Show arg I 1 m dj H W aili 1 I 17 van V 2 W WT BU DEN ames WILLI WILLIAMS I 1 1 EM CHAPTER 20 peter was in danger and the men hunting or them would be in danger As much to protect these others as a to save himself richard decided to dig his way out he had tor for tools the stout club about four our feet long two inches thick one end shod wI thIro it and he had his pocket knife ile he whittled aled the end of the club clu b into a flat chisel shaped blade not too sharp not sharp enough to break easily then he began to dig steps up the side of the pit for the first few feet the sides sloped outward that was easy but above that they became perpendicular he began to excavate a sort of spiral gallery around the sides of the pit a shelf wide enough tor for him to lie ile on on his stomach while he reached up ahead of him and loosened the soft stuff with the end of his club and then scraped it out with his right hand flinging it over the side of the shelf to fall fail to the bottom of the pit the dust of his digging through the charred halt half burned peat choked him he descended and drank water from the pool and wetted his handkerchief and tied it across his mouth and nose while there was still some light he had been able to climb ten feet above the floor of the pit but then the light tailed failed and he worked in clark darkness some time later the shelf on which he lay broke off under his weight and he tell fell rolling down into the water again he guessed that he had reached a point where the walls of the pit began to slope inward so that there was wad nothing to support the gallery he excavated so laboriously ile he would have to tunnel upward through the solid peat and reach the surface somewhere to one side of the hole he began to do so almost at once the texture of the peat became tougher till now he had worked in stuff half burned the life baked out of it by the heat of those old fires but now it began to have subi substance tance and cohesion held together by grass roots dead centuries ago his task became increasingly laborious using the chisel shaped end of his club like a narrow spade he drove it upward cut around blocks of peat and then with his right hand clawed these blocks free he burrowed like a mole the tunnel he dug was no larger than necessary if he could wedge his body through it and have room to use his club he was content there we was now some moisture in the peat through through which he tunneled and not much dust nevertheless thirst harassed him once when he went down to drink hs be saw that there was light in the hole at the top of the pit the short sout southern tern night was ending dawn was near A long while after that he realized by the tougher fibre fabre of the chunks he tore away that he had reached live grasi rasi roots the realization even though it proved he was near the s surface u of the ground and promised an a n early end to his labors did not speed them he worked slow and slower tired without knowing it sluggish with weariness he thrust the pointed club upward with a heave of shoulders and back his feet braced hard presently one of these thrusts sent the club through into open air there was still the mat of grass roots to rip apart but five minutes later richard dragged himself like a crippled mole through the opening he had made and lay prone it was corkran following the broken trail through the tall grass who hours later found him there aboard the george and mary kept their vigil george by the desk with the revolver and the bomb gun ready mary at the cabin window through which she could see the boats on shore after a long time george heard a voice on deck a sudden cry so he knew the truth before mary spoke she turned with glowing eyes she whispered found himl hes walking two of them are helping him george richard Is alive george nodded then be at us he reminded her he knew what to expect since the men had found richard peter must hold the and escape in her or be damned to hold her against the men in the boats he be must have the guns george did not stop to consider what means peter had in hand he meant to hold the cabin against any odds it if he be could but he might tall fail in the sudden imminence of crisis crisis no now like dikea a revelation he be realized iced that even if he tailed he could still leave peter weaponless jie he spoke to mary sharply take all those cartridge boxes the powder everything break the window throw it all overboard she began to throw out the boxes of cartridges someone on deck heard them splash in the water and looked over the rail and saw what she was doing and shouted a warning stop that down there youl george shouted back ill shoot the first man who shows himself looking up through the companion hi he could see nothing except the sky and a segment of the rail mary kept at her task wo working aking fi fast at and without pause till 11 it was done the sounds over his head kept georges attention fixed on the companion no movement rno v ement in the main cabin warned him but it was from that quarter that the attack come came Ban nels gee kurd hurd and peter were united by the greedy hope of reward peter had bad won them by promises playing on each according to his appetite for weapons they had the edged tools of the whale fishery harpoons lat lances lees spades it was only necessary to find a chance to use them with this in mind peter planned to draw georges george s eye in one direction to attack from another he set by the cabin companion with a cutting in spade the keen chisel blade six inches across the handle long enough so that from the deck could reach the cabin floor he posted kurd hurd on top 0 of the alter after house where from high overhead he could see down through the glass of the skylight and dart a harpoon at any mark that offered he directed gee to take an axe down into the main cabin and strike the door into the common room a smashing blow that would make george turn that waar wa when he thus turned at the companion or hurd darting the great harpoon would kill him from above when the others were in position the negro went below peter himself would take no active part in the affray gee was barefooted and he moved silently he was accustomed to use an axe left handed banded the door he had to attack swung into the after cabin the hinges on the port side gee stood on that side when he be swung the axe he delivered that blow with a nervous violence which proved his own destruction the axe hit the panels just beside the bolt and the flimsy screws flew out and the door new flew open so easily that gee by his own weight was pulled forward the axe and his swinging arms brag dragging him off balance into the doorway wa Y george when the negro struck was standing at the foot of the companionway panion way looking up the bomb gun in his hands bands the door into the main cabin ten feet away and behind him at the crash of the axe blow he whirled and saw the negro N agro in the doorway gee bawled in dismay trying to leap clear as george lifted the bomb gun and fired at the sound of the axe 5 stepped to the top of the companion way above george at the foot of the companionway he saw george swing to face gee and as george lifted the bomb gun stabbed downward with the long spade