Show I WOL YES OF THE SEA SEABy j I II I II II I i I By RANDALL PARRISH i I I I b by A A. A C. C McClurg Co CHAPTER Continued Continued 20 wa was evidently c reluctant bu but Ilor enough no ugh to follow as ns I lowered m myself to the deck clinging hard to keep my footing tooting on the wet Incline A AlIght Alight Alight light ht spar had bad lodged here and b bj by waking this a species of ot bridge we c dept os us far for as ns the companion the door of or which was open and gained a view ur or the scene below helow It was a dismal hole hofe In the dim light but presented no obstacle to our entrance and I led the theft ft way down the stairs gripping the rail railto railto railto to keep from falling failing The door of ot the he captains captain's room gave hut Dui it required our combined efforts to press it open against the volume of water witter about within For a moment my eyes could scarcely recognize recognise nise ule the lie various objects as ns I clung to the frame of ot the door and stared blindly blind bUnt ly about in the gloom Then Ihen slowly they thy a assumed shape hape nn and substance Screwed to the deck the furniture re retained tamed Its Us place but everything else was Jammed in n a n mn mass s of wreckage or else floating about in a n foot Coot of oC water deepening toward the stern There were two chests In the room one lot lof which I instantly recognized as ns that of Roger Fairfax The sight Ight of this mn made e eme me oblivious to all nn else Theres Thre the chest we want Haines I rd pointing It out Have IIa the In lads s shark hack hark the boat up to this port then come down doun and help me handle It Yes sir his Voice olce trembling but but hut I isn't Isn't- nt that lint a n man Oyer over there there there-In In Inthe the hunk bunk Good God sir look at nt atThe hint I. I I nJ The The- white ghastly tI face sin stared red at us K looking oking like nothing human in that n awful twilight I actually thought it itu ita u a ghost host until with desperate effort the thc lifted himself clinging with gaunt lingers fingers ers to the edge of the bunk Then I Knew Sanchez You those cowards left you roll here to die No Na one carne came for me he answered choking so the words ors were scarcely in In- I Who are nrc you ou and what I brought you Ou here herer Ill tell teU you ou frankl frankly Captain Sanchez and I stepped closer We risked coming aboard to save sn that chest chest Roger Roger Fairfax's chest chest before before it it went down This vessel has its flack back broken and may slide off oft Into water at an any minute We must get Ket et you out of here first Get me out he lIe laughed hideously To Po To hell hen with your help I want none of or It I am a dead ead man now and the easiest wa way to end all nU will be to godown go godown down with the ship twill be a fit coffin for Black Sanchez By Go God I know you now now now-Geoffry Geoff ry Carlyle Yes but an enemy no longer That Is for me to say I hate bate your our race your breed The very sound of your our name drives me ma mad I ac accept ept no rescue from you Damn you ou take your gold and go go But wh why I insisted shocked at nt atthe atthe the mans man's violence Is It because I Interfered interfered in In- n between you and Dorothy Fairfax That chit bah what do I care for Cor her but as a plaything No my hate runs deeper than that How Bow came you oU here here In in the boat stolen from the Namur Namur Namur Na Na- mur No To Captain Sanchez The day ay after niter we e left the ship we boarded a schooner found adrift the crew stricken with cholera with not a n man left alive on deck or below She lies lles yonder now the Santa Marie Marie Marie-a a slaver Merciful God and his eyes fairly blazed into mine as he suddenly forced his body upward In the bunk The Santa Marie adrift the crew dead from cholera An And the captain Para captain Para Para- dills dilla Francis what Paradilla-what Paradilla what of ot him He lay alone on a divan In the cabin dead cabin dead also He lIe tried to speak but failed his fingers clawing at his throat When be he finally gained utterance once more It was but a whisper Tell me he begged there was no woman with him There was no woman I said gravely bravely on deck or In the cabin What mean men you by saying that There was one on board I l Dodt Dont lie Ile to 10 tome me In an hour I am dead dead but but first tell me the truth Does the woman live No she died before We found her bod body In a chest preserved by some devilish Indian art richly dressed and decked with Jewels English 2 I judged her so but with dark hair hairan an hind and ees eyes You knew her In the name of ot all nil the fiends fiens yes And I know her end He killed her her her- Paradilla killed her her because because she wasas was wasas wasas s as false to him as ns she had been to me Hell lIell but It Is strange you OU should b be bethe bethe e the one to find her her to to bring me this tale lle Geoffry Carlyle Why What Is It to me You go hack back to England and tell th the c duke of how his precious s taster lister died Ills His sister Good God you OU cannot canno t mean that woman was Lady Sara Car