The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-07-20

G
launch. Then he gazed to windward
In search Of more breeze. He cast his
eyes aloft and suddenly beloved:
Get the topsls on her. Take the
wheel, Hawkins. Hey, you young
fellow, where are the top'sls stowed?"
"1n the forehold.' replied Lent.
Brushing past him Tyler tore oft
the hatch w and jumped down the
hold. He reappeared in a second and
bawled:
LEND a hand Bill. You too, youns
fellow. Come, look sharp"
The sails were quickly hauled on
deck, bent on the Halyards, and n
after the other run up to their respec.
tive topmast heads.
The clew Of the maintopsail had
hardly been hauled flat when there
was the sharp report Of a pistol. fol-
lowed by a yell from Hawkins, and he
tumbled to the floor of the cockpit.
The wheel, released from it's guild
ing hand ~revolved to starboard, and
the yacht began to luff.
They all looked in the direction of
the launch. Hemenway was standing
in the bow of her, n hand on the
little wheel and the other pointing a
revolver at the schooner.
He was yelling some command and
although they could not hear what he
demanded they didn't stop to ask.
Tyler lodged aft and jumped into
the cockpit. AS he did so another shot
spat from Hemenway's pistol and a
bullet grazed the mainmast, tearing
off some splinters.
Bill threw himself on deck and
crawled to the lee of the mainmast.
Lent, STOPPING low, ran forward and
tumbled down the forehatch.
There, after collecting his scattered
wits, he had time to make sure OF
something he had suspected in the
hurry Of getting the topsails on deck,
and that was in regard to the boxes in
which Hemenway had stored his bags
of stolen coin.
In getting out the sails Lent had not
seen the boxes in the place where he
| duu dy Hdu wv ~
the cabin. Now he carefully examined
the corner of the hold where they had
been placed.
This time there was no doubt of it.
The boxes were not there. Hemenway
had fooled him after all. Some time
after the arrival of the yacht at the
island the boxes had been removed,
OF course no one except Hemenway
could have done it. Lent puzzled his
brain in an effort to hit upon a time
when Hemenway could have taken
them away, but he could arrive at nc
satisfactory conclusion.
Lent wondered how things were
going along outside. He popped his
head out of the hatch and hastily
ducked again, but in the brief second
he saw the launch plugging along IL
the wake of the schooner.
Apparently the m%otorboat was JUS
about holding her own; neither gain
ing or losing. Tyler had got the top
sails on the schooner just in time. Thu
added canvas increased the speed o
luO SCllOOHCl JUDI CAOu6A W PASHSLA
her being overhauled by the littl,
launch.
But who was steering the yacht, ant
why didn't Hemenway shoot some
more? These were questions that puz
zled Lent. ~1E4&s u MI 4 aff1t. .:.y--,.
He took another quick peek, bu'
could not see the wheel on account D,
the foremost shutting out his view
but he did see that Hemenway wa;
working off to leeward in order tt
give him the advantage of the pitch In
the ~schooner's deck. .~~
1t was Tyler who was steering the
yacht. When he had jumped in that
cockpit he had thrown himself flat on
deck and unceremoniously kicked
Hawkins out of his way. ~8A aMlssSsS
Protected from Hemenway's bullets
by the coaming of the cockpit, he
turned on his back and reaching for
the spokes of the wheel from under
meath, quickly had the yacht on her
course again. ~:~~t~~~--~~~
The whole thing was done so quick
ly that it seemed less than ten sec
onds from the time Hawkins was shot
that the vessel was again under con.
troll.
Tyler raised his head and glanced
about him. One of his own legs Law
across the groaning Hawkins. He de-
cided to risk a look at the launch.
Holding a spoke of the wheel with
n hand, he rolled over on his stom-
ach and placing the other on deck he
raised his head and lowered it again
in n movement.
Fleeting as was his glance it told
him all he wanted to know. The
launch he judged, was fifty or sixty
yards distant. It had gained a bit
since Hemenway winged Hawkins,
but Tyler figured the gain was made
during the huff of the schooner.
Just then Hawkins came to life, !
Blood was flowing from a wound in
his shoulder and the cockpit was
smeared with it.
"Elp me up, won't yer, Tyler?" he
groaned.
"You talk like a fool" TYLER |