The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1906-06-29
Tor The Term of His Natural Life

BY MARCUS CLARKE

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 OPP
| posite shore. By this time it was nearly
Z 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 point-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 immedi-
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 red, and sprung
him off his legs into the air. He uttered
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 it 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 a seri-
GUS one, for three traps remained I'M
sprung, and before shutdown 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 freight: 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, ct is you!
Have you succeededY'
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. ooh,
Mr.. Dawes! l am so glad! We were
beginning to despair-mamna and l."
| Dawes snatched her from the ground,
and, bursting into joyous laugh swung
her into the air. Tell me-" he cried,
holding up the child with two dripping
arms above him, what you will do for
me if l bring you and mamma safe
home again.
Give you a free PARDON said Syl-
via; land papa shall make you his SER
vant!" Frere burst out laughing at
this reply; and Dawes, with a choking
sensation in his throat, put the child
upon the ground. and walked away.
In the morning, however, Rufus
Dawes was first at work. and made no
allusion to the scene of the previous
evening. By dint of hard work they got