The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-11-11

then swore.
"She was there 10 minutes ago."
Hawke protested.
Maybe the wind has blown out
her lights. She can't have cleared
out, can she?" said Elliott.
Cleared out? Not a bit of it,"
said Henninger. They've housed
the lights so that we cannot
see what they're trying ID do?
Here, Abdullah. Can we get to
sea at once?" said Henninger, VIC
lently.
The reis glanced gravely at the
darkness where the sea roared
through the gap in the reef and
then gravely back to his employer.
1T is as Allah wills" he said.
But it cannot be done by men,"
But Allah does will it," cried
Henninger, violently. Call your
men up. We must be outside the
| lagoon in half an hour!" ott
Great heavens, Henninger! You
aren't going to try to take the
dhow out through the gap in this
pitch dark" Bennett exclaimed.
Eyes, am. We've got to do it.
Don't you understand that the first
| thing in the morning we'll be rid.
died from both sides? Those fell
lows are bring up the steamer in
the dark. to lie close off our posi-
ton. But l reckon we can do some
thing in the dark, too"
you'll smash us, sure" Elliott
protested.
81 know something about sailing
and I've seen the Arabs do heater
tricks than that at Zanzibar"
The Arab cast another gloomy
glance at the reef shrugged his
shoulders with racial fatalism, and
went forward to call up the men,
Henninger dashed below, came UP
with an ak, and started toward the
bow 49,.
stop! You're not going to cut
that cable. Don't you know that
| the bight'll fly up and kill your
That's so. | forgot" admitted
| Henninger, pausing.
But the whole scheme is mad
suicidal" Bennett added, angrily.
"No, let's get away at any risk"
exclaimed Margaret, who had come
on deck.
"Halloo, you must go below
again." said Elliott. "Or, wait a
moment" He cut loose a life-belt
and buckled it around her. per.
haps you had better stay on deck
after all, for as like as not we're
going to the bottom. Hang on to
the dhow, if we strike, and don't
let yourself get carried against the
rocks. I'll look after you"
The Arab seamen were stationing
the dangerous maneuver that was
to be attempted, and Elliott's cour-
age rose at the sight of their cool
ness. The danger of the attempt
lay almost wholly in the thick dark
ness. The gap was nearly 30 yards
wide, and the weather had shifted
so far to the east that the dhow
could run out with wind abeam,
provided that she could hit the gap.
The heis took the tiller, and a
seaman went forward, picked up
the AK which Henninger had
dropped and scanned the cable mar
rowly. Dextrously, carefully, he
struck three blows with the steel
cutting it partly through, and skip
ped back out of danger. The dhow
heaved; a sensation of rending ran
from the bows throughout her tim.
bers; and suddenly, with a bang
like a gunshot, the cable parted
and the dhow began to drift rapid
ly, stern first.
The reis shouted in cultural
Arabic, and sheet and tiller brought
her round, he began to run diago-
nally toward the island, heading al
wind abeam. In the bows a seaman
cast short lead line necessarily
calling the depth with a weird cry.
The sky was clearing slightly, as
Hawke had said, and Henninger
had observed it with a worried ex-
preston. The dhow's spread of
white canvas would be visible in
the night when the black hull of
the steamer would remain unseen
and their only chance lay in making
open water and running below the
horizon before they were sighted
by the speedier.
After a short tack the dhow went
about and headed back as she had
come. The crucial moment was at
hand. The refs stared ahead, stOOp-
ing slightly to get a clear view un-
der the sails, though to Elliott S
eyes the darkness was i'm
penetrable.
Those Arabs can see in the dark
like cats" muttered Henninger, at
his elbow.
The helmsman brought her up a
little more into the wind, and
shouted another order. There
was a rush of barefooted MOslems
across the heeling deck and the
dhow darted forward, straight for
roaring line of invisible rocks.
Whats that?" called Bennett,
sharply.
Away in the darkness to the east
Elliott, too, had seen faint glow
in the air and a momentary puff OF
red sparks blown off and instant
ly extinguished. 1t could be moth
ing but flash from the funnel OF
the steamer; she must be coming
up, and at full speed. But In an
| other half minnie the dhOw wOuld