| Show C A IP I T A g IA n Nf B D l 0 0 0 D. D Bj By Cop ht Rafael N N. E. E j by A. A Rafael ta Service Sabatini Inc tn b i f r Arr i Continued from last week Nevertheless it was to Cartagena that they sailed in the middle of March Volunteers and negroes had brought up the forces directly under M M. de to 1200 men With ith these he Ia e thought he could keep the buc- buc sneer leer eer contingent in order and submissive sub- sub missive Narrowly the they missed the Jamaica fleet with Colonel Bishop which sailed north for Tortuga two days after the Baron de lie southward passage CHAPTER CARTAGENA Having crossed the Carl Caribbean b an in the teeth of contrary winds it was not until the early days of April that the French Fench fleet hove In fn sight of Carta- Carta gena a. a and M. M de summoned a a. cOuncil aboard his flagship to determine detern deter- deter r mine n t ir i-ir method of ot assault It is of Importance messieurs he told bid them that we tak the cit city by surprise not only before It can put Itself itself itself it- it self into a state of defense but before j lit It can remove its treasures Inland 1 j propose to land a force sufficient to achieve this to the north of the city tonight tonight to- to i night plight after atter dark It was she sheer r obstinacy and empty I pride that drove him and ond he received the lesson he deserved The fleet stood in during the afternoon to with- with j I r in n a a. mile of the coast and under cover j of f darkness men were pulled away j I pr the shore in the canoes piraguas I fand and ships ships' boats pride compelled com com- corni j i him however much he may have disliked the venture to lead them in person I i The first six boats were caught inthe tn in I 1 the e surf and pounded Into fragments before their occupants could extricate themselves The thunder of the breakers breakers break break- ers ers and the cries of the shipwrecked I learned Warned arned those who followed and thereby there there- by saved them from sharing the same I fate The The baron went back to his flagship II I Ian an Infuriated but by no means a wiser man He was awakened at dawn by the rolling thunder of ot guns Emerging I upon the poop In nightcap and slippers slippers slip slip- pers pers he beheld a sight that increased his ils unreasonable and unreasoning unreasoning- fury i The he four buccaneer ships under canas canas can- can jag as were going through extraordinary half halt a n mile off oct the Boca oca ica ca and little more than half a mile j iway way from the remainder of ot the fleet and from their flanks flame and smoke were belching each time they swung j i broadside to the great round fort that that guarded that narrow entrance The rhe fort was returning the fire vigorously Bind and viciously But the buccaneers timed their broadsides with extraordinary nary ary ar Judgment to catch the tho defending ordnance reloading then as they drew the he Spaniards Spaniard's fire they swung away I again not only taking care to be ever ever- oving loving targets but further to ever I present present present pre pre- sent no more than bow or stern to the fort their masts In line Une when the heaviest cannonades were to be ex ex- ex- ex Gibbering and cursing M. M de Rival Riva- Riva ol l 1 stood there and watched this ac ae- ae tion Ion so presumptuously undertaken I j y Blood on his own responsibility Meanwhile the fight went merrily on I he ie fort was suffering ba badly ly Yet for I all Il 11 their maneuvering the buccaneers I yere ere not escaping punishment The s gunwale of ot the had hadeen I Been een hammered into splinters an and and- anda a alot a alot I lot ot had caught her astern In the the The Elizabeth was badly bat- bat batI I red ered about the forecastle and the I Irabella's Arabella's rabella's maintop had been shot way whilst toward the end of that I engagement the came reeling ut of the fight with a shattered shattered shattered-rud- rud- rud I der steering herself herselt by sweeps It It may have been a couple of hours I later ater when Captain Blood as spruce I and cool as if it he had Just come from w levee Ie stepped upon the quarter-deck quarter I of f the to confront M M. de still In and night night- api ap I I have to report M. M le Ie Baron night l that e e are In possession of the fort fortOn forton forton on Boca Chica The standard of France ranee is flying from what remains of its tower and the way into the outer Uter harbor Is open to your fleet M. M de was compelled to tos s swallow allow his fury You are fortunate M. M Blood that you pu succeeded he said It would have gone very ill with you had you failed Blood pointed out the fort at the I mouth of the inner harbor which was Just st barely visible above the waving palms I. I hns on the intervening tongue of ot land and He announced that Its armament arma- arma ment nent was less formidable than that of he outer tort fort which the they had red reduced re- re d ced but on the other hand the pass passage e was very much narrower than Ithe tl the e Boca Chica and before they could attempt to make it In any case the they I dispose of those defenses He proposed that the French ships should letter enter e ter the outer harbor and proceed at puce Once to bombardment Meanwhile he I Would land three hundred buccaneers End and some artillery on the