Show the two by W CLARK RUSSELL t 1897 bap F coll er coper 1897 by dodd mead co CHAPTER VII cent aued crystal s face clearer a 1 atle and he smoked thoughtfully and in silence pope eyed him somei bat darkly but on his gaze his face lighted up with one of his fine cordial irish smiles it was clear from this and further discourse they held that they had a yet formed no plans after they had obtained as much plurdee as would satisfy them the crew made me ry in the dog watched hit evening wearied as they well mi 11 be after the labors of the ri ht ju before sundown the boat swain grindal lurched through the 11 cheen to the calta n pope aid he the men hant seen their fag yet Is there any object on to its being hoisted that all hands may make sure of the colors the sa 1 certainly says pope with great beart iLess pipe all bands alt and let them salute the flag with a glass of grog apiece gr adal chirruped somewhat tipsily and the ere v came tumbling on to the main deck A bucket of gin was drawn and the hands were ordered act to drink till the flag floated over them pope went to the fag locker just abaft the wheel and took out a little bale of stuff that as like a pall rolled up he bent this flag to the main royal signal halyards then took a turn round bis hand and shouted to his man to bring h m and crystal a glas of grog he then addressed A few words to the pirates and tweaking the line he held the flag at the masthead broke and blew out large glossy and black at the raven s wing again the fading scarlet over head the whole ship s company roared out three cheers and then drank the captain and his mate drinking with them the flag was a blacic ground it lacked the melodramatic ghastly de vices of skull and raw bones it was not a flab however that a man would continue flying after it had floated aloft five minutes it was hauled down rolled up and stowed away the men went forward and one produced a fid die and many of the sailors turned to and danced in the beautiful fading light VIII the earl the night passed quietly and the day came along draped in sober gray with a long lead colo ed swell freckled by some sea fowl within gun shot of the quarter in the afternoon of this day the sl being gray and dry and the sea line clear a sail sprang up right ahead the two captains were at dinner when the boatswain put his ugly tace into the skylight and report ed her both came up leisurely knowing the wind to be a little more than a small draught pope with Ms radiant spyglass under his arm I ie leveled it at the sail crystal peered at her through the brig s telescope shall we attack her or pass her with a civil salute said pope speak cr stal the square man considered when le spoke his speech was slow his de solemn and he looked fierce with his ecar I 1 m for passing on said be for more im for putting the brigs helm over and giving ponder vessel a wide berth what d e say Grindal 9 said pope round rg upon his boats ain this is a 1 sea answered the boatswain and a fust class I 1 m for boarding her taking all she s got that a v orth having re moving her people then sinking of her afterwards arter wards trans erring her crew to the first thing we can pick up bound west or south I 1 m of grindal s mind said pope if you sink the vessel in crystal so the der was given tor the guns to be leaded and the small arms served out they loaded the carron ades and ran them out the two long guns were also leaded the 1 oats w ere seen to all as made clear for action ho t the benign sa d pope haul up cur ires and back the lore top ail down the little vessel was hove to riat athwart tl e course of the approaching crat wh ch might now be some two or thre ralles off tie sails of the were remarkably white A rent s pleasure boat aid grin fial A proper craft for our flag I 1 gue I 1 ve been thinking that says crys tal acol arg at pape who made no answer the stranger came ng along toward the brig with pathetic and she was now within aalf a ralle perhaps within reach of a when all cf a sudden though the apsye true character had been discovered her length of broadside with its high sheer of bow 1 ke a smack s of these days drea out and she as off fill 04 your fore mr crys tal roared pope grindal j imp for ward and send a shot from the long tom after her as the brig brings her to bear fire tilde the boatswain blushed forward this sort of orders made his blood run fast they swung the foretop fore top sail yard and the brig close hauled stood in chase pope examining tl e schooner carefully now clearly made her out to be a pip asure vessel she was steered by a tiller and abreast of that long arm of brass ended timber stood a tall and martial figure an elderly gentleman in a long military cloak and a soft black hat with a wide brim her few men stood wath their heads above the line of her bulwarks straining their vision in evident alarm and amazement at their pur the boatswain had leveled the long piece fair at the st anger when pope saw that she had put her relm down and was slowly ro anding inding with a faint tremor of canvas as though beai shook her into the wind s eye in scantly