The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-04-03

Captain Murch!son's glance at me
was undisguisedly venomous. Reluct-
antly he rang for his steward.
Send the bo'sun here" he directed.
doggedly.
Well begin at the bottom, Cap.
tain" Hartley suggested, when the
boatswain. zap in hand, stood in the
doorway. First, l want to see every
man Jack you have working in the
stoke hold"
Although the master gave the nee
essary directions mistrusted him. Be-
tween the boatswain and himself i felt
that there was an understanding
which required neither voicing nor
signal. And as. a little alter. we stood
on the forward deck, under the bridge,
and by the light Of a lantern viewed
n after another Of those swarthy,
grlmy laborers who had crowded up
from below, I was convinced Of the
correctness of my intuition. For Cam
eron was not among them.
And then a chill fear gripped me.
Could a man Of his habits and train
Ing, suddenly called upon to assume
such labor, survive it's rigors? He was
naturally robust, but he had been
Weekend by an illness. Might he not
therefore have succumbed to the strain
died, and been buried at sea?
But one consideration sustained me.
In their cunning cruelty, the Chinese
who had arranged for his transporta-
ton must have stipulated that he be
delivered in China alive. Otherwise
their vengeance would not be com
plete. 1t was not likely that anything
had been left to mere chance. The
probabilities were that Murchison
knew definitely what was required of
him and was to be we'll paid for his
services.
Upon his scanned face, now, there
was something of a e as, our K
animation concluded, he said:
What next, Mr.. Hartley?"
But for a moment Hartley, who
was standing thoughtfully with brow
contracted, his lower lip gripped be.
tween finger and thumb, made no re-
spouse. Before he spoke his attitude
changed. Quickly he had assumed a
pose Of listening i%ntentness. Behind
us, somewhere, a clamor had arisen.
Voices, excited, hoarse, fremescent,
yet muffled by distance, echoed DULY.
THAT man, next, Captain" he said,
coolly. "The man they're trying to
keep below"
1t may have been that his hearing
was more acute than mine, or it may
dalY have been a guess. 1 don't know.
But, whichever it was, it hit the mark.
It scored a bulls eye at long range.
Captain Murchison's Indifference
gave way instantly to palpable uneasi-
ness. His hands, which had been
deep in his coat pockets, came out as
though jerked by springs. One Of
them canted his cap from his brow to
his crown and the other clutched agi-
tatedly at his beard. And in that mo-
ment the riot advanced, the voices
Waxed louder and more distinct; sour
ry1ng feet resounded on the metal deck.
l saw the captain start hurriedly
toward the starboard rail, intent evil
IDENTIFY on meeting the rabble which
was approaching on that side, and I
saw Hartley boldly block his way.
And then, almost at the same instant,
l saw a tall figure with naked torso
as black and shining as polished ebony
black with CRIME and shining with
sweat-come running backward
around the corner Of the deck house,
Saw it with an iron bar held menac-
ingly aloft against its pressing pur-
suers; and ever in the uncertain light
of the deck lanterns, recognized it at
once, by it's outline and the character
1stic set of it's head upon its shout
ders, nude to the waist and collied as
1t was, as the figure of the man L
sought.
"Cameron!" I cried, chokingly, my
fast-beating heart crowding my utter
ance. And all unmindful of the dirt
which covered him I flung my arms
about his waist from behind. "Cam-
ercn! Cameron! Thank God! Thank
God!"
heard the iron bar drop resound.
ingly to the deck; I heard .Hartley's
voice raised IN anger, strident, STAG
cato; and heard the r%eceding shuttle
of feet as those who had pursued now
backed away. There followed then a
moment Of silence, while the body I
had held twisted out of my arms, and
having released itself, turned and
faced me-a moment of silence, only,
for against the sudden stiffness there
now rang out a weird, palpitant cry,
born Of surcharged emotion, as Cam
eron. casting himself forward into my
ARMS, buried his face in the angle If
lily neck and shoulder.
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Final Problem.
1t is doubtful whether in all Egypt