River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-06-21
Continued from page p

mis- was the prelude; then, with ever
increasing force, down came the rain
in torrents, smealing out the fog from
the atmosphere as painter with a
sponge might wipe a color from his
canvas. Long tails of yellow vapOr,
twining, twining, but always cOiling
downward. foated like snakes about
them, and the oily waters of the
Thames became peck marked in the
growing light.
Stringer now quite clearly discerned
the quarry, a very rakish looking mo-
tor cutter, painted black and speeding
seaward ahead of them. He quivered
with excitement.
''Do you know the bOat?" cried Rog
ers. addressing his crew i'll general.
mo, SIR reported his second in com
mand; "she's a stranger to me. They
must have kept her hidden some
where" He turned and looked back
into the group of faces, all directed
toward the strange craft. do any of
you know herr" he demanded.
A general shaking of heads pro-
claimed the negative.
Through the sheets of rain all peered
eagerly.
"She seems to be pretty well load
ed, reported the man beside Stringer,
"but l can't make her out very we'll"
"Are we doing our best?" inquired
Rogers.
eve are, SIR" reported the engineer.
"She hasn't got another oat in her"
Rogers muttered something beneath
his breath and sat there glaring ahead
at the boat ever gaining upon her pur-
suer.
$50 long as we keep her in sight"
said Stringer, "our purpose is served.
She can't land anybody"
cat her present rate" replied the
man upon whose shoulders he was
leaning, "she'll be out of sight by the
time we get to Tilbury, or she'll have
hit barge. and gone to the bottom!'
Ell eat my hat if 1 lose her" de-
clared Rogers angrily "How the
blazes they slipped away from the
wharf beats me!'
"They didn't slip away from the
wharf, cried Stringer over his shout
der. 'You heard what Sowerby said.
They lay in the creek below the wharf,
and there was some passageway I'M
derneath."
Mile after mile that singular chase
continued through the night. With
every revolution of the screw the
banks to right and left seemed to re
cede as the Thames grew wider and
wider. A faint saltiness was percepti-
bic in the air. and Stringer, moistening
his dry lips, noted the saline taste.
N"Good Lordr' he muttered.
He stood up unsteadily, feet wide
apart and peered ahead through the
grayness. The banks he could not see.
Far away on the port bow a long gray
shape lay-a mOored vessel. To star
board were faint blurs, indistinguish-
able, insignificant; ahead, q black dot
with a faint comet-like tail-the pur-
sued cutter-and ahead of that again
a streak across the blackness, with
another dot slightly to the left of the
quarry.
He turned and looked along the po-
lice boat, noting that, whereas upon the
former occasion Of his looking forms
and faces had been but dimly visible
now he could distinguish them all quite
clearly The dawn was breaking.
"Where are we?" he inquired
hoarsely.
''We're about one mile northeast of
SheerneSs and two miles southwest of
the More light!' announced Rogers,
and he laughed, but not in a particu-
iarly mirthful manner.
Stringer temporarily found himself
without words.
Gutter heading for the open sea,
sir" announced a man in the bows,
unnecessarily.
quite So" snapped Rogers. $50
IRE your
1--WE have got them beaten" said
Etringer, a faint note of triumph in his
voice. We've given them no chance
to land"
IF this breeze freshens much" re
piled Rogers with sardonic .humor,
they'll be giving us a fine chance to
sink!"
On-and on-and on they drove.
The More Light lay astern. They were
drenched with spray. Now green wa
ter began to spout over the nose of the
laboring craft.
Eve only enough juice to run US
back to Tilbury, sir, if we put about
nowr' came the shouted report.
Its easy to talkn' roared Rogers.
eff one of these big 'uns gets us broad-
side on, our numbers upr'
Gutter putting over for Sheppey
coast, STRIP beloved the man in the
bows.
Stringer raised himself weakly and