eastern side I V o the lagoon beyond the fragrant gard garden gar- gar Wen den d n Islands dense with richly bearing fruit fLuit trees and proceed simultaneously pp p storm the fort tort In the rear Thus beset on both sides at once and demoralized demoralized de- de moralized bv by the fate tate of the much stronger outer outer fort he did not think he Spaniards would offer a very long resistance Then It would be for tor f. M. M Be de tn o errion the fort fott whilst C Bl u l with Captain Blood d would seep sweep On n his men cAt tt- tAl- noon on the morrow shorn of ot Defenses and threatened with bombardment bom bom- Cartagena sent offers otters of surrender to M M. de Swollen with pride by a victory for Which he took the entire credit to him- him seIf the baron dictated his terms He demanded that all public effects and Office ot accounts be delivered up that he e merchants surrender all mone moneys s 's saM and aM pd goods held by their for their correspondents cor- cor could respondents the Inhabitants hoose whether they would remain ine in ine he e city or depart but those who went must first deliver up all their prop prop- etty Tty and those who elected to remain surrender halt half and become the subjects of France religious houses and churches should be spared but butI I P they ey must render accounts of all moneys monys mon- mon eys ys and valuables in their possession Cartagena agreed having laving no choice t i In n a the matter and on the next day Which was the of ot April M. M de r entered the city and proclaimed proclaimed pro- pro claimed it now a French colony ap apI appointing ap- ap I pointing M itt de Cussy its governor r CHAPTER ThE HE HONOR OF M M. M D DE DurIng the capitulation and for tor som some irne after Captain Blood and the theater gr reater ater por on of ot his buccaneers had hadJ J een Sen at their post utterly in f What was wac taking place Blood albough al- al hough bough the rhe man chiefly responsible for fore he ha e swift of the city was wasat not ot at even shown the of ot Cing called to the council of officers This was a slight that at another Mme Captain Blood would not have orne for a moment But at present in his odd frame of mind and Its divorcement di- di I from piracy he was content to smile his utter I contempt ot of the the French general Not so so however his captains and still less his men men It was only by undertaking to voice their grievance to the baron that their cap cap- tain was able for fr the moment to pacify them The baron sat scrutinizing ledgers 0 fIa I have havo to report that we are in possession possession possession pos pos- session of the fort on Boca Chica like a city merchant and checking figures figures figures fig fig- ures to make sure that all was correct to the last peso He looked UP tp irritated ed by the Interruption which Captain Bloods Blood's advent occasioned M le Ie Baron the latter greeted him I r must speak frankly frankl and you must suffer It H. My Jy men mw are on the point of mutiny The en dof It all was that M. M de gave a promise at once to tomake tomake tomake make the necessary preparations and if Captain Blood and his officers would wait walt upon him on board the Victo- Victo tomorrow morning morning the treasure should be weighed in their presence and their fifth share surrendered there and then into their own keeping Among th the buccaneers that night there was hilarity over the sudden abatement of M. M de monstrous monstrous monstrous mon mon- pride But when the next dawn broke over Cartagena they had the explanation of it The absconding M. M de Je had gon gone of off with the treasure treasure treasure treas treas- ure taking with him the troops and mariners he had iad brought from France He Ite had left behind him at Cartagena not only the handed empty-handed buccaneers rs whom he had swindled but also M. M de do Cussy Captain Blood alone kept his head setting a curt curb upon his deep chagrin He had promised himself that before before- parting from M. M de he would present a reckoning for all the petty affronts and insults to which that un unspeakable unspeakable un- un fellow now fellow now proved a scoundrel un-I un drel had drel-had had subjected him We must follow he declared Follow Follow Follow Fol I low and punish Setting a course for since they Judged that thither must go to refit before attempting to cross I Ito to France the Arabella and the Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth Eliza Eliza- beth ploughed briskly northward with witha a moderately favorable wind for two days and nights without ever catching a glimpse of their quarry The wind to which they were sailing salling very close was westerly and It bore to their ears earsa a booming sound Guns said Pitt who stood with Blood upon the quarter Blood nodded listening Ten miles away perhaps fifteen fifteen- somewhere off oft Port Royal I r should Judge Pitt added Then he looked at his captain Does It concern us he asked Guns off Port Ro Royal al that should argue Colonel Bishop at work And against whom should he be In Inaction Inaction action but against friends of ours I r think it may con concern ern us Bid them the helm put over I IThe The They h held ld to their course with all allhands allhands allhands hands on deck anxiously scanning the sea ahead And presently an object