Show the two by W CLARK RUSSELL coper 1897 by P F coll e copy by dodd mead CHAPTER I 1 f anca crystal it was one tuesday in the city of london in the early part of the last century and the large dining room of the mitre tavern was full of hungry sitting in boxes ard giving hoarse notes to their wants the beet pot foamed at the elbows as they ate a will they bore the tn e aspect af the children of the deep ou aou d have known them when they hove in sight a mile off by their clothe and cut jenkinson went about nod ling to this man and to that deep pitched answers in response to friend ly he stopped at a box at whose table sat one fidure only anis as a captain in the merchant errico er vico named pope a fine tall man of very noble build he had eye with something cai eless aad cr ie in its glance and light an irish e e bl ie and arch but to day the face atiat over hung his plate chewing steadily with jenkinson staring at him was a long one well captain said son have you got a ship eta don t talk of it cried captain pope with passion the pavements are full of helpless idlers they starving and forlorn jenkinson smiled sarcastically don t tell me he said there are advas plenty of ships and eherd there are ships there is demand ana room tor good men the other shrugged his sl alders and bit his food with anger just then a middle sized man came to the entrance of the box and jenkin son stood up how dye do captain crystale 9 what are your commands 7 crystal his joint and seated himself opposite captain pope and jenkinson went away this crystal was a very rugged of i n dock that the brig s colors rare the alaci flag I 1 have a mind to view this brig ai I 1 pope we e a permit from the owner and that ib one reason why I 1 am calling on him come with me and view the brig crestal right said tte equale shaped sea man and it ou have the cash tor the purchase of her stowed away in some old in an inshore chim ney im your man as first mate they entered the s op of a nautical maker A r staunton ton the oner of the brig dwelt avei this sl op th s is our notice I 1 suppose 7 aid gil tain pulling out the pt cpr and pu t ng his hand upon the edve ti what s our p icea not a pen less than six hundred p bubus replied the money lender have ou seen hera io ar pope w th a gloomy grin we re here to ask for leate to look at her mr staunton quickly and eagerly besada to write talking meanwhile his writing was oon ended show this gentlemen said he to my ship 1 beeper and I 1 hope you 11 lose no time in tal arg the vessel oft my hands well view her said pope pock eting the permit the two sailors hect toward london bridge A ho was proceeding from T ordon bridge down the river and the two captains boarded her tor depthford deptford Dept ford there they landed and took oars as the ex preson then was for a brig with the toaga lant mast bloused lying in the stream within a convenient pull she appears in very good condition said pope directing searching looks about him and letting his eyes rest aloft give her royal stun sails and by the saints there shall be nothing afloat she shan t be able to overhaul oh ho muttered crystal so that s the lay he looked at pope and burst into a heard it piracy looking man 01 about forty alve years of age he show ed a cutlass scar over bis nose and it fixed the expression of a sur frown upon his face he was boad as powerfully built as i dressed in ailor s worn clothes but as in pope so in this man there was wickedness in his looks captain pope closed his knife and fork and watched the tor some minutes in silence then he got up and looked oer into the box on e ther hand then sat a little closer opposite crystal and said this Is the adver ti I 1 was telling you abo it he read in a low voice as follows brig gypsy this beautiful and admirable clipper ship having been condemned by the admiralty has been purchased by a private gentleman who has laid out a considerable sum of money in completing her equipment she is now tor sale and may be had at a very great bargain parties dis to purchase her will apply to mr staunton in the it s the strangest matter that ever I 1 heard of said captain pope speak ing with a cautious face A man haa father who left him a brig and a in cash jackman was his name he got command but it was plain the ea dian didn t satisfy him he came ashore with a bag of fifteen hundred pounds and pretended to have been there is no doubt he stole the money the owners did not seem able to prove anything and the next traverse this man jackman set out to work was the painting and equipping of his brig and the preparing her for as a what dyer saya I 1 heard it piracy said captain crystal he got men under the pretense that te was bound out on some liberal undertaking it was a story of treas ure I 1 and went away down channel hig game was suspected and he was followed out of one of the by a government cutter they exchanged thole find the pirate brought the cutter mast down in the channel