FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72  
73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>   >|  
the steam whistle was swamped instantly in the roar of a blasting volley. Not many of the shots hit--for the African is not a marksman--but the right effect was gained. The blacks in the canoe ducked and flinched; they were for the moment quite demoralized; and before they could man their paddles again, the stern-wheeler's stem had crushed into their vessel, had cut a great gash from one side, had rolled it over, and then mounted the wreck, and drove down stream across the top of it. A few more angry shots snapped out at the black bodies swimming in the yellow water. "Hold up, there," Kettle ordered, "and let them swim if they can, and chance the crocodiles. They've got their gruel. Load up now, and get ready for the next." He turned the launch again, and stood across the stream down the strung-out line of canoes, occasionally making feints at them, but ramming no more for the present. They all fired at him as he passed them; indeed, a wild, scattered fire was general from all the fleet; but his log armor protected him from this, and he steamed grimly on, without returning a shot. At the furthermost end of the line he turned sharply again, and ran down the last canoe, just as he had run down the other; and then he deliberately started to drive the whole fleet together into one solid flock. He had the speed of them, and with rifle fire they could not damage him, but for all that it was not easy work. They expected the worst, and made desperate efforts to scatter and escape; finally, he drove them altogether in one hopeless huddle--cowed, scared, and tired out; and then he brought the stern-wheeler to a sudden stop just above them, and made Clay shout out terms in the native tongue. They were to throw all their weapons overboard into the river. They did it without question. They were to throw their paddles overboard. They did that also. They were to tie all their canoes together into one big raft. They obeyed him there, too, with frenzied quickness. He took the raft in tow and steamed off down river to the headquarters Free State post of the Upper River. He was feeling almost complacent at the time. He had shown Commandant Balliot what he was pleased to term a quick way with rebels. But Commandant Balliot, whose life had been saved, and army disarmed and brought back from rebellion in spite of himself, was not the man to let any vague feeling of gratitude overweigh his own deep sense of injury. He was in
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72  
73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Commandant
 

turned

 

feeling

 

overboard

 

brought

 

canoes

 
stream
 
Balliot
 
steamed
 

paddles


wheeler

 

scatter

 

desperate

 
started
 

native

 

damage

 

hopeless

 

altogether

 

expected

 

finally


huddle

 

sudden

 

scared

 

escape

 
efforts
 

disarmed

 

rebels

 

rebellion

 
injury
 

overweigh


gratitude

 

pleased

 
frenzied
 

quickness

 
obeyed
 

weapons

 

question

 

deliberately

 
complacent
 

headquarters


tongue
 
scattered
 

rolled

 

mounted

 

crushed

 

vessel

 
yellow
 

Kettle

 

swimming

 

bodies