The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 183: 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. 567 Then, and not until then, did he allow himself leisure to take a peep through the glass at what was going on astern. The sight which met his eyes was by no means reassuring, for he now saw that there were no less than ¢hvee boats in pursuit, the foremost of which—one of the gigs— was distinctly gaining upon him. . ‘Tf they have no firearms with them,’’ said Ned to Price, ‘‘I think we may perhaps be able to keep them from boarding, even in the event of their overtaking us; and,in any case, I think it will be advisable to have up on deck and load a few of those rifles from the arm chest, for having gone so far it will never do now for us to allow ourselves to be taken. Get the keys of the arm chest and magazine, Joe, and bring up a couple of dozen rifles and a few packets of cartridges.’’ The rifles were brought on deck and loadec carefully, half of them being stacked in the waist of the ship, whilst the other half, with a liberal supply of ammunition, were taken up on the after hotse. By the time that this was done the ship had reached the passage between the bluffs, and as soon as she was fairly through Ned kept away dead before the wind for the mouth of the ‘‘ Narrows,’’ as the contracted entrance chan- nel was called. The ship being under fore and aft canvas only, this alteration in her course was a disadvantage rather than otherwise, the staysails refusing to stand properly ; moreover, the high land was now once more close aboard of them on both quarters, rendering the wind light and shifty, in consequence of which the ship lost way perceptibly. The ship was: fully half way across the outer basin when the gig—the leading boat—-opened fire upon her. ‘The weapon fired was evidently a rifle, for though the boat was half a mile astern, Ned distinctly heard the whistle of the bullet overhead, showing not only that they were well within the range of the piece, but also that it had been skilfully and steadily aimed, a circumstance which led him to conjecture that Williams, probably the only perfectly sober man in the entire crew, must be in charge of the boat. The ship being thus proved to be within range, Ned now took the wheel himself, sending Sibyl below to the saloon, with instructions not to venture from thence out on deck until he should intimate to her that she could do so with safety. The sheets now had to be trimmed over, but the ship being found to steer herself, this was not a matter of very great difficulty, Ned leaving the helm to itself for the short time necessary to enable him and Price to perform the operation. When he returned to his post he was greatly concerned to dis- cover that the gig was less than a quarter of a mile astern, and coming up rapidly, though, from the uusteady way in which the oars were being handled, it was evident that the crew were pretty nearly exhausted with their long pull. | The fugitives were now fairly within the Narrows, and in their narrowest part, moreover ; the shore being within a quarter of a mile of them on either hand. This of itself would have been a matter of no consequence, however, had the configuration of the land been different ; but, unfortunately, the COmiclboOoks:€@