| Show the two captains by W CLARK RUSSELL 18 by P F coll er cop sit dodd mead co a CHAPTER XII continued I 1 left her in port replied captain bland and im here waiting for her pope tell back TV ath a wild 1001 at crystal and struck his thigh a slap that sounded like a shot good mercy cried he with a dull rather pale face a small world captain bland the madre s the ship we are waiting for the bearded skipper looked under a frown with his black slow eyes at him gathered his beard to a point in a clutch of his fist and said without smiling we must go into partnership at which crystal broke into a more genuine explosion ot laughter than pope had ever heard fly from his lips who is this gentleman 7 said cap tain bland captain crystal my chief officer answered pope I 1 belleve we have met said cap tain bland gasn wasn t you once mas ter of a little barque with a cargo tor london from kingstown jamaican 9 the william pitt said crystal I 1 boarded you off turk s island crystal fi owned reflected and an yes I 1 recollect your visit was brief and your usage handsome you had nothing aboard good for us said captain bland pray step below said pope who wore a face of chagrin grindal see that that boat s crew have plenty of grog to toast us in and he went down the companion steps captain bland and captain crystal following the cabin servant placed drink and cigars on the table and the three cap bains filled then chinked glasses and smoked see here captain bland cried pope there are two of us on this job what do you say to this that the ship which first falls in with the madre will be the that takes hera if we re alongside of ner and you heave in sight and come bowling down upon us hei captain blanda it you are pillaging her and I 1 come added after a pause letting the glass sink from his ee and speaking sp eakins in a hollow voice while he fastened his wicked bloodshot gaze on the corn mander s countenance is a frigate as I 1 should say by the biste of the taws Is of all fifty u quick the glass shontel pope he wrenched it with the violence of a sudden passion 0 excitement out of the boatswain s hands 1001 ed and in a note of thunder bawled it s an english frigate as you say convoying the alabre half wrecked aloft and the schooner julia morton Is her prize by heaven he then rushed aft roaring shift your helm two points let the shift be gradual grindal trim with caution A hellish trap to stumble on all of a sudden too he was blood red with sensations and passions pope was perfectly right bui then no seaman aided by a glass could have en the schooner was un the beautiful fabric corn banded by captain bland and the ship with her fore topmast gone an in every minute point to the description pope had received of the madre de dios damnation she s after us bellow ed crystal and sure enough the frigate might be seen with yards scowl squaring rounding slowly out from her con sorts and as she bi ought her bow guns to bear upon the gypsy flash and her most intelligible hint of thunder veiled the fossle in blue pow der smoke the brig was put boic afore the wind her people toiled in frantic haste and in d frenzy of desire to escape for well did they 1 now the penalty that many of then would have to pay it that shapely cloud of soft swelling whiteness brought the grinning artillery of the hull below within easy reach 0 the gypsy s spars I 1 expect that scoundrel narel bland haa beached says crystal fernely to heres to our brave t atle sweetheart i upon the scene then said captain bland with a peculiar glow in his dusky eye I 1 will make off 1 rule of mine never to interfere in any good business that may be doing by my friends so cried pope his face lighting up each of us then has bis chance and no man can ask for more your hand on that bargain friend and he stretched his arm captain bland gravely squeezed captain pope s fingers A prosperous voyage captain CHAPTER XIII the madre nothing answering to the alon of the madre hove in sight pope had not known until he met captain bland that ships from cadiz tor two or three years in succession had been taken by pirates he consulted with crystal and they agreed it was pos sible that the commander of the madre fearing to be plundered had shaped a course for the horn widely remote from that pursued by his predecessors four days had passed since the julia morton parted company pope and crystal were sitting at dinner A piece of salt beef steamed upon the table a boiled fowl lay before crys tal on a little brass tray suspended from the upper deck swung three or tour bottles containing as many dit ferent sorts of liquor pope after receiving a leg of fowl upon his plate instead of falling to sat eyeing his companion steadfastly crystal said he I 1 have made up my mind tn quit this barren cursedly hopeless scene to morrow and go tor the antilles it Is a horrible digap but we mut face it like men before I 1 take this fresh step I 1 will call the crew aft and hold a council with them they 11 expect it said crystal helping himself to a glass of the earl s champagne just then the boatswain called through the skylight three sail right ahead are re ported from the t gallant yard sir heading for us i right and the boatswains ugly face vanished after swallowing another