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30 - Prisoner of Morro by Upton Sinclair · Prisoner of Morro

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  Speaker 1: Thirty the battle in the brush. Was it a foolhardy venture?
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  Speaker 1: He thought, as with steady stroke he forged a head
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  Speaker 1: away from the flagship and towards the shore he had
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  Speaker 1: so recently left amid the clatter of hostile bullets. The
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  Speaker 1: enemy now must be on the alert, and he might
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  Speaker 1: be detected and captured the instant his boat touched shore,
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  Speaker 1: and he was not blind to the dangers that might
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  Speaker 1: confront him on land. I'm in for it now, at
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  Speaker 1: any rate, he thought, And I've got to succeed. This
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  Speaker 1: mystery must be solved, and I believe the result will
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  Speaker 1: show that it is worth all the risk. Darkness favored him,
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  Speaker 1: and besides, he was alone, and for that very reason
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  Speaker 1: could move around with less risk of discovery. Once he
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  Speaker 1: reached land, he knew exactly where he had dropped the shell,
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  Speaker 1: and it would not take long to get it. It
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  Speaker 1: was therefore with confidence that he urged the boat forward.
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  Speaker 1: It was a long pull for the flagship lay well
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  Speaker 1: out to see, but Cliff did not seem to feel
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  Speaker 1: the strain. He drew near the shore without detecting any
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  Speaker 1: hostile movement or hearing any sound that would lead him
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  Speaker 1: to think that the enemy were on the lookout. He
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  Speaker 1: decided that it would be prudent not to land at
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  Speaker 1: the same spot as previously. He therefore steered for a
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  Speaker 1: clump of trees a little farther down the coast, and
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  Speaker 1: still not a great distance from the hill where the
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  Speaker 1: shell lay. Not a sound from the enemy reached his
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  Speaker 1: ears as his boat grated upon the sandy beach, and
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  Speaker 1: he sprang out to secure the painter to a bush. Then,
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  Speaker 1: feeling that his revolver was ready and handy for business,
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  Speaker 1: he cautiously began to steal his way through the shrubbery
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  Speaker 1: that fringed the shore. These screened his advance, and soon
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  Speaker 1: he was ascending the steep bank in the direction of
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  Speaker 1: the previous encounter. He was getting further away from his
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  Speaker 1: boat and nearer and nearer to his destination. All serene
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  Speaker 1: so far, he muttered, as he advanced steadily without any adventure.
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  Speaker 1: The Spaniards must have gone. But suddenly, as he was
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  Speaker 1: about to step from the concealment of the trees into
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  Speaker 1: a slight clearing that lay in his path, he heard
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  Speaker 1: a sound that caused him to dodge back Quickly. Looking out,
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  Speaker 1: he saw a figure close at hand and slowly approaching
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  Speaker 1: a step further, and Cliff would have brought himself directly
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  Speaker 1: within the other's view. It was not Cliff's purpose to
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  Speaker 1: invite an encounter. Although he grasped his revolver in readiness
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  Speaker 1: for an emergency, he desired rather to avoid it and
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  Speaker 1: to quietly make his way to the spot where the
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  Speaker 1: shell lay. That once secured, he felt that he could
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  Speaker 1: in the same way return to his boat and to
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  Speaker 1: the flagship. He therefore silently waited in his place of
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  Speaker 1: concealment to see what the enemy would do. The latter
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  Speaker 1: evidently had not heard Cliff's movements, and continued slowly to advance,
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  Speaker 1: stooping occasionally and peering from side to side. I think
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  Speaker 1: I know what you're after, muttered Cliff below his breath.
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  Speaker 1: But you won't findin it here, nor me either, he added,
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  Speaker 1: as he began to edge away from the position he held.
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  Speaker 1: As he did so, the other turned and slowly continued
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  Speaker 1: his course in the opposite direction. The coast was again clear,
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  Speaker 1: and Cliff lost no time in putting what distance he
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  Speaker 1: could between himself and the unwelcome visitor. His course, too,
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  Speaker 1: led him toward the mound of earth, behind which lay
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  Speaker 1: the object of his coming. When he reached the spot
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  Speaker 1: where he had met the Cuban courier, he found it deserted.
