The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-07-31

of affairs on deck. she knew, OF
| course, that the Alaculof menace had
| become active again. but the first at
| tack had been beaten off so easily that
! she was sure this later effort would
| fail.
The dog was better informed. His
| alert ears told him that there were
| strange beings on board. He struggled
| so resolutely that Elsie freed him just
as the Spaniard reached the foot of the
stairs. Forgetting his wounded paw
and all a-quiver with the fine courage
of his race. Joey galloped up the COM
panion and disappeared. Elsie was
much distressed by her four footed
friends useless pugnacity.
II could not keep him back" she
| said land l am afraid he runs some
| risk of being hit. Do you think he
Will go to the chart house? That is
so exposed. Captain Courtenay is not
| there, is hep"
| to the salon entrance"
She listened intently. Her magma
| ton led her astray. it was so hopeless
| ly On the wrong tack.
There does not appear to be so
| much stone throwing now, but l sup
| pose l ought not to go on deck" she
cried.
1T is not to be thought of, Miss
| Maxwell. Indeed, the captain asked
me to come and bear you company"
Just fancy those horrid Indians VEN
| turing to approach the ship tonight
| after the dreadful lesson they received
| this afternoon! And what will poor
Senior Suarez say? He was so positive
| that they would never come near us
| after dark"
| II saw him also on the promenade
deck" answered Christobal quietly.
''He had very much the semblance of
false prophet"
The Spaniard meant to meet grim
| fate with jest on his lips. He had
| seen Suarez lying dead or insensible
close to the rails. In fact, the unlucky
Argentine was only separated by the
thickness of the ships deck from the
table near which Elsie was standing.
Unless he were speedily rescued he
would bleed to death.
"Ah, l heard Joey barking. He has
| gone aft" cried Elsie. "And what/is
| that?" she added, moving suddenly to-
| ward the center of the salon. She
had caught the fierce hiss of steam,
| and she was well aware that steam
| would only be brought into use if the
. Tn 70 al I, ha
ships sides. Not yet had it occurred
that they could possibly be on board.
"Some of our friends the enemy have
come near enough to be scalded," said
the man coolly. "That should soon
drive them away. You are not fright
ened, hope?"
Not a bit My only regret is that
am not permitted to help in the de-
Tense. 1t must be irksome for you, DR..
Christobal, to be stationed here when
the ship is in danger. / am certain
you would prefer to be Up there with
the Others"
THANK you for saying that. I wish
as accurately
His right hand went to the pocket in
which he had placed the revolver. The
stock appeared to have peculiar clam
miness as his fingers closed around 1t.
Though he was proud of the iron nerve
which had won him repute in his pro-
fession, he almost prayed now that it
might not fail him at the last. What
horror, to be compelled with his part
ing glance to see this bright and gra-
cious woman crumple up on the deck!
He heard ominous sounds from the
fore part of the vessel. The revolver
shooting had ceased, for the convinc-
ing reason there were no more car
tridges. Courtenay's double barreled
gun was being fired as quickly as he
could reload 1t, and the sharp snap of
one Of the rifles in the Indians posses
sion was recognizable as coming from
the poop, the remaining marksmen
having preferred to fire wildly from
their canoes. But Christobal knew that
deadly struggle was in progress on
the fore deck. Tollemache, Frascuelo
and three Chileans were engaged in
hand to hand fight with nearly score
OF SaVaSeS. LIE uOCtOT cOulu ulStin-
guish the cries of the combatants, the
irregular stamping of boot shod feet.
He wondered why the girl, with her
acute senses, did not grasp the signif-
canoe Of the yells and trampling on the
deck until it occurred to him, with n
quick pang, that she was listening for
one voice alone. Owing to her igno-
rance of the desperate nature of the
conflict raging overhead she had ears
for nothing further.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
She turned and looked at him. There
was gravity in his eyes which star
tied her.
"Esie," he said, 'you believe in the
efficacy of prayer, don't you? Well,
then, pray now little. shall be glad
to think when this time of danger has
passed that we owed something to
your invocation"
1t was in his mind that he must
shoot her within a few seconds, and
the Unreasonable agony of the thought
reflected itself In his face. He had no
notion that she would give his words
a more direct significance than he in
tended them to bear. But strange,
hoarse yell Of triumph, the war cry Of