Show tb T b DELLO COLD ay arthur D howden smith copyright by arthur D howdon smith service SYNOPSIS CHAPTER L I 1 the th tory story opens in n new york about the middle of 0 the eighteenth century con tury robett ormerod who tolls the talo tale Is talking to peter collaer Cor Cori laer chief ot of fur traders and man of enormous strength when dar darby y mcgraw irish bonded boy brings brines news naive that a pirate ship is 9 off oct the hook an old sea calta captain n announces ho he has been chased by the notorious ul pirate captain rip rap the older elder ormerod tells robert tho the pirate Is andrew murray ills his roberts roberta great uncle commanding manding mand itiL v the pirate ship chip the royal james murray Is an ardent ja jacobite c obice CHAPTER ir II next day robert and darby Sion encounter counter a one legged sailor bailor john in silver aver whom darby conducts to a tavern robert meets a young woman from a spanish frigate who to ie seeking her father colonel odonnell lie he takes her to the the place she aho designates CHAPTER III murray with a force of sailors visits the ormerod house he announces his intention of 0 carrying oft off robert by force it necessary promising him a great future the father Is powerless peter corlzer insists upon accompanying robert CHAPTER rv IV robert nobert ard peter are taken aboard a brig Mi murray rray with colonel odonnell OU onnell and darby mcgraw are also there odonnell ODon noll goes ashore arl and the brig alg sails balls CHAPTER ir robert robart meets a blind sailor pow pew the fellows blindness apparently parent ly troubles him but robert robart instinctively dislikes and tears fears him CHAPTER T ER V VI 1 T the he royal roya 1 james and the walrus the latter com commanded banded by flint murrays Mur rays partner in piracy appear murray offers flint a share in the loot of a spanish treas treasure re hip it if ho he will operate cooperate co with him flint insists robert be left with him as a ti hostage while murray in the royal james takes the treasure ship flint to await him at the rendezvous CHAPTER vir VII odonnell jacobite in the spanish service odonnell with fl his daughter are on the treasure sh p lie he has given murray particulars of her sailing robert rind and peter agree to remain with flint CHAPTER VIII ne reaching aching skeleton island in the west indies flints men at murrays Mur rays suggestion begin the erection of a fort and stockade the royal james Is made ready for the encounter with the treasure ship robert and peter go aboard the walrus 1 1 resumed to peter in a mood thal was none too cheerful but lie aas as already at work ills his spike musing hissing ilke a kettle on the boll as he prodded uway away with its blunted point I 1 was nas able tobe to be of more assistance to him film till tills time since from the farther asther side possible to exert a greater leverage once tile the pank was sprung loose yet the james sounded seven bells before we were successful peter grunted ills satisfaction we got time he be sald said shoot 1 so much I 1 sweat I 1 slide me trough crough dot hole lie ile was stripped to the buff and his pink hairless body was nas nil all a glisten as be rolled into the opening ills his head bead and shoulders made it easily but I 1 saw with dismay that ills his immense paunch was an insurmountable obstacle ile he heaved and shoved and twisted no manner of use peter backed out of his predicament to an accompaniment of squeaking ing grunts and I 1 followed him too bitterly disappointed tor for words escape had seemed so easy and now we were condemned to two tao months aboard the walrus very likely to exceedingly cee uncomfortable deaths for I 1 funded that flint was tile the sort of man to lose his queer mixture of fear and respect for my grent great uncle as soon boon as they were out of touch hold der light here dot bob said peter squatting on the litter on the deck and lie he proceeded to extract a splinter from his foot ja dots boodt he went on standing upwell we dont get dot way ile he felt ills his way toward the ladder to the cabi always there Is another way cob bob if one way Is not joode der other maybe Is better jal jai you see ile he climbed the ladder silently in hs bare feet until ills great shoulders were directly beneath beneat li the square of th the e hatch batch and I 1 heard a faint grinding of straining metal the crackling of tortured wood ja he panted de we do dot now you be ready bob jump cop quick maybe we nye got to kill some fellers andt if we do we dont let them holler 11 I 1 could feel his legs quivering above me the ladder itself vibrated under us there was a vili whine lne a sudden pop and the hatch flew up in the air peter caught it on the flats of his hands before it could settle again and lifted it back lie was out in a flash dash and I 1 hiis was hard on his heels we crouched on the maln main cabin floor staring about us ass for a sign of the pirates the lights had all burned out and it was several min minutes utes before our eyes became adjusted to the star shine that sifted through 1191 tile