ORTO BE 0 OLD ARTHUR D SMITH by a HOWDEN SMITH mun n if i a hh ih and adir li ii aia ii a and nd kiel alfrod 1 lit tit I 1 tie ne term lili his ebe were ere upon lie the abrim hint must rou hp he soar he said bit terly he ile if Is t aking in sail 11 me ahat a fit end DI to a lucklum Inck lesii day I 1 lo 10 the halow of my hand and now aye ayn kulil bould ou lil he be all nan nays fitting did be escape whilst we A marling moan woon LS of gmt great winds tortured ind confused confuted came to ue us arar a 14 he belly of the storm the sky dark marketed eted A gust of at air sulphurous and warm ruffled my hair the moan became a howl a clamor my great uncle matched snatched the clapp clasp knife from thi belt of the helmsman a splay splayfooted footed easterling hose base flat oat cap gap toothed face had remained remal ned impassive during all the excited n since martins warning about bad announced the sto ras ap approach give me that rope robert he be ex claimed 1 I am a fool to staid talk ing here peter he flung the dutchman i a length of it bind dind mistress moira to the and belt best knot her to yourself your self as well shell not be able to stand alone aid me with this fellow here robert we must tie him to the wheel one of the clouds in advance of the storm curtain reached out over us with a crackle of lightning bolt bolts and spatter of rain and our fingers flew as we secured first the helmsman and then ourselves the voice of the tempest was become a it sullee buei animal roar riven at intervals by the crash of the thunder and the immense cur tain fain of its front overhung the james impenetrably sooty at the base bm opaquely purple as its it toppled forward the walrus was a specter ship to leeward and disappear ea la in the gloom as I 1 watched oh holy Mo mother therl gasped moira twill be the end of all things and so it seemed the walrus was pone gone the northern coast of 0 the island dimmed and veil lied lied VOT an instant the pak rak of foremast hill hung in the upper then that too was blotted out ont the purple twilight deepened nain rain sheeted down from clouds scarce higher than our mast header A lurid gare of lightning flickered and avd was quenched in 0 the sea sel and the wind smote us with a mad howl of exultation sucking up into its cm em brace everything that was wits nol not fastened to thu deck the james shuddered r the MOT bearing down by the head bead and heeling to st starboard my uy great gnat uncle and I 1 were pusi d forward on our faces the hensman he nsnan was doubled over tae th e wheel peter bent to cover moira crouching aloe aloie her on bands hands and knees Pre the ship righted herself but as abs shi spared neared in even keel there was a prolonged ed erv as ack I 1 fit of breaking wood and the wounded mizzenmast went by the board crushing a score of men in its fall tall and bru as many more through the hole it stove in to the starboard bulwarks bulwa A wall of agony pierced thinly the fakult of the storm and the james vas jarred from end to end as the bl spar with all its litter of yards and top hamper bamper lunged at the hull like a trip hammer its dead weight dragging us as broadside on into the path of the waves which followed the winds wind a first irresistible rush steer stee walls of water dropped en on us from as high as the mainyard roal nyard thudding hollow on poop and fica fo casle gle giant combers crowded so fast that we choked beneath their deluge chri th waist was a lather of creamy seas that wrenched and nd hatte battered et tit and bulwarks bulwa murray staggered to bis his feet and set lils his lips to my ear eat must mast cut fret tre mitten breach hull so go aub I 1 understood and assisted him to the rope which hound bound us to th peter saw what we acre were up tip lo 10 0 o and 1 I ilire lir elf self taking care in his deliberate fashion to strengthen M liras lashings then trie three of us fought 3 our way down into atell ft ell reek of the waist where email boliba and wate butts botts and dead men tied fore and aft in a torrent of pounding seas there were aies in the box from ab I 1 bad vrr cured the rop top and we equipped ourselves with them then waded thigh deco through the augle of water and wi wreckage skage and attained attai ked he the maze of stava and ringing that united the dangling mizzenmast to th ship not a man helped us there was not a living man la A sight bight aft of the mainmast and it woo as to much ae 98 a it nans life was worth to try to work aft of that v int for on the one side there was I 1 A wide beack in the bulwarks through the waves poured and Op opposite