Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1919-04-02

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give much force to the blow. My own
hands, gripping the neckband of his
coarse shirt, twisted it tight about the
great throat until, in desperation,
painting for breath, the huge brute
actually lifted me in his arms and
the rail. / struck something as fell,
yet rebounding from this splashed into
the deep water and went down so
nearly unconscious as to make not
even the slightest struggle. And yet
came up once more to the surface,
arising by sheer chance directly be-
meath the small dory-which my body
must have struck as / following by
a painter astern of the sloop, and for
tunately retained sense enough to
cling desperately to this first thing my
hands touched, and thus remained cor
cealed.
The dory caught in some current,
floated at the very extremity of it's
slender towline, and in consequence
the sloop appeared little more than a
mere smudge, when my eyes endeav-
ored to discover its outlines. Evil
IDENTIFY the bloody work had been COM
pleted, for now all was silent ON board.
Then came the voice of Estada in a
gruff inquiry:
$50 you are hiding here, Cochose?
What are you looking for in the sea?"
what? Why that id English
man. Mon Dieu! He fought me like
a mad rat''
1.-THE EngIishman, you say? He was
here then? 1t was he you battled
with? What became of the fellow?"
"He went down there, senior. The
dog stabbed me three times. 1t was
either he or to co.
"You mean you threw him over
board?"
SAY, with his ribs crushed in, and
not breath left in his id body.
He's never come up even-Pve watched
and there has not been so much as
ripple where he sank.''
The two must have hung in silence
over the rail staring down. 1 dared
not advance my head to look, nor even
move a muscle of my body in the
water.
How came you aft here?"
Because that fellow leaped the rail
from the wharf. I saw him, and we
met ct the Wheel
"From the wharf, you say? He was
not aboard, then? Santa Maria! ]
know not what that may mean. Yet
what difference, so he be dead. An
derson, Mendez, throw that carrion
overbOard-no, DULLES, never mind
let them lie where they are, and sink
an auger in the sloops bottom. What
is that out yonder, Cochose?"
"a small boat, sonora dory, make
it,
"Cut the rope and send it adrift
Now come along with me-"
The darker loom of the sloop van.
isned slowly. as the slight current
sweeping about the end of the wharf
drifted the released boat to which I
chung outward into the bay. There
was scarcely ripple to the sea, and
yet 1 felt that the boat was steadily
drifting out into deep water. / was
still strangely weak, barely able to re-
tain my grasp. Finally / mustered
every ounce of remaining energy in
one supreme effort and succeeded in
dragging my body up out of water
over the boats stern, sinking helpless
ly forward into the bottom. The mo-
ment this was accomplished every
sense deserted me, and 1 lay there
mOtiOnless, totally unconscious.
/ shall never know how long I re-
manned thus. Yet this time could not
have been great. AS though awaken
ing from sleep a faint consciousness
returned. Then the sharp pain of my
wounds, accented by the sting Of salt
water, brought me swift realization of
where / was and the circumstances
bringing me there. / had evidently
lost considerable blood, yet this had
already ceased to flow, and a very
slight examination served to convince
me that the knife slashes were none
of them serious. My other injuries
were merely bruises to add to my dis
comfort-the result of blows dealt me
by Sanchez and Cochose, aggravated
by the bearlike hug of the giant ne
gro. Indeed, awoke to the discov-
cry that l was far from being a dead
man; and, inspired by this knowledge,
the various incidents of the night
flashed swiftly back into my mind.
No CLEAN of light appeared in any
direction; no sound echoed across the
dark waste of water. 1t was clearly
impossible for me to attempt any re-
turn to the wharf through the impene-
trable black curtain which shut me in.
What, then, could / do? What might
/ still hope to accomplish? Those fell
lows had swept the sloop clean, and
had doubtless long ago scuttled it.
They would suddenly find themselves
leaderless, unguided Would that suf-
fee to stop them? Would the discov-
cry of his body halt his followers and