Part 24 (1/2)

”Is Hope with you, is she safe?” he asked

”Yes, she is withexclaimed, breathlessly ”Then ill start at once, Madame Where is she? She erly, ”she will be et back to father,” she said ”The yacht will not arrive until late to-e can takeaboutback as I caed

”On the contrary, it is perfectly safe now,” Hope answered ”It was not one of us they wanted”

”Yousaid ”They don't knohat has happened to you, and perhaps after all it would be better if you went back the quicker way” He gave his arm to Madame Alvarez and walked with her toward the shore As the lanced back at Hope and saw her standing upright in the carriage looking after them

”We will be with you in aher for even that brief space And then the shadow of the trees shut her and the carriage froht His footstepsof the palms and the sleepy wash of the waves as they ran up the pebbly beach and sank again, the place was as peaceful and silent as a deserted island, though the -boat had been drawn up with her stern to the shore, and thefor the order to shove off, and others seated balancing their oars

King had arranged to fire a rocket when the launch left the shore, in order that the captain of the yacht ht run in closer to pick them up As he hurried down the beach, he called to his boatswain to give the signal, and the ht ahad jumped into the stern and lifted Mada with uncovered heads on the beach behind her, when the rocket shot up into the calm white air, with a roar and a rush and a sudden flash of color At the sae, the woods back of theular line of flame, a volley of rifle shots shattered the silence, and a score of bullets splashed in the water and on the rocks about the-boat tossed up his arms and pitched forward between the thwarts

”Give way,” he shouted as he fell

”Pull,” Clay yelled, ”pull, all of you”

He threw hiham and MacWilliaainst it and their bodies half sunk in the water, shoved it off, free of the shore

The shots continued fiercely, and two of the crew cried out and fell back upon the oars of theto her feet and stood swaying unsteadily as the boat leaped forward

”Take me back Stop, I command you,” she cried, ”I will not leave those ged her down, but she struggled to free herself ”I will not leave them to be murdered,” she cried ”You cowards, put ht They're not firing at us”

His voice was drowned in the noise of the oars beating in the rowlocks, and the reports of the rifles The boat disappeared in a ht, and Clay turned and faced about hi behind a rock and firing at the flashes in the woods

”You can't stay there,” Clay cried ”Wefro as he ran He heard shots froboat had ceased rowing, and were returning the fire froht,” her brother called to him ”I haven't seen a shot within a hundred yards of her yet, they're firing from the Custom-house and below I think Mac's hit”

”I'm not,” MacWilliams's voice answered fro to shoot at”

A hot treht of a possibly fatal terroaned at thefound his life only to lose it nohen it was more precious to him than it had ever been, and to lose it in a silly braith sees He cursed himself impotently and rebelliously for a senseless fool

”Keep back, can't you?” he heard Langha the fire toward Hope She's got away by now She had both the horses”