Argosy, Vol. 1 (December 9, 1882) — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

68 THE ARGOGSY, said Crenshawe. “It can’t be counted against anybody if he has put up a fight against the people who live here.” “ Well, that’s about what it was,” the boatswain responded. “ The black rufhan came down to us and wasn’t for letting us land at all. It was so darned evident that he meant no good to us, that while I was trying to parley with him a couple of the boys crept up behind, threw him down and pretty nigh choked the life out of him. We left him where we found him, tied hand and foot.” “T wish you had gagged him,” said Crenshawe, “for his cries may arouse the other guards. But no matter. Bos’n, if we are to get away from this place alive we have got to make a fight for it now. I know you'll join us. I - guess we have got revolvers enough to allow each man a weapon. Here you, Tony and Edwardes, divvy up the guns.” Without stopping for any further explanation, Crenshawe saw that weapons were distributed to the sailors, and then started off again on the run towards the harbor. They had made but a little distance when again there was a halt on account of sighting an approaching party. Crenshawe withdrew his men into a grove and waited until the party had passed. It was too dark to distinguish them, further than to be certain that they were white men. There were four of them together. Supposing that they were a part of the crew of the Don’s vessel, and rejoicing that they had so many the less to contend with, the fugitives hastened on. It was fully half an hour before they arrived at the summit Of a low hill and saw the harbor at its base. In the darkness, Crenshawe could barely make out the outlines of a storehouse built upon a pier that extended possibly two hundred feet into the bay. A single light beside it he judged correctly to be a lantern hung in the shrouds of the vessel. From that time, the fugitives advanced cautiously. They could neither see nor hear anybody stirring about the pier, but when they arrived within a short distance of it, they heard a low hissing, which Crenshawe promptly recognized as steam escaping from an engine. “Has the Don a steam engine here?” he whispered to Edwardes. The Englishman shook his head. ‘‘ Then,” said Crenshawe, “ there are two boats here, and one of them is a steamer. That’s the one we want to capture.” ‘The steamer seems to be lying clear out at the end of the pier, Mr. Cren- shawe,” said the boatswain. Crenshawe nodded, and after considering the situation for a moment, left his men where they were and went ahead to reconnoiter. He found that the storehouse on the pier covered its entire breadth, with the exception of a narrow passage along the stringpiece on either side. He went cautiously along this passage on the side opposite to where the sailing vessel lay, until, when he was near the end, he could see the prow of the steamer. Apparently it was little more than a tug. While he was wondering whether he dared go further, a light appeared upon the steamer. It was a tiny flame, and all it revealed was the face of a man who held it while he applied it to a cigarette. There was just the sugges- ECOMmicooolkKks CO