Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-02-05

L0G lett SURE lAdls III lllCll CdSCIASSS,
feeling secure in their numbers, they
would encamp upon the shore, either
/ Bleaching the boats or leaving them
anchored under the single guard in the
middle channel.
About half an hour after dark he
set out on his Investigations. He
moved through the brush as softly as
any Indian, and, booted though he was,
hardly a twig cracked under his feet.
Making his way toward the central
portion, where the trees were sparser
and the ground undulating, he soon
discovered what he was looking for,
the distant glow of camp fire.
Four men were seated around the
| fire, drinking and conversing loudly.
1t was impossible to make out their
faces in the darkness, but Lee waited
patiently until the light of the fire
fell upon each, and ascertained thar
4 none of them was bearded.
Railway, then, was either in charge
of the motor boat, with the sixth man,
or had been forced to return to his
headquarters, owing to his condition.
Lee circled the camp, and dis
covered, to his joy, the York boat,
beached on the shore about twenty
five yards distant. The men had not
troubled to draw it up on birch rollers,
where it would have been matter Of
time and labor to float it again; it
lay with its keel in the mud, careening
to the lap of the little waves.
Lee cogitated If the men got drunk
that night, il might be possible to make
| off with the boat without arousing
them. On the other hand the prob
abilities were that through fear Of
Railway they would stay sober
enough to guard it effectively. And
the delay was telling upon his nerves.
| He decided that at all cost it was
necessary to make the attempt as
| quickly as possible.
He made his way back to the girl,
strapped the pack on his back, and
| taking her in his arms, began to APP
proach the encampment by circuitous
route through the trees.
In the darkness, staggering over the
uneven ground, and loaded as he was,
the task was an all but impossible one
Bit, added to this, the girl awakened
and began talking disjointedly, some
times crying out in fear. It was al
most impossible to quiet her.
She chung to him, moaning. For
whole hour he tried to assuage her
terrors, until at last she, dropped
asleep again from weakness and weari-
ness.
Now the campfire came into view. The
four men were still visible about 1t,
shouting and quarreling; they were
drunk, but not drunk enough to rem
der escape without a fight possible.
Creeping, almost inch by inch, to the
extension Of raspberry brambles, Lee
| followed it down to the waters edge
and laid the girl down. He looked at
her apprehensively for moment, but
her eyes were closed in sleep and her
breathing was soft and regular.
Then coolly Lee stepped out into the
open space and made his way toward
the group.
He was within five and twenty yards
of them before they perceived him. and
then they seemed to take him for one
of their party. Lees impressions were
of confused shouting and challenging.
His GOODNESS disconnected and bewild-
cred them; he was almost upon them
before Pierre recognized him.
"By gar, it's dat d-n four
fusher y he shouted.
| And on the instant Lee was into the
thick of them. A tall ruffian grasped
| rifle and rushed at him. Lee fired.
The man, shot through the hand
| dropped the rife, and, uttering howl
Of pain. took to his heels in the Under
growth.
| A second man was aiming at him.
Lee brought the butt of his pistol
down upon his head, and the man,
collapsing In a mumbling heap, lay
face upward upon the ground. Shorty
was pulling desperately at gun. Lee
swung at him, missed his skull, but
knocked him sidewise with blow
that laid his cheek open to the bone
Shorty dropped and lay STILL
Pierre. who had made no movement
Of aggression. was staring at Lee
stupidity
"Hands up, d--n your Lee shouted
Pierre's arms went up to their full
yheight. Lee frisked him, took his
gun, took Shorty's and the third mans,
and tossed them into the underground
as far as he could fling them. He
stopped and picked up the rifle that
the first man had dropped And,
within a few seconds of the opening
melee, Lee found himself, by virtue
of the surprise, master of the situation.
But there was no time to be lost,
for the tall ruffian who had fed was
bowling somewhere along the shore,
and all depended upon the nearness of
the motor boat. Lee, covering Pierre.
backed quietly to the place where he
had laid the girl. He picked her up
and ran toward the boat with her.
Instantly Pierre's figure was blotted
out in the darkness.
Lee had set down the rifle when he
picked UP the girl; he placed her in
the bottom of the boat, ran back and
found it and threw it inside, together
with the pack from his shoulders. He
raised the heavy anchor. He threw all
his weight against the boat, which re-
ceded in trail of viscous mud untii