The Argosy, January 1907 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

202 Always I shall remember the joy that food caused me. Rough fare as it was, some miserable mixture of dried meat and cakes, it was manna to my palate and at the first mouthful a new strength seemed born in me. When we had done, the two of us had taken heart of hope. We were still wo- fully weary, so that the least movement caused a pang, but vitality had revived in us, and our minds were keen again, our hearts almost cheery. So little a thing as a few bites of food makes the difference between a carcass and a man. We even began to converse eagerly, for the first time that day. Hitherto we had been too sick of soul to do more than exchange a few words of lamenta- tion. Now we discussed ways and means of escape. Our conference, however, resulted in nothing definite. We agreed that we could only hold ourselves alert, m readiness for the slightest sign of op- portunity. We were greatly relieved when we found that José put no bar to our conversing in English, which, in all probability, he did not understand, as it left us free to communicate In any emer- gency without giving the outlaw any inkling of our meaning. Our hands had been rebound as soon as the meal was ended, and after a while José ordered us to go on board the yawl, which Sanchez had brought in to the shore, and on which he was now busy making sail. ‘There was nothing for it but to obey, and so we boarded the little craft, but I confess that I did so with the greatest reluctance. What was before us? Was it possible that we could be carried. off into captivity, into slavery, as José had threatened ? In a vague way I had heard that such horrors still survived in remoter regions, but I had given no heed to the tales. Could they nevertheless be true, and was I destined, along with my brother, to suffer a. fate so horrible? A black rage seized me as I watched the negro getting up the sail. No, better to die in a vain effort to escape than live to feel the lash of the overseer. Then my courage swung back to me, and I vowed to escape, to win, to cap- ture José, to recover the treasure. THE ARGOSY. This braggart resolution comforted me mightily, so that I chatted cheerfully enough with Billy as we squatted amid- ships. ee The night had drawn down when at last the anchor was up, and the yawl ran with a favoring wind down the stream. But there was a brilliant moon, and the light of it was enough to show the way clearly. We were still among the mountains, but evidently rapidly escaping from them, for. the ranges within sight grew constantly smaller. Indeed, we had been moving for little more than an hour when we left the last foot-hill behind and were in a plain where the river, joined by another, widened astonishingly. An hour later a soft sound reached our ears, and I knew that we were draw- ing near the open sea. However, before we arrived I had fallen into a troubled sleep. { do not know how long I slept. When I awoke, the weather had thick- ened and an increasing wind came out of the northeast. I knew now we were at sea, for the force of the waves gave the small boat a most unpleasant moetian. I was unable to sleep again and remained a prey to the gloomiest reflections. Soon the sea ran dangerously high, and, I confess, a feeling of alarm pos- sessed me, as the storm constantly showed new strength. “IT shonld think he’d run for harbor somewhere,” Billy remarked dolefully. ‘“He may not know of one anywhere near, though we can’t be far from the coast,” was my answer. “Well, perhaps drowning is better than slavery,” Billy returned philosoph- ically; and with that we fell into silence. So we remained with bound hands, in horrible inactivity, while the little craft tossed and struggled in the grip of the ocean. Sanchez had reefed the sail at José’s order, but the force of the favoring wind was such that the yaw! fairly flew over the waves. It seemed to me that the out- law would have been wiser to alter his course, for the waves broke over us con- stantly, but I could not yet bring myself to make any suggestion to this murderer of my uncle. Besides, I knew full well that he- COMIC AOC SS (E@)