Show it 0 11 avs wv 1171 11 ia vr v 1 sl J ira X T X I 1 H afta 54 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 by RANDALL PARRISH 0 0 01 1 by A C mcclurg Alc Clurg ac cu 4 u the namur of rotterdam ship of mystery synopsis geoffry carlyle muster of salling sailing ships at ty six is sentenced to 20 years servitude in the american colonies for participation in the monmouth rebellion in england among the passengers on board the ship on which lie is sent across are roger fairfax wealthy maraland planter ills his niece gilece dorothy fairfax and lieutenant sanchez a Span spaniard ilard who became acquainted with willi the fair faxes in london carlyle meets dorothy who informs him her ter uncle has bought his services sanchez shows himself an enemy of carlyle 11 11 CHAPTER IV continued 3 in the intensity of my feelings I 1 must have unconsciously spoken aloud tor for a shaggy head bead suddenly popped out from the berth beneath where I 1 lay and II aleys interested voice asked solicitously iby illy abuts up mate ye was mut muttering mutter terIn ln way an not dis turbin me none till ye got ter bout sura suin feller called sanchez then I 1 sorter got a bit interested I 1 knowd thet abet cuss and he spat as though to thus better express his feelings the d d arnary pirate I 1 laughed my whole mental mood changed by this remark do you refer to black sanchez ive hoard heard of him were you ever in his hands I 1 he laughed grimly 1 I bell bed eight months of it mate and a renter greater g demon never sailed the things I 1 saw done never believe no human bein could do I 1 if ever wits two people in one skin sir its thet black sanchez when hes oft fer good hes as soft an sweet as a dandy in dIlly an when hes real hes like a devil in he hell were you a pirl prisoner or did you sail under him both ter fer the matter 0 thet he give roe me the choice ter serve er walk the plank I 1 eighteen an hed bed an ol 01 0 mother at deal 1 I see but later got away ay I 1 did thet chuckling over the recollection but bat I 1 lied hed ter walt wait eight months fer the luck 1 I had a shipmate once I 1 observed interested in his story who claimed to have seen the fellow he described him as being a ery large man with intensely black eyes and a heavy black beard almost hiding his face maybe lie he looked like that when lie he saw him but lie he aint no bigger man than I 1 am lie he wont weigh as much by fifteen pound fact is lie he mighty seldom looks the same fer part 0 his game ive seen him in all sorts 0 disguises its only ills eyes lie ho cant hide an been times when I 1 thought they the ugliest eyes ever I 1 saw iles hes sure an arnary devil an alien he gits mad id rather be of a tiger besides his tra bralo le an no aint coln ter er control the sort 0 chaps lies hes got ter handle most of em cm would murder him in a minute if they dared oh ob les ies bad all right but yer exactly think so just ter look at him what then does he really look like oh a sorter spanish don the kind likes ter dress up an play the dandy lies iles got a pink an white complexion the castillan castilian kind er know an wears a little mustache waxed up at the ends I 1 heard he about forty five I 1 reckon lie he must be thet but he look older than thirty naley haley dropped off to sleep but my mind continued to wander until it conjured up once again this west indian pirate ills his name and th the e story of hn his exploits had bad been familiar to me ever since I 1 first went to sea while only one among many operating in those haunted waters vaters liis ills resourcefulness daring and cruelty had won him an infamous reputation a nume name 01 0 horror in those days when the curse of piracy made the be sea a terror no ordinary man could ever have succeeded tn in attaining such supremacy in bluck black and glaley pictured him as a dandified ordinary appearing individual with white and red complexion a small mustache and flashing dark eyes a mere spanish gallant without special distinction why that description strangely enough fitted almost exactly this fellow on board this other sanchez the suspicion which ila had crept into my mind was so absurd so unspeakably silly and impossible that I 1 laughed at myself and dismissed the crazy thought chuckling over it I 1 finally fell asleep CHAPTER V the namur of rotterdam the brig with all stills sails set and fa bored borei by j ferons wind drew rapidly in toward the lie point of landing the great majority of tile prisoners boners remained on deck chained together and helpless yet surrounded by armed guards guir ds while the few who had already been purchased by passengers humbly followed their new ro masters asters ashore the alio moment the gangplank touched the soil of virginia there were five of us altogether thus favored but I 1 was the only one owing allegiance to roger fairfax the rude landing wharf along which we ine lay was abrell already dy densely crowded altogether it w was as a bustling scene full of change and color the air noisy with shouting voices the line of wharves filled with a number of vessels either newly arrived or preparing to depart it was with no small difficulty we succeeded in forcing our way through this jostling throng until we attained to an open space ashore I 1 followed closely behind the three composing our party roger fairfax and sanchez with the alie laughing girl between them for protection tec tion fairfax was evidently well known to a number present for lie he was being greeted on all sides with avid 1 hearty handshakes prid id words of welcome we boarded the fairfax sloop the baggage was transferred I 1 worked anith the fairfax servants an and d it cut ray my pride to the quick out in the bay I 1 was sent to the wheel not another sail appeared across that surface of waters not even a fish bormans boat the only other vessel visible along our course being a dim outline close in against that fara faraway far a away w ay headland adland lie toward which I 1 had been instructed ted to steer I 1 stared at this object