the stern ter window at tile the exit to the deck we nye tarried to reconnoiter pur our situation and lucky luc kywe wa did so eight acus ran gout from the royal james and a voice most astonishingly close muttered a curse ye te might think they ad a bl blar arsted sled aboard a answered a second voice A vi whistle liNtle shrilled and th the gruff voice of sounders saunders reached us quite distinctly ordering the hopmen aloft there they go jemmy returned t the he second man well be free 0 the swabs in another glass and good riddance says I 1 declared Jer jemmy spitting into the scup pers I 1 saw where they were then leaning against the starboard poop ladder and peering at the vague hull bull of the james peters little eyes had identified them too and ills his fingers sank into the flesh of my arm signaling me to stay slay where I 1 was lie he glided gilded past me on to the dock deck his body ghostly in the gloom im if I 1 can caa see as why we has to keep our peepers open growled the second man taint long now till morning replied jemmy what dye sy to a dash 0 rum matey lie ile halt turned and saw peters enormous white bulk hovering over him and ills his teeth gleamed as he be opened his hii mouth involuntarily to scream 1 I dont care it the second man said the dutchman leaped and his two arms whipped out jimmys scream died in a guttural cough ile he held pled the throat of each ile he held them poised for a moment then brought their heads together with an odd hollow smack like the cracking of 0 egg shells they collapsed inert on the deck I 1 darted for the rail but peter stayed tile me neen neen he objected first I 1 get me some pants bob andt we drop these aliese fellers ardt 11 ile he was divesting the larger of the two of the single garment each one wore while lie he talked and co conquering an instinctive sensation of nance I 1 did likewise dots better ja remarked peter complacently A little tl tight bt bu but t I 1 daut like to be naked bob neen I 1 ite ile rose to his feet buchIl ng the lend lead mans belt around him splash I 1 warned him as lie picked up tile big one nobody y hears lie he answered ue ile lowered the body over the rail feet first and the splash was less than I 1 had expected the second body followed with equal expedition anil and peter laid hold of one of several ropes that trailed railed untidily over the walrus calru s side I 1 now ow we go bob lie said we entered tile the water almost together and swam side by side down tile anCh anchorage rage toward the james peter despite his discomfort at sea was a remarkably powerful swimmer thanks to his lifetime in tile wilderness country of the frontier the title tide will take care of the lead dead men I 1 panted stroking for all I 1 was worth to keep space apace with the dutchman A whistle shrilled again aboard the james ja said peter der anchor goes opp dob bob we hurry I 1 lie ile was a dozen strokes ahead of me at tile the end I 1 found him hanging on to the heel of the rudder and calmly treading water ferard tile capstan was clanking to a steady yo hoing and trampling of feet yards nere lin banging ngIng sails were men were shouting and calling I 1 looked up at the stern windows so high above us from our precarious perch on the rudder the james tottered toil ered like spyglass mountain touchable but unattainable A almost im ost I 1 could haie hae cried out to my great uncle and hailed him to have us hauled aboard but common sense warned me ile he would certainly seize upon the opportunity to send us back to tile the walrus as clinching evidence of his good faith and I 1 had no desire to face flint with those two lead ruen men to account tor for to do I 1 whispered to peter whose eyes were roving 0 over v er the lofty stern we cannot bide here bere once she has way on her well be tossed off J ja a agreed peter you see dot picture aop there lie he indicated a golden sunburst carved across tile the stern beneath the cabin windows yes I 1 answered puzzled 1 I climb aop on der rudder andt I 1 holdt me ie on to der roundness round in der middle andt you climb aop on my shoulders andt into der cabin windows ja 11 but you how will you you trow me a rope ile he scrambled on to the rudder and slowly spread eagled eagleb himself upward against tile the scrollwork which covered the stern ills hands feeling blindly above his head bead sought for and found a deep indentation in the rays below I 1 ow the center of the sunburst find and with this to cling to he climbed a foot or two higher on 0 to o a shallow hallow ridge which ran across the stern a shelf scarce wide enough to give him toehold now noi you climb bob he be grunted the rudder I 1 surmounted with ease standing erect with a hand on one of peters legs to steady me I 1 stepped up to the ridge upon which the dutchman stood with no more difficulty ty holding to hla his leather belt then I 1 changed my handhold hand liand hold bold to a ridge in the carving and by his direction braced uio the toes of one toot foot in tile the s slack I 1 a e k of his belt as I 1 heaved my myself self upward peter grunted