Charlevoix county herald., 1916-06-02
CHAPTER XVIII.
In Pursuit of the Pirates.

by the time Lent reached the yacn:
Tyler had burned the cable. He had
figured correctly on the tide, but II
was at snairs pace that the schoon-
er drifted toward the mouth of the
little ialet.
But there was absolutely no way to
increase the speed. The men had re-
moved their shoes, and they moved
silently over the decks like ghosts. AS
for Lent. he was on the verge of nerv-
Gus prostration for fear his compan-
ions in the house would awaken and
catch him red handed.
He held aloof from the three sail.
ors. There was nothing he could do;
nothing any of them could do but
trust to luck.
1t seemed ages before the schooner
floated to that part of the lagoon
where 1t narrowed into the river. AL
though it was the dead of night, there
was light enough, as there usually is
on the water. for them to see where
they were going.
AS the yacht neared the narrows
she swung broadside on, and at the
same time the current became swifter.
1t looked like sure case of going
aground, as the vessel could never
make the passage unless she went out
bow on. 1t was a difficult maneuver
at best
Tyler moved swiftly here and there
peering first at one side and then to
the other. AS the stern of the yacht
neared point of land on the star
board side he seized the opportunity.
Grasping the loose end of the main
sheet he handed it to Bill
Overheard with you and take a
turn around that palm tree!' he said
hoarsely.
Bill slid over the side and a few
strokes brought him to the shore,
where he made fast the rope as or
dered. The bow swung around in the
current and at the proper moment
Tyler ordered Bill to cast off and
come aboard.
Paying no further attention to the
man on shore, Tyler grasped the
wheel and attempted to guide the
schooner through the tortuous pas
sage; but drifting as she was, the re-
Spouse was feeble. There was yet
sharp bend in the river to pass, and
Bill had hardly climbed aboard before
he was sent over the rail again, on
the other side this time, to make fast
the mainsheet to another tree on
shore.
Thanks to Tyler's skill, the bend was
made in safety; and then in what
seemed an incredibly short space of
time the yacht, borne on the current
slipped through the mouth of the in
let, and rose and fell on the broad
bosom of the ocean.
Hemenway usually slept the calm
and peaceful sleep of child; but this
night, doubtless because of the ner-
vous feeling they all experienced since
the arrival of the three sailors, his
slumber was fretful.
He awoke with a feeling of unrest
iOh6 btlOlC hlo dCCuolOIutu DOuI. lie
dawn was just breaking as he sat up
in bed and rubbed his eyes. He peer.
ed out of the window but saw no sign
Of Lent on the porch.
1t was but the work of a minute for
him to slip on his clothes. Then, with
out arousing the other men, he took
revolver from under his pillow and
stepped out of the house.
He rushed to the beach. It was de.
serted. Hurrying back as he rounded
the corner of the porch his foot struca
something. 1t was Lent's. revolver
He picked 1t up, and with a gun in
each hand he ran to the lagoon, The
schooner was gone!
AS soon as he recovered from his
establishment he raced like a wild man
along the edge of the lagoon, broke
through the underbrush and stumbled
along like mad bull to the west
shore of the island. There he dimly
saw the yacht under canvas a mile
off shore.
The breeze Of the early evening had
died away, and not breath of air was
stirring. The sails of the yacht hung
Imply, bellying with the rise and fall
of the hull.
Hemenway stared intently at the
vessel for half minute. Then, in his
anger, he flourished his revolvers and
made very foolish resolve.
He hurried back to the house. The
twins and Mcdonald were still asleep.
Though he realized he had no time to
spare, he wasted five minutes in scrib-
bling a note. This he folded and ad-
dressed simply "Carteret."
Leaving the note on the table he
tiptoed out of the room hurried to the
lagoon where he hauled in the launch
from her moorings, jumped aboard,
switched on the battery, gave the fly
wheel whirl, and headed the boat
for the mouth of the lagoon
II was noisy bulldog of a launch,
and the suffering of the exhaust in
stantly aroused the sleepers in the
house. At the unusual sound they
jumped out Of bed, realizing in an in.
slant that something out of the ordin-
airy was going on. Taking only time
to pull on their sneakers, they dashed