What seemed to be a breath of wind lifted a stray lock of
Carrington's hair, but his pistol answered Slosson in the same
second. He fired at the huddle of men in the bow of the boat and
one of them pitched forward with his arms outspread.
"Keep back, you!" he said, and dropped off the cabin roof.
His promptness had bred a momentary panic, then Slosson's
bull-like voice began to roar commands; but in that brief instant
of surprise and shock Carrington had found and withdrawn the
wooden peg that fastened the cabin door. He had scarcely done
this when Slosson came tramping aft supported by the three men.
Calling to Betty and Hannibal to escape in the skiff which was
towing astern the Kentuckian rushed toward the bow. At his back
he heard the door creak on its hinges as it was pushed open by
Betty and the boy, and again he called to them to escape by the
skiff. The fret of the current had grown steadily and from
beneath the wide-flung branches of the trees which here met above
his head, Carrington caught sight of the starspecked arch of the
heavens beyond. They were issuing from the bayou. He felt the
river snatch at the keel boat, the buffeting of some swift eddy,
and saw the blunt bow swing off to the south as they were plunged
into the black shore shadows.
But what he did not see was a big muscular hand which had thrust
itself out of the impenetrable gloom and clutched the side of the
keel boat. Coincident with this there arose a perfect babel of
voices, high-pitched and shrill.
Pages:
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394