Show LD ARTHUR D HOWDEN ARn AtIlt V ito r CHAPTER ani continued 17 f nig ills brack back Is broken shouted my great uncle the james had begun to gather headway but nil aa the wheel was released from the lead dead helms mans grip her hend foil fell off find she dropped sluggishly into the trough of the seas which surged over the shattered waist ind end one green hill of water burst squarely on the poop hurling is to the deck peter recovered ills his footing before either cither murray or I 1 shoved the flip Ea body aside and gripped propped the wheel in his own lin hands linnies nils slowly the buoyancy all out of her the royal james swung around in re apone to the rudders thrust and lumbered off before the wind ivind tile the headland albotra had sighted faded into tile the mist but my great graat uncle shook his head sadly we W ore are irr making inking witter water tie he shouted 6 to me and tile tho island Is to leeward we ve can scarce weather it and if we do A faint hall reached us from the land tl and a rent in tho the storm clouds P t bowed B n second and lower headland fair fiti rover over our larboard bow peter started to put vie the helm down to enable us to bear off a aa a much as possible tin and have whatever chance there was of clearing it but murray caught ills hla arm no na no peter I 1 cried my great uncle head fiend up I 1 head up I 1 tig ITIS the north norh inlet I 1 if we can priss pass in to of that spit we are arc safe jn I 1 squeaked peter and ills his iron muscles forced the rudder over it neutralized the drive of the wind and sea and foot by foot th the royal james made hor her passed the erast east spit with half a cables length to ind and opened a nn narrow irrow bottle shaped roadstead with tree clad ahr shores es that offered protection from any storm that blew the rain was still pelting down tiie the surf was foaming on the outer benches the wind whistled shrilly in the nut but to us that prospect wn trie tre fairest ever avei seen moira sank bank to tier lier knees tit in prayer beside the dead pirate my illy great uncle stepped to the gitil and bade tile the survivors of the crew get sufficient sail on the chip t to give us ua steerageway and 1 I 1 I tried to shake peter lie ile blinked at tile lue solemnly 1 I 1 tank gott out cloudt to der alm today bob lie he said ja jal 1 I CHAPTER XIV Ms disaster sister another less lesa self assured than andrew murray must have been dismayed by ba the series of misfortunes which had beset him we were safe but no more the royal cloyal james was taking in water so BO rapidly etwas aecha ne cst ary tary to beach tier lier on the mud tints flats nt at tile the south end of the inlet she leaked like a sieve where the mizzen wast lind had thu thumped duped tier side and tier her upper works were in splinters in ae fight with the walrus and the we had lost eight odd men but wore more serious than this 06 were tile the deaths 0 of tile the two mates Alar martins tins body was aund und near the stump of the mizzen lie ho had been struck town down by the mast lie he so distrusted nothing was ever seen of saunders dera and we could only suppose that he had been swept overboard the crew were apathetic and sullen inclined to be mutinous m and resentful of my grent great uncles authority for the ohp first time they had reason to question tion ills fits omnipotence and it rehul required red a full display of ills his ruthless temper to tb reduce them to subject subjection lon an accomplishment to which lie he wits was aided considerably by coupeau compeau Cou peau and I 1 am free iq admit by peter and me who could not afford to risk the brutal 11 censo which would certainly follow a revolt of the gun decks polyglot horde the former galley was a redoubtable filly ally with the nine tailed eat cat end and a bruiser whose flits ests were na at deadly sure as the long lie he handled so 0 o deftly the rain and wind win ceased with the approach of darkness and my grent great uncle tin and the men mustered under tit the poop many of then still bleeding from roin the punishment they had received and of all his lila feats 1 I deem that tile OIB most remarkable to face lornet kally unaided upward of n huntrod tint find fifty flaty men inen who had just juat been c curbed in tile the net let of mutiny without oven sulli elent light to enable him to the compiling coin pening gleam of its his towny tawny eyon he Ile beat them down old odd held thein down by sheer power of will md find utter fearlessness you stand upon the deck of a w wr irk ceu jea still ship lie be sold said bleakly under er hi telles lies iles tretis treasure tire to tamiki every one of yu you comfortable jford afo life ilfe to huy buy you dis or place or fortune wille whichever liever you prefer one lilan can elvad you to repair the thip arlo conduct you ou where here tile the treas brevi uro W io ile 0 use to you 1 l alint t lio un without roe rne you tare ore do donnat donn ct to upend your days chas nolif pi nt liF kam on those ant if th there theres erets Is tin rp of fale disorder billit hil lit ln f 1 almal n arann nn als ot 0 ti ia you save a number required to handle the ship get to work before you rest I 1 expect the maln deck to be cleared and staging rigged for ing and calking 11 lie ho drove them until midnight