The morning call., 1893-06-11
CHAPTER MI.
SHE VIEWS THE ISLAND OF TRISTAN
D'ACUNHA.


had been our talk while we stood together
at the wheel and the imagin cations of nv
slumber were richly cOl0red. At 4 Will
. awoBe me, and l rose with the promptitud g
of a sailor and had relieved Mr.. Bates AT
the wheel before Tom came out of his
berth. 1t was very dark. My cousin. in
stead of going Immediately to his bed.
went up the steps to the top of the house.
L stayed TWO or three minutes. then put
ting his head over that we who stood be-
low might hear him, for Tom had now ar
rived, he cried out: 81 guessed l was right;
now I'm sure Of it. Captain Butler. there's
a sail dead in our wake, and she seems to
be oyerhauling US hand over fist
lom and the mate ran up; presently
VIII looked over and called down, Ma
Tian, starDoard-d'ye understand me ?' l
answered by Immediately putting the
helm over.
''Steady." shouted Tom. / whlrled the
little wheel back and kent the briggs head
straight al about two points off the course
we mad been pursuing.
Take the wheel, Johnson" Tom cried,
land keep your ears oren. my lad"
surrendered the spokes to my cousin
and mounted The steps with eagernesS aud
expectation; | had caught a note of eX-
Shltt OF helm EaG brought The v ind al
most directly over the stern Of the brig;
looked along the white line of her wake
thinking II see the ship al The extremity
Of 1t. but behoidlng nothing | asked MI
Bates where the sail was. He pointed
over the lee quarter. and there to be sure
hung Big, dim cloud Of canvas.
he moon was low and without power
The stars had grown wan since midnight,
as though To the approach Of dawn, or as
IN "a r3f Nnr rfTtgv - "A b io1-,,
ship stern was visible by kind Of light
OF her own IN her canVas-she showed as
.. an Iceberg mlght by night or a tall. snow
covered hill. l STOOD near Tom the mate
joined rs, and we watched the white
shadow growing out of the gloom.
Our change OF course SO postured the
stranger that N manner of speaking she
was crossing our stern, 50 that she'd pass
on our weather quarter close TO.
Il believe its she-L believe its shev'
Tom muttered, speaking TO himself.
Nothing was SAID for some time; the
foam or lie from under our counter in a
trail Of light Ike the glltering scar left
by a meteor in the SKY; we were hing
through 1t al seven knots and the great.
dim cloud of canvas astern at eleven or
twelve; she had now shaped herself into a
clear outline against the Thin stars and I
could see the white water boiling at her
fOreIoot.
Captain Butler" exclaimed the mate.
IN Il voice OF agitation, that's the Childe
4 Yes! SECS the convict shin" said
4 ON, catching me by The hand. DO you
see hat her main royal lies furlrd?
\Nhllher away? Whittier away ?" cried
ne looking at the ship.
Fore and mainUopmast stu'nsails p ex-
claimed Nj. Bates. His voice Quivered
now be recognized the ship he was the
first officer Of out little while gone
She lcOmed up upon our quarter in n
~ A1-t,, eI,,
and the low red western noOn and the lean
stars and The thTOD If black waters, fash
fui with foam, ridging southwark, were
Just the httest setting the night could
have contrived for her; and that deep spirit
ul desolatUn when IL the dark hours of
the ocean morning spreads out Of the
gloomy distance was present and abound
Ing. She showed no light. but the foam
which broke In masses from her bows and
fed along her SIDES swift as smoke touched
Ihe fabric Of the noble ship'S hull with its
own radiance, and we viewed her as by
moonlight.
She was about a quarter of a mile dis
tant when she swept past us. All that
way II l heard the drum-iike roll of the
"iud in the high white spaces of ner can
vas, and the sullen, continuous roar of the
water she parted. And all the time she
hung TO misunderstanding ahead and
opening out The squares Of her sails TIL
their hollOws, blackening upon us, showed
Int Il - NE tI uiiutI-sLUl III upon Tile sea
line, but with never a wink of light from
cabin WINDOW or binnacle stand. Tom
and the mate commented upon her, nv
sweetheart in rapid fierce voice, Bates
eulkl,y.
Tom said. "The DEVILS in comman d
there and lie has stocked her forecastle
with troop of devils"
They'll be no worse than their ship
mates" said the mate.
How they're driving her! Our escape
has woke them up. There's fear and
there's meaning. too. IN that press Where
are they bound to, and who's to carry
them there? Are they lying dGenched, and
drugged, and damned again. as last night.
thick as poisoned rats, one atop of an
other? On, the beasts"
Il guess what's happened," said the
mate, Ia a gloomy voice. That chap with
cast eye who put the scheme of the PACT
fc islands into their heads has taken
charge Of the ship. There's a sailors
hand in that spread OF cloths. Butler,
they'll know where they start from what
you told them; that cast-eyed rogue'll
heave the log and plump foul of what's
nearest and split. Lord, what beautiful
snip 10 run away with. And they'll lose
her-thev'll lose herW
They're steering straight for Tristan
d'Acunha," said l.
CAV. straight as fly erawls up pane
Of window exclaimed Tom. She'll
make no Tristan. They'll head off for the
Horn, and continue their navigation with
chart they can't read and dirty fore
6lger.'
IF Barney Aaron but knew we were in
this brig!' l exclaimed
Tom left the top OF the deckhouse and
let 20 the maintop halliards Tie big sail
belied out from the yard on the can
losing its driving power. and in few
moments the briggs pace sensiblv din,in.
lshed. 'ii
Let her get out of sight" said he re-
turning. There's no hcriznn wida
enough 10 divide US. Why, Bates thint
OF daylight coming along and stark calm
falling, and yonder sh D Of devils. with
Nick at the helm and Barney at the prov
iy:ng stagnant within an easy boat-row.j
Here's wind to blow her clear of Ms
sir" said the mate.
They continued to talk. /. with my
ewes fastened upon the fading shadow
sank into deep thonght Was that shin
oct there the vessel Tom and | and Will
had boarded in the East India docks?
Was she the craft into hose black hole
lnder the 1orecastle | had crept 81 hen all
was silent in her prison tween decks
while she lay at rest alongside the War
rior hulk? Was she the theater of the
tragedy of the convicts' uprisal Of their
nightmare carousals? Was il yonder
shadow, fast blending with the gloom
Gp0n the waters, whose fabric had re-
echoed the obscene songs, the DasphemOus
lpE4S fba wells pf ha aIf