osite was the th gap cap tb the mal bad iro shed whoever v A crossed the deck there niu must st h have been carried overboard one way or the oil er where we were we had bad some light slight belter shelter from the poop but twos sum clentry hazardous la in all conscience I 1 can call see mj my great incle still la in bis his binsfe silk ilk coat and sill 11 II with the salt water ater ae as he labored wibb the energy of a maa of bait half hie his age aleays swift to perc perceive elve the strategic cinter of the tangle always first to wade into the ti t icky web of cordage here a D meant a plunge twice teter rescued him tram rem certain death and once the dutchman saved me when a mountainous mountain out tea sea curled down upon ui us over the james bulwarks and wai was like to bare have carried me oc ov in its passing and it was peter r whose brute strength trent lh and cool coal made the most of my great reat uncles agility of wit and hewed and hacked th the mizzenmast mizzen maat from ita its moorings agaj and dove tou too oon soon for when we clambered bk k on the poop moira met ui us with hanin clasped in terror and pointed to leeward eeward where a rocity bt headland adland loomed thron throna A the ray tray rain murray cave gave it one look and leaped for the wheel the Easl easterling erling 4 tit m murray urray gave it one look and leaped I 1 for the wheel wea was bent over in the odd huddled posture be he bad had assumed from the moment the storm atom bit us and he ho lolled sidewise as my great trea uncle grasped his shoulder his body all askew from the email small of his back fit ie made no response and slipped lower in the colls coils of rope that band him to bis his post bla his gnarled fangen slid off the spokes bis his feet went eat out from under him his ills back Is broken shouted my treat great uncle the james had begun to gather headway but as the wheel was released from the dead beamant ans grip her head bead fell off and the dropped sluggishly into tb thi trough of the seas which surged over the be shattered alst and one arrn bill hill of water inert squarely on the poop uv lo 10 the deck peter recovered bb bit too footit tit before el ler 11 hurray urray or L I 1 the Easter liniN body aside and gripped the wheel in his awn hands slowly the buoyancy all out of her the hoyal royal james swung around in response to the ludders udders ud ders thrust and lumbered laed off before the wind the headland moira bad had sighted faded into the mist but my great uncle shook his head bead sadly we are tire making water he shouted to me and the island Is to leeward we can scarce werther tt and if we do A faint ball hill reached us from the land 11 and it 11 rent la in the storm clouds I 1 showed a second and lower be idland fair over our larboard bow peter started to put the helm down to enable us to bear off as much as postil possible ble and jave cave whatever chance there was wa of Ll earlar it but murray caught bis his ann arm no no peter cried my great uncle head lead api upi up I 1 lb ad up tie the orah rth inlet I 1 if it we can pass in to of that spit we are safe ja squeaked peter pater and his iron f mu muscles acles forced the rudder ory until it neutralized the drive of the wind and sea and foot by foot toe tae royal j james made her passed the east pit spit with halt half a cables cabo length to tre re and opened a narrow bottle bottlo gaped roadstead with tree clad claa shores that offered protection froni from any that blew the rain told was su 1 l pelting dawn the arf surf was foaming on the outer bj aches the oe V wind ind ghiaia afiz in 19 t the he tr 1 nut but to ni us anat prospect was the fairest ever eta coira lank sank to her knees lo 10 prayer beside the dead iduate 11 ITY viat ailt 1 lo 10 to U W t rill tall and bade bode th sun ivors el tar A crew get auni suni clent 11 sill II on an the sh galvo 0 o to glie us u steerageway and 11 II tried to peter lie ile blinked at me solemnly I 1 lini gott spoke out cloudt to der total today cobl he jar JAI CHAPTER XIV Di disaster satter cr another les le elt self assured than A ar drew murray mutt barr ken die by the tile cries series of misfortunes 1 which had beset him we were safe but DO to more the pa 1 l james was wat taking in water eo in rapidly ana noce nece ary sary to beach ber her on the mud flats at the south end nil of the inlet iniel she leaked ilat alk aleve where the 00 mitten mast most had thump ber her aide side ana her tipper works were in splinters la in the tight with the wilm walrus and the ho atom we bad had lost elgh odil told men but more serious