Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-09
"XgsriIst your wilIT

ctu, ipJi ooSS Sue Stuiiu upon tut orueT
of her going. Oh. please don't look at |
me as if / We're cracked! Surely one
may mingle the Bible and Shakespeare
in an emergency"
Zone may also tear linen sheets into
strips" said Christobal gravely FL
sizes quip had saved the situation. He
attributed her flushed cheeks and spar
king eyes to the fever of the threat
ened fight She applied herself eager
agony Of vain regret We're striving to
conquer the ecstasy which had flooded
her whole being.
Courtenay meanwhile was eXamin-
ing the advancing fIotilla. His brain
was coming each detail of the Alaculof
array, but his heart was whispering
gladly:
I'm another moment you would have
kissed her and told her you loved her.
All, kissed her and held her to your
breastv'
So SuareZ spoiled pretty bit of TO
nance by his ruff!ing agitation over
some bawl Of savage frenzy, for Cour-
tenay of course would have laughed
away the girls protests that she was
usurping another woman's place.
II the confident demeanor of the pad
ding warriors in the canoes We're des-
tined to, be justified, the Kansas was
in parlous state. Her vast bluk and
sheer walls of steel did not daunt
them. They came on steadily against
the rapid current and spread out into
crescent when within a few hundred
yards of the ship. Then three men,
crouching in the bows of different ca
noes, produced rifles hitherto invisible
and began to shoot. The bullets rico
chetted across the ripples, and Cour-
tenay saw that the savages did not un
derstand the sighting appliances. They
were aiming point blank at the YES
sci in so far as they could be said to
aim at anything, and the low trajec-
| tory caused the first straight shot to
rebound from the surface of the water
and strike plate amidships. The loud
clang of the metal was hailed by the
AlaculofS with shouts of delight.
The long range firing was kept up
|
nays relief, as SuareZ was certain
that the Indians stock of cartridges
did not amount to more than 400 at
the utmost. The canoes crept gradual
ly nearer, and bullets began to strike
the ship frequently. One glanced off
davit and shattered couple of win
dows In the chart house. This Incl
dapt ornuca6 ayan ,rraatar authu SioSrn
than the first blow of the attack.
There was renewed activity among
the paddle wielders. Two canoes We're
not fifty yards from the most souther-
| ly floating mine. Courtenay COM
menced to haul in the slack of one
among the half dozen thin cords. He
turned to tell Suarez to be ready for
the duty which had been intrusted to
him when his glance happened to trav-
ell toward the mouth of the bay.
Then he learned the significance of
that column of smoke on the northern
point. A fleet of at least forty canoes
| was advancing on the ship from the
sea. Tide and paddles We're swinging
the small craft along at spanking
pace. They were already much near
er the vessel than the first batch of
Indians, who had very cleverly con
trived to enlist the attention Of the de.
tenders while the real attack was de-
| veloping without let or hindrahce. II
was smart ruse worthy of race OF
higher attainments than the tribe
| which is ranked lowest in the human
scale. The newcomers abstained from
firing or stone singing. They were
gathering with the speed and silence
of vultures.
Two mines protected the front of the
Kansas, and several canoes had passed
them. Indeed, Courtenay soon found
that some of the assailants were al
ready screened by the ships bows. bu
the larger number were clustered
thickly round Tollemache's inferna
machines. 1t was well that q coo
headed sailor was called on to dea
with this emergency. The captain O
the Kansas. even smiled as he appre
ciated the full meaning of the tricl
which his adversaries had tried to pla,
on him, and the man who smiles in til,
face of danger is one to be depended
on.
The six cords were numbered. ii,
dropped No. 2, which he was holding
and seized Nos. and 3. He drew
. them in. hand over hand. as rapidly al
possible. but was careful not to sacrific,
. smooth tension to undue hurry. In
few seconds two deafening report
split the air, the glass front of tn,
chart house shook, pieces of the broker
panes ratified on the floor. severa
, scraps of iron, bolts, nuts and heav.
, nails fell off the decks and matches
and a tremendous hubbub of yell
came from the main body Of Indians
, A couple Of heavily charged dynamit
| bombs had burst in their midst. deal
ing death and destruction over a wild
area. Several canoes near the float
ing platforms were torn asunder an,
| sank, while men were killed or wound
|, ed out of all proportion to the numbe
of craft disabled.
1 courtenay at once picked up the gov
erning cord Of the mine which he wa
n about to fire in the first instance. III