Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-01-19
| FOR The Term of His Natural Life
BY MARCUS CLARKE


resting on their oars, initiated his ges-
ture, and the whale-boat thus thrown
out of trim, rocked from side to side
dangerously. A moments anxious pause,
and then another musket-shot, followed
by a woman's shrill scream, explained
all. The prisoners had seized the brig.
Give wayp' cried Frere, pale with rage
and apprehension, and the soldiers, real
lied at once the full terror of their po-
sotion, forced the heavy whale-boat
through the water as fast as the one
miserable pair of oars could take her.
Mr.. Bates, affected by the insidious
influence of the hour and lulled into a
sense of false security, had gone below
to tell his little playmate that she would
soon be on her way to the Hobart Town
of which she had heard so much, and,
taking advantage of his absence, the sol
der not on guard went to the forecastle
to hear the prisoners singing. He found
the ten together, in high good humor
While he listened James Lesly, William
Cheshire, William Russen, John Fair
and James Barker slipped to the hatch
way and got upon deck Barker reached
the aft-hatchway as the soldier who was
on guard turned to complete his walk,
and passing his arm round his neck,
pulled him down before he could utter
cry. In the confusion of the moment
the man loosed his grasp of the musket
to grapple 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
fr,a1N 4hn I n
There were three muskets in addition
to the one taken from the sentry, and
Barker, leaving his prisoner in charge
OF Fair, seized one of them and ran to
| the companion-ladder. Russen, left I'M
armed by this maneuver, appeared to
know his own duty. He came back to
the forecastle, and passing behind the
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
bis fist in the face of the gaping Grimes.
NO nolse!'' he cried; "the briggs ours"
and ere Grimes could reply he was seized
by Lyon and Riley and bound securely
Come on, lads!' says Rex, land pass
| the prisoner down here. We've got her
| time time, I'll go bail!'' In obedience to
| this order, the now gagged sentry was
| flung 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 handspike. Lesly and Russen,
forward to the companion-ladder! Lyon,
keep lookout for the boat, and if she
comes too near, fre!'
AS he smoke the report of the first
musket rang out. Barker had apparent
ly fired up the companion-hatchway
When Mr.. Bates had gone below, he
found Sylvia curled up on the cushions
Of the stateroom, reading. swell,
missy?" he said, "we'll soon be on our
way to papa
Sylvia answered by asking a question
altogether foreign to the subject. "Mr
Bates said she, pushing the hair out
of her blue eyes, whats coracle?"
"a which? p asked Mr.. Baaes.
GA coracle. C-o-r-a-c-l-e,'' said she.
spelling it slowly. 81 want to know"
The bewildered Bates shook his head.
''Never heard of one, missy" said he,
bending over the book. "What does it
say?"
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.. Bates-'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
| riage, missy. A sort of pheayton, as
| they call it,"
Sylvia, hardly satisfied returned to
| the book. 1t was little, mean-looking
volume-a ''Child's History of England"
and after perusing it a while with
| knitted brows, she burst into a childish
| laugh.
''Why, my dear 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
boat"
us it?' said Mr.. Bates. in admiration
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 mus
ket in his hand.
"Hallo What's this? What do you
do here, sir?'
'Sorry to disturb YER" says the con
Wet, with a grin, ''but you must come
along O me, Mr.. Bates
Bates, at once comprehending 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 it up, he
flung it across the little cabin full in
the face of the escaped prisoner The
soft mass struck the man with force
sufficient to blind him for an instant.
The musket exploded ha- MESSY in the
air; and, ere the astonished Barker could
recover his footing, Bates had hurled
him out of the cabin, and, crying Mutt
N.Y. 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.
cts a mutiny, ma'am" said Bates