The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-04-08
NHEXRY

iht revenue COppeTS nave naQ an
eye on him since that Esmeralda bust
ness, We know, and they say the Ad-
miralty beaks d like to ask him some
questions, too. about the Jamaica trade.
Mind We, / say nothing beyond what
I'm told myself, but I've heard that the
Jolly Roger and him have been fairly
well acquainted time and again"
All" aid the colonel, that's an old
tale; BIT what's this about the Esmer-
aida? I've not heard that" And he
called for a fresh supply Of rum for his
companion, who indeed required no
such persuasion to start him spinning
his yarn.
Well, sir" he began, 1T was this
way. The Esmeralda was off the south
coast at a convenient place none so far
from Portsmouth, and there she was
Tor a week lodging about. and couldn't
In, seeing that the revenue men had
word of her, and were out and about
every night. So this tombstone O. yours
hits upon a plan, and just like himself
1t was too. He goes to the coast-guard
n gives information that the Esmer-
aida to be run on such a night, and
volunteers to take the officers to the
place himself. So they go, near a dozen
VI 'iCih anu WATCH TOunQ a COfner tlll
all the cargo's ashore. and then they
jump out of a sudden and collar the
men. they not being more tina six IL
seven, and taken by surprise as they
seemed. SO the coppers made them fast
and began to load up the cargo on Q
couple o carts. Only, while they were
f~ull-handed. down came half a score
more on the other side. and the prison
org tha,v ,r,F Iz1.z
quick, and there was a bit of a fight,
out no firing, We see, the officers nOi
expecting anything, no more than the
others had made believe to; and the
m and short of it was that the cargo
went up the north road post-haste, as
they say, and the coast-guard with il
In their own carts, to keep 'em quiet for
a bit"
"Bravo!" said the colonel; that's the
man for me! And all I've got to do now
Is TO find him; do you know where he
lives?"
The young man hesitated.
No. he said; "leastways, not exact
ly; but Mrs. Briggs within there'l tell
ye.'
This, however, Mrs. Briggs in her
turn was equally unwilling to do
iooSi II tplOIeI stated frankly the
nature Of his assumes errand. She
offered. however, to send for tombstone
II the gentleman would be good enough
to wait and see him at the Outward
Bound.
To this the colonel agreed, and Mrs.
Briggs disappeared in search of a
trusty messenger.
The waterman, who a by this time
finished hiS CnnnnI -lnp. 49, ~ 49,
literally paid both in coin and thanks,
showed no disposition to hurry his de-
p%arture; he was evidently hanging
about in hope of being a party to the in
terview between two such interesting
p~ersonages.
The colonel saw this. and recognized
that the open veranda in which they
had been sitting was too public a place
for a discussion of the kind he antici-
pated; for ever if he could succeed in
dismissing his present companion It
was free to any passer-by to step in, or
indeed to overhear a conversation from
the street.
SO he rose and looked idly about him
for a few moments, and ended by drift
ing round into the bar. Mrs. Briggs
was there, and understood what he
wanted before he spoke.
You'll like to be alone, sir" she said:
there's an empty room upstairs, two
pair back; I'll send him up to you as
soon as he comes; 'twon't be long now"
The colonel stumbled up a narrow,
rickety staircase, filled with dusty twi-
light and the smell of stale tobacco
smoke. At the top he found the room,
a low-roofed den, evidently used by the
more intimate customers Of the house
for secret rotations after lawful hours.
A heavy step outside, and turning
round he saw a man in sailors dress
enter the room.
There was not a moments doubt as
to his identity. There he stood, stout,
swarthy, fierce, and resolute, as Est
court had described him. His face was
in all probability more weather-beaten
n furrowed with deeper lines thar
when Dick saw him twenty years ago
at Copenhagen, but the force and
choleric expression was there, and his
hair was jet-black still.
You've sent for me-" he said.
What is 1t? Let's be short"
His herculean strength, the violence
of hfs speech and manner, the strange
and ~disreputable atmosphere of the
place, and the im~possibility of escape
from 1t, might well have alarmed even
a brave man; but the colonel seemed
to be serenely unaware of being in any
way at a disadvantage. and took his
own time n method of answering.
"My name" he said, in slow, precise
tones, sis Villeroy. and / live for the
present at No. IL Canterbury Square,
Southwark. / am from time to time
II an a cod IN rnnnrtio, ,.o,l, -