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  Speaker 1: The Spaniards, after the escape of Cliff and his men,
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  Speaker 1: had evidently withdrawn With a light heart. He sprang toward
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  Speaker 1: the rampart of earth and began to ascend its side.
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  Speaker 1: In one minute. It is mine, he thought, exultingly, and
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  Speaker 1: then back to the flagship and the test. But a
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  Speaker 1: surprise was in sore for him. As he bolted over
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  Speaker 1: the top of the mound on to the other side.
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  Speaker 1: He landed almost into the arms of a man who
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  Speaker 1: was just ascending that side. The man was unmistakably a Spaniard,
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  Speaker 1: and from his hands there fell a round shell that
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  Speaker 1: rolled away across the ground. The encounter was startling to both,
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  Speaker 1: but Cliff was the first to recover his wits. His
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  Speaker 1: quick eye detected the fallen shell, and he divined the
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  Speaker 1: fellow's purpose. Before the other could recover from his evident fright,
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  Speaker 1: Cliff sprang upon him. So you have found it, he muttered,
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  Speaker 1: as he closed in upon the Spaniard. But findings not keepings.
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  Speaker 1: This time. Cliff's attack brought the Spaniard quickly to his senses,
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  Speaker 1: and he was not slow to defend himself. In a flash,
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  Speaker 1: he drew his revolver, but Cliff was too quick for him.
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  Speaker 1: The latter knocked the weapon from the fellow's grasp before
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  Speaker 1: he had a chance to fire him. Cliff's own weapon
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  Speaker 1: was within easy reach, but for several reasons, he did
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  Speaker 1: not care to use it. He wanted, among other things,
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  Speaker 1: to avoid a pistol shot, which might attract others to
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  Speaker 1: the spot. The contest must be one of muscle against muscle,
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  Speaker 1: and to unusual strength, Cliff added a surprising agility that
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  Speaker 1: came in good stead in such a struggle. They grappled,
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  Speaker 1: and there, in that enclosure formed by the mounds of
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  Speaker 1: earth on several sides, the two began the furious hand
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  Speaker 1: to hand battle, the result of which long hung in doubt.
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  Speaker 1: The Spaniard was no mean opponent, and fought with enraged fury.
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  Speaker 1: Cliff's asound the exertions during the past hours had been
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  Speaker 1: enough to exhaust the strongest and sturdiest, and he was
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  Speaker 1: compelled to acknowledge to himself as the battle progressed, that
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  Speaker 1: it had made inroads upon his strength. Back and forth
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  Speaker 1: across the little enclosure. The pair fought fiercely. Once Cliff
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  Speaker 1: slipped and fell beneath his opponent, but an instant after
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  Speaker 1: he was upon his feet, his keen eye followed his
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  Speaker 1: antagonist's every move. He was watching for a chance to
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  Speaker 1: deliver one blow that would settle the combat. Several times
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  Speaker 1: he had landed upon the Spaniard's head and face, inflicting
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  Speaker 1: severe punishment, but not enough. At last, the moment came.
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  Speaker 1: The opening presented itself in the Spaniard's guard, and with
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  Speaker 1: all the strength that was in him, Cliff shout out
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  Speaker 1: his right hand. It went home with a force that
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  Speaker 1: seemed to lift the fellow high into the air. His
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  Speaker 1: fist met the Spaniard's chin, and the latter fell backward
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  Speaker 1: to the ground. It was a clean knockout. Breathing heavily,
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  Speaker 1: the fellow lay where he had fallen, unconscious of his surroundings.
