Year: 1860

who truly love, and that Walter woul
come out safe in the end, whatever hi


present peril, and everything else her sim


pie and faithful heart could suggest


More than that, in order to keep her mis-


tress from brooding over her sorrow, Hett,


asked her to narrate how the two pilot


had cultivated her acquaintance while sh


was passing to and fro on the river, hov


they had presumed to ask the hand of mar


rage, how they had been rejected, how the,


had both worn TO be revenged, and hat


become her most wicked and dangerou


foes, as well as foes of each other. Thu


the mistress and maid conversed about tn


past, and commenced taking counsel fo


the future, while sinister occurrence wa


preparing between the two pilots, as w
shall now duly record.


The first of them, the one we have seer
coming aboard of the steamer, on ascend
ing to the upper deck, found himself in th,
vicinity of his co laborer and his supposed
rival. He had been ashore, taking a mum
Der of drains at liquor-booth on tn,
wharf, and had come off with a flushed
face, lowering brow and bloodshot eyes
all now attesting that he WAS ready for any
deed of violence and blood. Both he anG
his conferer were men of middle age
brawney-armed and broad -shouldered, rud,
and rough in disposition, besides having
enough of lawness selfshness and unholy
passion to seek possession of the colonePs
beautiful child. Both professed to have had
such cause of hatred against the fathel
as to answer for any wrong they might
show Miss Ada, and so each had resolved
in bis own base heart that the first fortu
nate hour should place her irrevocably in
his power.


As the two pilots, after meeting on the
upper deck, turned away forwards the
wbeel-house, their eyes met in cold and
malignant glance of bitterness and rivalry.


"Now that the youngster is out o the
way!" said the one we have seen address
ing Ada, "the girl shall be mine!"


"No, curse you," was the response "she
shall be mineT


These brief words were uttered so plainly
and determinedly as to be an electric spark
applied to all their long -slumbering hate.
For moment they seemed about to rush
upon each other, tearing and destroying,
like two free blood-hounds, but the sharp
voice of the captain broke the spell of vi
olence, and they retreated sullenly TO their
post of duty.


The last box of freight was trundled
aboard of the steamer, the last passenger
arrived, the fastenings were cast off, the
mighty engines commenced their labors,
and the Brockvile darted away on her
flight down the river.


For three hours and until the arrival of
the steamer at the first of the Lachine
Rapids, nothing of importance occurred.
True, the captain had heard the pilots
swearing and recriminating each other at
intervals, though not violently. enough to
forbid hope that they would get quiet.
But, about the tims when the Brockville
began to feel the force of the rapids, it be-
come evident that something was going
wrong in the wheel house, she veering first
one way and the other, abruptly altering
her course several points from the true one,
and momentarily threatening to run against
some one of the many sunken rocks clus-
tered beside the narrow channel.


"Tbunder! what means all this ?" inquir-
ed the honest captain (who was a new and
inexperienced commander) of his clerk,
as be started up in his Office.


'The pilots must be drunk" was the re-
ply, as both prepared to visit the wheel
house.


"a fight, they're having a rough and
tumble, the pilots are, and the boys steer
ing, cried somebody on the upper deck
"Look out, there, somebody do something,
or we shall be brought up standing"


Be the trouble whatever it might, it was
now plain that trouble had arisen in the
wheel-house, or that some accident had
happened to the steering apparatus, gen.
eral panic almost instantly spread through
out the steamer. A score Of men, among
them the captain, made their way to the
scene of disturbance, when loud and saw
age cries and oaths were heard proceeding
from the pilots, showing that there were
engaged in deadly struggle.


"Stop them!" cried the captain.


"Shoot them" said somebody else, and
a score of voices made confusion of the at
tempt TO suggest a proper relief.
In the meanwhile the steamer was steering
so crafty, and abruptly poking her nose
to the right and left from the only cafe
channel, that every one familiar with the
perils of the rapids seemed paralyzed with
horror.


The next instant, amid volley of oaths
threats, and sounds of sanguinary encoun-
ter, the two combatants, covered with blood,
and locked in a furious embrace, reeled out
of the wheel-house, still fighting and ours
ing, the two presenting most terrible and |
repulsive picture of the worst passions of
man.


But not an instant had Captin Buffers
to gaze upon the fearful scene. With a
crash which shook her timbers to the keel
The huge steamer had been hurled against
3 sunken rock, and was know going head
on forwards black jagged ledge Of rocks
just showing itself above the spray and
foam dashing so wildly around it.


"Help here, all of you" cried the captain,
as he sprang to the assistance of the plate
mere boy On his third or fourth
trip. "Hard up, hard up! There, $3.50!