The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-01-20
JOHN COW. THE BUccANEER
A Tale of Orkney |.

the ~ar-shlp Revenge. eaffYins | heavy armament of guns. and commanded 5y Captain Cow. sailed mo inc hafboy ot Stromness. The aFTlv..l v slch | form Idable-lookinS Nes>e, caused ga:e a comm o;ion IT thc i.t.e SCI t5aT; t5fe-. anu not lttie aaN.e;y as 10 ihe luteats aa, = the fakish.iooklat eraH. wl.h her motley crew of English ..EG foreigners who fc- semblcd pirates iaafe thar h2aes; s. k iafs. Bat the ie..r> ai iHc tasn-iels were. for the time beint, qa.eied when the captain Of the kesensc landed. and an- ed himself tp be | fel.ov-,ewnsIaan --one Iohn Cow. ~ho had r1a away to sea some twenty years before. Fortune had smiled on him. he said. and he now held the position of Comm4ndcr of his Bntanic Males;y's ship Revenge. This and great deal more was told by Gap tain Cow 10 the simple ;ownsfolk. who feted and feasted the gallant sailor. be- heving implicitly what he chose To tell them. and never suspee,ing for mo- insnt that the man they so hespitabiy en- tertained sailed under the Black Flag. and was one of the most noted buccA- neers on the high seas.
 Time passed away. bui still the Re- venge lay al her meonugs. and her commander his popularity ;y@undimn ed-eNehanged Inequalities with the townsfolk. spending most of his tune ashore. drinking. dancing. and making love; for the bold pirate mas an adep; Il all three and | he gentlemen declared he WAS the prince of good fellows at the soeial board, the ladies pronounced him f,ens tfes sitey n the ballroom.
 Days became weeks. and weeks month; famors arose. vague Al first. then more definite. ard q, last the fac, became known. that the gallant captain dld not hold His Nalesiys commission. bul. on the contrary. was known far and wide as Cow the Pirate
 The townsiolk dared no, hn, their lately acquired knowledge 10 the Cap tain; but he change m their manner told it's own tale. and he quickly guessed his plausible story Was no longer be- hesed. Meanwhile. having spent his gold freely and being rather hard up in consequence began sending parties of sailors to ihe nelghborng parlshcs. to drive oil cattle and sheep, for the con
 
 some instances. the farmer, Stou,lv re- sisted the marauders: but they only go, knocked on he head for their pains and in a short ,imc the u,mos; terror PseNastee= =~is~tf-tisss, sSfft,wsf-.Tew CT iff. leu.enants were gong or l iogaglng ex- petition Though the pira,c punished the country people. he spared ;he town folk. perhaps from some feeling c. com junction after having shared ,hc,1 hos pI,alI,y; perhaps because ,dn'i >aH hls plans to have a,! the 56gu,tH eon,bln ing agaie,, hIm. Be that as ,; mAy. iht burecsses dwe.i la safety. though thel ;remhled la the-r ,aaes. and prayet earnestly iha, they mshi soon scc ,hs las, of the Revenge ana her roys;crin. crew.
 Matters were n ihis state. when one afternoon Captain CON swasgefed lnta the principal nm of Siromness. called foi E lass of brandy. and sz, down. Pres ently in walked Mr Halero. the Laird oi Cou6!S;er. an estate some miles distant. -Gow greeted him cordially. called for more brandy, renarklng that a man $ own company was the worst Tn the world. and he always drank more com fortably when he had 3 friend 10 keep him n countenance. Mr. Haicro. who had previously found the dashing sailor the most Jovial of boon-companions. was nothing loa,h to pledge him in the po- tent liquor. which soon dispelled all re- maining doubts regarding his honesty so much so. that Laird Haloro became more confidential than was pruden; about his private affairs. boasted the number of his cattle, sheep and horses, and laud- cd not little the housewifely qualities of the Lady of Coubis,cr Her butter and cheese, he declared, were famed throughout, the countryside. and she could serve up dinner that the king himself might be proud 10 eat
 To this. and grea, deal more, did the pirate listen. with laughter twinkling in hIs eyes; and when the Laird paused for lack of breath. he slapped him on the shoulder. eNclaAming: ''She must be a likely dame Ina. of yours and worthy to be Lady of Coubis;er But. hark ye. friend. your Dame and you can, possi- ply eat all those beeves you were telling me of. 50. by'r leave. and my sea- cocks will cen come round tomorrow anu felicfs you of few; yes. and tell your lady 10 have some cheeses and d couple of kegs of butter ready for Us be sides After this unexpected speech he rose. nodded carelessly 10 MT Halcro. cooked his hat knowingly and strode out of the tavern.
 One may fancy the reflections of the Laird of Coubis,er when left alone. For the moment he fel, stunned a, the though, of the expected raid on his house and property; bu, recovering himself with an effort, he paid his reckoning called tor his horse, and was soon gal loping home to tell his wife how Ill he had fared in his dealings with Captain Cow
 Arrived al Coubis,er, he hastened to the kitchen, where he found his wife en- gagged in baking ''mautie foals"-mall cakes-a dainty peculiar to Orkney. Tall and stately was Dame Halcro, who in her youth had been a beauty and a toast But time, though it added rather than