brings hi men aft and tells them the truth he is going for pirate be says the men heard him in time the came abreast of some caves which Jac kinan baa purchased down on the extreme west coast and he and his father in law and mrs jackman went ashore when jackman returned to his ship the men seized him swearing they were not going to be hanged for pirates ana they locked this jackman up in his cabin and carried the brig to the thames and handed her over jacs man sprang through the cab n window and was drowned he did well he was a rained man and a felon the biggest fool said captain crystal that ever took charge ot men only think of shipping a crea on representations of honesty to tell them before they were out of sight horse laugh a p ty though says he that there should be a difficulty of six hun dred pounds in the way how am I 1 to get this said captain pope standing on stretched ings he spoke in sol oduy his corn panion seemed not to heed merely eed him and then after w bisti ng for a bi while he reflected he said I 1 never heard of a ship stolen out of the river thames in life there was the dorothy said pope and there was the arethusa a small west indiaman in each case a company of men entered gagged and pin ionel the ship keeper softly let go the fasts and slipped away on the stream without a hail from shore or water both those vessels were lost to their owners what became of them I 1 don t know it was a midnight job said crys tal and then both men went on deck and entered the forecastle examined the caboose lifted the main hatch and looked at the gune in the hold next hailing their boat the two captains went ashore pope had asked crystal to sup 1 im and the rugged seaman had con seated it was a dismal street the captain seemed struck he paused grasping crystal s arm what sort of alte can that be said he that lands a man in this sort ot yet so help me god he cried with irish emphasis after using the sea since I 1 was a lad of fifteen I 1 can do no better than tl i first floor at seven shillings a week it s a dirty part of london suld crystal aling up and down the street why dian didn t you keep near the docks five shillings hires me a room and a clean turn up bedstead just out of the commercial road captain pope pulled the bell of the house the door was opened after a considerable passage of waiting dur ing which pope continued to curse the sea as the most poverty stricken of callings by a dirty little servant who seemed compound of flue and black lend the captain pushed in they refreshed themselves in dingy little bedroom adjoining the par lor there was a handsome sea chest here end a sparkling long telescope that what its come to said pope po to these things I 1 captain pope and as good and careful a mariner as any as sails out of the ports of this kingdom cannot get a ship there are scores of us said tal drying his face my money sinks and the ships depart and I 1 return to my dirty little lodging sick with cursing the times I 1 have fallen on and disappointment and poverty don t raise hell ard tic p ate in your heart heya cried pope staring with a wild stormy look into the others dark face how do you knot that it don ta aas vered crystal ing up a hair brush I 1 d rob a church I 1 have no hon esty left I 1 mean to set up as a all lain and you shall help me make a fortune for us both crystal you re not ing of the high v ay are ye ay the hir iway that reflects the canvas of rich keels but step into the next room he pul ed out a gold v atch tell yo i what s in my mind and we can debate it over a 1 after w e ve supped CHAPTER II 11 me camperdown Camper down pubic hous hell cow our scheme 9 said castal when they had entered be beforehand with thee thus far it s piracy or you shall choke me calta n pope s e es gleamed pir ac it is the most gallan of trades I 1 I 1 had my way I 1 vituld not choose a bi g sae should be the swiftest schoor cr that ever sailed out of an american port coppe ed to the bends with buttons of trucks melting to the stars H laughed rubbing his hands in a way cretal said high enough but you arc a brol en mar how unless you run awa with her are ou to come at a brig or a schooner swift or if ou want to go upstairs ex claimed pope ou take one step at a time some take two and those are the tools how much money have ou got costale so help me as I 1 sit cried taft square rugged seaman halt starting out of his chair ath his eyes all in a heat at once I 1 cannot muster four guineas in this accursed orld of toll and want he tore a few coins out of his pocket and dashed them in a small handful upon the table pope folding his arms leaned back on the sofa and eyed the money with mingled sorrow and dis dain then after a pause he exclaimed put that coin up crystal and cease to fret I 1 can muster eighty pounds and a gold watch and trifles here he heaved a deep sigh which might be worth thirty pounds more to me with this capital I 1 mean to go to work to be continued |