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


being shot. Luckily he was long
way behind the dog. and ! recognized
his makeup"
Though Courtenay did not allow ten
seconds to pass without glance ut
the charming face by his side. he new
ertheless had sharp eye for events
elsewhere. He saw smoke rising from
the funnel of the ship. a line of flags
dancing from the foremost told him
that Boyle had discovered them as
soon as they were clear of the deep
shadow of Guanaco hill. But there
were anxious moments yet in store. a
feet of canoes put off from Otter
creek. There was every prospect of
fight before they reached their fortress.
They had long two miles to travel,
and the Indians could attack them ere
they covered half the distance.
A long blare from the ships sirer
thrilled their hearts, but the excite
ment became frantic when three short.
sharp blasts followed, and every sailor
knew that the chief officer had sig
nailed, "My engines are going full speed
astern."
That was pardonable exaggera-
ton, but the Kansas was certainly
moving They could see the white
foam churned up by her propeller.
With one accord they cheered madly,
and the oars, double handed now, tore
the lifeboat onward at a pace which
outstripped even the shallow canoes.
Then the Indians did a wise thing.
They spared many Of their own lives
and perchance others of greater value
to the world by ceasing to paddle. The
unlocked for interference of the great
vessel was too much for them. They
merely stared and cackled in amaze,
while the small flotilla dashed toward
the towering black hull, and Boyle
lowered the gangway in readiness to
receive the captain, his bride elect and
n good half of the passengers and
crew.
Courtenay lost not an instant Of ia
voring tide and fine weather. When
! Boyle told him that Walker could
work the engines under easy steam. he
dashed up to the bridge three steps at
q time. With his hand on the tele-
graph he superintendent the hosting on
board of the lifeboat and two of the
canoes, which he meant to carry away
as trophies-be sure that Elsie's own
special craft was one Of them. Mean
while Boyle saw to the safe slowing in
the remaining canoes of the wounded
Indians in the fore cabin, and few
furnace bars attached to a rope an
chored them in midchannel, whence
their friends could bring them to shore
later.
At last the captain of the Kansas
had the supreme satisfaction of hear
ing the clang of the electric bell in the
engine room as he put the telegraph
lever successfully to "Stand by" and
"Slow ahead" Gradually the ship
crept north, gaining way as the en-
gines increased their stroke and the
full body of the ebb tide made its vol
ume felt Round swung the Kansas to
the west just as the sun cleared the
highest peak of the unknown noun
tains. How good it was to feel the
steady thrust Of the pistons, the long
roll of the ship over the swell!
! But best of all was it to hear Elsie
tell how DR.. Christobal had handed
her a bulky packet, in which she
found Courtenay's words of farewell,
together with those wonderful letters
which fate had held back from her
twice already. They were only glowing
epistles from the hundreds of passen-
gers on the Florida, but six of them
were proposals from enthusiastic Ia
dies, all well lowered and eager to
give their charms and their cash to the
safe keeping of the man who had
saved their lives. 1t was with refer
ence to some joking comment by Cour
tenay on these missives that his sister
wrote to congratulate him on having
escaped matrimony under such condi
tons.
Long before noon the Kansas clear
ed White Horse island. Thenceforth
the run was due south until eight
BELLS when for the second time within
a fortnight the captain set the course
south-40-east.
Elsie noted that Count Edouard de
Foincilit dined with the rest. sitting
beside ISobel Courtenav nut in nm an.