The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1906-08-17

Of It. "Its no use making a fuss,
Jonesi There are eight Of US. Oblige
me by attending to your signals"
Jones knew the voice. n was that Of
John Rex. "Reply, can't your said
Rex, coolly. captain Burgess is in a
hurry" The arms of the semaphore at
the settlement were, in fact, gesticulat.
ing with comical vehemence.
Jones took the strings h ais hands,
and, with his signal book open before
them, was about to acknowledge the
message, when Rex stopped him. "Send
this message" he said. mot seen! Sig
nal sent to Eaglehawkp'
Jones paused irresolutely. He was
himself convict, and dreaded the inev-
liable cat that he knew would follow
this false message. "If they finds me
out" he said. Rex cooked the car.
bine with so decided meaning in his
black eyes that Jones banished his hest.
tation at once and began to signal Gag
erly. There came up a clinking of metal
and murmur from below. whats
keeping yer, Dandy?"
"All right. Get those irons off, and
then Wen talk, boys. I'm putting salt
on old Burgess TAIL" The rough Jest
was received with a roar, and Jones'
looking momentarily down from his win.
dow on the staging, saw, in the waning
Night, group of men freeing themselves
from their irons with a hammer taken
from the guard house; while two, al
ready freed, were casting buckets of
water on the beacon woodpile. The SEN
try was lying bound at a little dis
lance.
Now" said the leader of this sur
prise party, "signal to Woody Island"
Jones perforce obeyed. "Say, AN es-
cape at the mines! Watch One-tree
Point! Send on to Eaglehawkv Quick,
now"
Jones. comprehending the force of
TINS maneuver, which would have the
erect OF distracting attention from the
Neck, executed the order with a grin.
You're a knowing one, Dandy Jack"
said he.
John Rex acknowledged the compli-
ment by unlocking the earbine. "Hold
out your hands! Jenny Vetch! Come
up, and tie our friend JONES' Gabbett,
have you got the axesY' "There's only
one said Gabbett. "Then bring that,
and any tucker you can lay your hands
on. Have you tied him? On we 60,
then" And in the space of five min
utes from the time when unsuspectine
Harry had been silently clutched by two
forms, who rushed upon him out of the
shadow of the huts, the Signal Hill sta.
ton was deserted.
At the settlement Burgess was foam
ing. Nine men to seize the Long Bay
boat, and get half an hours start of the
alarm signal was an unprecedented
achievement! What could Warder
Troke have been about? Warder Troke
however, found eight hours afterward
disarmed, gagged and bound in the
scrub, had been guilty of no negligence
How could he tell, that at a certain
signal from Dandy Jack. the nine men
he had taken to Stewards Bay would
rush" him; and, before he could draw
pistol, truss him like a chicken? The
worst of the gang, Rufus Dawes. had
volunteered for the hated duties of pile
driving, and Troke had felt himself Sc
cure. How could he possibly guess that
there was plot in which Rufus Dawes
of all men, had refused to join?
Constables. mounted and on foot
were dispatched to scour the bush round
the settlement. Burgess, confident, from
the reply of the Signal Hill soma phore
that the alarm had been given at Eagle
hawk isthmus, promised himself the re
capture Of the gang before many hours
and giving orders to keep the commnni
cations going, retired to dinner. Hi,
convict servant had barely removed tn,
soup when the result of John Rex.
ingenuity became manifest. The sem
aphore at Signal Hill had stopped work
ing.
| "Perhaps the fools can't see," sait
Burgess. "Fire the beacon-and saddl
my horse" The beacon was fired. Al
right at Mount Arthur, Mount Com
munication, and the coal mines. To tn
westward, the line was clear. But a
Signal Hill was no answering light. Bur
CESS stamped with rage. Get me m
boats crew ready; and tell the mine
to signal to Woody Island" AS h
stood on the jetty, a breat hless messen
ger brought the reply. "a boats GREY
to One-tree Point! Five men sent fror
Eaglehawk in obedience to orders!
Burgess understood it at once. Th
fellows had decoyed the Eaglehaw
guard. Give way, men" And tn
boat shooting into the darkness, mad
for Long Bay. 81 won't be far benin
EN-" said the commandant, "at an
| ratab