The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-03-18
CHAPTER Xxl-Continued.

He dropped down to the deck and
rested his rifle across the rail. The
bullets we had received had travelled
nearly a mile, but by now we had cut
that distance in half He fired three
careful shots. At the third the boat
steerer let loose his steering-Oar and
crumpled up in the bottom of the boat.
Il guess that1l fix them" Wolf Lar
sen said, rising to his feet. 81 couldn't
afford to let the hunter have it, and
there is a chance the boat-puller
doesn't know how to steer. In which
case, the hunter cannot steer and
shoot at the same time"
His reasoning was justified, for the
boat rushed at once into the wind and
the hunter sprang aft to take the boat
steerer's place. There was no more
shooting, though the rifles were still
cracking merrily from the other boats.
The hunter had managed to get the
boat before the wind again, but we ran
down upon it, going at least two feet
to its one. A hundred yards away, |
saw the boat-puller pass a rifle to the
hunter. Wolf Larsen went amidships
and took the coil of the throat-halyards
from it's pin. Then he peered over the
rail with leveled rife. Twice saw the
hunter let go the steering-oar with one
hand. reach for his rife, and hesitate.
We were now alongside and foaming
past.
Here, you'll" Wolf Larsen cried sud-
denly to the boat-puller. Take a
turn"
At the same time he flung the coil
of rope. 1t struck fairly, nearly
knocking the man over, but he did not
obey. Instead, he looked to his hunter
for orders. The hunter, in turn, was
in a Quandary. His rifle was between
his knees, but IL he let go the steer
ing-oar in order to shoot, the boat
would sweep around and collide with
the schooner. Also he saw Wolf Lar
sens rifle bearing upon him and knew
he would be shot ere he could get his
rife into play.
Take turn" he said quietly to the
man.
The boat-puller obeyed, taking turn
around the little forward thwart and
paying the line as it jerked taut. The
boat sheered out with rush, and the
hunter steadied 1t to a parallel course
some twenty feet from the side of the
Ghost
"Now get that sail down and come
alongside!" Wolf Larsen ordered.
Once aboard, the two prisoners
hoisted in the boat and under Wolf
Lafsen's direction carried the wound
ed boat-steerer down into the fore
castle.
"If our five boats do as we'll as you
and have done, we'll have a pretty
full crew." Wolf Larsen said to me.
THE man you shot-he is, hope"
Maud Brewster quavered.
"In the shoulder" he answered.
Nothing serious. Mr.. Van Weyden
will pull him around as good as ever in
three or four weeks"
But he won't pull those chaps
around, from the look Of it," he added,
pointing at the Macedonia's third boat.
for which / had been steering and
which was now nearly abreast of us.
"That's Horner's and Smokes work. |
told them we wanted live men, not
carcasses. But the Joy of shooting to
hit is a most compelling thing, when
once you've learned how to shoot Ever
experienced it, Mr.. Van Weyden?"
shook my head and regarded their
work 1t had indeed been bloody, for
they had drawn off and Joined our
other three boats in the attack on the
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