Show I 1 M 1 W L c f t 1 BY ARY RY D X WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY DON C. C WILSON sAt O Nett ay t r and Vc Cd fI J CHAPTER Less than thana a week weel later one early afternoon the members of the household house house- t f E 1 hold at La Tete des Eaux were startled startled start start- i led by the booming Doming of cannon In the thes I s direction of Lake Borgne JS vrr What had bad happened was this An l' l i English fleet with twelve hundred i men had with the intention of throwIng throw throw- t Ing an attacking force across Lakes Borgne and sailed to tofi fi r J 1 Lake Borgne and opened an attack upon up up- on the Americans whose presence was a surprise to the enemy as Capt Lockyer commanding the latter had bad h 4 understood that this point was defense dev de- de v ess rt A fierce battle followed resulting Ini in ina i f 1 a a partial victory for the English who 1 1 i i were now masters of Lake Borgne T It It was the who late in the thet t afternoon brought this news to La LaIi Ii V Tete des Eaux t. t i 1 v J- J The house bouse was soon in a bustle of oft i t preparation the inmates packing hastily has bas tily the few things they were to take 4 J. J l with them in their flight and co concealing concealing conceal conceal- ceal ing such property as would be lil f t r to attract thieving bands among t tie the e f enemy who would with little doubt 1 visit the plantation as reported report report- 4 i J s ed the woods about Lake Borgne to be beti ti 1 h filled with British soldiers rJ jl m i Madame when not absorbed r by other matters did not hesitate to I i express express her reluctance toward accepting accept accept- j t ing the assistance of this swarthy j j L looking looking man whom she t. t had ad never before seen seep and whose Il t. t ver very very very- existence had been unknown n to t. t he her 14 1 J S 4 I I know something of him him spoke if up P. P Mad Mademoiselle ra em iselle Rose He H is the theman i man man of whom grandpere rented Kaa Ka Ka- a ft J Didn't you know it it Yes Ye 1 added before before Mada Mad- Mad a arne eIt f t had time to frame a fitting 1 A reply and arid we have hav seen hi him many i l t times mes about the woods here Rose Roseand Roseand io 7 and I once saw Captain Jean ean talking j. j with him and I think he is very ven obligE E i r i Ing Ingi i t But all this he tells us of a cave f where we we can hide right here on the ther the I r plantation yet which no one has ever heard of before and no one excepting except except- i Ing Captain Jean and himself seems f t ti to know anything about sounds very a J 1 strange and nd incredible Did your I r Ji 5 grandpere know of this cave MIg Mig- 4 nO nonne nonne lD j I do not know but I 1 think not I f t never heard of such a thing Yet t ir madame l it surely is safer to trust rust this thi 5 man who tells us that Captain Jean sent him than han to stay here and risk riska t a n visit from those dreadful soldiers j 1 We dare not stay and so we must j trust him said Madame with a weak weal at resolution as she slid a a I i attempt bundle Viol Violet t was Into the box jewel f t jewel box fasten f preparing to f t Old Zeney had come over from K having insisted upon being being be be- C with her beloved ing taken away r young mistress and now she entered the room to aI announce that Captain Jean was below stairs 4 Y Never had his arrival at the plantation plantation planta planta- tion been so welcome as now Madame Madame Mad Mad- I n IV ame ame catching up her out out out-of- of J that ordered bed ll door wraps from the t the various bundles be brought downstairs downstairs down down- for the phlegmatic Barbe had hadJ hadys' hadys II stairs j ys' ys finished tying up the last one as Chloe I r lace the rf 1 1 handed Senorita V scarf for her head while Maam Ma'am BrigIda Brigida Brig Brig- ida was fastening the long cloak she had Insisted that her nursling should f t wear You may feel yourself fortunate Madame that you are able to leave here by daylight and not like some Borne people I know be rou roused rouged ed from sleep t to find yourself a prisoner in English hands said Lafitte as they Joined him on the stairway 0 I As they were descending the stairs he called to who was standIng standing standing stand stand- ing on the veranda and then hurrying hurrying hurry hurry- ing down gave the latter some instructions in in- E which the others did not hear as they passed passed out out of ot the house and faced the slaves now huddled Into Into into In In- to a terrified mass with their faces full fun of despairing expectancy Some of the women began lamentIng lamenting lament lament- Ing wildly when they found that they were not to go away But Lafitte in his usual authoritative fashion quieted quiet quiet- ed the hubbub and ordered to take them to the which as as' as he now decided was decided was not to be used as a hiding place hiding place for those whom he himself had so unexpectedly been able to assist One of his OWl owr craft commanded by was tying lying off the Owls Owl's Point awaiting the signal which would announce the coming of Lafitte who bent upon a private mission Inthe in inthe inthe the neighborhood had not reckoned upon the present deno denouement denouement l nent But now In view of all the circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances he considered this the b boat at a more desirable means for conveying the ladies directly to Shell Island where now were only old Scipio Juniper Juniper Juniper Ju Ju- and the b boy y Nato Waiting therefore until he be saw Sha Sha- pira start for the followed by the now quiet slaves Lafitte who had meantime i e explained h his s plan to his own ch charges r es told them t em to follow follo t o. j jer er gave him bim one searching look and rushed in turn between her mistress and the gun just as it shot out a jet of flame fiame A second report mingled so closely with the first as to make them seem but butone one and Zen Zeney y with the man man who had shot shot her fell to the ground All AIl had happened so quickly that Lafitte who was for an Instant unnerved unnerved unnerved un un- nerved by Rose de effort to save him had scarcely time to draw a pistol before his unknown ass assailant assailant as as- s ilant fell as if from the discharge of his own weapon which had killed Zeney In their surprise and fright and by reason of the confusion no one except Lafitte had comprehended any meaning mean meaning mean mean- ing in the words which followed the wild cry of Barbe who now