The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-03-28
TX.


a Swim to the Namur.
All was black. hopeless: with head
buried in my hands I sat on 4 thwart.
daZed. Before me, pleading, express
kive Of agonized despair. arose tho
sweet face Of Dorothy Fairfax. No
doubt by this time alt was over-the
Head body OF Sanchez discovered, the
protected attack on the house carried
hut. the two old men left behind, Ell
fher dead or severely wOuuded, and
hhe girl borne OFF a helpless prisoner.
Hy. hut this l knew theGe was only enc
place to which the villains might tiea
with their bOoty-the NaInur OF Rot
terdam. Only on those decks and well
at sea would they be safe or able TO
enjoy their Spoils. The thought carre
to me In sudden reveiation-ahy not?
Was not here a chance eyen yet to foil
them? With Sanchez dead no maa
|ab"ard that pirate craft could recOg-
lnize me. | felt assured Of this. | had
Fought the giant negro in the dark:
Pie could not, during tina fierce en-
counter. have distinguished my fea-
jtures any more clearly than | had his
own. There vas no n else t. fear.
III only L might once succeed in get
ting safely aboard, slightly disguised.
perhaps. and minGie %unnoticed among
1.-The crew, the chances were not bad
flor me to pass undetected. Such ships
Ee:rried large crews and were Constant
ny changing in personnel. A strange
face appearing among them need not
arouse undue suspicion. And | felt
convinced ! could locate the Na!nur.
lBuI Gould l hope to attain the ship in
advance Of the returning party OF
Raiders? God helping me I would try!
kfy brain throbbed with frtS, reSoiu-
ltion-the call to action.
Thc:e were oars in the boat. /
Ishipped the useless rudder inboard
land chose my curse from the stars.
MY hoat had drifted considerably far
lther out into the bay than | had sup
lpoScd. and it required Il good hatf
hour of steady toll at the oars before
II sighted ahead OF rne the darker out
Hines Of the shore. At first I could
identify nothing, hut finally there sud
|denIy arose, clearly defined. tn, gaiat
limbs of a dead tree, irnCing 4 faint
resemblance to q gigantic cross. that
had been pointed out Ola the sioOp.
This peculiar mark was at the .eXtreiu-
lily of the first headland 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
lanchOr.
TO a degree my immediate plan of
faction had been definitely mapped out
within my own mind while tOiiing at
1.-THE oars. / would beach my dOry and
lstrike out on foot directly across the
marrow neck of land. The Namur was
mot 50 far out from shore as to make
~lswimm:ng to her 4 dangerous feat,
land ] could approach and board her
lwith far less chance of discovery in
THAT manner Than by the use of a boat.
The greater danger would come after
had attained the deck. wet To the
Skin. The sharp bow OF the DEFY ran
l,ir on the soft sand OF TIC beach. anI
stepped ashore.
Thtn there anne to me the first real
Consciousness OF the reckless nature
luf this adventure. AS I faced then
lthe probabilities there scarcely seemed
lone chance i'm a hundred. And Vet ]
must admit there WAS the one chance:
land in no other action could | per
iceivn ever that much encouragement.
lIf Dorothy Fairfax was already in the
hands of these men, then my only OPP
Iportunity for serving her lay in my
Iheing close at hand. No alternative
ipresented itself; no other effort could
he effective. 1t was already o late
Ito attempt the organization Of a res
Icue party No. the only choice left
Twas for me either TO accompany the
Igirl or else abandon her entirely to
lher captors. / must either face the
possibility of discovery and capture,
(which as surely meant torture and
death, or otherwise play the coward
and remain impotently behind. So l
drove. the. temptation. to. falter~-awax