loomed Into view which soon defined itself for a great ship on fire As the Arabella with the Elizabeth following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing closely raced nearer on their northwesterly tack the outlines or of the blazing vessel grew clearer Presently Presently Presently Pres Pres- her masts m stood out sharp and black above the smoke and flames and through his telescope Blood made out plainly the pennon of St. St George fluttering fluttering fluttering flut flut- from her maintop An English ship h he cried He scanned the seas for the conqueror conqueror con con- In the battle of which this grim evidence was added to that of the sounds they had heard and when at last as they drew closer to the d doomed omed I vessel they made out the shadowy outlines of three tall ships some three or four miles away standing in to toward toward toward to- to ward Port Royal the first and natural assumption vas was that these ships must belong to th the Jamaica fleet But Pitt who through the telescope was examining examining exam exam- ining the receding squadron observed observe 1 things apparent only to the eye of the trained mariner the Incredible ble announcement that the largest of f these three vessels was Vic Vic- Vic Vic-I CHAPTER CHAPT R I THE SERVICE OF KING WILLIAM I One of the boats bumped alongside the Arabella and up the entrance ladder ladder ladder lad- lad I der came first a slight spruce little I gentleman In a coat of mulberry satin I laced with gold whose wizened yellow yetI yel yet I low rather peevish pee face was framed I Ij J j In a heavy black periwig I II Ij j I As the little man stepped from the the I I ladder into the waist whither Captain I Ii i i Blood had gone to receive him his 1 sharp dark e eyes res swept the Uncouth uncouth un- un un-I un I couth ranks of the assembled crew of f P the Arabella j 1 And where the devil may I be benow j I now he demanded irritably Are Areli j you English or what the devil aro are I. I you i I Myself I have the honor to be Irish J j sir My name is Captain BlOod Captain Peter I I Blood and this Is my ship the Arabella Ara bella all very much at your I Ara Blood shrilled the little man O 0 II A pirate He swung to I the Colossus who tho followed him A him A I. I 1 damned pirate Van der Kuylen Rend my vitals but were we're come from Scylla to I C I So said the other gutturally and nd again again So Then the humor or It itI I took him and he yielded to it 1 Damme What's to laugh at you I T porpoise spluttered mulberry coat I A fine tine tale this'll make at home Admiral Admiral Ad Ad- Adi i 1 miral van der Kuylen first loses his i fleet In the night then has his flagship flagship flag flag- I I ship fired tired under him by a French I II squadron and ends all an by being capI captured captured cap cap- capt capI t I I by a pirate I I Theres a misapprehension If it I may 11 1 I make so bold as to point It out put I In n Blood quietly You are not captured cap cap- gentlemen you are rescued 1 When you realize it perhaps it cap I will I occur to you ou to acknowledge the hospitality hos I am offering you It may be poor but it Is the best at my dis dis- dis- dis The fierce ce little gentleman stared at him Damme Do you ou permit yourself to be bo Ironical ho he disapproved disapproved proved him and possibly with a view of correcting any such tendency proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- to Introduce himself I am Lord Willoughby King Williams William's governor governor gov gov- general of ot the West Indies and I this Is Admiral van der Kuylen corn corn- e y s Y West t Indian l fleet at present mislaid somewhere inthis in inthis this damned Caribbean sea I King ICing William Blood and he was conscious that Pitt and Dyke yke who were behind him now nosY came edgIng edgIng edg edg- ing nearer sharing his own wonder And who may be King William and of what may he be king that In a wonder gr greater ater than his own Lord Willoughby stared back pack at him At last I an am alluding I Ing to his maJesty lOng King William III III- III III-I III William w am of Orange who Orange who with Queen I wary Mary has been ruling England England for two months and more I There was a moments moment's silence until I Blood realized what he was being told II D I yo mean sir that they they've roused I themselves at home and kicked out that scoundrel James and his gang of ruffians His lordships lordship's smile brought lines like gashes into his leathery cheeks H Hadn't you heard Where the devil ba bavo vo you been at all Out of touch with the world for the thelast thelast last three months said Blood Stab me You must have been And in that three months months' the world has undergone some changes Briefly Brief Brief- ly he added an account of them King KinA James was fled to France and living under the protection of King Louis wherefore and for fot other reasons reasons rea rea- sons England had Joined the league against her and was now at war with France That was how It happened that the Dutch admirals admiral's flagship had been attacked by M. M de fleet that morning from which it clearly foll followed wed that In his voyage from Car Cartagena Cartagena Cartagena the Frenchman must have spoken some ship that gave him the news Pitt came In to report that the tho work york of rescue was at an |