lie he aimed at the nape of georges neck if the blow had struck fairly it would have decapitated the man below but the recoil of the gun knocked george oft off balance backward he was already falling when struck so the harpooner missed his aim the spade that would have caught george in the neck instead slid over his shoulder and down his left arm it bit into his forearm just below the elbow it sliced the flesh like a razor grated on the bone george thrown backward by the recoil fell on his left side the smoke 0 of powder from th guns gun s thunderous discharge had instantly filled the cabin but through this smoke as he lay on his side he saw at the head of the compan bonway recovering the spade to strike again he rolled on his back dodging that blow and he dragged the revolver already cocked out of his belt and fired it upward blind ly the heavy slug struck in the breast bone he slid feet first down the companionway and lay in a huddle on the cabin floor the thinning smoke made george cough he heard a taint faint sound that seemed to be far away and realized it was a voice and saw mary on her knees here beside him mary was trying to hold him he pushed her away he had not meant to do this violently but under his thrust she staggered backward till she collided with the corner ot of the desk he shook his head regretfully too bad to hurt her but he had business in hand band he looked for gee and saw him with a calm surprise george had not heard the bomb explode but it had bad exploded there was no doubt of that agte was in the main cabin on the floor by the table something So methIn g had flung bung him backward but what lay there had been gee it must have been the cheskin Th eskin skin was black mary was here again ripping at his coat trying to tear away the sleeve trying to tend the terrible wound in his bis arm weakness swept sweat over george in a slow sick wave yet his mind was clear enough was dead and gee too t oo 00 but in a minute now he george georg e mcausland would collapse from loss of blood and lie helpless here and then peter could come down and get the guns that had to be stopped he must kill peter while he could george decided to go through the main cabin into the steerage and thus reach the deck mbry mary was was trying to hold him but he put her aside whatever she was saying did not matter it could not matter lie he must reach the deck somehow and manage peter corr mary hindered him he said to her in an elaborate whisper loudly so that she would be sure to understand stay here talk make them think im here he pushed her aside and g in he e was thrown three or four step backward against the wall and till tell he thought why I 1 must be trong strong really strong to do thail too baal poor maryl he went through the after tween decks he moved briskly tho revolver in his right hand hl his I 1 left eft arm hanging he remembered to cock the revolver before he started to climb to the deck he could not help himself with his left hand because it would not do what he wanted it to do and he had to hold the revolver ready in his other hand so he went up the companionway very slowly pushing himself with his feet his body leaning forward against the treads the housing looked aft when his head rose above the deck level he be faced the mizzenmast he crawled out of the companion on his hands and knees and the revolver in his right hand thumped on the deck peter heard that sound and turned and saw him peter was on the starboard side of the cabin companion by the door of the potato room where tommy hanline slept he had bad a boat spade poised ready to slice at anyone whose head appeared in the companion on george saw him george did not see hurd hurd was on the port side beyond the door of the galley where old willie leeper as though blind to all that went on aboard here persistently banged and clattered at his work hurd had a boat spade too but george did not see him he saw peter and peter saw george and leaped toward him george fell on his face and rolled on his bis side and lifted the revolver and shot peter ducked and dodged and suddenly he screamed like a woman panic tear fear broke him down he ha turned to run aft toward the companion n squalling equalling squal ling as he ran george thumbed back the hammer m er of the revolver and shot again peter P eter seemed to trip and fall and he no longer screamed george lying on his side his cheek against the deck the revolver flat on the deck at his arms length pulled the hammer and shot again and again slowly laboriously aiming through eyes half closed after a space the hammer clicked on an empty cylinder he could do nothing more he rolled on his back and looked up and then his eyes opened wide in clear recognition ot of what was about to happen to him hurd the little cockney stood over him in silhouette against the sky and the web of rigging hurd was lifting his boat spade to strike he seemed to stand there motionless and time had stopped and instants were eternal CHAPTER behind hurd george could see him under hurds upraised arms willie leeper was holding upraised a heavy cleaver before hurds spade stopped going up tor for the downward blow at george the cleaver already lifted began to descend it came slowly against hurds neck on the side under the ear tit at an angle inward the broad keen blade went far in and in the spade in hurds hands dropped to the deck the blade of it brushed against georges side and stuck in the planking and the spade stood erect for a moment and then tell fell over sidewise as the blade for lack of any deep hold broke out of the planking the handle tell fell aaros georges body hurd fell the other way making choking sounds willie leeper looked down at him willie said in a piping thin voice to hurd dying on the deck there drat yet yel george laughed that was tunny funny he had never heard beard willie speak before willie had a thin squeaking voice that was completely absurd george was much amused then he be forgot willie for here was mary george rolled his head sidewise to look at peter lying on the deck aft but peter had not moved so everything was all right he told her so he said carefully Every things all right mary he tried to nod to reassure her its all right mary he repeated she said fiercely hush oh my brave dearl its all right he insisted and smiled something was running out of him his life it was running out through his bis arm fast but he be must be sure mary understood so BO that she would be happy afterward he tried to tell her that he knew she loved richard that he knew she and richard were fine that it wa was a all right that she was not to feel badly about him or about anything but so much of him had bad already run out that there was not enough of him left to say what he wished to say and while he lay happy in marys arms the rest ran out in a dwindling little stream on a day almost four months later under all sail the moved serenely upon a white capped sea richard had for the moment gone below mat forbes was aft tommy hanline proudly taking a turn at the wheel corkran and mary stood together by the starboard rail amidships and the parrot nibbled at Cor krans ear and whispered two or three miles away a whaler bark rigged was outward outi yard bound TO UP BR CON awid |