Show adoll afre A ny ARY illustrations EVY VON DON C WILSOM cief 4 ayot afoa fy 0 ddn AO aronn cavy me co ano caf q pa CHAPTER emerged from tile the building lafette saw as he was as locking the door that many of his men armed with guns had gathered within the stockade the greater number of them standing around another lo ghouse at the farthermost end where two tao of his suu sub captains lieh iche and Donti domanique you had their quarters ile he beut m aut to the end of the stockade stoc kide and not seeing amongst the men gathered there asked it anyone knew of the latif lattery rs whereabouts ile he was outside my lay captain when last I 1 saw him lie ho liia is sitting silting on the bluff smoking and swearing that the men should do no harm to that boat load of beauties lying off shore re plied piled domanique Dominiqu eYou you ills hia swarthy face wrinkling with mith a grin the shadows were mere falling fast and the dampening air was melodious with the notes of the mocking birds that filled the hiees about the fort while faint but blut sweet sac et came other fluting voices from the deeper woods mingling with the occasional cry of an owl or the reiterative note of a whippoorwill and now and then the maniacal scream of a loon came cam e from the sedges on the edge of the bluff m was as pierre it a gun across his knees and looking like a sentim I 1 on guard except that he was stretched sti etched upon the ground smoking elenes head turned quickly at the sound of footsteps behind him and ha be sprang upright as jean said we must row out there and send those fellows back to their ship the cers will mill remain here for the night nothing more was mas said until a small boat had been pushed off jean sat in the stern stem and pierre idling his gun across the sent scat picked up UD the oars and began to row with mith long steady strokes that sent the light craft speeding out toward the english boat showing black in the gathering dusk jean now tied a handkerchief to an extra oar and raised it making a white flutter in the thadows offered they a generous br bribe pierre inquired softly turning hla his head bead in order to make sure of the other boats exact position while his hia pom powerful erful arms worked with the th smoothness of a piston rod indeed ves vea they offer me the th rank of captain in the english navy and thirty thousand dollars in sash bash alerre gave a low whistle and the price of all tills this honor and we veil wh th he be asked taking tailing am other backward glance pull a bit more to laa board w wi 0 will top atop at easy hailing balling distance said eald lean ilan after turning half halfway way in his fi nat at then to in an cri dif dl feint tone one ot of concentrated rated rage the price Is that we are to sell boll our selves to the english and lead them by our own paths and waterways waterway 0 fco that they may fall unexpectedly upon new orleans and burn bum the city atter after pillaging it they are also to lity buy the slaves with promised freedom and then add to the ruin by an insurrect In surree tion pierre although of not so BO fine a mould as jean shared the latter a dja like to profanity and rarely indulged in strong language but he now ut a terrible oath this waa mas hla his only comment and it was fol followed lomed by silence eli ence until jean announced here we are find and well lie ho on our oars lie ile sent a challenging shout over the mater it was waa answered at once then came the sound bound of working oars and called again come colne no nearer captains lockyer and mcwilliams will remain on the island for the and have sent you writ ten orders stop biele you are and I 1 will bring them item to you A short pause succeeded succeed od then a surly curly aye aye came n crosb the water and the tha rowing stopped 1 just as R fiery thread of the rising moon was mas lifting above the sea pierre soon boon brought hla big boat along side the other one and jein jean lading a hand band on its gunwale dunale woo who ts 3 la in command here I 1 am sir replied one ona of the men rising so that hah po powerful erful form stood out above the others I 1 m bo bosn s n of the brig here are our orders said f T adlitte the settled scaled paper to the near pat man who ho passer it alborg you f i are to return to the brig ana report hero here at noon tomorrow to morrow aye sir replied the boatswain botts main night eight oars oara touched the water as one and the english boat went ment her way may pierre soon boon began to row roh mor low ly and jean asked in continuation of their recent talk heard you yon ever of a more dastardly plan for white men to map out oitt not I 1 V growled grouted pierre even la ia ro scoundrel as he be was never did a worse thing and it we me decline this jean then what Is it to be oi in did thea the not do us tie the honor of doubting our ac cep tance I 1 barataria Bara Bar tarla ataria la Is to bo be n errun by the english our ships and property con and you and I 1 together with our men put to death as pirates who mho have merited the vengeance of great britain by our seizure of spanish ves eels ben sol so but pierres res laugh had bad little of mirth in tt it loul Ioui slana offers a pi piles ice for your head bead and england engl ind threatens to hang bang you if you will not help her destroy new orleans so BO that she may live louisiana LouN lana by the throat A fine choice of favors this to select from under the jw im cane thatched root roof covering th abode of delucco and dominiquez Dominiqu Donol ef ou on they and the two la IA