Show oil H A T by ARTHUR D HOWDEN SMITH 16 10 3 service ARTHUR 1 D SMITH CHAPTER XI continued 20 oh forget what I 1 said she lied tied distressed yet I 1 meant well my fault that you have hane led out james deny it not 1201 tout slip sl ip was wae equipped to fight the badger sure ma nia am again a complexity ot of paish ns Us tormented fellowes ue he wanted to be kind he wanted to b be cruel cruet he wanted to help he tie want ed to hurt the sweat sto d in beads on his forehead clammy as the sea mist that dripped from the spars if he be might take her in his arms and comfort heri her I 1 but no cruelty w uld be more kind if I 1 sink the badger I 1 do a d service for or my country which sh uld be your country if I 1 happen to bill kill aptakin CoIll shawe he mad made a pretense at a shrug why I 1 shall remove remote a dangerous enemy of my country and the man who flogged me she regarded him with that small mournful look her tier lips curved in pity and I 1 have done this to you I 1 she bhe said I 1 should remember but each time it hurts the same I 1 am so sor ry so very corryl sorry 1 ive turned love into bate hate and ruined two men s lives ah ab and find brought my father to the gil lawsl that sufficient oh well then we well 11 go below anywhere I 1 what does it matter A few hours a few days a few months her ter father led her away mumbling fuss ly and fellowes hurried tor for ard to inspect drag anything to occupy him to aid him to forget her she was in love with I 1 olli shawe of course the tetter averyt everything it ing her words her humors her palpable ans lety proved it D n the he be must have s dept her tier off her feet I 1 but when before that night or after he ile turned to cuffee his brain work ing simultaneously along parallel lines to caution the negro to reduce his big powder charges when the brig lost headway I 1 don dont I 1 want to reath reab him yet no use in telling him we have a twenty four just tickle him up cuff cuffee ee keep him hot not after us and cuffee laughed uproariously yah yah yah marer bellowe I 1 dat big tun oh ob we tool fool him col plenty too much back on tt ti e poop straining anxious ly through the mist Fel fellowes lowee recalled that last night on the true B anty a swish of skirts a airm pliant b ly pressed to his the touch of soft lips CHAPTER XII I 1 battle long before evening the two vessels 4 were vis vig hie to each other tt tf e cen turlon blocked clearly against tie fad ing trig light in the e st the bidger a blurred bl erred tower of canvas in the radi radl ance once of the sunset the bidger gained slowly on the Cen centurion turlon and under cover coer of dark desa the privateer cut herself free of the drag shortening sail soft to in intall her position just out of range of ol 01 lis hawes s twelve the men off watch were sent to their ham harn mocks and those on duty bidden to he ile d wn wo beside the guns Pel fellowes lowes bline himself elf endeavored to set an exam pie by curbing his excitement and toward midnight snatched a nap in one of the waldrom war drom bunks an hour before sunrise fellowes was awakened by a messenger from breed who had the watch ile cime or derk dek to find the crew astir the galley smote ing busily cuffee was wag crooning over the aig removing yesterdays powder stiens from its pliny st iny barrel with a rag and polish fellowes first thought was to see bee to the feeding of his men they were to have a hot meal and a st Is OTC me of grog and don I 1 forget the isomers j mr air breed ve 1 e may be ours at this job give them the same meal as the crew and then stow them in the cable tiers lers himself he at tended 0 to the cockpit cara opened t tl e door in response to his knock I 1 am oath loath to disturb yon you ma am tie said but tl V e doctor will be ing his quarters soon and I 1 d alace you out of reach of shot she regal ded him with the same pitying expression which had irked him the day before think thank you she answered quietly but if we may sir we well 11 stay here doctor 0 will require as js Istance but you dont rea realized lizel zel atoun I 1 hot wounds are hideous and arid grapel grape I 1 id d rather see the worst things than crouch below and imagine them and I 1 m not one to faint and stew cap tain fellowes rellow eq there theres s mr air Ing lepin fellowes Fellow eq suggested and your attending atten dint I 1 may be a tool foot ben Ing lepin re torte I 1 tartly but I 1 can wind a bond band age or hold a basin and I 1 prefer any thing to the darl ness and stench of the I 1 suppose Is where you d put us is fis fir at least asserted pel fel lowes r cizl 1 llA sll if X viv ne blust list I 1 belleve you we irp bi NN n i e i safe we diw A Fellow fellowes ts looked at the duenna dark tat li if jetty from the lolli foil of her tier minima tilla cara so sal I 1 jul ul kly the sen la to pan can help too she will be much better for having boi to do ca C me sir do oot not sentence us to the ald hadl I 1 torn your funded wended will be in re ire camf etab e for wt at assistance we cad in lender she api ailed t 0 nessy aull confirm me wont you doctor dotor ahe he irl abman supported sip ported her tier gal bantly sh sit rt handed we are captain and jtb none but the stewards tor for dressers seers tit 11 be in a had bad wai aa it was a g od argument fell web admitted to himself he ile owed his men every ch chime in e foi for life and three extra helpers might turn the bale ua for the p or devils ehtee win b die diee were halmel by the badgers arr nades very v ell he agreed if yon you are certain twill not distress you