The Washington herald., 1911-08-17
CHAPTER XV-Continued.

I'VE must slip across there, seventy
or eighty yards or so. and get under
the side of her before they know we're
here" he said in low tones. Let no
one fire a shot until order It. II there's
going to be any shooting. be sure and
let them begin it. When We get across
and leave cover, you'd better spread out
little. Keep down low, and don't
shoot unless you have to. Remember
that. Come on, now
Inside the first fringe of the tangled
and heavy willows the mud lay deep in
a long, half-drained pool of water which
stood in the middle of the willow-covered
fiat. Into this, silently as they could,
they were obliged to plunge, wading
across, sometimes -aist deep. In spite
of the noise thus made there was no
challenge, and the little body Of men,
reforming into an irregular line, pres
emily arrived at the outer edge of the
willow fat. Here. in the light which
hung above the rivers surface, they
could see the hulk of the steamer loom
ing almost in their faces. She had her
landing planks out, and here and there
along the narrow sand beach smolder-
ing ember or so showed where little nres
had been made. AS matter of fact,
more than half of the men of the boat
mad preferred to sleep on shore. Their
muffied bodies, covered in their blankets,
might even now be seen here and there
Although the sound of splashing and
struggling in the water and mud mad
not reused any of these sleepers, now
all at once, as though by some Intuition.
the bivouac sprang into life. The pres
ence of so many men could not be con-
cealed.
"who goes there?" came--a military
call from the boat. Halt! Halt!' came
from. the line of sleepers suddenly awak-
enedL In an instant both parties were
under arms.
1t spoke well for the temper Of the
men with Dunwody, perhaps better for
his serious counsel of them, that none of
them made any answer. Silently, like
so many shadows, they dropped down to
the ground.
"What was that, Kammerer?' cried
voice on the boat, calling down to
some one on the shore.
There are men here was the an
swer Somebody's out there"
The night was now astir. Men half
clothed, but fully armed, now lined up
along the beach, along the gunwale OF
the boat. Apparently there Were some
twenty or more of them in all.
River pirates. likely" said the lead
er. who had now come down the gang
plank Fall in. men, Fall in" His
voice rang sharp and clear, like that of
an officer.
Line I'D along this beach. and get
down Iow!" he commanded. Hold your
firei Heldi-What do you meant
What are you doingr' His voice rose
into a scream.
Some one had fired a shot At once
the thicket was filed with armed men.
Some unknown member of the boat
party. standing on the deck behind the
leader, had fired at a movement seen
in the willows twenty yards away The
aim was true. A groan was answer to
the shot, even before the exclamation
of the leader was made. Young Desha
fell back. shot through the body. His
friends at first did not know that any
one had. been hurt. but to lie still under
fire Ill suited their wild temper. With
a common impulse, and without order
they emptied their guns into the mass
of dark figures ranged along the beach
The air was filed with shouts and
curses. The attacking party advanced
The narrow beach of sand and mud
was covered with a struggling mass of
hBHtiiS lucu. VI WHICH neltner party
knew the nature of the other, and where
the combatants could scarce tell friend
from foe.
Get in. men!' cried Dunwody. 60
on. Take the bcatr' He pressed on
slowly. Judge Clayton at his side. and
they two passed on up the gang-plank
and into the boat itself The leader Of
the boat forces, who had retired again
to the steamer deck. faced them here.
1t was Dunwody himself who reached
cut, caught him In fell grip and took
away from him his rife.
Call your men offr' he cried. do
you all want to get killed?'
You piratesr' exclaimed the boat
leader as soon as he could get his
breath. what do you mean by firing
on Us heref We're peaceable men and
on our own business" -
sDunwody stood supporting himself on
his rife, the stock Of 1t under his arm.
"You call this peacet' he said. I'VE
didn't intend to attack you. We're after
q fugitive slave. Tn United States
marshal. You've killed some Of sour
men,. and you fired first. Yokye no