The Oakes times., 1912-01-25
"shammin'! Ere, I'll show i'm"

pressed a groan as the toe OF Holes
heavy boot crashed into his ribs.
"Th' mons nae shamming," Denni.
son declared. He's fair tainted"
Tainted hell!" countered the cap
tain. Give is arm a twist, Denni.
son."
The mate calmly disobeyed. The
arm-twist desired by the captain re-
qufres the use Of the twister's two
hands, and stoutly as he defended his
opinion, the first officer was by no
means ready to put up his revolver.
He advanced and bent over the
1rishman, who lay motionless, his up.
per lip rolled back to show his
clenched teeth. "Heugh!" exclaimed
the first officer, peering into his face,
his tone expressive of the liveliest
concern. Without further hesitation
he dropped the revolver into his pocket
and-received tremendous short-arm
blow in the face.
With stifled cry he fell back,
clutch1ng at broken nose, and
Fprawled at length; while O'Rourke,
leaping to his feet. deliberately put
a heel into the pit of Dennison's stom-
ach, thereby effectually eliminating
him as a factor in the further contro-
versy. simultaneously he advanced
upon Captain Hole.
But in the latter he encountered no
mean antagonist. The man-it has
been said-was as tall as and heavier
than the adventurer, and by virtue Of
his position q competent and expert
enced rough-and-ready fighter. In a
breath he had lowered his head and,
believing like bull, launched him
self toward O'Rourke.
The Irishman met the onslaught
with stinging uppercut; which, new
ertheless, failed to discourage the
captain, who grappled and began to
belabor O'Rourke> with short, stabbing
blows on the side of the head, at the
same time endeavoring to trip him.
The fury of his onset all but carried
the Irishman off his feet At the same
time 1t defeated Holes own purpose.
O'Rourke watched his chance, seized
the mans throat with both hands and,
Tightening his grip, fairly lifted him
of his feet and shook him as a ter.
rler shakes rat. Then, with grunt
of satisfaction, lie threw the captain
from him and turned to face greater
odds.
The noise of the conflict had brought
the crew down upon the contestants.
Surrounded, he was rushed to the rail-
With that to his back he drew on his
reserve of strength and. poising him
self, began to give his assailants per-
sonal and individual attention. They
pushed him close, snarling and ours
ing. hindering one another in their
eagerness, and suffering variously for
their temerity. O'Rourke fought with
trained precision; his blows, lightning
quick, were direct from the shoulder
and very finely placed; and so straight
did he strike that almost from the
first his knuckles were torn and
and bone.
Fight as fiercely as he might, how
ever, the pack was too heavy for him; !;
and when presently he discerned, not
In one but in half a dozen hands,
CLEANS of light-the rays Of nearby
lantern running down knife-blades-
he conceded the moment imminent
when he must sever his connection
with the Pelican. Moreover he had a
shrewd suspicion that Hole was up
and only waiting for an opening to use
his revolver --
Leaping to the rail, he poised an
instant, then dived far out from the
vessels side, down into the Stygian
blackness of the harbor water; a good
clean. dive, cutting the water with
hardly splash, he went down like an
arrow, gradually swerving from the
straight line Of his flight into long
I arc-so long. indeed, that he was
well-nigh breathless when he came tc
/ the surface, a dozen yards or more
: from the Pelican.
Splitting out the foul harbor water
: and with swift glance over his shoul
der that showed him the Pelican's
dark .freeboard like a wall, and 6
Z cluster of dark shapes hanging ovel
4 the rail at the top vaguely revealed
! by lantern light, he struck out for the
: nearest vessel, employing the double
: overland stroke, noisy but speedy.
That he heard no cry when he came
to the surface. that Hole had not de
tected him by the phosphorescence
and that he had held his hand from
firing, at first puzzled O'Rourke; bu
he reasoned that Hole probably feared
to raise an alarm and thereby attrac
much undesirable attention to himsel
! and his ship. In the course of the frs
y few strokes, however, he managed t
: peep again over his shoulder and from
:, the activity on the Pelican's deck
; concluded that he was to be pursued
:, by boat; which, in fact, proved to b
the case. o
Fortunately the Pelican rode at ar
chor in waters studded thick wit
other vessels, affording plenty of bic
ing places on a night as black as thai
The adventurer made direct for tn
first vessel, swan completely aroun
1t, and by the time the Pelican's boa
was afloat and its rowers bending t
the oars, he was supporting himself b
hand upon the unknown ships cable
, floating. on his back with only his fac
! out of water.
Under these conditions, it wa
small wonder that the boat missed hil
I 80 completely.
!. At length rested, the Irishman r.
leased his hold and struck out fc