The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-02


couzaine" would never behave so well with
anyone else. Ma couzaine" had been
used TO playing ugly pranks at times, es-
pccialy If 1t was blowing fresh she
had once torn her tackle out of the ring
bolt in the deck and had killed more than
one sailor in her mad debauch of free
dom. She had always behaved well I'M
der his hand, and it seemed to him that
when he blew on the match to fire her the
muzzle gaped in a grin of delight. OF
course, the fleet would be furious at losing
him, and ma couzaine" there, the big
gest gun in the fleet without her mas
ter, So they would pepper the place if
they did not find him. Decidedly, he must
rot go to old man Carnavals No harm
should come to Minois' people that he
could prevent. What was he to do?
He leaned his arms on the gun and shook
his head helplessly at the village; then he
turned his head away from the land. All
at once his look seemed to lose itself in
long distance of overwhelming, ever
frightening arches till vast Wilderness
of splendor swallowed it. 1t was a hole
in the wall, the archway piercing the great
rock. He raised his eyes to the rock. Its
myriad inhabitants shreked and clattered
and circled overhead. The shot from ma
couZaine" had reused them, and they had
risen up like cloud, and were scolding
like a million fishwives over the insult to
their peace.
AS he looked. Antoine got a new idea.
If he could get on the top of that massive
wall, not a hundred fleets could dislodge
him, nor an army follow him. A dozen
stones would prevent that; one musket
could defeat any forlorn hope. He would
be the first man that ever gave battle to
a whole fleet. Besides, if he took refuge
on the rock. there would be no grudge
against Perez village or the CarnaVals and
the admiral would not attack them!
There, he had worked it out, and 1t was
now a question between him and the adj
miral and his fleet; the Carnavals were out
of il. There was the young sOus-heutenant
now on the shore with his flag of truce,
talking to "oT man CARNIVAL There was
Minois not ten feet away, and there was
the young sOus-l5utenant bowling end
scraping to her. Man douX Ola vie, what
did he mean by THAR reflected Antoine.
1t was all right between old man CARNIVAL
and the sous-lieutenant-tha was clear.
There they all were shaking hands now.
1t was surer than ever that he, Antoine,
must carry on a campaign Independent of
the Carnavals. If he didn't succeed, why
then he would be hung TO the yard-arm or
shot But if he stayed where he was on the
Invincible. he was in just as much danger
from a British gun in battle.
"Ba sur Antoine said to himself, the
only thing was to try and climb Perez
Rock. What thing TO tell If he did it and
came safe out of the scrape! 1t would in
crease the worth of the Charming Nancy
at least fifty per cent. Certainly he must
do it. He had pointed Out to Minois two
years ago the spot where he thought it
could be done. Just at this particular point
the wall was not quite so steep, and there
were narrow lodges and Jumps of stone and
natural steps and footholds and little pin
nacles which the fingers could grip, and
where a man might rest. The weath had
been scorching hot. too, the rocks were
dry a 5 q bone, and there would be no dan
ger of slipping.
Yes he would try it in any case He
would be deserter. patriot, adventurer
gunner, Master of the Charming Nancy
and Jerseyman, all in one. He would
need-what? If he got to the top he would
need Irvine for hauling up rope-the Car
navals would give him rope when the time
came. He would need stone and flint and
he also had some matches. "A knife
hammer and one quilt-he must have the
quilt for the nights though he well knew
what the weight of it would mean in
climbing. Then there was food Well
perhaps he should starve to death up
there, but he would take what was left of
to-days rations, of which he had eaten
very little; there was about half-pound
of biscuit, near half a pint of pease,
half-pint of oatmeal, and two ounces of
cheese. He could live on that for at
good arrack. When that vas gone-wel,
he was taking chances! If he died of
thirst, il was no worse than the yard
arm. The most important thing was a
few hundred feet of fine strong Irvine, and
he knew there was as much as he need
ed in the StoreToom amongst the cordage
He would get that at once and conceal it,
for it was the one thing he could not do
without.
There was the sous-lieutenant coming
back to the Invincible; he was waving his
hand towards Minois. 1t was all very fine
he reflected fretfully, to be a sous-lieuten-
ant and wear gold-handled sword; but
he, Antoine, would climb Perez Rock, and
the fleet and Minois and the sous-lieuten-
ant should see him do thing that had
never before been donel
But how would Minois know who ii was
perched on Perez Rock? He had not
thought of that. What signal was there?
There was none that he knew. Well. il
he got away safely from the Invincible
he would go to oil man CarnavaTs, let
her know, and then go straight on to
Perez Rock Though it would be moon
light, the path OF ascent was on the
south side, out of the view of the fleet.
Very wen, that settled Il. He patted
ina couzatne' tenderly. He was sorry
to leave her, but it had to be-
He was, however, a man of Habit The
rest of the day he did his duty as faith
fully as though he expected to be at his
post the next morning. sIe gave the usual
instructions to the gunsmith and armorer.
he inspected the small arms: he chose a
man, as was his custom, for the gun-rooin
watch; and he ate his supper phlegmati-
cally when the hour came.
1t was the last quarter Of the moon. and
the neap tide was running low when An
tome let himself softly down into the
water He had not been seen, and he
dropped away quietly astern Another
ship lay in his path, and he must be care
full in passing her. lie had got clear Of
the Ipvincible while the moon was partial.
ly obscured. Now, however, II was shin.
ing, but not brightly. He came SO near
the other ship that he could see the watch
and he could smell the hot tar ana pitch
which had been used on the seams after
caulking. There was no sea and very liz
tie wind and the watch was not alere
He was so close at one moment that ne
could hear the laughter Of the young fore
mast-men as they turned in. He moved hts
arms very gently. propeling himself chief
" by his legs. At last he was clear OF
Tie fleet. Now II was a question of when
his desertion would be discovered. All
he asked was two clear hours. Bv thar