'll libel her for damages."

Yet in the face of this threat the Ellen B. cast off her hawsers, spread
her sails, and stood up the lake bound Chicagoward through the Straits
with Blue Blazes still on board. Not a man-jack of the crew would
venture into the fore-hold, where Blue Blazes was still harnessed to the
capstan bars.

When he had been without water or grain for some twelve hours the wrath
in him, which had for days been growing more intense, boiled over.
Having voiced his rage in raucous squeals, he took to chewing the
bridle-strap and to kicking the whiffle-tree. The deck watch gazed down
at him in awe. The watch below, separated from him only by a thin
partition, expressed profane disapproval of shipping such a passenger.

There was no sleep on the Ellen B. that night. About four in the morning
the continued effort of Blue Blazes met with reward. The halter-strap
parted, and the stout oak whiffle-tree was splintered into many pieces.
For some minutes Blue Blazes explored the hold until he found the
gang-plank leading upward.

His appearance on the deck of the Ellen B. caused something like a
panic. The man at the wheel abandoned his post, and as he started for
the cross-trees let loose a yell which brought up all hands. Blue Blazes
charged them with open mouth. Not a man hesitated to jump for the
rigging. The schooner's head came up into the wind, the jib-sheet blocks
rattled idly and the booms swung lazily across the deck, just grazing
the ears of Blue Blazes.

How long the roan might have held the deck had not his thirst been
greater than his hate cannot be told. Water was what he needed most, for
his throat seemed burning, and just overside was an immensity of water.
So he leaped. Probably the crew of the Ellen B. believe to this day that
they escaped by a miracle from a devil-possessed horse who, finding them
beyond his reach, committed suicide.

But Blue Blazes had no thought of self-destruction. After swallowing as
much lake water as was good for him he struck out boldly for the shore,
which was not more than half a mile distant, swimming easily in the
slight swell. Gaining the log-strewn beach, he found himself at the
edge of one of those ghostly, fire-blasted tamarack forests which cover
great sections of the upper end of Michigan's southern peninsula. At
last he had escaped from the hateful bondage of man. Contentedly he fell
to cropping the coarse beach-grass which grew at the forest's edge.