Show T OP OF THE SEA ax i BY feoff w e 4 llam 4 N I 1 THE STORY THUS FAR the crew of ft a small tailing vessel in ID th t he C caribbean aribu c in pi pick ek n op p dick jordan drift adrift on a raft dick realizes ho he li Is mong among m men en who are virtually pirates they come u upon p 0 n schooner choo ncr only people a aboard b 0 a rare are demented captain bedford and his daughter rose lose 2 alico u ca and hll his pirates attempt to 0 capture the t h e schooner but rose turns them back aided by dick during the night TUCU braan attacks and ana captures rose and pick dick he then begins a fruitless search lor for the treasure supposed to b be aboard dick talks him into a deal bucu tuca Is anxious to get the treasure and get away rose Is startled when the she hears bear dicks bargain CHAPTER VI dont be sorry until you know what youre sorry for or she interrupted sharply 1 I say there was anything ot of value aboard what father says im not responsible for or he says a lot ol of crazy things then then she waved him to silence as a footstep sounded on the stairs and captain tucu bucu pushed his way into the room he glanced from one prisoner to the other well he growled aready yr eady to tell As much as we know captain replied dick quickly neither ot of us knows where captain bedford hid the money it if we had known wed have left the schooner before you came aboard rose bedford turned to face the halfbreed half breed her cheeks flushed and angry there was no tear fear in her if you think id tell if I 1 knew where it was hidden she said defiantly fi fl youre mistaken you could never get it out of me her defiance brought the blood into the old pirates face and the devil in his eyes he stepped toward her and caught an arm in his powerful grip he snarled eh ch well ittle she devil ill show ye ill wring it out of ye an field hold on captain interrupted dick she know anything about it let up on her you promised not to make war on her settle it with me well what dye know about it w was as the savage retort as he turned from the girl to him me or go back in the water where we found ye pretty damn quick too dick was struggling between a strong desire to twist the mans man neck and the need of extra caution in playing his hand skillfully the latter finally triumphed he smiled good if you dropped me overboard C captain lose both treasure and those jewels now you dont want to do that tucu bucu growled impotently expending his wrath by glancing from one to the other with wicked malevolent male volen t eyes he spat viciously on the floor and then exploded ill 1111 give tonight sundown to find out if we aint got the stuff by that time agot to find it tor for us ye an that witch aget me its got to be frundl I 1 dont care how ydo it sos its done if not well string the capan up by his thumbs til he remembers an ye an this girill come next it if we cant do any better well tie yup in the cabin an set the schooner afire then ye an the treasure can go to hell together and the smuggled lewels jewels q queried dick smiling captain tucu bucu regarded him an instant in silence and then shook his head aint sure there ever was any jewels he said suspiciously 1 I may give yone more chance to prove it then then yeu yell wi wish sn i yd died on that raft it would be much easier I 1 than the way yeu yell go it if me tucu bucu Is convinced there Is no treasure As the search proceeded and nothing was found the halt half breeds temper grew short and surly he kept the deck most of the time his eyes on dick who was lashed to the foremast or on rose captain bedford had been held a prisoner in the where he had been subjected to certain third degree methods of bucus invention but the wandering mind of the demented man was a treacherous thing to depend upon in time the old mans very willingness to talk of the hidden treasure disgusted them hell muttered tucu bucu in disgust he never had no treasure he strode on deck his eyes bloodshot with anger seizing rose b by y the arm he said yve been alyin ter me there no treasure aboard 1 I never said there was she replied coolly you took fathers father 3 word for or it and I 1 told you he responsible tor for what he said tucu bucu glared at her in silence his face working in a passion then without a word he dropped her a arm rm and strode toward dick ag agot yg one more chance he said ominously blied bout this treasure now well see if yvere alyin bout them jewels wrong wring captain asked dick realizing that something had happened to bring matters to a head achere there aint no treasure aboard laboard amade up that tale now well see if 11 imade up that one bout the smuggled gems matters had certainly reached a climax the crew under bucus orders were preparing to return to the lugger dick quite understand der stand what it meant until hall half an hour later two carias cut the ropes holding him to the mast he tried to extract from them some information but they mutely disregarded him and conducted him to the small boat ten minutes later he was rowed back to the lugger all except two of the crew were abandoning the schooner when tucu bucu and black burley came aboard the lugger dicks fear ear for his own safety was secondary to his dread that something terrible was about to happen to rose wheres C captain a p t a I 1 n Bed fords daughter he demanded sharply i where she wanted to be aboard the schooner replied tucu bucu grinning ashes not going with us no Is she alone 0 yve been alyin gme ashes got two 0 m my y men to keep her company an that crazy father leered the halfbreed half breed dick frowned the sea was rough and choppy and the wind blowing half a gale the threatened storm was rapidly approaching the schooner was in no condition to weather it captain bedford was worse than useless and the carias were indifferent seamen storms coming captain dick said finally nally fl and the schooner will go down in it why not take the captain and his daughter off you dont want them to drown the hell I 1 dont snapped the other 1 I put em cm there an I 1 aint goin to take em off then will you let me go back to them tucu bucu grinned goin to show me where them smuggled goods was chucked off the steamer or goin to teed feed the fishes the mans plan was