then ent them reeling to their hammocks in the morning a systematic plan ot of occupation was arranged by cou Pe pearll aull advice a handful of tile the more amenable of the crew mostly negroes portuguese italians and frenchmen of the south were organized as an and the were divided into squads headed by men selected for skill tit at some special trade one squad were to overhaul tile satis flail s and cut and sow sew from spare canvas a suit for the new mizzen which a second squad were to liew hew on om the slopes of glasa glass mountain and transport to the ship A third squad were to repair all exterior damage to the hull a fourth were to calk the started seams beams a fifth were to attend to whatever internal repairs were necessary I 1 coubeau coupeau was placed in charge of the work and the rest of u us a carried colonel ODon nells body to the top of a arri small till hill hll cast of the hend head of the inlet there in the midst of a grave grove of pines we laid him to rest owns a nohle noble situation forn fora for a n wanderer who had never reached ills hta goal with the clashing boughs and the distant thunder of the surf to sound a requiem until the end of time and a view over green meadows and dwarf woodlands to the white rim of tile the beach and the blue sea shining I 1 in n the sun yesterday seemed years past I 1 blinked my eyes looking from the peaceful garb of nature to ellin allin boly body huddled in prayer beside tile the mound of raw earth amongst the pine needles anthe on the edge of the grove the men who tho had dug the grave we were r e playing a gambling game gaine with the pine alne cones conea peter leaned on a musket gravely compassionate my great uncle his eyes puckered in thought was staring out to sea aft aa I 1 watched lie twitched my coat sleeve and drevy me to one side 1 I shall leave you to amuse yourself as you choose for the remainder of the addy lie he said bald itla I ala for you and peter to safeguard the maid I 1 must ascertain if po possible isible what hath bath become of flint and then I 1 asked theril ills ilia eyebrows arched in surprise why then robert nobert we shall continue as wo we have done hitherto I 1 I 1 you must pursue this insane scheme lie he woe was as patient with me as if I 1 were a 0 fractious child ITIs no insane scheme but a coup of high politics of fascinating import my boy I 1 own to disappointment it doth not appeal to you more readily what shall we cry quits quite simply because of shipwreck and after every move hath turned as we plotted it should dt t I 1 shook my head hopelessly but decided to try again bethink you I 1 argued the longboat can speedily be made weather tight in her we might reach put it from your mind 11 lie he interrupted with a hint ot of iron in his voice you little know roe me robert if you reckon me one to turn back from what I 1 havo have begun biegun in especial this matter which consummates the ambition of my life but we tills this time the iron was uppermost boy you are essential to my plans much as I 1 love you I 1 but well not talk on that plane I 1 am none for threats let it suffice that you are not to mention tho the subject again ile he wheeled around and left me and with ills his escort of strung out behind him was nas soon burled in the undergrowth on the lower lanka flanks of the hill the sun was past meridian when peter and I 1 induced folrn colre to abandon the unmarked mound and to divert her mind we led her on it a tramp to the shoulders of the spyglass where a score odthe of the james men already had felled a giant fir and were lopping the branches from tile the trunk preparatory tu removing the bark in the forest aar by we killed a fesq or of and peter skillfully broiled them over tin an open fire and after that since she professed to enjoy tile the el at lence lanco of the we pressed on beyond hearing of tile the ringing ax blades and finally came to the foot of the steep steell pinnacle of rock which was the lens of the spyglass here II 11 ere we ve would have halted hut but moira had bad heard the story of tile the watch tile the pirates maintained from tile hie summit and she he insisted on completing corns coms plating the ascent de despite p I 1 to the lateness or of the hour anti and we because we were ere for doing an tiling that alint would please her that day and relieve tier grief contented conseen d it was more than it looked and the sun was tow low in tile the west est when we reached the platform at ai the top stained and blackened by the th bearon beacon ires fires that had burned there but the view was glorious the island was spread out beneath us ua III like e a map on taho from the hill bill on our left nit nil tile the way southward along the rocky spine of the west coast to mizzenmast hill and a cope cape to the west of that which old martin had find called head Hn B stward the irregular shore ran north ind anti boulb to tile indentation of captain kidds anchorage the tree growth matted and thick except for several savannas midway of tile the island and the silvery loops of two or three small rivers alvera we identified the roasts masts of the james rising above the headwaters of the north inlet and the he opening in the trees north and east of captain eldda anchorage that wa was s the site alte of the fort flint