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Show wimm aaclson Illustration by -''. 'V "Mrt'COpYriht by The Bobb -Mrr!ll Company. J Sazarae to bis host. "It Is enough to Kay I hud no hand In this. ('111111' throw the doors wide, Johanncss !" ''You will have no chance! Yon will lie recognized at once! It Is a tale to bang on Jean I.ntltte. The swamp, my captain, ere the dragoons come!" "Monsieur," Snzarae spoke apart to Rnoul. "She was to speak of some matter of which her life appeared to be the price. The mystery Chit's mission. mis-sion. The consul's embarrassment. Who could have taken Miss Leslron?" "To the swamps without doubt," growled Jobanness, "but she cannot be hiddenf roni swamp eyes, .lean, If you seek her there Is the trail !" Sazarae swept to action. "True! My place is there and free to follow her!" Do .ilmonaster grasped his band as he stepped to the dark. "You will send me word, sir? I tun at your service, Monsieur Sazarae !" "The game Is up for Sazarae! Ln-titte, Ln-titte, then, threading the secret swamp trails to unknown ends Lnlitte, again the fugitive, driven back to his old haunts as the hounds bay at the fox. Adieu, Monsieur! I am I.alitte." De Alinonaster heard a whispered laugh as the exile mounted a horse which the blacks hnd hurried from the stables. As he passed the gate, the old yard-man raised a frightened cry and dropped his flambeau. "Massa I.a fine !" De Almonaster ground his teeth In fury. "Silence that fellow!" he hissed to the house blacks. "Death to the one of you who whispers a word of this night's matters !" Silently he ran back, up the rear way, and a moment more stood idly by the candles that shone on the remnants rem-nants of the feast. The bronze knocker Cail.-..i. Itocrir glnnvc.i 'lripnfieiillj at Hie tall black bats of bis dragoons glistening in tho torchlights. "Well, then! A cordon of troops on tho hack plantation roads. The man will be taken before morning !" "A long day, Monsieur--" murmured Me A I nioiiiiNi or. The olticer turned perplexedly. "At least, this! Mid tills Sazarae resemble resem-ble Labile, tin; outlaw?" "They might have bo"ti brothers," said Kaoul languidly. "What did Tie have to say, this bandit V" retorted Captain Roche. "lie praised the woodcock. As for the broiled ponipano, It was siiperla-live. siiperla-live. And my wines ah you should have heard !" "1'erdillon, sir!" roared the American Ameri-can captain. "It must be (is I have been told half of old Louisiana wa In league wlth'lhls pirate! The town Is laughing, even at tills infamy put upon the subject of 11 friendly power. If Sazarae was I.alitte, they gossip that she probably lied willingly with him!" "Not to my broiled pompano," mused De Almonaster. "See? He left nothing of It save the bones." CHAPTER VII In the Old Haunts. "Now, see tire captain ! roared old Johanness, shaking the pole support sup-port of the palmetto thatch In bis trueuleneo. "I the bo'sun of the I'etral brought hlni. You older fellows, fel-lows, there! He commands you In lids affair of the Kngllsh woman. And you" he leveled savage eyes upon the younger Islanders who crowded under the thatch "does nny nuO.1 speak against me?" There was no answer. The sweating, sweat-ing, motley crew pressed, closer to stare at Jean La (It tee. Caspar Sazarae henceforth Jean I.alitte to the gathering members of his old adventuring crew which once bad numbered n thousand men at the Rod fort on Grand Terre reef sixty miles to the southward arose and looked at the silent faces. "First," he said sternly, "I want to know this matter of the muskets stolen from the English ship at the Algiers wharf.. It has a bearing upon this mystery of Mademoiselle Lestron, I imagine. The customs ofllcers and the British skipper alike are in an uproar over it. Black Mike speak !" "An itch to be looting that and the drink," muttered Black Michel, uneasily. un-easily. "An Irlsher In the Knglisll crew, who once hnd sailed with Paul Jones, and later taken and Impressed Into the king's navy be wished to desert, and meeting up with Bohon, and John Crackley, who bad fled from the navy but a week before, he proposed pro-posed to seize the muskets. It appears ap-pears they were unloaded by a mischance mis-chance from the Genaron. The skipper skip-per protested to the customs