RECREA TION. 



363 



switched the light back into their faces 

 to give them something to look at. 



It was now a race in dead earnest ; 

 each boat doing her level best. I could 

 see a shower of sparks shooting high 

 in the air from the smoke-stack of 

 the Undine, while from ours leaped 

 bright blue flames. I could fed the 

 deck tremble under my feet, and knew 

 that Lou was crowding her to her ut- 

 most speed. I began wondering what 

 would happen when we reached the 

 camp. Of course I would have time to 

 put the net ashore before Johnson could 

 overtake us; still I knew he would land 

 there, create, a disturbance, and proba- 

 bly compel us to go back to town with 

 him, " to prove our innocence before 

 the Judge," as he would express ir. So 

 I tried to think of some plan to outwit 

 him. Suddenly one flashed across my 

 mind. On second thought, however, it 

 seemed impossible, yet it was the only 

 way out, and I resolved to try it. 



The camp was now in sight. I could 

 see the lights on the dock. 



" Keep her hot, old man, we will not 

 land yet!" I shouted down the tube. 

 And we rushed by, taking no notice of 

 the camp or of its fair occupants. And 

 now came the next reefs — or reef — 

 for it was really a stony bar stretching 

 from bank to bank with only one break 

 where the channel had been cut through. 

 This was scarcely wider than the boat, 

 and as there were no buoys to mark 

 it, it was something of a trick to find 

 it and run through it in the dark. Yet 

 I knew its exact locality and had made 

 my way through it many times in the 

 dark, although never at such lightning 

 speed. I had regained some of my nerve 

 by this time, and was willing to take the 

 chances. 



I swung the light forward again until 

 I found the landmark, the old white 

 sycamore on the bend beyond. I soon 

 had the jack-staff "dead on it," and 

 she was u walking a crack." I could 

 feel her draw down as we ran through 

 the narrow channel, but we did not 

 strike. When we were fairly in the cut, 

 I switched the light back into the faces 

 of our pursuers again. 



" Find the sycamore if you can," I 

 observed mentally. At the same in- 

 stant the throbbing of the Undine's 

 exhaust ceased, while a white cloud of 

 steam arose from her valve. They had 



slackened their speed before running 

 through. We now darted ahead into 

 deep water, leaving them to grope their 

 way as best they could, and giving us a 

 chance to gain an eighth of a mile. 



From this point up the water is deep 

 for nearly 10 miles. Then come the long 

 reefs, which are nearly three miles in 

 length, with no channel. As they are 

 almost unnavigable, it is only with the 

 utmost care and perseverance that a 

 pilot can pick his way through by 

 by day-]ight, and no sane person would 

 try to make it by night. The knowl- 

 edge of this kept our pursuers in the 

 race, for they knew they could over- 

 haul us there, if not before. The river 

 was very crooked now, but the water 

 was good and I cut the corners as close 

 as possible. We had now gained a 

 quarter of a mile, and in a few moments 

 more were half a mile ahead. I wanted 

 a lead of about a mile and then I would 

 show them a trick. This we soon had, 

 and they were lost to view behind the 

 bends. 



I now lashed the wheel and ran down 

 to the locker, from which I procured a 

 lantern with a green globe. This I 

 lighted and carried back to the wheel- 

 house. 



"Reduce your pressure to 80 lbs.," I 

 shouted to Lou. " I will explain later," 

 I added; for I knew that this order 

 must have made him wonder, some- 

 what. He asked no questions, how- 

 ever, but opened the fire door, threw on 

 fresh coal, shut the damper and started 

 the injector, while the hand of the indi- 

 cator began to fall back slowly. I now 

 headed the boat for an over-hanging 

 tree, which leaned out over the water 

 from the point beyond. We then slowed 

 up and stopped under the tree, so that 

 I could easily reach the branches from 

 the deck. It took but a moment to tie 

 the green light to the branch. We then 

 backed out and ran over to the other 

 shore, which was well shadowed by 

 heavy timber. I now headed her down 

 stream, running her at half speed. 



We soon reached the mouth of a creek 

 and ran her in until she grounded in the 

 soft mud. Then I ran back along the 

 deck and hastily extinguished her side 

 lights, and diving down the companion 

 way put out the cabin lights, while Lou 

 closed and tightened all the valves, so 

 that there would be no noise of escap- 