stood sobbing sobbing sobbing sob sob- bing hysterically with her arms arms around around he hers her half swooning half swooning mistress ss while with dilating nostrils and and blazing eyes eyes- sought to rel release ase h herself from Madame who had heard the shots reached the shore in a a small smaIl boat pulled by some of his crew soon after atter appeared at the edge of the thick woods from whence had come the bullet that had killed Zeney's slayer slay slay- er erThe The English sailor at Lafitte's command command command com com- mand now surrendered his arms to and was promised freedom in m exchange for a truthful statement of the motive which brought his companion companion companion com com- panion and himself to the spot He said that the oth other r man had been unknown to him until that same mornIng mornIng morning morn morn- Ing and all he now knew of him was that he was a scout picked up from among the Indians and bought to serve the English Capt Lockyer who was In command of the English fleet upon Lake Borgne having learned that Lafitte was was in that vicinity vicinity vicin vicino ity had selected this scout to find and capture the man upon whom he longed to execute personal vengeance vengeance His i i q j J Surrender Surrender you cursed pirate him and set out hurrie hurriedly Uy in an ane opposite op Ope direction from that taken by and his dusky retinue The forest was darkening with late afternoon shadows as the fleeing party party party par par- ty followed In comparative silence e the tall form that led them At length the party emerged from the deeper shadows of their wooded way and came into into a cleared space pace where the knoll known as The Owls Owl's Point projected Into the ba bayou ou and and halting here Lafitte looked about him while the others stood grouped a little distance away awaiting q quietly his his' movements But before he could give the signal to whose cr craft ft was concealed concealed concealed con con- around the bend of the bay bayou u two men burst from the cover of a a thicket opposite Lafitte a gun was was was' leveled at his breast and a hoarse voice shouted Surrender yo you cursed pirate Rose de wi with h a wild cry rushed between the weapon andLa and Lafitte La La- fitte while Barbe who had bad been starIng star- star Ing ing ns as though he were a ghost ghost ghost-at at atthe the holder of the gun echoed echoe J the the shriek of her mistress Do not not not-do do not shoot your child she screamed and at her words old Zeney who stood nearest the strang strang- 1 orders had been to bring Lafitte to him alive if possible and dead lather rather than ihan not at all and the sailor having raving been bees one one of the the cre crew who rowed the British officers to their mortifying conference at Grande Terre had been sent with the scout in order to Identify Lafitte Such was was vas the end of the man in wb whom m Barbe had recognized the brilliant bril bril- Hant officer of former years years recognized despite the shock of grizzled hair hair hair- and the changes wrought by time and a a lawless lit life In the face and form that had tempted the new years year's elopement Meantime had bad landed and leaving his men in the boat he came came leisurely to where Lafitte was questioning the English sailor The shrewd shrewd eyes had glanced over the scene and the fallen bodies the group o of excited women women all all that he saw told his alert perceptions what what had h had d presumably taken taken place while the the sight sight of his commander standing unharmed and attitude attitude at at- as he leaned upon his gun assured assured as assured as- as him that the danger such as it might have been was past Hence Hence his nonchalant strolling gait to to where where Lafitte stood The latter saw him at once and In- In VJ 11 himself lo to bid see pee that the sailor awaited his further orders or or- ders Then drawing aside he ne gave him instructions in regard to placing the ladies and their maids aboard his boat But it seems very dreadful to leave leav poor Zeney lying there said Rose Roser with a tearful backward look as Lafitte La- La fitte was assisting her into the small boat It is not p possible t to do otherwise child he answered gently tightening his pressure upon the small band hand he was holding All that can be done for her now I t will see is done before I join you Will you not trust me to todo todo todo do that The expression n of the tear tear stained stained eyes raised to meet his look answered him without the ne need d of speech You are no not c coming min with us she began when Madame J Interrupted Interrupted Inter Inter- her with a a shrill shrill Not Not coming with us Oh Capt we Vie cannot cannot cannot can can- not go without you And these strange men Indeed now Indeed now angrily we we will not He had put Rose aboard the boat I and turned to assist while he be Madame outburst calmly although there was evidence of impatience held beld in checkI check I in intend tend to escort you personally to Shell Island madame but it is best that you all go aboard the boat m my captain here has waiting around the point He will take you to it and then return for me as I 1 have a duty here which I cannot very well perform until you and the other ladies have gone gOJe There may be other Englishmen Englishmen Englishmen English English- men men prowling in the vicinity and the sound of the firing may bring them this way If U this should happen I Ican lean l l- can ean manage matters to far better advantage advantage ad ad- vantage by knowing that you are out of harms harm's way Madame made no reply but permitted permit permit- ted ed him to place her in the boat Brigida followed her Violet coming last and the sailors pushed off as sprang aboard Why does not Barbe come with with us Madame demanded abruptly abruptly ab ab- as she saw the French French woman w walk lk to where w was s bending over the body of Zeney intending r as ordered by Lafitte to Lafitte-to to carry it into the woods for burial I Lafitte answered from the shore Barbe will come with me there is j something I wish her to do Madame if you will kindly permit He had unnoticed by the others laid a detaining hand on Barbes Barbe's arm an and l whispered I wish to speak speak with you jou ou wait here until until the the boat returns She gave no sign of having beard heard him but stood silently until as Violet wa was was- following Brigida into the boat she turned and ard walked over to where lay the dead t I tTo To be continued I |