Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-05-28

So
The Indian pitched headlong dozen The
stairs. falling ljmply at Estes feet.
cans grasp. Nothing short of violence
would stop her now Tollemache dart
ed out into the darkness, and she
mounted the steps two at a time Chris
tobal painted by her side. He was de-
termined not to be parted from her If
necessary, he would drag her away
from any doubtful encounter on the
battlefield of the deck. But his blood
was afiame now with the lust of COM
bat. He wished to die fighting rather
than by a suicides bullet.
They We're not yet clear of the door
way when an extraordinary burst Of
cheering and shouts in English and
Spanish assailed their wondering ears.
The sounds seemed to come from the
sea, from some point very near to the
ship A loud hubbub arose among the
Indians. Courtenay, clubbing his gun,
rushed past, with the dog at his heels,
and ran up the bridge companion.
They could follow his progress as he
raced toward the port side, and they
heard his amazed cry:
what boats are those?"
"Your own. captain came the an
swering yell, plainly audible above the
din.
THAT is AR. Grayw screamed Elsie.
and she, too, ran toward the bridge,
with the doctor close behind.
sink every canoe you can get along
side of and knock those fellows on the
head who are swimming" roared Cour-
tenay, who was so carried away by the
ferceness of the fight from which he
had just emerged that he would have
given the same directions to the arch
angel Michael had that warrior spirit
come to his aid.
of his head, he turned SO suddenly
when Elsie neared him.
''Ah, thank God. you are safe!" he
said, drawing her to him for an in
slant. Stand there, dear hearth
He placed her in the forward angle
VI Tx IA 4OSC 4d1A ana 4Ctt44CAA O0t " Cl
the side. She understood that she must
not speak to him then, but a great joy
overwhelmed her, and her eyes melted
into tears.
Christobal, who had missed no word
of EIsies frenzied protest in the salon
nor failed to note the manner of Cour
tenay's greeting. seemed to take the
collapse of his own aspirations with
the unmoved stoicism he had display
ed in the face OF danger,
s"The ships boats he began, but
the captain raised his gun and fred
twice aft alongside the side Of the YES
sci. Cries of pain and good deal of
splashing in the sea proved that he
had expedited the departure of several
Indians who were perched on the rails
beyond the reach of Walkers steam
ut.
ssThe ships boats,' went on Christie
bal calmly, s.haye turned up in some
mysterious manner, just in the nick of
time. A few minutes more and they
would have been too late.p
When more extended knowledge OF
all that had happened, joined to nicer
adjustmentof the time factor in events.
enabled Elsie to realize the extraor
binary deliverance from death which
she had been vouchsafed that night she
began to appreciate the service which
Christobal rendered her in discussing
matters with such nonchalance.
Barely minute had elapsed since
they were in the throes of a struggle
which promised to be the last act of
a tragedy. The ship was then overrun
by horde of bowling savages, mad
dened by the desperate resistance Of
fered by the defenders and ruthless as
wolves in their lust for destruction.
Now the Kansas was clear of every
bedaubed Alaculof save the many who
numbered the decks either dead or so
seriously wounded that they could not
move. These men were SO near akin
to animals that this condition implied
ultimate collapse save in a few in
stances of fractured skulls and broken
limbs. From the final stage of a hope
less butchery the survivors Of the
ships company were suddenly trans
ferred to position Of reasonable Sc
cuTity. 1t was not that the arrival Of
the ships boats meant such an access
sion of fighting strength that the Ala
culofs could not have made sure Of VIC
tory. Gray and his compan ions were
badly armed The Indians remaining