The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

THE MUTINY ON THE FLYING CLOUD. 565 has been commited, and I want to separate myself from the murderers. If I could I would have prevented the mutiny in the first place ; but I never knew that anything serious was intended ~ ‘“Well, never mind about that just now,’’ interrupted Ned; ‘‘ the present question is this. If I happened to have formed a plan of escape— a plan, we will say, involving a considerable amount of risk and a great deal of hard work, would you be willing to join me in it?’’ ‘‘“Would I? Only try me, Mr. Wilson—try me, sir! Why, there is no risk, no labor, I would not willingly face for a good chance to escape from that pack of yelling savages over yonder. Why, what are they doing now, sir? Blest if it doesn’t look as though they had been and set fire to the hut, sir !”’ Ned ran‘into the saloon-and brought the glass on deck. ‘‘They have !’’ he exclaimed, looking through the instrument at a bright blaze which was leaping up among the trees on shore. ‘‘ Well, never mind,’’ he continued ; ‘‘it does not matter, for I intend attempting an escape from them tonight—now, at once—and glad enough shall I be to have your assistance. I intend nothing less than to run off with the ship ; so——’’ “To run off with the ship?’ echoed Price. ‘‘Oh, Mr. Wilson, we can never do that, sir ae ‘‘T shall try, at all events,’’ interrupted Ned. ‘‘So while I slip out and cast loose the: jib, do you go below to the boatswain’s locker and bring me a cold chisel and a good heavy hammer, and we’ll cut the cable.’’ - Without further parley, Price did as he was bidden, and very soon he and Ned were ‘busy knocking out the pin from the shackle in the cable which happened to be nearest the hawse pipe. The job occupied them fully a quar- ter of an hour, for the pipe was rusted in; but at length out it came, and in another minute away went the end of the cable out through the hawse pipe and into the water with a loud rattle and a splash. ‘So far, so good,’’ said Ned. ‘‘ Now, Price, I want you to take the glass and keep a sharp watch upon the shore. ‘The ship is now adrift, and driving slowly stern foremost toward the outer basin. So long as we see no sign of alarm from the people on shore, I shall let her drift ; that will increase our chances of a good start. But the moment you see any indication of an attempt to launch a boat, give me the word; and we must then get the jib on the ship and put her head round. ‘There is a fine breeze blowing, and if we can only get outside the heads without being overtaken, I have no fears whatever.”’ So saying, Ned ran aft and placed himself at the wheel, which he manip- ulated in such a way as to keep the ship head to the wind with her bows pointing toward the shore, thus keeping up the appearance that she was still riding to her anchor. Price meanwhile posted himself on the forecastle, and ‘kept the telescope leveled at the shore. For some time all went well. The ship, under the influence of the fresh breeze, which affected her with increasing power as she lengthened her dis- tance from the land, drove steadily astern, and still no warning word came from Price. COMmiclooOoks.€O