The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-06-12
CHAPTER TX.
A Swim to the Nsmur.

buried in my hands l sat on a 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 a helpless prisoner.
Ay, but this knew; there was only one
place to which the villains might flee
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 a chance even yet to foil
them? With Sanchez dead no man
aboard that pirate craft could recog-
nize me. l 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 thpn had his
own. There was no one else to fear.
If 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 1 felt
convinced l could locate the Namur.
But could / hope to attain the ship in
advance of the returning party of
raiders? God helping me, would try
My brain throbbed with fresh resolu-
tion-the call to ection.
There were oars in the boat. I
shipped the useless rudder inboard
and chose my course from the stars.
My boat had drifted consid erably far
Their out into the bay than had sup
posed, and it required good half
hour of steady toll at the oars before
1 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 dead tree, bearing a faint
resemblance to gigantic cross, that
had been pointed out on the sloOp.
This peculiar mark was at the extrem-
ity of the first headland lying north
Of the point itself, and consequently
straight course across the bay would
land me within five hundred yards of
where the Namur had last been at
anchor.
To a degree my immediate plan of
action had been definitely mapped out
within my own mind while toiling at
the oars. / 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
swimming to her a dangerous feat
and l could approach and board her
with far less chance of discovery in
that manner than by the use of boat.
The greater danger would come after
l had attained the deck, wet to the
skin. The sharp bow Of the dory ran
up on the soft sand of the beach, and
I stepped ashore.
Then there came 10 me the nrSt real
consciousness of the reckless nature
Of this adventure. AS / faced then
the probabilities there scarcely seemed
one chance in n hundred. And yet l
| must admit there was the one chance (;
and in no other action could l per-
ceive even that much encouragement
IL Dorothy Fairfax was already in the
hands Of these men, then my only OPP
portunity for serving her lay In my
being close at hand. No alternative
presented itself; no other effort could
be effective. 1t was already too late
to attempt the organization of res
cue party. No, the only choice left
was for me either 10 accompany the
girl or else abandon her entirely to
her captors. I must either face the
possibility Of discovery and capture,