fittes lite ate supper in comparative st el lence owing jo to the coming and going of the he slave juniper who A ho waited malted upon them but the meal over with pipes and bottles upon the blared table lind and juniper shut apart in big own domain they proceeded to discuss the tha matter whose hose contemplation had bad made their seem sullen when they all seated lafitte in a low tone and to the accompany ment of occasional angey comments and imprecations read the two papers omitting however all mention of the bonci mone offered to himself now tell us captain Lat lahitte itte spoke I 1 ia P beluche m who ho like pierre had been smoking m king contemplatively apparently I 1 re revoking v coln ing what had been read I 1 tell us what ahat aou QU advise as the cause to lo bo 10 pursued but first of all I 1 declare that never will mill I 1 take up arms for england against america or any other an lk 4 illy pacing up and down with the hounds hound for company nation As to that I 1 can count upon enough followers to make it worth m abille to sail away southward and stop there until this trouble is over 1 I will mill tell you that my idea Is to communicate promptly with the au an ties in nem orleans offering them for the cit s defense our ser bar vices which Alli cl the appear to salue alue so highly the pi in lee ice I 1 shall de nand mand Is the granting to us of pardon for all past offenses or supposed of tenses to such of my off officers leers and men who ho may suiter suffer materially miter lally I 1 will promise all the help my purse can give NN hat bat say you to this lie he glanced around the circle his big eyes ekes resting on catalon and ioel you I 1 say aay my captain that Is all v very ery much to my habte replied the latter and catalon added as emphatically mine as aa well and you deluche what eay cay youa you beluche replied slowly I 1 BO without 0 u t that I 1 am with you in evert bin that Is tor for america as ag against ainest england and I 1 know that my men w will ill be N with ith me aie I 1 addel catalon wo we can all fight with a better stomach tor for gov arnor CIal brne than for king george I 1 and what if governor claiborne refuse us the opportunity of fight fighting frig tot foi him the que question tion was vas from pierre alerre who mho had ir r t ills his chair and was waa knocking the ashes from his big pipe into the ire place lie ile cannot afford to refuse us declared beluche with unusual anfims tion before jean could speak arid and not he be exclaimed catalon and Dominiqu eYou you speaking as aa with a single voice vim then Is our course courne said ln itte as if pierres question had bad been filly answered and which tor for the present must be kept strictly to our selves as aa our men need not be told for several daas da a to 10 come meanwhile in the inon ng I 1 will answer anser locker and mc VV iiams imams as I 1 ond it best to do and ATI d catalon remember you ym aad abc atc to it that the mon g ii aa wo r emst imst and abitt nothing wa ours to prevent my returning the two oil leera safety safely to their boat 11 Sevil several ral unit a during the night jean and alerre singly or of went meat outside to reconnoitre but the hours passed without disturbance once while vi bile jean was as pacing up lip slid and down domn beneath the bright stars stairs with mith the hounds for company compan the bound of a far off wolfs cry changed as would mould have the blast of a trumpet trump t the current of Ms thoughts was waa it realty really coming and so eo near as it seemed the day for which lie had longed holding for him the chance of redeeming himself in the es estimation ti matlon of the island rose nail nd were mere not ciecka seeming to shape for en enabling allIng him to fulfil fulfill the promise made upon elba that lie he would mould erase the stigma from the name of lafitte in Louisiana 1 A of hope made new life spring within him and with mith an unvoiced prater he lifted his wilful fack to the hemens heavens front from whence theia seemed to a ti peace CHAPTER at sunnite a change had taken I 1 in the appearance of things about thi blockade before the now ocene gates a brawn lit one of ue dc liches s trusted foll follower omeri full bulb aimed paced to and fro and lol loi t atoo guard before the hie locked doors of li IA fittes house As pierre lein and the two tao under captains breakfast 4 mes ainger came to tell the formea that tbt the star of the gulf had cocq COTO to anchor in the he baibos and was mas fl ing a signal for his bis presence arc sence on boat d it Is front from mexico at last he ha said glancing rt pt jean ani an 1 I 1 am glat glai to know of ills hla safe arrival he should liae hae been in a wick mck ago will you go ot 01 shall I 1 PIL ire ask ed cd as acin remained silent the hattei like pierre knowing know ing abi full meaning of the he signal replied that he would go aboard and leaving pierre are in charge of mattedi matte ii at tho stockade blockade he took bis big wai to the har bor Ue returning turnIng in fit an hour a time he waa mas coming up the path from the beach when ho he heard unmistakable sounds bounds of tumult fol followed lomed by the roar of tile the gun mounted upon a pivot in front of his own on hou house houe e as a protection against possible disturbances pierre beluche and dominique you were mere standing upon the steps of the house shouting angrily at the rioters tor for such euch they were ere m who ho armed and filled with murderous lust crowded before them demanding demand tag the two english bples to be continued |