Show by H CLAR CLARK K copyright 1026 by bubl nt rrell co CHAPTER XII continued 17 onca nce arrles ut tit our destination I 1 stopped lilt and briefly surveyed sunned our sur foLlI dIngs to the c south extended for a chort dis distance n belt of trees but beyond beoni tills tire whole surface of tile the atrean lay illy exposed to tho the view lev of the bencks illy chances cli ances though none of the I boit st would tit lit least not be so against me to take to the water then swim forth into while I 1 was still sheltered by h tile lie woods find their to make straight for the island a u poor enough expedient but tile best I 1 coll could devise if I 1 only tint and a boat of some description find could dash for the island at full pec d I 1 might make it there have been times in my lift life I 1 have felt that things have hac rone gone and precisely wrong but on oil tills oc aslon nt at lenit they were cre to g exactly and precisely right for its as I 1 took one last look first down own then thell up lie he river lit in the vain hope of ats tOe iliK a craft of gome kind to tint behold there them to the north of me I 1 and no coi over OUT fifty yards distant I 1 beheld a canoe it was is not however a canoe un apparently sprung into existence from nowhere simply because I 1 had 0 u lulled for it rate pat was 11 not of r so go k kind ind as that site she was manned by two tile one in tile the bow a stalwart ippe linen ills companion in ithe stern smaller tint and remarkably ugly with lips of prodigious thickness and the low retreating 1 forehead foie head of ills his race nice I 1 both men had paddles in fit their hands and were nere propelling the light craft downstream lit in a leisurely manner clearly enough tills rising of tile slaves wh was general lit in its extent and these blacks were doubtless coming front acome plantation up the river to exchange news with their follow fellow rebels on oil the mcallister ll tor domain tant their rising had been successful I 1 had bad no doubt for tie ti ie muzzle of a rifle protruded over the side of if the canoe within easy of tile lie in the how bow I 1 way was lit in a quandary I 1 hated the Ili ought of taking human life espe chilly clell tile the lles lives of men with whom I 1 had h id no quill quail el nil and with choin I 1 zed for far lie heavy hunlen burden of their oppressive opp lot yet that alint canoe I 1 must hiie ave nil and toy rny first thought was to step front filin the bit bushes lw s ns they ne anred my mi place level iny illy rifle at them nud order thein to bring their craft ashore there were mere however ho weer obvious 11 aw backs to 0 o tills chellie wh ellie in tile first plaue they were two to tn my mv ofie one find inight line have pi ans ns as well ell as their rine rifle so io i o that if both drow drew on oil me file nt at one once I 1 coil could mil 1111 lint but one of them nt fit idest 1 ett before boing shot hot down don myself and lit in the econie place tn if they 0 he eted ed me it would bu be hard to ket get libin them ashore and to embach link ais lf milious Mili out their attack attacking ina me file tit nt close rinse nil and the man lit in the lie lin avas 1 of i ual stature wid of such lilt lale build imald that I 1 felt that in it I 1 would le ile no inore than a in ili laiq hi liti lids ali and then avith it sudden in inspiration I 1 remembered illy coin inan pol pollian linn munh Qu Qui nh llly I 1 whimpered when lien I 1 toll step out lilt of tile lie woods woodi shout to then bliem ri choh own to jump over nei hotard for their lles lives ill attend to tilt resl lip ile nodded understandingly ani an ID I 1 further fuit lier parley for the canoe is now itow close nt at hand I 1 left the lie shel m of the lie trees and leveled my iny rine rifle bal 1 nt tile the man mail tn in the bow low at the B te 10 in tant I 1 heard Qua Quits hys put gut tiri tir hi I 1 shout find almost atily nh n h tilt lie plunge of two dark bodies la 11 bied tile lie rivers calm calin and two taink wm k cut through the water w liter ti ending ups find taking it bering trin course for the shore without ohp loss of ii second I 1 waded out ind find tie fig the water unexpectedly sl shallow inflow ind in on an instant I 1 had find drawn the ensue catoe to shore and leaping in started ui tu the direction of the island Islin ul progress in one of these light crafts craft s IB even een with sin an unskilled hand at the paddle and in it a very ery few moments I 1 had gained I 1 a position where I 1 might turn urn find make straight down the river rier for or tin nn instant I 1 thought thou slit of to file western shore ancl thus lint aling the negroes on the hut but T remembered in ili time that there were other estates beyond the hills tin and even een now skirmishers might tie lie lurking in the IN dense eatn legeta tion iliad of tile me with the nien memory tory of my ni own so fresh in wind mini I 1 had no wish to meet a n similar bilte till and therefore suddenly shifted en ci ciaire ire find and headed bended the how bow of the annoe for or the bonith undoubtedly that eeik of the ho badje pid Je saved tile me for a i ecila ond litter later too c the he accompaniment of 11 liap 11 report a bullet whizzed past e tini ill I 1 hent bent to 0 o my work lit in earnest that hat mv for assailant was scout ak hl 1 I tle ne oil and not with a hotly body of coin fl flimns ihns apparently tills was the chiv cay fir r no wore mere shots followed lint hirt to hini uc I 1 aicard aheard lusty luit yells ells front ori UK find and casting a hatta rimce in that direction I 1 could app P thon oft off two boats to in tt lt no mp before I 1 could gain the fill i 1 of nf ill lie island II 11 tl wis was nav necessity for 1 l anil till nothing else tint aind I 1 plied piled r ill for my lily very life for a 1 ilin 1 1 1 1 11 i seemed scented doubtful the well mid and derivi a forward ut tit rapid speed rile ed presen presently reached a position posit loil where two negroes lip groes in ill tile bow dropped their oars cars und anil commenced firing but fortunately for roe me their alin was poor and their bullets went wild quite instinctively arid and without stopping to welsh weigh tile the it ad of my lily act I 1 stopped pad illig just long ions enough to pick up tit my lily own rine rifle and take a lying flying shot tit t one of the marksmen who was standing erect in the bow in the act of ramming home a charge the shot could not be ili called though I 1 inny fully say ray in my own behalf that my hand was unsteady from my lily exertions anti and that file lie motion both of my lily own craft find that of my lily pursuers was riot not conducive to exactness of alin aim therefore I 1 did not kill the man mail but only wounded him yet the resul probably in ili my lily favor for with n foud cry of pain he staggered lost ills his balance find fell at full length among the lie rowers completely demoralizing the crew at the same moment moreover for in their excitement they had taken no thought of approach to the island a volley from the house stretched thu the other rifleman dead tills ills not unnaturally completed their discomfiture and both boats immediately abandoned tilt lie pur pursuit sult and got out of range with all possible speed leaving ne ine free tu to continue on my wily way unmolested A minute or twy 07 later I 1 drove my frail craft high on the bench beach and hurried toward the house the door shuns open to receive me and nn nil instant later inter with n groat great feeling of thankfulness in my heart I 1 darted in and heard it swing to behind nie me with it crash come what might no now nt at least I 1 could ile die fighting for tile the girl I 1 loved |