that the arms were destined for the Mexicoes and not for this port. And while they qunrreled of It, our fellows lugged them off. Old Budge was the dock watchman, which made It easy." "And you, Black Mike what was your part In It?" "Oh, nothing! They smuggled tha stuff on my lugger, that was all, and cached It on St. Joseph's island. Surely, Sure-ly, my captain, you will not reproach me over a little affair like that!" There was a hoarse laugh. Even the captain smiled. - "Thirty cases of new muskets three thousands rounds of ball who knows when we might need them?" The captain looked out to the tidal bayou winding through the pathless morass to the Mejcican gulf. At the water's edge, past the. scraggy, hurricane-riven oaks, lay a dozen trappers' pirogues slender swift canoes hollowed hol-lowed from a single cypress log. Beyond, Be-yond, at their moorings, swung a trio of red-sailed luggers, with the smoke of their charcoal pots drifting lazily Into the air. "Bohon " Jean summoned the swarthy Portuguese smuggler from the throng. "Your lugger twelve men to the sweeps, for there is no air. I must see the deserters from the English ship. The Genaron was to convey the British Brit-ish mission to Vera Cruz. See here--you ! Has there been among you of late, any man who whispered against the American occupation of Louisiana? Not openly, as did Captain Lockyer of the Sophia, who, as you older men will ' remember, landed at our fort with a royal commission for me, and the king's gold for all who would betray New Orleans to Pakenham's fleet?" There was a shout. "Aye ! The British got our answer at Chalmettel Who fought the Yankee bat'rles but j our Grand Terre gunners !" "Even Old Hickory did not question where they got their skill wl' the twenty-four-pounders !" "Mademoiselle Lestron on the Genaron, and the bark adrift to the passes!" (TO BE CONTINUED.) ff, "MASSA LAFITTEl" SYNOPSIS. Under the name of "Captain S,rzarac," and disguised, Jean Latitte. former freebooter , of Raratarlu. proscribed, returns to the city of New Orleans. Ho Is recognized by two of his old companions, Alderman Dominique and Beluche. At the gaming tables Sazarae has won much money from Colonel Ourr, British Brit-ish otllcer. John Jarvis, the city's first bohemian of the arts and tetters. Hn oldtime friend of La-ntte. La-ntte. tells of a woman's face and smile. As his last wager. Carr puts up a woman, presumably a slave. Custom compels Sazarae to accept the stake. He wins. His old associates and Count Raotrl de Almonaster accost him as I.atUte. A project of the youthful adventurers of New Orleans Or-leans is the rescue of Napoleon Bonaparte from St. Helena, and a ship, the Seraphine. has been made ready. From De Almonaster Almonas-ter Sazarae learns that the girl he "won" at the card table is white, of high estate, and that the matter has been made a by-v-f word in the city's resorts. Saz arae finds Mademoiselle Lestron, a fellow passenger on a river steamer a few days before, and with whom he had fallen in love, ts the girl and in chivalry foregoes fore-goes bis revenge against Carr. Jarvis admires Mademoiselle Ies-tron. Ies-tron. He is a witness of the meeting and picks up a camellia which the girl had thrown, unnoticed, un-noticed, to Sazarae. Jarvis Is dangerous; he talks too much in his cups. His old associates of the Barataria days urge Latitte to take command of the Seraphine. Sera-phine. ostensibly to rescue Napoleon Napo-leon but really to fly the black flag and cruise the seas. He hesitates. Jarvis is a witness of the kidnaping of Mademoiselle Lestron. but his story is not given credence. De Almonaster entertains Sazarae. now admittedly admitted-ly Jean Latitte, at his country house. Lafltte. accused of the abduction of Mademoiselle Les-.tron, Les-.tron, is warned of the approach of a military party seeking to arrest him. CHAPTER VI Continued. Sararac arose. The old buccaneer was sheathing his sword. Then he sprang to the great windows and drew the silken curtain. "I see the boat's lights," he grumbled surlily. "The clty is in an uproar !" "Monsieur," the guest turned to De Almonaster. "Tl'.fc thing I feared has tome. My name, In some brawl on the "water-front " "Tour name?" shouted Jehanness. "'So ! It is Sazarae they seek ! Saza-Tac, Saza-Tac, the packet