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

The Edge Of Hazard
By GEORGE HORTON
Copyrighted, 1906, BY The B0bDsMerrA Company
Copyrighted, 1906, BY The BosDs -Mernu Company
CHAPTER XIX CONTINUED. )
By GEORGE HORTON

SIlAT LII ALA (CCQUlQuGQ.1
One of the arrows stuck fast in the
rail and sailor broke it off by strik-
Ing 1t with a long pole. The rifle vol
ley of which it was the precursor did
NO damage, as most of the Russians
were either lying on their stomachs,
tor We're crouching behind the impro-
vised bulwarks. There were evidently
about twenty Chinese shooting arrows
accompanied by from six to ten rifle
men. If they were trying to set fire
TO the beat, or merely to light it up so
that they might pot at it's occupants
from the safety Of the darkness, it
soon became evident that their
scheme was not destined to prove
highly successful. The men, for one
thing, made themselves plainly visible
for an instant or SO while they were
scratching their matches and apply
ing the burning arrows to the string.
They kept shooting now, sporadical-
". First here and there and then In
some other spot red, fitful light
would CLEAN for an instant, dyeing
"a patch in the river blood-red by its
sadiance. and revealing a wild, savage
looking Mongolian, armed with great
bow and culver, who flickered ints
view for a moment and as soon was
swallowed up again by darkness.
Hardy, not understanding the gen.
erals orders, reasoned that he would
be pardoned for acting under his
own. II he were going wrong he re-
Elected, it would be easy to stop him.
He therefore held his rife ready for
action. as a man who is expecting
covey Of quail to rise, and stood watch
Ing the water, alert, tense, keen as
cat about to spring. His chance came
soon, when one of those lights flashed
nearly in the direction of his gaze and
not far away. He threw the gun 10
bis shoulder and fired. He could not
see the sights, but could make out
the object plainly, and he knew he
for the Chinese standing about waist
deep in the water fitted the arrow to
the string and discharged it. The
shot rang out loud and clear 1t seem.
ed to Hardy that he had never heard
rifle make such loud report be-
fore. The general exclaimed:
Monsieur Hardy, ah!" and made
no further comment so the American
continued his shooting once, twice,
three times. Meanwhile the attack
ing party seemed to be approaching
a little nearer, and they succeeded in
lodging several of their burning mis-
siles in the woodwork of the boat: one
arrow in the rail-, two in the siie
OIL the wheel-house, and one in tho
hull. These were broken off almost
as soon as they struck and did no
damage. for. strange to say the Chin
ese themselves had ceased firing their
rifles.
And now Hardy had the inexpressi-
BILE JOY Of killing one of the attacking
party. who fell backward into the
water with his blazing arrow in his
hand
Pm getting the knack of it," he
muttered; 81 shall be able to do it
more frequently now Perhaps |, alone
can stop them"
A moment later he heard sudden
shouting. the sound Of running feet,
snarls OF rage and the splash of
heavy bodies falling into the water. 1
A party Of chinese, that had crept
down from above IN rowboats, was
attempting to board, and the Bouriats
and crew were repelling them savage
iy with bayonets and swords.