tumbler of grog apiece the two captains went on deck it was not until five bells half past two that the three sail sprang into sight ahead two showing from the deck before the third it was plain they were keeping company and sail ed close together pope and grindal had been watching the ships on the bow through the telescope intently tor some time in silence when grindal exclaimed the little un to the right is a ec hooner she s under email canvas while t other shows all ashes got to spread and the vessel he pope while the two captains stood to gether near the wheel watching their lofty swaying pursuer does he gain on usa no answered pope with the sud den decision of conviction but curse seize this swell Is it the fore runner of a calma then we are dead johnny or Is there wind be bind if I 1 believe I 1 see wind in that sky answered crystal looking into the southeast what shall you do it she overhauls us strike answered pope not be taken alive said crys tal so help me god I 1 will shoot myself when you stal e if after fight ing them I 1 am alive not swing again the frigate tried the range to no purpose all the pirates looking as one man could not see where the shot hit the water there could be no question that the gypsy was not only holding her own but that she was distancing her pur when her people made sure of this their savage exultations broke out they filled cans of gin and rum and pope flourishing a glassful roar ed out here s to our brave little sweet heart here s to her darling heels my lads drink to her drink to her and a roaring vent up from the crew it they re going to broach the liquor casks in this fashion muttered crys tal in pope s ear making a dread ul face as he slowly turned his eyes from the frigate there 11 be no boht ing when fighting s canted there 11 be no fighting anyhow answered pope what with a fifty gun ship and say four hundred and fifty of a crew A single broadside would blow us into ribs at four clock in the afternoon the frigate was still in chase but the light breeze and the keen entry of the brig had helped her though with the gift of an auxiliary screw and now when you loo ed at the man of war vou saw that she was suni to her ports but still she hung astern a full majestic moon of canvas deadly in resolved p ain t the wind scanting said gr n dal to captain pope creasing his nose and snuffling as he brought his wicked eyes to bear on his comman der we may have it out of southeast answered pope I 1 shall keep all on everything abroad dea 1 before it until we can sail her into darl ness which can t be far off though fire seize that sun dye notice how blow ho eways is in his going when night wanted in a hurrye it was a famous saying of nelson that at sea a good deal must be left to chance and very often chance which is another name for will show mercy to the undeserving even to pirates though a ment orlou frigate ha been sweating astern ill day in the i take for by six clock the sky 10 theart was painted a threatening dark gray with a mass 0 loose stuff sulkily scaling off it end now it was that both pope and crys tal stood waiting breathlessly it was life or death ta them they stared into the horizon and their faces looked their tremendous intentions each man as he gazed saw the brig filled men of and his own corpse crimsoning the white plank with a great b illet wound in his head no these stirling master mariners had hoisted the abhorred flag or a fortune not foi a gibbet then bith no further scanting the wind shifted all of a sudden slap with the run of the swell starboard aid our lelm starboard yom helm roc red pops see what are they doing such a cheer as a man reprieved from death send up to heaven or being a counsiel coun diel cliate would fend down to the devil broke ti om pope a deep throat as he dropped the telescope and turned to crystal the fn gate with a shift of wind had down helm and was bracing her yards up to join the two vessels out of sight the sim of the ea she hail abandoned the pursuit wite a huge oath crystal dashed hn cap on to the dec shouting what an escape scarce had he said this when all hands began to see what had hap bened and they fell mad the decks were covered with dancing figures the air was split the r hideous roars of joa CHAPTER XIV the thet s west ind aman nothing happen d the next two days the ere v were bitterly dis appointed b the escape ot the madre they admitted tha their commander had not deceived them that sort of fortune over velch tre black star trembles had admitted them to a sight of the object cf fieira cruise but for bland ard his accursed schooner the spaniard might have ben theirs hoeni it to be the next ship captain pope had sworn it cap tain co stal 1 ad echoed the oath the men defeated in greed wild to get money and end the dangerous cruise were furiously determined it was a sunday morning fair and peaceful one of sweet warm mornings which at sea make o 0 think of ahe glad music of the moun ing lark while memory calls up the woodland scene the dusty road the little highway inn crystal had come up from breakfast leaving pope at table and grindal re lieveld from hio watch on deck vas rolling forward when a oud clear voice sang from the fore top gallant ird sail ho to te continued |
