The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1910-12-10

on the qui vive. But De sylvia was a
man of resource.
strip the prisoners! he cried.
"Take their arms and ammunition,
but bind them back to back with their
belts"
Butt in there, me lads" vociferated
Coke, who had accounted for one of
the Brazilians with an ak. "Step live
ly! Now we've got some uniforms an
guns we can rush that cittydel easy"
Hozier was busy relieving his man
Of his coat. When the prone warrior
/ realized that he was not to be killed
he helped the operation, but Philip
was thinking more of Iris than of
deeds of derring-do.
why attempt to capture the citadel
at all?" he asked. "Now that we can
make sufficient display, is there any
reason that we should not go straight
for the launch?"
Il think 1t is a good suggestion"
came the calm answer, provided, that
is, the launch is in the harbor."
A bell began to toll in the convict
settlement. Lights appeared in many
houses scattered over the seaward
slope. Hozier, never for an instant
forgetting Iris, saw that Marcel still
remained with his leader. Under these
new circumstances it certainly would
be piece of folly to send back until
they were sure of the launch
Happily the launch was there, moor
ed alongside a small quay. From the
nearest building it was necessary to
cross a low wharf some fifty yards in
width, and De Sylvas whispered COM
mands could not restrain the eager
men when escape appeared no longer
problematical, but assured They
broke and ran, an almost fatal thing,
as it happened, since the soldiers
whom Philip had seen from the rock
were still on board. One of them no.
ticed the inexplicable disorder among
body Of men some of whom resem-
bled his own comrades. He had heard
the firing and was discussing it with
others when this strange thing hap
pened
He challenged. San Benavides an
swered, but his voice was shrill and
unofficer-like.
| The engines were started. A man
leaped to the wharf. He was In the
act of casting mooring rope off
fixed capstan when De Sylvia shot him
between the shoulder blades.
"On board, all of your shrieked the
ex-president in frenzy.
"At 'em, boys" gasped Coke, though
scarce able to stagger another foot.
The men needed no bidding. Sheets
of fame leaped from the vessels deck
as the soldiers seized their rifles and
fired point blank at these mysterious
assailants who spoke in foreign Ian
guage But flame alone could not stop
that desperate attack. Some fell, but
the survivors sprang at the BraZilians
like famished wolves on their prey.
There was no more shooting. Men
grappled and fell, some into the water,
others on deck, or they sprawled over
the hatch and wrought in frantic strug-
gle in the narrow cabin. The fight did
not last many seconds. An engineer.
finding lever and throttle valve,
roared to sailor to take the wheel,
and already the launch was curving
seaward when Hozier shouted:
Where is Marcel?"
"Lyin' dead on the wharf," said
Watts
care you certain?"
"He was alongside me, an e threw
is 'ands up an dropped like a shot
rabbit"
''Then who has gone for Miss Yorker
mo one. Dye think that this blamed
president cares for anybody but his
self?"
Philip felt the deck throbbing with
the pulsations of the screw. The lights
on shore were gliding by. The launct
was leaving Fernando Noronha, and
Iris was waiting in that wretched hut
beyond the hill waiting for the sum
mons that would not reach her, fol
Marcel was dead, and Domingo, the