Car- Who should know V better than I IT I sneeringly Once I 1 was called in England England Eng land Sir John U sank hack back exhausted struggling lIng lIngler g ler hr r ih but hUt with i eves glowing g hatred I knew it all aU now the dimly remembered story coming vividly back to memory Here then was the ending of ot the one black stain on the family honor of ot our race On this this' strange coast three thousand miles from its Us beginning the final curtain was being rung down the drama finished The story had come to me In whispers from others never even spoken about by those of our race race race-n a wild headstrong girl a secret marriage a duel In the park her brother desperately wounded and then the disappearance of ot the pair Ten days dRs later it was known that Sir John had de defaulted defaulted de- de e- e faulted in a large sura sum but but from that hour England knew him no more As though the sea had swallowed them both man nn and woman disappeared leaving no trace behind The face I gazed dumbly into was drawn and white with pain yet the thin lips grinned back at me In savage derision Yon Yoa remember I see he snarled Then out of ot here Geoffry Carlyle Leave Lea me roe to die In peace The gold Is there take It and my curse upon it Hurry now now now-do do you hear the bark grate on the rocks its it's near the en end CHAPTER CHAPT R Before the Governor The sound Mund startled me I Imagined I heard the keel slipping yet before we the e had reached reache the door opening oh on d deck ck the tine slight movement ceased My Iy hand gripped the frightened Baines alnes Tell them In the boat to do as ns Isaid I Isaid Isaid said then come back here heie My Iy GoU sir she's a goin down own Not for tor some minutes yet et There are ire tho thousands of or pounds in that than chest youve you've risked life for less many a time line Jump my man The boat lay in close bobbing up an and down dangerously yet Jet hel held firmly beneath the opened port The box was heavy enough to tax the strength i of ot two men to handle It but of ot a size and shape permitting Its passage Sanchez had raised himself again and clung there to the edge of ot the bunk watching us Now let down easy lads I called No place it amidships get It even ven even or you fou go ov over r. r Fix it to ride steady and stand tand by well by well we'll pass a wounded J d man out to you ou I stepped across to Sanchez He saw me coming and drew back his ghastly face ace like a mask No you ou dont don't Carlyle I 1 he snapped angrily Keep your hands hans ort oft 0 me So you want me to die with my ray neck in n a noose do you I was born a g gen gen- gentleman n leraan tieman and b by God Ill I'll die like one one one- an and go down with my ship Get out of ot othere here now You wont won't You will or else die here with me Ill I'll give you a minute to make your choice lIe He left no doubt as to his meaning From Flom beneath the blanket the black muzzle of a pistol looked straight Into my eyes ees The hand han holding It was firm the face fronting me savagely sardonic Id like to kill you Carlyle he hissed h hatefully By God I dont don't dontino knob ino wh why I Every time I look ook at you OU I see her face tace If you take a step nearer I pull the trigger trigger trigger-go go It was a hard pull back to the Santa Marie Dorothy greeted me rue first and we stood close together at the rail as the men hoisted the chest on deck eck She said nothing asked nothing buther but buther her hands clung to my arm an and whenever when when- ever ver I turned toward her our eyes met There was a sudden cr cry forward and a voice shouted There she goes buckles That's the last o 0 the Namur JI J I turned turne swiftly my hand grasping grasping her fingers as they clung to the rail The battered hulk slid downward the deck breaking amidships as the stern splashed Into the Ule depths then that also toppled topple over leaving nothing above water except the blunt end of ot a broken bowsprit and a tangle of ot wreckage tossed about on the crest of ot the waves I watched breathlessly unable to utter a sound I could only think of ot that stricken man In the cabin those wild eyes which ha had threatened me He lIc was gone now now gone gone goneI I II I. I I yet held Dorothy's Dorothys Do hand lanti t l rt clasped In my own and the depths of ot other her uplifted eyes questioned me me We w will go aft dear an and I will tell telf you OU the whole story I sal said gently for now we are homeward bound boun 4 I write these few closing lines a y year nr later In the thc cabin of ot the Ocean Spray a three master full to the hatches with a cargo of of tobacco bound boun for London an and a market Dorothy Doroth Is on deck eagerly watching for tor the first glimpse of the chalk cliffs of old England Englan I must Join her presently yet linger below to add these final sen sen- tenses There Is after all little which needs to be said The rhe voyage of the Santa Marie north proved uneventful and anti after that first night of ot storm the weather held pleasant and the sea sen I fairly smooth I 1 had some trouble with themen the men but nothing serious as us Watking