Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-01-24
600
CHAPTER N.-(Continued.) J

Al.Al IN N.--N tIlluuttI
"Wa must act now." said Roderick, ''be
fore they miss their man. They've stoppet
the engines. and we shall drop behint
the o. aers. There's only one chance, an,
that is to surprise them. Let's rush il
and t. ke the odds"
IF | went" said Mary, what coult
they 20 TO me? I'm going now; while
I'm taking to them they won't be lookin:
for yol.''
She ran up the companion-way. stand
ing at the top; while we cooked our pis
tolls AMI crept after her. Then we lay fla
to the deck. as she ran noselessly amid
ships, nd into the very center of the five
men. 70 our astonishment, they gave 6
great howl of terror at the sight of her
for she seemed but a thing of shadow hov
ering u pon the ship-and bolted headons
forward; while we rushed in body tC
the hur ricane deck and faced Paolo He
turned very white. Dan served him as tht
other and hit him with his pistol, so that
he r0llei SenSelesS off the narrow bridge
and we heard the thud of his head against
the iron of the engine room hatch. He
had scarce fallen when Mary, with the
laugh sill upon her lips, reeled at the
sight of him, and fell fainting in my
arms.
The skipper got the whole situation at
the first look. He came 10 us with cou-
pie of rifles. We were now ali crouchine
together by the wheel amidships, for
Mary hal recovered. BY the full moon we
saw darl, shadows across the hatch. The
men wera behind the galley. The skipper
hailed them.
You, Karl. Williams-are you coming
ont now, for me to fog You, or will you
swing at New York? You've got couple
of planks between you and eternity. I'm
going to fire through that galley"
He raised his rife at the word and let
go straight at the corner of the light wood
erection. \ dull groan followed, and by
The ehadot on the deck | saw one man
fall forward: his blood ran in thick
stream out to the top of the hatchway,
and then ran back as tae ship heaved to
the seas.
? There's one down amongst YOU" said
the skipper bat that's the beginning OF
it; I'm going to blow that shanty tc
pieces. and you with it,
He raised his rife, but as he did so one
of them answered for the first time with
his revolver. and the bullet sang above our
heads. The skipper's shot was quick in
reply: and the wood Of the shanty flew in
splinters as the bullet shivered it. A sec
ord man sprang to his feet with shout,
and then fell across the deck, lying full to
be seen in the moonlight.
That's two Of YOU" continued the
skipper. as calm as ever he was in Ports
mouth harbor; we'll make it three for
luck" But at the suggestion they al
made a run forward, and lay fiat right ou
by the cable. There we could hear them
b!Dhbering like children.
They fired three shots as we rushed on
them: but the butt ends of the two mus
kets did the rest. Three of them Wen
down straight as feled poplars. The
others fell upon their knees and implOred
mercy: and they got it, but not until the
skipper. who now seemed reused to all the
fury of great anger, set to kicking them
Justly. ard with no discrimination.
We had the other hands up by this
They got them below at the first break
of dawn, and the dead they covered
while Paolo, who lay groaning, we carried
to cabin in the saloon. and did for his
broken head that which our elementary
knowledge of surgery permitted US.
As the day brought Light upon the ris-
ing sea, looked 70 the far horizon, but
the rolling crests of an empty waste met
nv gaze. Again we were alone. The
nights work had lost US the welcome
company.