Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-12-07
(Alberts Old Stand)

steady starboard- larboard a LITTLE
steady steady"
So he issued his commands, which
/ breathlessly obeyed; till all of
sudden, he cried: Now, my hearty
lun!" And I put the helm hard VI
and the Hispaniola swung rounc
rapidly and ran stem on for the low
wooded shore.
The excitement of these last man.
euyers had somewhat interfered with
the watch l had kept hitherto, sharp
ly enough upon the cockswain. Even
then I was still so much interested
waiting for the ship to touch, that
| had quite forgot the peril that
hung over my head, and stood cram
ing over the starbOard bulwarks and
watching the ripples spreading wide
before the bows. ! might have fallen
without a struggle for my life, had
not a sudden disquietude seized up
on me and made me turn my head.
Perhaps l had heard a creak or seen
his shadow moving with the tail OF
my eye; perhaps 1t was an instinct
like a cats; but sure enough, when
| looked round, there was Hands
the dirk in his right hand.
We must both have cried out aloud
when our eyes met, but while mine
was the shrrill cry of terror, his was
a roar of fury like a charging bulls.
At the same instant he threw himself
forward and l leaped sideways
toward the bows. AS l did so | left
hold of the tiller, which sprung sharp
to leeward; and / think this saved
my life, for IL struck Hands across
the chest and stopped him, for the
moment, dead.
Before he could recover / was safe
out of the corner where he had me
trapped, with all the deck to dodge
about. Just forward of the main
mast ! stopped, drew pistol from
my jocket, took a cool aim, though
he had already turned and was once
more coming directly after me, and
drew the trigger.
The hammer fell, but there fol
lowed neither flash nor sound; the
printing was useless with sea-water.
| cursed myself for my neglect. Why
had not /, long before, reprinted and
reloaded my only weapons, Then
should not have been as now, a mere
fleeing sheep before this butcher
Wounded as he was, it was won
derful how fast he could move, his
grizzed hair tumbling over his face
and his face itself as red as a red en-
sign with his haste and fury ! had
no time to try my other pistol, nor
indeed, much inclination, for / was
sure it would be useless. One thing
I saw plainly; l must not simply re-
treat before him, or he would speed
lily hold me boxed into the bows, as
a moment since he had SO nearly
boxed me in the stern. Once so
caught, and nine or ten inches of the
dirk would be my last
experience on this side of eternity. II
placed my palms against the main
mast, which was Of goodish bigness,
and waited, every nerve upon the
stretch.
Seeing that / meant to dodge he
also paused, and a moment or two
passed in feints on his part and cor
movements upon mine. II |
was such a game as / had often
played at home about the rocks OF
Black Hill Cove; but never before, |
you may be sure, with such a wildly |
DeaLlnB nedfI as now. SILL dS
say, it was a boys game, and II
.hought / could hold my own at il
against an elderly seaman with a |
wounded thigh. Indeed, my courage
lad begun to rise so high that /
allowed myself few darting |
thoughts on what would be the end
If the affair; and while I saw GER
ainly that / could spin 1t out for
ong, l saw no hope of any ulti-
nate escape.
Well, while things stood thus, sud
lenly the Hispaniola struck, stag
,ered, ground for an instant in the
and, and then, swift as a blow,
anted over to the port side, till the
Ieck stood at an angle of fOrty-hve
and about puncheon of
water splashed into the scupper-
oles, and lay / ma pool between the
eek and bulwark.
We were both of us capsized in
second, and both of us rolled,
lmost together, int othe scuppers,
he dead Red-cap, with his arms still