once we are ID in action you must remain here lou IOU speak ot of being in action cap tain fain the girl exclaimed how soon will it be within the hour he answered curtly and withdrew ascending to the deck he rehearsed in I 1 is memory tl e f fearful earful exi ec tation mirrored in her face she knew alai wl at the centurion wore handsomely he planned for olli shawe and dread ed it well be he d give her ample to weep oer when bed finished with ith the englishman the at fellowes diree tion wore hanis ban Is mely and stood nor east by nor n the la a b d tack the badger ai at pre hending the maneuver indicated tie tt e yankee brig intended to come to close quarters commenced to take in her mains I 1 and clew up her after canvas fellowes studded stud ed their progress as he the interval of blue water diminished with the persistent attempt of the badger to point up higher than the centurion and when he chught the range was right for the twenty tour four rounder he hailed ahoy gunnell gunner 1 well try the long rom cuffee s first shot skipped the waves in arnt of the sloop of wars bow the next ricocheted over the enemy but the third was a clean hit for ferard ard of amidships and the centurion centurions s coin om pany raised a lusty cheer colef undaunted jawed to bring hie chasers to bear the twelve p under shot shing up the water perhaps a quarter of a mile short of the tar get gel luffee cuffee fired a fourth time and scored a hit in the wilst acme come lad ad a spar I 1 want 11 we called impatiently tt TI e next shot was an over clean betwixt main and mizzenmasts and Collis liane apparently app appreciating relating the weight of against him came ab ut once mere and stood d inn be foie tole the wind bow on in an effort to close so that his heavy bi le bat teries coull come into play but rei 1 lowes ones was alert steady all fill the 0 der cime from the speaking king it ike him liftee mr air spencer spent er hold your fire tint I 1 I 1 b d you I 1 ise ae I 1 working with bienz ed speed luffee had the I 1 ong conj I 1 a led and fired aim alm st bet re fell ws had finished si sl caking the bh t struck tt tie e I 1 aber on a level with tie ta e c it I 1 leids A sec see nd ud st sl t dallied the h 11 under the sta b d f ret re chains tos sings a shower of flinters slin tera in air NOW tien tt en mr air si enter rel fellowes lowes hailed the arst and file he la h b d twelve pound erg r ared as one all but two or three missed but fell wes was sure one shot had through the tor stays an I 1 a hit the bull he was batist led well fc about mr he bade the sailing galling master on the sta eta b d ta to k it was time As the centurion wore the badgers chi e guns flung their shot into the bul but warle with telling effect L when the confuso n had abated fell wes saw one man dead on bis his deck and two others wounded the badger had bad teeth and knew how to use them carry those thoe men below be ordered bogun where are your sand buckets tl tie e ba baler leer pegged away with her chasers but the centurion CeD turlon ran out of range quite easily and wore ship to give ft tte I 1 long ong tom another chance an AD I 1 on an exultant yell greeted cuffee 8 next performance per fornance ance the main topmast of the slop of war nor tun bled slowly from the if ids in a arn srn er r i ailing litter of spara spars and canvas canias momentarily be heir irless less the badger bader flapped up into the wind and I 1 lell ell wes swo wo ped nearer dearer tor for the benefit of his hie twelve the broadsides roared as fast as the gun crows coull swab load and fire but was a seaman u before the privateer could smash another stick he be had the wreckage cleared aiom tile us deck and the badger lodger man and bellowes Iel lowes must sheer off t tf aloid avoid th se hard battering cirr n ades blat tl at would rend the brig to matchko d at close quarters A half dozen more shots rom from the long tom and the badger baders s foremast pro probably bibly weakened by the hit in the chains went in a clutter that dragged the sto p of war down by the head fellowes stood on making use of the pred ciment to gain a position astern f her but by some incredible inbred ble effort coll sl st awe was able to run both his long aft and in the face of a so se aching fire from the cantu rion s sta b d battery actually succeed suet eed ed pd in shooting away the brigs fore up tp mast blaiLe tIng the big kill ing one of gun crew and dawning drw ning a pair of marines fellowes coolly determined to take no unnecessary risks promptly retired ut of range cleared the wreckage from his foes fo s ie le and again ordered affee to resume sharp shooting the nero had warmed to bis his work and an d tl e I 1 ong tom torn hurled its shot into the crippled sloop of war with appalling regularity fellow ies os called to cuffee take your time gunner but I 1 want you to knock over another stick cuffee s response was a clean hit in the badgers mizzenmast which broke midway to the top and swamped the wt le with its debris the sto p of war broached to all but helpless while the en turlon headed aar ss her bows broadside batteries climit as sie tacked bick bik b ick and forth back an forth the long tom adding its res i ant voice to the sharper de t mall ns of the twelve the amke was b inked so densely around the privateer that the enemy vas practically tn isable but an on an broadside roared from the sl op of war and the century n guiv ere I 1 nn un ler ter the impact of the carron ades eighteen shot sta b d y ur helm mr ir hailed ren wes lies ile q swung his head around TO BG br |