch the effect
of his labors.
About two hours after he had gone,
the goats came to drink. There were
five goats and two kids, and they trotted
calmly along the path to the water. The
watcher soon saw that his precautions
had been in manner wasted. The lead
Ing goat marched gravely into the
syringe, which. catching him round the
neck, released the bent rod, and sprung
Hiul On HIS leSS lHlO Tue air. he uIleTeu
comical bleat, and then hung kicking.
The other goats bounded off at this sud-
den elevation of their leader, and three
more were entrapped at little distance
Rufus Dawes now thought 1t time to
secure his prize, though three of the
springes were as yet inspiring. He ran
down to the old goat, knife in hand,
but before he could reach him the bare
ly dried catgut gave way, and the old
fellow, shaking his head with grotesque
dismay, made off at full speed. The
others, however, were secured and killed.
The loss Of the syringe was not seri-
GUS one, for three traps remained un-
sprung, and before sundown Rufus
Dawes had caught four more goats. Re
moving with, care the catgut that had
done. such good service, he dragged the
carcasses to the shore, and proceeded
to pack them upon his floats. He dis
covered, however, that the weight was
too great, and that the water, entering
through the loops of the stitching in the
side, had so soaked the rush grass as
| to render the floats no longer buoyant
He was compelled, therefore, to spend
| two hours in resulting the skin with
such material as he could find. Some
| light and fock-like seaweed, which the
action of the water had swayed after
the fashion of haybands along the shore,
formed an excellent substitute for grass,
and having bound his bundle of rushes
| lengthwise, with the goatskin as a CEN
terpiece, he succeeded in forming a sort
of rude canoe, upon which the carcasses
foated securely.
The tide was now running in, and he
knew it was imperative that he should
regain the further shore while the cur
rent was in his favor. He touched the
| chilled water and drew back. For an
| instant he determined to wait until the
| beams of the morning should illumine
that beautiful but treacherous sea, and
then the thought of the helpless child,
who was, without doubt, waiting and
watching for him on the shore, gave new
strength to his wearied frame; and fixing
his eyes on the glow that, lowering above
the dark tree-line, marked her presence,
he pushed the raft before him into the
| sea.
Padding and pushing, he gradually
edged it toward the frelight; and at
last just when his stiffened limbs re-
fused to obey the impulse Of his will,
and he began to drift onward with the
onward tide, he felt his feet strike firm
ground. Dragging the carcasses above
high-water mark, he rounded the little
promontory and made for the fire. He
gained the fire before the solitary watch
er there heard his footsteps, and spread
his hands to the blaze In silence.
Frere, starting, cried, at is you!
Have you succeededT'
"There are six carcasses down by the
rocks. You can have meat for breakfast
tomorrow"
The child, at the sound Of the voice
came running down from the hut "Oh
Mr.. Dawesl am 30 gladl We were
beginning to dsspair-mamma and l."
Dawes snatched her from the ground