The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-08-21

pressing his fear. Time and again they
neared the shore only to hear the tidal
swell breaking heavily on the rocks
The lights of the Kansas, fully three
miles away. could only tell them that
they were in the neighborhood of the
place where Courtenay had last been
| seen In this Identical boat. The least
| divergence from the line given by the
position of the ship meant difference
Of hundreds Of yards at such a dis
lance, and there was an ominous light
ening of the gloom, accompanied by a
thinning of the stars, when Gray hit on
the idea that the powerful current had
probably carried them a good deal
southwark of the point they were aim
Ing at. He suggested that they should
boldly pull a quarter Of mile or so
! against the tide and then try their
| luck. Their progress, Of course, became
slower than ever and Elsie began to
despair that they would ever find the
mouth of the stream which ran
| through the cleft in the hill when she
suddenly saw the luminous crescents
which heralded the sunrise over the
inner mountain range. They could not
be visible unless there was break in
the cliffs in that locality.
"Pull in now" she whispered tense
", and with little further effort they
| found that the boat was travelling not
against but with the tide, which was
| hooding a small offshoot of the main
=, estuary.
Precaution became not only useless,
but impossible. They were all worn
put. Nothing but the most infiexible
determination on the part Of Elsie and
cray, eked out by certain Responding
lear Of both Of them felt by Suarez,
had sustained them thus far. They
went on and on. They swept rapidly
into the jaws of a precipitous defile,
The lofty crests on either hand coming
nomentarily nearer against the bright
ening sky. 1t did not seem credible
that this sheer cut through the heart
Df a gigantic hill could continue for
more than a few yards nor that any
thing save a bird could find foothold
On its steep sides. Yet the current
lowed smoothly onward through
wealth of vegetation which chung pre-
iariously to every ledge and natural
iscarpment.
Joey, embarrassed by his gag, never
| heless managed to emit warning
| yrowl. Then the boat crashed into a
:anoe, and a hoarse yell of alarm came
rom beneath the lowermost trees,
whose dense foliage flung q pail over
the water Gray was seized with an
inspiration. He grasped the canoe as
it bumped along the gunwale and held
it down on one side until it filled and
sank. He sent another and yet third
burst Of raucous cries from both banks
showed there were Indians here In
some force.
Stones, too, began to hum around
them. Some struck the boat, but the
greater number whiZZed unpleasantly
the girl, proving conclusively that they
were visible to the unseen enemy. Gray
whipped forth the revolver and fired
twice. The second time shrek Of
pain told that he had hit one of their
assailants. The two reports made a
deafening din in that place Of echoes.
They appeared to stir the Indians into
perfect frenzy. and it was evident
by the sounds that the islanders had
not much liberty Of movement on the
narrow strips Of land they occupied on
both sides OF the gorge.
Elsie caught some significant splash.
ing behind her.
"They are swimming toward the ca.
noesw she screamed.
Telling SuareZ to pull for all he was
worth, Gray clambered to the stern of
the boat and emptied the revolver at
what he took to be the black heads Of
the swimmers.
"Quick! Load 1t again!" he said,
and Elsie obeyed with nimblenesa
and certainty that were amazing.
The American fired three more shots
before he was satisfied that the canoes
were untenanted and not cut adrift.
They were now leaving the pandemo-
DSuihu, LiSiC, hCA-
self of the dog. freed him from that
most Objectionable muzzle. Joey forth
with awoke the welkin with his up
roar; but, although the girl strained
her ears for some answering hail, she
could detect nothing beyond the bawl-
ing of Indians at each other across the
narrow creek and the repeated echoes
Of the dogs barking.
About this time Gray began to sus-
pect that the tide was bearing them
onward at remarkable rate. They
were being impelled toward an un.
known destination with the silence and
gathering speed Of a mill race.
An expert engineer, though his work
may have little to do with sea or riv-
er, cannot fail to accumulate store of
theoretical knowledge as to the proper
ties and limitations of water In mo-
ton. Gray knew that the quickened
impulse Of the stream arose from the
tidal force exerted in a channel which
gradually lessened its width. The boat
was travelling Mt sea level. Therefore
there could be neither rapids nor cata-
ract In front, but the steady rush Of
the current, now plainly audible, could