the captain began to roar out orders A boat was lowered twelve men armed with cutlasses and pistols tumbled into her pope took charge with a sword at his side and a pistol in his bosom and crystal with folded arms and a stern black face stood at the quarter deck railing looking on the boat swept alongside pope ind eleven men sprang aboard with cutlasses but so far from meeting with any resistance they found a clear deck one figure alone remained he was the tall man in the cloak and black soft hat he was a noble lookin old gentle man perhaps seventy years of age what does the old chap offer wonderfully erect a martial figure he threw his head back when pope approached and exclaimed in a calm deep voice why have you boarded me sira pope answered we are gentlemen of fortune we are sailing the high seas in search of an estate and you help us in that quest he could not but be deferential to the fine old fellow he was a gentle man by birth an irishman the son of a clergyman and no fierce and bloody pirate as yet pope s men breathing short looking restless and wild bloodshot hairy and every man with a cutlass in his hand stood about the companion way waiting 1 the follow ng con took place between pope and the tall lofty and commanding old gentleman I 1 am farl a d the tall old and am proceed n from the azores to england I 1 beg that you suffer me to depart you will d cover noth ng in this vessel worth your attention examine the cabin by all means ou will find everything plain and such money as I 1 have in the ship ou are to about ninety guineas thanks my lord it is i torn to make ourselves welcon P without invitation says pope cannot let ou depart for ninety or n n hundred ave t transfer ou and our crew to tl at ir g but why s r but wh cr od his borush p suddenly e till it igns of ig tat on V h t do with roe hat vo id 10 i GO n my ve cl and the i ani the a s ra ho 1 fo th as ha id men abl d e acel ay iy cum n re on ci hall tae it you v ill s alc n to proceed pope oc ed 1 cir at rd branom it aale hi an iea i 0 new to h m he reil ti tl e ea er 0 n I 1 j 1 t fi t ered 1 ill T en 1 faro he glar el at Is n fn aho tool tear and said to tie nol eman we re not brigands ne cant 1 of loi and our arev n go a ard m sh p m lo 10 d G apsy a io ro red captain pope giving no fo 1 is lords ip w io ith alaan ed et emmad ng gestures of hib arm aas endeavoring to male hm elf headd halo answered calta n clastal send a boat for the crew cf this schooner sung it pope acet the longboat over come aboard mr crystal the man flourished his hand in god s name ir eicha med his lordship lord hip suffer us to proceed on air nay name a sum that will satisfy ou and vou shall draft pape smiled o 0 inv word as a british nobleman continued the fine old man tremor and dignity that draft chah be bank of england money to and not a buss oa asked I 1 would you but not yoni crew said pope my lada cried he turning ba mea thia schooner would be making porte mouth in a few days on my honor sir interrupted lord fitzgibbon pope shook his head the nobleman flugl ed started and stared a ut tie wildly at him now no w the of dastards were coming up out ol 01 the forecastle they were eleven and one was a clen balei with a white cloth and another was a coot in a white cap As they cams to tha gangway guarded by the pirates with their naked the boat steered by clyta dashed along side and that captain came aboard others of the crew following him and in a lew min utes later the longboat longo oat arrived there vs t 11 plenty at daylight left to the air ard in it the crew of the schooner including the cook and tae valet made a mean and melancholy procession as they came to the gangway they entered the boat all with very wh te faces and terrified looks now my lord says pope with an imps ious wave of his sword toward the gangway Is it possible cried the earl not offering to move that I 1 cannot prevail boon ou to accept lay draft for a considerable sum of money in hen of m per ons and this vessel of what use will this schooner be to yona she is cargo there is less than a hundred pounds in money on board crystal who stood hard by while some of the alist gang of pirates hung about the companion way ays without reverence to pope what does the old chap two thousand pounds cried tho earl pope flourished his sword toward the gang vay crystal sent a swift look over the little ship and said chos going to take up the money besides as a ves sel she s worth more than two thou sand pounds not to mention the value of the old gentleman s liberty do you suppose cried pope in 8 rage uttering one or two oaths that for all my lord here could sign his name to I 1 should be for letting him ball away in a swift keel to report our what do you think I 1 value my neck ata in t draft worth considering 7 says crystal two thousand by thunder though I 1 value my aa highly as yours I 1 m willing to tabe my chances of presenting that man s draft when we return home no answered pope in a low but hot tone of determination and with out another word he went into the cabin fol ved by halt a score of his men to be continued |