had hullt built and then motra cried led out oh blessed saints will that be a ship do but see bobi bob I 1 peter I 1 she pointed eastward and there sure enough was a ship or rather th topias of a ship barely lifting olef over the horizons rim it ifft it had not been for the fact that the suns rays were striking level across the ocean floor and so were reflected from the sheen of the can canvas we should never have seen it not even with a glass aye itis a ship I 1 said jn an nodded peter it la Is flint albira shivered ed troth Tr olti and who would world it be else she demanded therell be no friends of us come a calling im thinking it might be a kings ship I 1 began no then she abb dented denied it if this island Is gone nil all these years without the kings finding track ot of it ala itis not like they will come upon it i sudden in this roo moment ment ala a ship indeed I 1 agreed unwillingly aye a full rigged ship 11 ja a ship like li lints said peter we were silent for not A instant the three of us ua dazed by the suddenness mess with which our whole outlook on the future had bad been changed by this unexpected loom of leagues away he must have weathered the storm 1 I said foolishly and now the red fighting will begin all over again cried albotra aly my soul will there not have been deaths enough for this treasure every piece of it must be speckled with mens blood we better tell murray said peter moving toward the lip of the rock platform but how could mint flint be buck back so BO toon I 1 protested tin impossible peter ieter ile he could not he could ja returned the dutchman man der storm was by in two glasses andt der ship Is yet maybe ten leagues offe off neena meent we descended the spyglass in silence twilight overtook us in the forest at its base and we were obliged to retrace our course course with extreme caution so BO that eight bells rang from t the he royal james BO ao exact was tile the restored d discipline on that stranded h hulk as we stepped from the trees 0 on n to the shore of the north inlet and hailed balled for a boat my bly great uncle met us at the gangway immaculate in plum satin n coat and blue plush breeches white silk stockings and black pumps silver buckled ills his hair neatly tied with a black silk ribbon well well he be greeted us you have made a long day of it I 1 trust you are not overtired over tired sweet this to moira dolra 1 I have delayed sitting bitting to dinner in hopes that you would be here you can see he waved an all inclusive hand that lahat we have not been idle aboard the james we begin to look like a ship again eh did you by chance seo see the new mizzell you toil better come to der cabin said peter abruptly 1 I beg your pardon an answered save red murray we have something to tell you I 1 s sald a i d ll 11 lt it c cannot a n n 0 t w wait alt I 1 ills 1 1 s eye ces s pi plumbed u ti i b e d n mine aln e harld and I 1 think lie he knew in that instant N what v our news was ile he clicked open lila ills snuffbox snuff box and dusted a pinch delicately into ills his nostrils so he be murmured sets the wind in n that quarter I 1 and he offered moira dolra his arm with tho the inc fine stately dignity he achieved to perfection and led the way aft to the main maln cabin you may place the viands u upon pon the table gunn lie he said to the steward when we were seated we will serve ourselves he turned to moira lotrn 1 I recommend this ush fish ITIs fresh caught and the remaining lis Is a master at such dishes he hath stuffed it you see eee with greens he procured from the woods we lave have scant time to eat let alone to admire our food I 1 interposed posed roughly from the peak of the spyglass tit at sunset we sighted the of a ship chip in the east 1 I presume that you believe her to be the walrus he returned ja said peter it Is flint my aly faith and who else would I 1 it t beva be asked wire doubtless you are right he assented indeed d I 1 do not question it our examination on of the northern and pastern eastern benches today failed to als disclose a trace of evidence to indicate what wha thad had become of the walrus and had she sunk stink some wreckage must have washed ashore yes yes my friends our ill III luck Is still with us flint rode out the storm but that robert la is no reason why we should not secure tile lie maximum of satisfaction from this tasty meal all the more particularly so when we consider I 1 tta like to be the last for some days we shall shallI cat ent in such comfortable surroundings you take it coolly ll I 1 1 I exclaimed and why not tig a disaster I 1 grant you yet irritation will not aid me to redress IV it you dont stay here neen said peter quite butte right friend peter the royal james in her present plight would be a deathtrap death trap traps I 1 shall abandon her tonight and shift to the fort flint was so obliging as to construct for or us ua by the anch anchorage ornge and the treasure I 1 asked lie ire held up his wineglass to the light and studied it reflectively obviously we must be where the treasure Is he returned at length or if you please put it the other way rounds round the treasure must ile be where we are ae I 1 foresee a busy night for our people dolra thrust out appealing ha hands ads toward him oil oh sir air why wont ye juit be after calling out |