that was all I 1 found a new handhold hand hold and brought my other foot up on to peters petera shoulder and stood erect eielt there reaching upward now better than two tall mens height above the waterline my grobins r finger H rigor tips Y tra e still 1 below the level of oatlie the ftera NN linden indo sensed my difficulty on my headd lie grunted grunte d 1 carefully lifted one toot foot selected another handgrip hand grip find and mounted rotors peters tow locks lochs again I 1 explored upward with one arm stretched to the limit of safety but I 1 failed by inches to clutch the SIR sill of 0 the stern windows jump 11 sobbed peter cut bill you youl I 1 jump P 1 the rudder clacked blacked ng as it was wag put over and the james heeled slightly te t the breeze I 1 jumped peter sagged beneath me but the fingers of my right hand fust fu stoned ened upon the ledge of the window I 1 heard a splash and caught hold with mf all left hand band boop gooel splutter i peter from the water the rest was childs play compared to what had find preceded it the carving afforded toe holds in plenty and soon I 1 had a leg over the windowsill and looked down at peter trailing in the lie james wake as he clung to t the he shelf which crossed the stern perhaps a font above the water lie dared no longer hold to the rudder ills big face ads was so white that it frightened me and I 1 tumbled inboard without stopping to make sure the cabin was empty but my iny luck was with me and I 1 scurried around to find a rope this was a hopeless quest in that luxurious apartment so I 1 ran up the companionway and just inside the door to the deck come came upon a lend lead line colled aft add a hung to a hook which I 1 appropriated altogether these movements con dulled less time than Is required to describe them but when I 1 returned to the stern windows peter was gone I 1 leaned out and stared back at the tha james cren creaming ming wake and a n white arm bathed lathed in a gesture cestare of appeal twenty feet astern I 1 cost cast the lead behind him and he bought tile the line as it settled into the water cut the lead free with the dead mans knife at ills his belt looped the slack under ills his shoulders and fifth my feverish help hauled himself baick to the shelf above the water line I 1 lacked the strength to draw him up but I 1 fastened my end of the line to the cabin table which was bolted to the floor and then foot by foot peter tolled upward lie ile was so weary at the last that I 1 must pull him through the window and be fell in a heap across the table the poll polished shed surface with the seawater that streamed off him and the blood from his scarred hands A bottle of the aqua vitae my great uncle favored stood by his place and I 1 took this and poured a liberal tot between peters lips ue ile staggered to his feet blinking his eyes and red as a school miss all right boh bob he be squeaked 1 I be all U right ja ills eyes chanced upon the lead line still fast to the tables leg and ho he stopped and unknotted it and dropped it t out of the window 1 we better not stay here he mut mot te red ered neen nean if murray sees ta us oh my gandl ben gunn goggled at us from the companionway drowned they be bel I 1 he gasped to h I 1 mewl elt 2 he done for em cm flint did 1 I 1 was afraid he would run out on deck and cry an alarm and I 1 started for him to prevent this re be still ben I 1 said we dont mean to hurt you ile he plucked up a little courage when I 1 spoke Tal taint nt right for ye to talk he objected 1 I never heard beard tell as how P were not spirits I 1 answered we are as alive as you are here feel this ile he shrank back as I 1 placed my clammy wet hand upon his neck but the touch reassured him ye aint sp erets says aou ou he relented dented amazedly nor ye aint lead dead and heeln as youre here why it do stand to reason as how ye aint aboard the walrus which Is where ye was and where ye aughter oughter liter be ile he shook his lend head perfectly natural I 1 retorted master corlzer and I 1 have escaped from the walrus ren ben came a step or two into the cabin and stared hard at peter then lie he turned a disapproving eye upon the pools of water we had sprinkled on the table and the rich carpet well it do look to be ee two lie he conceded grudgingly but ye ha mucked up the cabin awful and the captain wll will like to ha me priced to ci the main lor for a dozen wl wi the cat ca maybe so lie he agreed but he wont me ike it that ae e come aboard this ills way I 1 seized upon ills his opening NIt without hout scruple yes hell hold it against you ien ben a shame ile he shivered and I 1 appreciated what my great uncles wrath must be ye let him bowl now master Orme rodl oil oh say ye would ye dont want poor den ben gunn to be scream ln on the triangle that I 1 dont I 1 assented warmly you must little hide us den ben nobody will know that you had aught to do with our coming aboard and indeed captain murray will not care I 1 think not of ills his own will be gave us to flint if so why dont ee go up on the poop and tell the captain now continued next week |