Watkins Wat- Wat king kins and homes held as ns I 1 dl did und nand the pledge of ot Dorothys Dorothy's influence brought coura courage e. e I refused etl to open own the chest believing beHe our safety and ami of ot pardon would depend largely un on our ourt handing this over In good faith to the authorities Watkins and I 1 guarded it night and anti day until the schooner rounded the cape and came Into the Chesapeake No attempt was made to find quarters below the entire crew sleeping on deck Dorothy Dorothr comfortable on the flag fing locker It was scarcely sunrise on the fifth da day when we dropped anchor against the current of ot the James our sails furled and the re red English colors fly flying ing lag from the peak Two hours later the entire company were In the presence presence pres pres- ence of ot the governor go where I told my story gravely ely listened to supplemented supplement supplement- e ed by the earnest plea of ot the young woman I shall never forget torget that scene or how breathlessly we awaited the decision of ot the great man who so closely watched our faces They were surely a strange rough group as they stood thus hats in hand waiting to toI I learn their fate shaggy haired unshaven unshaven un shaven largely scum of ot the sea never ne before In such presence shuffling uneasily uneasily un In easily before his glance feeling to the full the peril of ot their position Their eyes ees turned turne to me questioningly Opposite us behind a long table sat the governor dignified austere his hla flair nair one anu race face smoothly shaven while on either side of him were those of his council many of the faces stern and unforgiving But for their gracious reception of ot Dorothy Dorothyan an and their careful attention to her words I should have lost heart henrt They questioned me shrewdly although h the governor go spoke but seldom and anel then In a kindly tone of sympathy and un un- un- un One by one the men were called forward each ench In turn compelled compelled com com- to tell briefly the stor story of his life liCe and when all was done the eyes of ot the governor sought those of the council You have all alike nUke heard the tale gentlemen he said Nothing like it hath bath ever before been brought before this colon colony Would you ou leave lea decision to me There was a murmur of ot assent a as though they were thus gladly relieved of ot responsibility In so serious a mat mat- ter The governor go smiled his kindly eyes surveying us once more then with extended hand he bade Dorothy be seated The story Is seemingly an honest one he lie said slowly and these seamen seamen sea sea- seamen men have hn done a n gre great t service to the colon colony They deserve reward rather than punishment The fair lady Indy who pleads for tor Is known to us all and to even question her word is im possible Unfortunately I have not the power of ot pardon In cases of piracy nor authority to free Cree bond slaves without with out the approval of the home government govern ment yet will exercise In this case whatsoever of ot power I possess For gal gallant ant services re rendered to the colony col ony and unselfish devotion to Mistress Dorothy Fairfax I release Geoffry Geofry Carlyle Carlle from servitude pending advices advices ad ad- vices from England I also grant parole pa pat role to these seamen on condition they remain within our Jurisdiction until this judgment can be confirmed an and full pardons issued Is this Judgment Judg judge judgement ment went satisfactory gentlemen The members of ot the council bowed gravely ely without speaking The chest of ot treasure recovered from the sunken pirate ship he went wenton on soberly will remain unopened antii until until un un- til final decision Is made As I unde stand Master Carlyle no one amo amont l you has yet et seen Its contents or est cst mated Its value No your excellency Beyond doubt doub It contains the gold stolen from Roger Fairfax and possibly the result of other robberies at sea The law Iii of ot England Is that a certain percentage of ot such recovered treasure belongs to the crown the remainder Its true ownership undetermined to be fairly divided among those recovering It Yet spoke up Dorothy quickly it must surel surely be possible to waive all aU claim In n such cases Certainly as M private property It Itcan Itcan itcan can be disposed of In any way desired Was that your our thought A Fairfax always pays his debt debt n tN mine There was a moments moment's silence ft ns t et ef to specie but wit r. r Then rhen th thIn e ein In nil all tr fr Tier Thero B Khe e said cle den clea H x- x What H B I She cr ion my 01 arm To bee Carlyle Car Car- lyle As for fort m contractor tor of hamim hanun H g for the orioles taking my pay T notes I throw strings out c a tim the e window whitlow and they snap them up lIl at nt once onee They sit In Inthe Inthe Inthe the cherry trees hard h by and war tic ble Hurry Burry up lIl hurry tip lip up I never nt I found out before Ju just t what hal v sold I J ut if you oU will lI listen yoi 11 will 1 tint that this l I Is what titan they v Il III Mr-i Mr t ny JI nv A vui I 1 g I but n-i n I I. |