The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1916-06-02
CHAPTER XXI.

OuAF EN- ANIL
When we hove to, a hasty though or
DERBY confusion reigned. The beats
came aboard from every side at once.
AS fast as the prisoners came over
the rail they were marshaled forward
into the forecastle by our hunters,
while our sailors hoisted in the boats,
pell-mell, dropping them anywhere up.
on the deck and not stopping to lash
them. We were already under way, all
sails set and drawing and the sheets
being Stacked off for wind abeam, as
the last boat lifted clear Of the water
Ind swung In the tackles.
There was need for haste. The
Macedonia, belching the blacklist of
smoke from her funnel, was charging
down upon us from out of the north
east. Neglecting the boats that re-
NAMED to her, she had altered her
course SO as to anticipate ours. She
was not running straight for US. but
ahead of US. Our courses were con-
verging like the sides Of an angle, the
vertex Of which was at the edge Of the
fog-bank. It was there. or not at all,
that the Macedonia could hope to catch
us. The hope for the Ghost lay In
that she should pass that point before
the Macedonia arrived at It.
Better get. your rifles, you fellows"
Wolf Larsen called to our hunters;
and the FIVE men lined the lee rail.
guns In hand. and waited.
The Macedonia was now but mile
away, the black smoke pouring from
her funnel at right angle, SO madly
she raced, pounding through the sea at
a seventeen-knot gait" 'Sky-hooting
through the brine,'" as Wolf Larsen
quoted while gazing at her. We were
not making more than nine knots, but
the fog-bank was very near.
A pun of smoke broke from the
Macedonia's deck, we heard heavy
report, and round hole took form In
the stretched canvas Of our mainsail
They were shooting at US with one Of
the small cannon which rumor had
said they carried on board. Our men
| clustering amidships, waved theiI
hats and raised derisIve cheer. Agar
there was pun of smoke and loud
report, this time the cannon ball strik
ing not more than twenty feet asterI
and glancing twice from sea to sea Il
windward ere 1t sank.
, But there was no rifle-firing for thu
, reason that all their hunters were GU
In the boats or our prisoners. Whel
} the two vessels were half mile apart
a third shot made another hole in on
J mainsail. Then we entered the fog. !
{ was about us, yelling and hiding us Il
: its dense wet gauze.
: The sudden transition was startling
The moment before we had been lear
! ing through the sunshine, the clea
? sky above US, the sea breaking an
rolling wide to the horizon. and shiI
. vomiting smoke and fire and iron mis-
siles, rushing madly upon US. And q
/. once, as In an instant's leap. the su
q was blotted out, there was no SKI
q even our mastheads were lost to view
and our horizon was such as tear-blinG
s ed eyes may see.
|. II was weird. strangely weird.
/. looked at Maud Brewster and kne'
that she was similarly affected. The
J. | looked at Wolf Larsen. but there wa
I nothing subjective about his state {
4 consciousness. His whole concern wa
o with the immediate, objective presen
n He still held the wheel. and felt thu
II he was timing time, reckoning II
passage OF the minutes with each fo
Ir ward iunge and leeward roll OF Il
II Ghost.
II Go for'erd and hard-a-lee witho1
Ie any noise" he said to me in 10
e voice. "Clew up the topsails first. s.
.e men at ell the sheets. Let there be I
h rafting OF blocks. no sound Of voice
Il No noise, understand. no noise"
IL When all was ready, the word "har
4. alec" was passed forward TO me FRO
In man TO man; and the Ghost heel
" about on the port tack with practical
II no noise at all And what little the
ID was-the shaping Of few reefpoin
and the creaking Of a sheaye in bio
Sc or two-was ghostly under the hollc
l echoing pail in which we we
ID swathed.
We had scarcely filed away,
IN seemed. when the fog thinned abrupt
n and We we're again in the sunshine, I
wide-stretching sea breaking before
d, to the skyline. But the ocean "