Gilpin observer., 1911-05-25
Knows" he concluded. III there were
not unless we could hy through the

air."
1t was only an hour since they had
ascertained. beyond the shadow OF q
doubt, that Jeanne was not aboard the
Aurora. Until Tom had recovered
consciousness. the others had enter
tained little doubt that she was safely
hidden somewhere about the ship.
Cayiey's warning. together with tho
confession Of the Portuguese, Miguel.
had caused them to steal alongside
the Aurora as silently as possible. Not
word had been spoken by any of the
party. and the sound of the rising
wind had drowned the creak Of their
oars. Half dozen well-armed men
had stolen aboard over the bows to
reconnoiter.
Making out the unfamiliar figures
Of the Walrus people on deck. and
I knowing that they had a fight on their
hands. they had worked their way, un-
observed. to a position amidships.
Here. under cover of brisk revolver
hre, they had made It possible for the
rest of their party to get aboard.
The Walrus people, several OF whom
were below, came tumbling up on
deck at tho sound Of firing. and their
whole party entrenched itself in the
after-deck house. They had found
arms Of various sorts aboard the Au-
rora. and made q spirited resistance
before they were finally overpowered.
The Aurora's people, under the cool
headed command Of Warner and the
elder Fanshaw, had proceeded in q
brisk. scientific. military style that
had spared them many serious casual
ties. There were q number Of flesh
wounds when 1t was over. and one or
two Of a more serious nature. None
Of them had been killed.
The Walrus people. however, had
not surrendered until their plight was
wholly desperate. Only hve Of them
were left alive, and two of these were
mortally wounded when the struggle
ceased.
The uninjured were heavily ironed
and locked up In the steerage. All
the wounded-friends and foes alike
we're turned over to the care Of the
yachts surgeon and couple Of volun-
teer assistants from among the crew.
| Altogether, 1t was two or three hours
after the Aurora's people had regained
undisputed possession of the yacht be-
fore 1t was possible to form any def
mite idea Of what had happened. In
the excitement and the necessity Of
everybody doing two or three things
at once. Tom Fanshaw and his serious
plight were not discovered. until he
himself. having partly regained con-
sciousness. uttered a low moan for
help, which was heard by a chance
passerby.
The gale. which had been raging all
this while, had gone screaming by
unheeded. and it was not until dawn
that the Mortified conquerors Of the
yacht discovered that there was no
land in sight.
1t was several hours after that, not,
indeed, until the captain had worked
out their reckoning from an observa-
tion. before they realized that they
were 100 miles away from their
anchorage Of the previous evening,
and that their return was hopeless.
Old Mr.. Fanshaw gave his arm to
his son. helped him down from the
bridge and thence to the now deserted
smoking room, forward. Tom sub
mitted to be led blindly along. and did
not demur when his father halted be-
side big leather sofa and told him
| to lie down upon 1t. Since that mo-
mentary outburst Of his upon the
bridge. the young man had been un-
naturally calm. His muscles, as he
lay there now upon the sofa, seemed
relaxed; his eyes were fixed, almost
dull
Through long silence his father
sat there watching him. but there was
no dawn Of corresponding calmness
In his face. 1t had aged whole years
over night
ITS strange to me-" he said, that
we ever recovered possession OF this
yacht at all. let alone that we were
able to recover 1t without 1t costing
US the life Of single man. This gang
must have had leader. and a clever
one. They way he maneuvered his
men to keep them out OF sight while
he drew away first one party and then
the other from the yacht was a piece
OF mastery strategy. He worked 1t
out perfectly in every detail. He got
possession Of the yacht without losing
a man. without even firing shot that
might give the alarm. And even with
the warning we had and with the
help of the fog, I don't see how we
defeated n man like that. His success
must have gone to his head and made
him mad"
He was probably killed In the first
volley our people fred when they got
aboard" said Tom DULY. He alone
could have accounted for half dozen
Of you. II he'd ever had a chance-a
giant like that"
"A giant!"
Il think he must have been the
leader" said Tom. HE was the first
man to come aboard. certainly"
i Tl,,N xxrha