than then this were hie the deaths of the two mate mattl martin martins body was folina near the tamp stump of the rul roleen tren he be had been truck struck down dawn by the mast most be eo so distrusted nothing was ever teen seen of saunders and we could only suppose that be had ben wept over mr board the crew were apathetic and treben inclined to be mutinous and resentful of my authority for the dist 0 st time they had reason to que tion his omnipotence and it required a fall full display of bla his ruthless ruth leaa temper to reduce them to subjection a an a ae to which he waa was aided considerably by and I 1 an am free to admit by peter and sail me who could not afford to risk the brutal il cense which would certainly follow al successful revolt of the jundel ve polyglot horde the tte former ily abare was a redoubtable ally with the nine tailed cat and a bruiser whose who flita were ai as deadly sure aa its the lose elgh eighteens teens be bandied ao so deftly the rain and wind efird with the approach li pp roach of darkness and my rt great U uncle had bad the men mustered under this th poop many of thea thein still blet dInC from the they thoy had bad re calved 11 and of all bla eata I 1 deem that the moat most remark remarkable ablo to face practically unal unaided ded upward of a it hundred and acty men who had jut just been curbed la in the act of vf mutiny without even sufficient light to enable him to exploit tho compelling compel linc gleam of bla tawny eye eyes he beat then them down and held them down by sheer power il it will and utter earles ness you stand upon the deck of ota a t wrested he said bleakly der get hatches 11 lits treasure to make every one of apu comfortable for life to buy you or place or fortune whichever yoa you prefer one man can lead yoa you to repair the hip ill and conduct you wre where the trean aeao ure are will be of use to boti I 1 1 I am tact man without me yon you are ate doomed to sherid your dy chas in ina the loata coats on those hills and if it there la to any repetition of the disorder exhibited today I 1 shall maroon all ot of yoa you save a nu ncr er required to handle the ship get to wort work before yon you I 1 expect the maln deck to be cleared aad staging rigged oTers de for 1 ing and calking he drove them until then fent sent them to their in the morning a 2 systematic plan of occupation arranged arr acted by con deans advice a handful of the more amenable of the crew mostly neg roea portuguese pese italians and frenchmen of the south were organized as aa an and the remainder rem kindAr were divided into squads beaded by men selected for skill at some special trade one quad squad were to overhill over hinl the sails and cut and sew from spare canvas a suit tor for the new mizzen mitten which a second senad were to hew on I 1 the slopes of glass mountain and transport to the ship A third quad were to repair all 11 exterior damage to the hull a st fourth here re to the started bearns seama a fifth were to att attend erid to whatever interial Int inu ml Urial repair were necessary compeau coupeau w aeed in charge of the work aboard ship and the rest of us carried caled colonel ODon 0 donnells nella body to the top of a small bill east of the head bead of the inlet there in ahe e midst of a grove of pines we la lit d bin biro to rest a noble situation foa fo a wanderer who sho bad never reached bis his coal foal with ith the boughs ind the distant thunder of the surf to sound a requiem antu the end of time and a view 0 mer er a green meadow meadows and derf woodlands 0 o the white ol 01 tile ie beach and the blue tea am in the tile SUL yesterday teemed years past I 1 blinked my eyes looking from ue me peaceful garb of nature to oraa albra body huddled in u beame the mound of raw earth amongst bo the abe v dies on the edge of the grove the 4 who vibo had bad dug the grave grove were ere playing a gambling pame game with the t pine cones peter lea leaned nedon on a musket muskets ravely gravely compassionate my great uncle his cye eyes puckered in thought was staring out to sea As I 1 watched he twitched ay my coat sleeve and drew me to one side 1 I shall leave you to amuse yourself as you choose for the remainder of the day he be said IM for you and mad peter to safeguard the maid I 1 must ascertain if possible what bath become of flint aad and theal I 1 asked his ills eyebrows arched la surprise why then borcert Bof cert we V shall continue ag a we vie have done hith bith eha trl you must this MIS huew schemer be he was as patient whan 14 11 1 I tera were a tracena c on an aft bw 4 51