gambler! D n! they put the affair straight on Sazarae!" "What of Sazarae?" P.aoul advanced ad-vanced wonderingly. The old bo'san laughed, his eyes flittered. He turned to his chief: "If you had told us, Jean, we would have liad the woman miles beyond recovery, ere the word was out." "The woman?" Sazarae eyed him sharply. "Old man, tell me this !" "First they rout the packets. Then treat out the levee wineshops. All that they kn;w was that you had vanished ,V" -with the English woman ! Jarvis, the fool, first told the tale, and no one ljelieved him. Then the colonel's wife, then Carr, himself, like a madman to the authorities. She was heard to. scream ... a river guard says there was some commotion on a small Iroat off the rue Conti, but he thought It was a drunken revel. Dominique hurried me here to warn you he, alone, knew you were a guest of Monsieur! Mon-sieur! I did not believe you would be here . . . unless the English woman " The sea adventurer had sprung as if to seize the old man's throat. "She taken kidnaped?" "Why, the tale runs down to the Barataria swamps ! Sazarae was lieard to say he would possess her. bond girl or free!" Johanness grinned. "Here is my sword, Jean before you and the English woman wherever she be!" De Almonaster was watching a boat's lights on the dark river. "They seek Sazarae, then? Monsieur, can we explain sufficiently where you were last night? I do not question, but you will see the position " "Was she not fair game ... If my captain desired her?" glowered Johanness. "You will be quiet, Johanness. Stand by to watch the approach." He turned to his host: "This seems some incredible incredi-ble jest. The lady vanished it appears ap-pears worthy of John Jarvis' telling " Old Johanness gaped upon him unbelievingly. un-believingly. "It would seem you deny knowledge of it! Sazarae was recognized recog-nized standing before her hotel when nil the town was abed. Sazarae swore be would claim her. It seems that not until late afternoon did a servant discover dis-cover she had been seized in her room. Then came Jarvis' story, piecing the thing out. There is no doubt. The authorities au-thorities are Informed. The consul, the governor, the military!" He stopped, puzzledly watching his chief: "And Bazarac has vanished, you see !" "There is work for me," muttered "I Demand Him, Monsieur!" The Young Officer Was Getting Angry. at the door dropped loudly. The frightened servant opened it. A young captain of the American dragoons stepped in hastily. He saluted, embarrassed em-barrassed now at his abruptness. "Your pardon, Monsieur de Almonaster Almonas-ter " "Ah, Captain Roche! Will you enter?" en-ter?" "Thank you. We are seeking Information. Infor-mation. A young woman of the party of Colonel Carr of the British mission, waiting to embark for Vera Cruz, has been seized. The clues lead to this west shore, apparently near your place, Monsieur. The British consul threatens to involve the two governments govern-ments It is said that the gambler, Sazarae, has done this trick . . . and that he is in reality Jean Lafitte, turned up from the dead!" "Ah incredible!" murmured De Almonaster. Al-monaster. "The famed beauty. Miss Lestron ! Possibly I am t.'ie one man in New Orleans who has not seen her." The young officer seemed more embarrassed. em-barrassed. "I am sorry to say, sir, that my information was to the effect that this Sazarae was your guest. It is regrettable re-grettable that I must inquire and search " The host bowed : "My compliments to the governor, and say that, tonight, Monsieur de Almonaster Itoxas did, indeed, entertain at dinner, Capt. Gas-par Gas-par Sazarae of the AmerU-an explorations." explora-tions." "Ah, but " gasped the dragoon captain. cap-tain. "It is a villainous affair that is charged to Latitte, the returned freebooter! Where, Monsieur, is he?" "Where could he have gone? The river on one side the swamp on the other. It is lamentable!" "I demand liliu, Monsieur!" The young officer was getting angry. The host concealed a awn. "I recall re-call that, once, In the old days, the governor of Louisiana demanded him. He sent word to the governor that he would receive the governor at any time the governor wished to call at the Red house on Grand Terre. The governor did not call, I believe." |