The Coast Volume 3-4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ...waves two at a time. Presently, with the aid of a powerful glass, we made out her name, "Giantess." At the same moment she seemed to entertain a distrust of us, for she bore to the southward. We signalled her to stop. "Who are you, and what do you want?" came the reply, without any diminution of speed. "This is the 'Black Death' from South Africa," we promptly replied, "and we want the gold you have on board for Barron Keath & Co. Stop and deliver or we will open fire " No reply was made to this, as the steamer kept on her way. "Give her one across the bow " I shouted, and the eager gunner sent a solid shot just ahead of her forecastle. A second shot skipped her upper deck, fore, and then she hove to. We drew closer, with our wooden guns bristling fore and aft. I took the flags. "Send us the gold, and send it at once, or we will open on you with our dynamite guns " This created a great commotion aboard the great steamer. Presently an officer on her bridge signalled: "For our passengers' sake we will deliver to you the gold, but--(pointing to the flag--the stars and stripes)--he continued, "the sleuth-hounds of this government will run you off the seas." And then a boat was lowered, and six men, carrying leather bags, entered it and rowed silently to the side of our vessel. We met them at the foot of our bridge, and, taking possession of the bags, commanded them to retire, which they did without uttering one word. As soon as they were again safely aboard the "Giantess" she steamed away to the eastward, with her "wireless" telegraphic kites afloat; and then we knew that the story of the hold-up in mid-ocean was being flashed back to America, ...