The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-07-04
CHAPTER TX.
A Swim to the Namur.

Il
All was black. hopeless; with head
buried In my hands sat on thwart,
dazed. Before me, pleading, express
sive of agonized despair. arose the
! sweet face of Dorothy Fairfax. No
| doubt by this time all was over-the
| dead body Of Sanchez discovered, the
projected attack on the house carried
out, the two old men left behind, Ell
Their dead or severely wounded, and
the girl borne off helpless prisoner.
Ay, but this I-knew; there was only one
place to which the villains might fee
with their booty-the Namur of Rot
terdam. Only on those decks and well
at sea would they be safe or able to
enjoy their spoils. The thought came
to me In sudden revelation-why not?
Was not here chance even yet to foil
them? With Sanchez dead no man
aboard that pirate craft could recog-
nize me. felt assured Of this. had
fought the giant negro in the dark;
he could not, during that fierce en-
counter, have distinguished my fea-
lures any more clearly than l had his
own. There was no one else to fear.
II only I might once succeed in get
ting safely aboard. slightly disguised,
perhaps, and mingle unnoticed among
the crew, the chances were not bad
for me to pass undetected. Such ships
carried large crews and were constant
ly changing in personnel. A strange
face appearing among them need not
arouse undue suspicion. And l felt
convinced / could locate the Namur.
But could hope to attain the ship in
advance of the returning party of
raiders? God helping me. / would try
Ny brain throbbed with fresh resolu-
tion-the call to action.
There were oars in the boat. l
shipped the useless rudder inboard
and chose my course from the stars.
Ny boat had drifted considerably far
posed, and 1t required a good half
hour of steady toll at the oars before
/ sighted ahead Of me the darker out |
lines of the shore. At first I could |
identify nothing, but finally there sud |
denly arose, clearly defined, the gaunt |
limbs of a dead tree, bearing faint |
to a gigantic cross, that |
had been pointed out on the sloop. |
This peculiar mark was at the extrem-
ity of the first headIand lying north |
of the point itself, and consequently |
q straight course across the bay would |
land me within five hundred yards of |
where the Namur had last been at
anchor.
TO degree my immediate plan Of
action had been definitely mapped out
within my own mind while toifing at
the oars 1 would beach my dory and
strike out on foot directly across the
narrow neck of land. The Namur was
not so far out from shore as to make
to her a dangerous feat,
ind 1 could approach and board her
With far less chance of discovery in
hat manner than by the use of boat
The greater danger would come after
had attained the deck, wet to the
skin. The sharp bow of the dory ran
1p on the soft sand Of the beach, and
stepped ashore.
Then there came to me the first real
VI LIE ICCAlc6S uhtu1S
# this adventure. As / faced then
he probabilities there scarcely seemed
me chance in a hundred. And yet I
must admit there was the one chance
md in no other action could per-
eive even that much encouragement.
I Dorothy Fairfax was already in the
lands Of these men, then my only OPP
'ortunity for serving her lay In my
icing close at hand. No alternative
itself no other effort could
e effective. It was already too late
0 attempt the organization Of : res-
ne party. No, the only choice lsft
RAJ for me either to accompany the
fri or else abandon her entirely to
er captors. must either face IT,
q discovery ard captnEA