Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-08-15

wei show him now We'll surrender.
Once more he retreated into the CABIN.
During the next ten minutes ne wen.
downstairs three or four times. On cach
trip he turned the spigot of an Ice cooier
and took a drink out of the rusty TN cup.
On his last return to the deck ne walkea
aft to give some directions to the men.
Barnes. taking advantage of his absence.
slipped down the stairway and peeped INTO
the ice cooler. His worst fears were con-
frmed. The cooler contained Jamaica
rum.
The Albatross still moved on with the
grace and rapidity of the bird after when
ii was SO apply named. The officers. IN
their bright uniforms, could be seen pa
trolling both the port and starboard SIDES
of the vessel. Captain Farewell. standing
on the navigating bridge in front of the
pilot house. lifted a megaphone to his lips
and shouted
II call on you to surrender or accept
the consequences
Cross, half maudlin from his repeated
visits to the ice cooler. lifted his thumb
less hand high in the air and. doubling
up his fingers, shouted ~drunkenly:
Come on, curse we: come on. at your
peril,'
Barnes thought this mere babbling, but
was soon undeceived. The master gave
some orders to the chief mate. He in turn
communicated with the crew. A half
dozen men rushed to either end of the
boat and began pulling a pile of canvas
from two bulky looking objects. In a
minute a pair of old fashioned cannon
stood revealed. Crude derricks were
quickly erected, the guns We're raised with
elevating gear and revolving on a swivel.
Now. YOU dough heads" shouted the
master. up with the powder and wad.
dins-get your ramrods and load for ac-
ton"
All this was done so quickly that
Barnes and Clancy stood still, as If
stunned. A cask of powder was brought
on deck. two sets of men got to work and
the cannon We're quickly loaded. AT this
point Barnes carne to his senses. He ram
to the master. who was sweating like a
bull and swearing like a trooper He
touched him on the shoulder.
Take my advice, Cross. and quit: you're
being chased now for violating the neu-
trality laws. Fire one of those cannon on
a United States vessel and you become q
pirate"
Cross turned to him in Amusement. The
look on his face was murderous. The
veins on the bull neck swelied loathSome-
ly. Rage halted his speech, but his am
swcr was not in words. He swung his
gorilla-like arm wildly and the thumb
less hand struck Barnes square in the
face with terrific force. The chief lost his
Cross went up to him and shook his shout.
balance and fell on the deck with a thud.
The act made all the blood in Clancy's
body boil. He rushed over and. doubling
up his fist. struck the master full in the
bu!ging neck. But his fist bounded back
as II he had hit a bale of wood. Stimuli.
taneously the chief mate put his foot out
and deXterously tripped the young man
and he fell in a heap by the side of his
chief.
their hands and feet and throw EN- in the
hold"
Inc struggle was brief. When 1t ended
Barnes and Clancy were tied and lay
helpless in the bow of the BOAT. One of
the crew was for tossing them in the
hold. The others thought the game not
worth the candle, and the two prisoners
lay painting with their backs on the boards
and their eyes gazing up into the I'M
plying sky.
Now. boys" shouted the master hoarse-
~. go at EN- with both guns; give EN-
a broadside.
When the trembling ceased the Golden
Rod looked as If it had been struck by a
cyclone. One shot had taken away half
or the smokestack: another tore open a
side OF the pilot house and scattered
boards, glass and splinters all over the
deck; the third cut away the upper Sec
ton Of the stern. The hapless Barnes
ana MS assistant were covered with the
debris. The face Of Polk, the chief mate,
became white as chalk and he was inca
paole of speech. Tie crew clustered to-
gether and covered behind the uninjured
section of the pilot house like wet lens
IN a thunder storm. The master was the
only one who had any nerve left, and he
was historical from the shock.
Load 'em up again." he shrieked, land
be quick about it!"
Polk pulled himself together and urged
the men to speed. mother cask of pow
der was brought up and opened. The
cannon was filed and the order given to
fire. There was no response. The man
in charge pulled the stout cords, the
caps snapped, but the big guns were
silent. Once again the cords on the old
fashioned ordnance were pulled. and once
again all was dead silence. Some unac-
impulse sent the master over to
the half emptied powder barrel.
He put his and in it. and something
about the gritty substance made him go
pale. He ordered up two more casks. The
tops were quickly knocked out of them,
and Cross put his hands into both stimuli
~taneously. When he looked up his eyes
were dancing as if they were possessed
of devils, the color left the bull neck, the
firm mouth dropped and he fell back as
limp as a wet rag.
What's the matter? Speak, man."
shouted the mate.
Cross tried to a%rticulate, and failed. He
tried again, and was just able to gasp:
"Betrayed-sold out. We've got a cargo
of-of sand"
'Sand!'
Yes. plain sand. Jack Fenwick's even
ed up scores"
He raised himself feebly to his full
height. shook convulsively and fell for
ward. from an apoplectic stroke, with q
shock that shivered the timbers Of the
crippled steamer.
Barnes realized the significance OF the
scene He shouted to the mate:
Quick. unite me! l may save YOU be.
fore the Albatross fires AGAR"