Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-05-14

They started apart, and it was not Eli
sic alone who blushed Courtenay
crinasoned beneath the tan on his face
and pretended mighty interest in the
doings of the savages. The girl re
covered her self control more rapidly.
She half whispered the meaning of the
miners cry, whereon Courtenay tried
to laugh.
4.They will be singing dirge next, .
said he, with a jaunty confidence.
Now, Elsie, off with you! Be sure
shall come aud tell you when you may
appear on deck"
She hurried away. She rocked
naught of the Alaculof challenge.
Though the raucous notes of the tune
less lay could be heard plainly enough,
they did not reach her ears. When she
raced down the salon companion she
found Christobal bending over the
small case of instruments he always
carried. He Strengthened himself in his
peculiarly stiff way.
"What did the captain want?' he
asked, with suspicious peevishness
which for once detracted from his
habituaI courtesy. The note of dis
trust Jared Elsie back into her senses.
"He wished me to translate Senior
Suarez's explanation of another smoke
signal" she answered.
@He told you himself, suppose, that
he wished you to stay here"
"He did more. He drove me away
Against your will?'
mo Am / not one of the ships com
pany? Is he not the centurion? He
says to this woman, Co. and she go
eth, nor does she stand upon the order
of her going oh, please don't look at
me as if I 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. Ell
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
ly to the task. Already the fume and
agony of vain regret were striving to
conquer the ecstasy which had flooded
her whole being.
Courtenay meanwhile was examin-
ing the advancing fotilIa. His brain
was coming each detail Of the Alaculof
array, but his heart was whispering
gladly:
sIn another moment you would have
kissed her and told her you loved her.
You know you would, so don't deny it.
All, kissed her and held her to your
breastr'
So Suarez spoiled a pretty bit of ro-
nance by his ruffiing 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.
If the confident demeanor of the pad
ding warriors In the canoes were des-
tined to be justified, the Kansas was
In a parlous state. Her vast bllk and
sheer walls of steel did not daunt
them They came on steadily against
the rapid current and spread out into
a crescent when within few hundred
yards Of the ship. Then three men,
crouchng 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 sayages did not I'M
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 ul
for several minutes, much to Courte-
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
| ~ nearer. and bullets began to strike
the ship frequently. One glanced off
a dayit and shattered a couple of win
dews in the chart house. This Incl
dent aroused even greater enthusiasm
| than the first blow Of the attack
There was renewed activity among
the paddle wielders. Two canoes were
not fifty yards from the most souther
| ly floating NINE Courtenay com
menced to haul in the slack of one
among the half dozen thin cords. He
turned to tell Suarez to be ready fol
| the duty which had been intrusted t.
him when his glance happened to tray
Ell toward the mouth of the bay
Then he learned the significance On
that column Of smoke on the northern
| point. A feet 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 cleyerly con
trfved to enlist the attention of the de
tenders while the real attack was de-
l lo4 h dtaY