at first believing it a wreck but finally distinguishing the bare masts of a medium sized bark evidently riding at anchor only a few hundred yards oft off shore the spaniard presently pointed out to fairfax the position of the bark surely a strange place in which to anchor lieutenant said fairfax bark rigged and very heavily sparred S seems e ems to be all rig right lit what do you make of the vessel tile the spaniard twisted his mustache but exhibited little interest although his gaze was upon the craft decidedly dutch I 1 should say he answered slowly the beggars seem quite at home there with all their washing out not a usual anchorage no nor a particularly sate safe one travers place Is beyond the bend r 1 I 1 had eight months of it mate well ivell put up with him tonight D 11 me sanchez I 1 believe ill hall the fellow and find out what he Is doing in there sanchez nodded carelessly striking flint and steel in an effort to relight a cheroot we came about slowly the distance to be covered was not great and aclid in less than ten ten minutes we were drawing in toward the high stern of the anchored vessel no evidence of life appeared on board although everything looked shipshape alow ind and aloft and a rather extensive wasil wash flapped in the wind forward be speaking a generous crew A moment later my eyes eye s made out tile the name painted across the stern steril namur kamur of rotterdam fairfax leaned far out across the rail iii as we swept in closer but ill alie spaniard exhibited no p particular a reticular interest in the proceedings A allun hundred I 1 re d feet distant I 1 held the dancing sloop to mere steerageway steerage way while fairfax hailed balled A red faced man with a black beard thrust his head bead up above tile after rail and answered using english yet v ith a faint accent which was not dutch we ran down to see it if you were in any trouble tills this Is a strange place to anchor what are you dutch the fellow waved his hands in a gesture indicating disgust dats act acet vere ov rotterdam I 1 you see ze name oy or ze sheep but ve not sail frum dis time no ve cum here from ze barbadoes lie explained brokenly wiz cane sugar an hides bides ve valt vail here for our agen agent t tut why anchor in a place like this why not go on up to the wharves vye not for I 1 no trust my crew ashore zay vest indy biggers nig gers an aud run avay yen ven ze chance chanca cum I 1 know vat zay do in spite ot of my efforts the two vessels sels were drifting rapidly apart dorothy appeared at the door of the cabin and stood there gazing in surprise tit at the bark while Nl ille the moment he sight of her sanchez went hastily forward removing its his lint hat with so peculiar a flourish as he approached as to cause calls roe nie to notice the gesture fairfax waved his hand to me to resume our course shortly after lie he crossed the deck to the wheel there lie he stood watching the bark for some time what do you make of her car we he asked finally 1 I believe that fellow lied so do 1 I sir I 1 answered promptly whatever else lie he may be hes no peaceful dutch trader that fellow got his accent from south europe it if lie he was loaded with cane sugar and hides for market he mould nt be nearly so high out of water that bark was in ballast or I 1 miss my guess besides if lie wils was a trader where was his crew I 1 tell you the men on board that hooker had orders to keep down 1 I believe you are right lie admitted frankly there is something wrong there ill tell travers and have him send a runner overland to give warning below CHAPTER VI the mysterious sail where I 1 leaned alone against the rail my eyes followed the spaniard in doubt and questioning nor could I 1 entirely banish from mind II aleys description of that buccaneer bearing a similar ilar name yet in spite of my unconscious desire to connect these two together I 1 found it simply impossible to associate this rather soft spoken effeminate dandy with that bloody villain it was already quite dusk when we finally drew in beside travers wharf aud and made fast our approach had been noted and travers himself a I 1 white hit haired white bearded roan man yet still hearty and vigorous attired in white li life duck was on the end of the dock to greet us together with numerous servants of every shade of color who mho immediately busied themselves toting luggage up the steep path leading toward tile the house standing conspicuous amid a gro grove ve of trees on the summit of the bank the others followed tour four fe fellows llois lugging with difficulty an ironbound iron fron bound chest the two older men inen engaged in earnest conversation sti bation tion thus leaving sanchez apparently well satisfied with tile the opportunity alone to assist the girl except to render the sloop completely secure for the night there remained ni little work for us to perform on board the four of us passed the early evening undisturbed smoking and talking together so the tinie time passed quickly and it must have been nearly midnight before we brought out blankets from uie the forecastle and lay down in any spot we chose on deck it was a fair calm night but moonless with but little wind s stirring tir ring and a slight light haze in the air obscuring the vision the others must have fallen asleep immediately at in last st despairing of slumber and perchance urged by some premonition of da danger liger I 1 arose to my feet and moved silently aft my startled caught a glimpse of a speck of 9 bite emerging from tile the black the spectral glimmer of a small still the strange craft swept past so far out that those on board no doubt believed themselves beyond sight from the shore heading beading apparently for at a point of land which I 1 vaguely remembered as jutting out to the northward alone in the darkness carlyle battles against tremendous odds he gains the upper hand victory seems as aspired ass jred sired and then but read about it for yourself in the next installment of this u unusual n story TO 10 BE CONTINUED |