clear enough now convinced there was of great value aboard the schooner he had abandoned her until after he had found the smuggled gems later if the storm did not send the schooner to the bottom he could return and salvage her if she was worth it the gale was stiffening every minute and the work of getting under way was hurried with almost bare poles the lugger would have great difficulty in standing up in the wind and rough sea A giant wave swept the deck with a yell dick tried to save himself but with his arms tied behind his back he was as helpless as a child he rolled over and over and was saved at the last minute by black burley who jerked him back in the nick of time once again dick plunges alun es into sea cut these ropes dick and give me a chance another wave like that will finish me captain tucu bucu nodded to his mate cut em an take him below dick waited his chance he had definitely decided to trust his life to the sea again and to try to reach the schooner better die battling with the elements than sail away with the black pirates he stood a moment stretching his limbs and w watching the heaving seas another wave smaller than the first but big enough to give him an excuse swept over the bow of the lugger and rolled aft when it struck him he gave another yell veil as it if calling call irig for or help but instead of resisting the mass of green waters he plunged straight into them and assisted them in car crying him overboard slack 1 made a grab tor for him with his long arms but dick ducked in time to elude them shaking the brine out of his eyes he beg began a n 8 swimming hold holding in 9 his head as high out of the water a as 3 h he e could he made no resistance to the waves but swam swain with them striving to keep on their cres crests ts lor for better observation A light twinkled out of the darkness but he sure whether it came from the lugger or the schooner he conserved hit his strength as much as possible swimming easily and treading water every time he was swept on the crest of a wave from this pinnacle he had a wide glimpse of 0 the sea but the darkness now shut out everything and neither the lugger nor the schooner was visible ive missed it he groaned once 1 I should have been there before this in the midst of his bitter reflections his hand caught something that startled him it was a water soaked ropel his mind nimbly leaped from despair to to hope he clutched eagerly at the mass of slimy ropes that before had been sea monsters and slippery eels now they were life lines flung out to help him their continued lashing and twisting were pleasant indications that they were real and substantial he was not dreaming he began clawing at them pulling himself from one mass of rigging to another when his hands came in I contact with a floating sr spar and it bobbed up and nearly smashed his face he laughed in 91 glee ee instead of cursing it if he co could vid crawl up the wreckage to the schooners ners deck he would be sate safe finally a giant wave carried him clear over the rail and dropped him heavily on the deck where he lay sprawled lor for some moments gasping for or breath and gr groaning aaning from the effects of the terrific struggle the crests of the surging waves reached him even here but they no longer had the power to use him as a battering ram when he finally raised his head and looked around the wave swept deck he had a queer feeling that all his efforts had been in vain the schooner was abandoned with him hs the only living being aboard A little startled by his discovery he be began crawling in the direction of the cabin it if rose and her father were aboard he would find them there tor for the wet slippery deck was jio place for them and they could not hope to navigate the derelict on such a wild night when he reached the head of the companion a welcome ray of light came through the open door of the cabin bringing joy and relief to his tortured mind rose was below with her father watching hoping and praying or stoically awaiting their fate dick staggered to his feet and started down the steps but before be had bad taken one sounds of a muffled commotion halted him craning his head forward he listened peering intently through the murky gloom until his eyes came to a focus on something lying half across the threshold with a little start of surprise he recognized the body of one of the two carias left behind on ahe the schooner another ugly udy c battle for rose and dick A reddish clot of blood in the middle middie of the forehead told where a bul bui get had entered and brought his life to a sudden end from inside the cabin came the low shifting sounds of a wordless conflict with the combatants struggling back ana forth in a deadly embrace their breath coming in short wheezy gasps dick slipped down the few steps and stood astride the dead he blinked a moment under the strong light of the swinging cabin lamp before he took in the significance of the scene the second had disarmed rose and with one powerful hand pinning pinging her against the wall he was trying to encircle her waist with his tree free arm with a growl grow of rage dick sprang at the brute catching him by the neck and with a jerk wrenched his head back then looping an arm around the neck he pried the head backward until he could get a strangle hold on the windpipe the was a big powerful man with a head as hard as a battering ram and arms and legs as thick and solid as tree trunks after the first shock of surprise he struggled to shake his assailant from his back grunting and blowing loudly dicks strength had been badly spent in the struggle in the water and as they rolled and twisted over the cabin floor his own breath came in short labored gasps in spite of his advantageous hold he realized that the might eventually get the better of him the bull like neck rose and fell ell emitting horrible gurgling sounds but his strength showed no signs of 0 weakening the powerful muscles were working slowly and steadily while dicks were rapidly weakening under the strain then when it seemed as if his last ounce of strength had been used up and his burly antagonist was step rash fresh and active a sudden deal deafen ing crash shattered the stillness ito BE CONTINUED |