Evening star., 1924-09-26
THE OWLS HOUSE
4 Thrilling Adventure Story
By Crosbie Garstin
Copyright, 1924. by Frederick A. stokes Co.

stern-way.
'Heave"
The gig made another foot. Feet
clattered on the slip-head and a voice
cried, Here's a boat escaping! Halt
or I fire."
"Hea-vem ortho yelled. The gig
made another foot and was afioat
There was a squirt Of fire from the
slip and bullet went droning over
head. The bowman turned and
lodged for safety among the rocks.
Back water, back! Anson ex-
horted.
There were more shouts from the
shore, the boys voice Growing sh1ll
as a cockerel, a quick succession
of flashes and more bullets went
wailing by. The pair in the boat
dragged at their oars, teeth locked,
terrified.
Wind and tide swept them up.
darkness engulfed them. In a couple
OF minutes the shots ceased and they
knew they were invisible. They lag
on their oars, painting.
What nowr' said Ortho. Go
after the lugger? We can't go back"
''Lugger's miles away. going like
a stag" said Anson Best chance
it across the bay to Porthleven."
"PorthlevenT'
-" mere else. WlnQ QeaQ nor =
east. Lucky if we make that Throw
this stuff out; she's riding deep as
log"
They lightened the gig of it's entire
load and stepped the mast. Ansor
was at the halliards hosting the
close-reefed mainsail. Ortho kept al
the tiller until there was a spit OF
riven air across his cheek, and down
came the sail on the run.
He called out, What's the matter?A
There was no answer for a minute
and then Anson said calmly from
under the sail, Shot. blieve."
What is-halliards?"
Me, b'lieve"
you, Shot! What d'you mean!
where?"
In chest Stray shot, reckon;
they can't hit nawthing when they
aim. Thee1l have to take her thyseli
now. O-ooh. :" He made
a sudden. surprised exclamation as il
the pain had only just dawned on
him and began to cough.
Hoist sail thou fool.
A-ah,"
Ortho sprang forward and hoisted
the sail: the gig leapt seaward. The
coughing began again mingled with
groans. They stabbed Ortho to the
heart. Instead OF running away they
should be putting back; it was a doc
tor they wanted. He would put back
at once and get Anson attended to.
That he himself would be arrested as
the ringleader, tried and either hung
or transported did not occur to him.
Half his happy boyhood had been
spent with AnSon: the one thing was
to ease his agony.
Going to put back" he yelled to
hA
thwart. Put back"
You can't came the reply .
and more coughing
OF course he couldn't. If he had
thought for a moment he would have
known it Wind and tide would not
let him put back. There was nothing
for it but the 12-mile thrash across
the open bay to Porth1even; he prayed
there might be a doctor there
He luffed. sheeted home. rounded
the great mass Of Black earn, braced
as sharp as he dared and met a
thunder clap OF wind and sea. II
might have been waiting for him
round the corner, so surely did it
pounce. 1t launched itself at him
roaring. ridge Of crumbling white
high overh cad, a hill of water top
pling over.
The loom and below Of il stunned
MS SENSES DuC haO1C IS strong
ter. His mind went blank. but his
hand acted, automatically jamming
the helm hard over The gig had
good way on: she spun as a horse
spins on its hooks and met the mon
ster just in time. Stood on her stern;
rose, seesawed on the crest, three
quarters of her keel bare, white tat
ters flying over her; walIowed down
into the trough on a direct dive to
the bottom. recovered and rose to
meet the next The wild soar of the
bows sent Anson slithering aft.
Ortho heard him coughing under the
stroke thwart
She'll never do it" he managed to
articulate. ''Veer an let let
. her drive"
Where for7' ortho shouted
Where for? D'you hear me?"
"Scilly." came the answer, broken
by dreadful liquid chokings
The waves broke with less violence
for a minute or two and Ortho man
aged to get the Gamecock away be-
fore the wind. though she took a
couple OF heavy dollops going about.
Scilly! A handful of rocks 80 miles
away in the open Atlantic, pitch dark,
no stars. no compass, the Runnel-
stone to pass, then the Wolff At the
pace they were going they would be
on the islands long before dawn and
then 1t would be a case of exactly
hitting either Crow Sound or St
Marys Sound or being smashed to
splinters- Still it was the only chance.
He would hug tho coast as near as he
dared till past the Runnelstone-if he
ever passed the RunneAtone-and
then streer by tho wind; It was all
there was to steer by.
1t was dead norfheaS az preceot
but II 1T shifted, whore would he be
then? 1t did not bear thinking on
and he put it from his mind. He
must get past the Runnelstone first;
after that
He screwed up every nerve as tight
as it would go, forced his senses to
their acutest, set his teeth-swore to
drive the boat to Scilly-but he had
no hope of getting there. no hope at
all.
The Camecock, under her rag of
canvas, ran like a hunted thing. It
was as though all the crazy clements
were pouring southwest, out to the
open sea, and she went with them, a
chip swept headlong in a torrent of
ciamorous wind and waters. On his
rtsht Ortho could just discern the
loom Of the coast Breaker tops
broke. kissing, astern. abeam, ahead
Spfndrift blew in fat clouds, singing
like hail. F1urries of snow fell from
time to time.
He was wet through, had lost all
feeling in his feet, while his hands
on the sheet and ti1ler were so
numbed he doubted If he could loosen
them.
On and on they drove into the blind
turmoil. Anson lay in the water at
the bottom. groaning and choking at
every pitch.
Continued in Tomorrow's Star.)
IDENTIFIES ASSAILANT.