Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-04-23

snarls and cries of rage. The Co.'S
sack crew and the Bouriats fought
like DEVILS leaping and darting about
with the agility of wildcats and hand
| ling their more modern weapons with
murderous dexterity and skill.
| A man never knows what sort Of
man he is till a supreme trail comes
to him. The American found himself
cool. His faculties were all at state
Of EXTREMIST tension, with the result
that he could see and hear better,
think faster and decide more quickly
than in ordinary moments. He took
hi revolver from his pocket and ran
lightly toward Manchurian who was
Just throwing one leg over the rail.
He fired at the head of the man who
fell back into the water with loud
splash, dropping his sword on the
deck Another leaped over the rail
almost at his siGe and, swinging his
great steel blade high in the air, chop
ped at Hardy's head. The latter threw
up his rifle and received the blow IN
the barrel The impact brought him
to his knees, but as me sank. he shot
his assailant beneath the chin, killing
him instantly. j..
At this moment blazing arrow
passed over him and stuck sin one IF
the cotton tuffed pillows that had
been used as a b.trricade. Hardy
snatched the pillow, threw it over
board and ran to the downstream side
of the boat. The attack of the board
ers had not lasted in all over four
or five minutes, and yet in that time
several of the wadlng party had APP
preached considerably nearer. The
moon gave sufficient light for him to
see the sights of his rifle now and the
dark forms of the Chinese made con-
splcuous marks in the cleaning water.
This was not over two or three inches
deep on the sand in which the prov
of the sboat was imbedded, and two
of the Chinese were running close In.
Hardy killed them both with his rifle
and then began to shoot deliberately
at those who were farther away, with
such effect that he put the entire par
ty to flight ere The ten remaining
shots in his weapon were exhausted.
He turned to re-enter the melee just
in time to see Boris Romanoff burst
raging on deck, wrench two handed
sword from the fingers of dead Chin
csc and ply 1t with as much ease and
skill as though it were the lightest Of
rapiers. The attackers were gaining
ground. Enough of them had come
over the side to defend portion of
the rail, over which others were rap
idly scrambling, while several of their
number were keeping the defending
party so busy that they could
their guns to shoot them down, which
indeed, they would not have been
likely to do, in any case, as Cossacks
and Bouriats are primitive fighters
who do not think of shooting when
brought to close quarters. Boris Ro-
manoff charged with such deadly skill
that the boarders leaped over the side
back into the water, leaving two Of
their number dead. The other bri-
gands followed their companies, with
the exception of one. who was bay
oneted in the back just as he jumped:
the rifle-barrel, striking the rail, made
fulcrum of it. so that the weapon
was wrenched from the owners hands.
The Russians now used their guns.
shooting at the ten or twelve Chinese
who were scampering over the sand
bars; but they were ordinary shots,
and Of all this fusillade, not one bull
let took effect. The general soon
stopped them, evidently not wishing
them to waste their ammunition. And
now all was silence again, save for
the ripping, FLASHING and whispering
of the mighty Amur, as it rushed IN
between its dark forests, In light Of
the waning moon. A dead body, swept
past the stern of the boat by the cur
rent, rolled over the sand-bar and
floated down stream and the American
as 1t caught his eye, shuddered and
thought of the citizens of Aigun, and
the thousands of chinese who had
been driven into the river by the Cos
dacks. How many gruesome tales
could the Amur tell could its wills
perings be understood how often have
its waters been dyed with blood; what
a CHASTITY procession of corpses has
it carried seward on its bosom!
Now that the fight was over, Hardy
experienced a feeling of revulsion, as
he looked at the corpses lying abou.
the deck in all the abandon of violent
DEATH The slaughter had been nee
essary, the defense had been gallant,
but he was disguised anu sickened
by the physical results of it. He was
Mortified to find that he was standing
in blood, which he noticed, fairly COW
cred the deck and was running into
the scuppers. He was glad when the
crew began to seize the bodies and
feet and cast them overheard. There
were eight of them on board besides
one that hung Imply over the rail.
The Russians were laughing gaily now
and they counted "Odenn, tvah, tra!"
Zone two, threeD as they swung the
dead bodies with will before pitch
ing them. They struck in the water
with tremendous FLASHES.
And now thing happened that
made Hardy glad that he had not
taken Boris Romanoff's hand One
of the Chinese was not dead but had
been stunned by blow on the head
with pole. He sat up and looked
about him, dazed, when Romanoff
kicked him in the face knocking him
backward, and, snatching a gun from
one of the Bouriats, pinned the man
writhing to the deck. So firmly was
4 I, ~ IL A. II.