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  Speaker 1: Cliff was panting from the exertion. He had received some punishment,
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  Speaker 1: and the wound in his arm was throbbing fiercely, But
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  Speaker 1: he paused only enough to see that the fellow would
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  Speaker 1: not give him further trouble, and then hurried toward the
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  Speaker 1: spot where the shell had rolled I guess that'll hold
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  Speaker 1: you for a while, he muttered, looking at his fallen
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  Speaker 1: foe as he started away. But he'll come out of
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  Speaker 1: it after a time. He had it gory how my
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  Speaker 1: arm aches all the way up to the elbow. It
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  Speaker 1: took but a moment for him to find the shell,
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  Speaker 1: for he had seen it roll from the other's hand.
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  Speaker 1: That's it, he exclaimed as he picked it up. I'd
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  Speaker 1: know it in a minute by his shape and weight,
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  Speaker 1: rather light for a cannon ball. But he did not
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  Speaker 1: wait to examine it there. There would be time enough
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  Speaker 1: for that. When he reached the flagship, with a parting
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  Speaker 1: look at his unconscious antagonist, he started away. I'm sorry,
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  Speaker 1: my dear sir, he exclaimed sarcastically, as he looked back
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  Speaker 1: on reaching the top of the rampart. You seemed so
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  Speaker 1: attached to this shell. I'd like to take you along
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  Speaker 1: with it, but as I can only take one at
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  Speaker 1: a time, I'll content myself with this. Then he turned
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  Speaker 1: his back upon the scene of his contest and started
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  Speaker 1: for his boat as expeditiously as due caution would allow.
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  Speaker 1: He met with no obstacle in the way and found
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  Speaker 1: the boat just as he had left it. He threw
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  Speaker 1: the shell in the stern, and with a feeling of exultation,
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  Speaker 1: sprang in after it and seized the oars. A few
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  Speaker 1: steady strokes and he was on the way toward the flagship.
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  Speaker 1: But there had been a change in those quiet waters
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  Speaker 1: while he was on the land. He had not gone
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  Speaker 1: many boat legs from shore before, for he discovered looming
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  Speaker 1: up before him a slowly moving steamer. It was apparently
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  Speaker 1: hugging the coast and proceeding with as little noise as possible,
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  Speaker 1: a boat trying to run the blockade, exclaimed Cliff, as
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  Speaker 1: he backed water and rested upon his oars. She'll succeed too,
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  Speaker 1: unless one of our ships should happen to discover her
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  Speaker 1: with its searchlight. And then his responsibility in view of
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  Speaker 1: the discovery he had made, flashed upon him. I must
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  Speaker 1: warn the flagship at once, he exclaimed, seizing the oars
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  Speaker 1: and sending the boat forward with a spurt. But after
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  Speaker 1: a couple of strokes he suddenly stopped again. What a
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  Speaker 1: fool I am, he exclaimed. By the time I can
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  Speaker 1: row out to the flagship, it will be too late.
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  Speaker 1: They must be warned instantly, and there is only one
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  Speaker 1: way of doing it. He reached for the signal rockets
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  Speaker 1: he had brought at the rear admiral's order should he
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  Speaker 1: fire them. Those on board the strange boat that was
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  Speaker 1: nearly abreast of him did not know that he was there.
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  Speaker 1: If he gave the signal, it would betray his presence
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  Speaker 1: and no doubt lead to an attack upon himself. In
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  Speaker 1: his open boat, Cliff looked far out to sea for
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  Speaker 1: a moment, half hoping to see the flash of the
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  Speaker 1: searchlight play upon the water and lead to the detection
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  Speaker 1: of the strange craft. But the delay was only momentary.
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  Speaker 1: It is my duty to warn the ships, he exclaimed,
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  Speaker 1: as he set up a rocket in the stern, and,
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  Speaker 1: drawing a match from his pocket, struck it upon the
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  Speaker 1: seat of the boat. Here goes a moment later, with
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  Speaker 1: a sharp whirr and a flash of light, the rocket
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  Speaker 1: shot up into the air. A second and third followed.
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  Speaker 1: Then Cliff sprang back upon his seat and seized the oars.
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  Speaker 1: The signal had been given. He had done his duty,
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  Speaker 1: at whatever risk there might be to his own safety.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter thirty. Recording by Tom Weiss Tom's Audio
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  Speaker 1: Books dot Com.