Year: 1870

w AAVAAI ANVS ! L cs
dred trrrible thoughts fitted in quick sue.
cession through my brain, and before
could determine just what it was best for
me to do, cry more dreadful than any
could have uttered, pierced the midnight
air, and echoed and re-echoed through the
bluffs in the distance-"Fire FIRE the
boats on fire ~ rang out from the watch
man, and was passed fore ard aft with the
speed Of lightning. Then the demon who
held my life in his hand, breathed his
dreadful guilt into my ears, in muiiied
words that sounded like the panther's
growl before he makes the fatal spring.
"Ha! ha - said he, who holds the dia-
mond cards, now this is my work, and
this is my revenge! Let them cry for
help, while my curses follow them down
through flame and smoke. will write
their names on the fiery walls Of"


His words were lost; binding fash,
and the report Of pistol was heard
above the tumult below, and he fell dead
at my feet.


"And now for the fire ~ cried voice
that l recognized as that Of my friend,
AMI quick as lightning he leaped from the
pilot house and as the flames rolled over
the !irbord rail, saw him swing over the
rail and drop amidst the fame and smoke.


Above the confusion Of voices / heard
his words Of command that no one could
resist even the captain and mate took
co .rage, and what was wild panic few
minutes before, became an organized force
to do battle against the spreading flames.
When all hope seemed lost, his glorious
words and daring example would inspire
renewed efforts to the despiaring, and q
wall of human beings stosd before the
greedy element and drove it back to feed
upon the ruins of its FIRST havoc.


l had not been idle during the moments
that seemed like hours hardly had the
form Of the dead demon fallen to the floor,
:hen I rang the stop bells, and then sent
word through the speaking trumpet to
back her slowly. This kept the flames
forward, that otherwise would have been
driven through the cabin. When the til
Ter ropes burned off worked her by the
wheels and kept nearing the shore gradu-
ally. The smoke began to pass out of the
pilot house, and the shouts that came up
from below were like the "Amen" of an
answering prayer.


When the last spark was extinguished,
and the boat made fast to the bank. such o
scene Of thankful joyousness never was
beheld. Need I tell that my friends of
the diamond card' were the center OF
attraction for she, too, had been in the
,hickest Of the fight, and like a Joan Of
Arc had shone aboye the rest of her kind,
and made the terror-stricken brave and
efficient.


The FIRE had made sad havoc with the
boat; all the state rooms, deck and roof, on
the larbord side, from the wheel house for
ward, were burned and bat few char
red stancions were left to support the tex
As and pilot house. You can imagine
what desperate work it took to extinguish
the flames, and will doubtless wonder how
II fire of such magnitude could have been
put out by human efforts. 1 always
thought Higher Power had something
to do with it,


"How about the demon, as you call
him ?" I asked.


"Well, his body was sent back to Vicks-
burg, where we transferred our passen-
gers to the Arrow. I was glad when it
left the boat, for my nervs had been pref
ty well overtaxed, and the presence Of his
body did not improve matters much. Let
me see, have not told you how he came
on board, or what brought my old friends
there. 1t seems that they had been mar
ried a few days before, and bridal trip
up the Mississippi was intended. It was
no mere than natural that they should
wait for our boat, as it was here, that
they had met, after long separation, and
prepared the way for this happiness.
They came on board at Vicksburg, and
learning that would be on watch for nm
hour or SO, they remained up until the
watch was changed in order to see me be-
fore retiring. They were coming up the
gangway when the dark man was kissing
in my ear.


As they neared the pilot house, the gen.
tleman heard enough to know that all was
not right, SO leaving his wife ON the roof
he hastened to my rescue. From all We
learned, it is supposed tho dark man had
watched the movements of my friends, and
probably embarked at the same time, ,inten-
ding to execute his inhuman revenge, and
perish with the rest of US. His scheme
was well planned, and its execution would
have proved one of the darkest tragedies
evee perpetrated in our country. It could
not have failed had the boat been kept un-
der headway minute longer-thanks to
the ready hand and strong heart of my
friend"


"And did you learn why this desperate
pursued with such mad intent and terrible
vengeance, the lives Of your friends? ?" I
asked.


swell. yes l asked him what it oil
meant, but he did not seem inclined to say
much about it, but from what l could learn
this demons name was Devall, and he
used to sail slave ship that was fitted out