Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-04
CHAPTER XIV.
THE FIRST BLOW.

was so pleased at having given the
slip to Long John that began to enjoy
myself and look around me with some
interest on the strange land that was
in.
had crossed a marshy tract full Of
willows, bulrushes, and odd outland-
ish, swampy trees, and had now come
out upon the skirts of an open piece of
undulating, sandy country, about a
mile long. dotted with a few pines, and
great number of contorted trees, not
unlike the oak in growth, but pale in
the foliage, like willows. On the far
side of the open stood one of the hills,
with two quaint, craggy peaks, shining
wildly in the sun.
1 now felt for the first time the joy
of exploration. The isle was uninhab-
tied; my shipmates l had left behind,
and nothing lived in front of me but
dumb brutes and fowls. 1 turned
hither and thither among the trees.
Here and there were Towering plants
unknown to me; here and there l saw
snakes, and one raised his head from
a ledge of rock and Missed at me with
noise not unlike the spinning of a
top. Little did suppose that he was q
deadly enemy, and that the noise was
the famous rattle.
Then came to long thicket of these
oak-like trees-live or evergreen oaks,
heard afterward they should be called
which grew low along the sand like
brambles, the boughs curiously twist
ed, the foliage compact, like thatch
The thicket stretched down from the
top one of the sandy knobs, spreading
and growing taller as it went, until it
reached the margin of the broad, reedy
fen, through which the nearest of the
little rivers soaked it's way into the an
chorage. The marsh was steaming in
the strong sun, and the outline of the
Spy-glass trembled through the haze.
All at once there began to go sort OF
hustle among the bulrushes; wild
duck few up with quack, another fol
lowed, and soon over the whole surface
of the marsh great cloud of birds
hung screaming and circling in the
air. judged at once that some of my
shipmates must be drawing near along
the borders of the fen. Nor was I de-
ceived; for soon / heard the very dis
| tant and low tones of human voice,
which as continued to give ear, grew
steadily louder and nearer.
This put me in great fear, and
crawled under cover of the nearest live.
| oak and squatted there, hearkening, as
silent as q mouse.
| Another voice answered.; and then
the first voice, which now recognized
| to be Silver's, once more took up the
story. and ran on for long while in q
stream, only now and again interrupt
ed by the other. BY the sound they
must have been talking earnestly, and
almost fiercely; but no distinct word
came to my hearing.
At last the speakers seemed to have
paused, and perhaps to have sat down;
for not only did they cease to draw any
nearer, but the birds themselves begar
to grow more quiet, and to settle agair
to their places in the swamp.
And now began to feel that was
neglecting my business; that since
had been so foolhardy as to come ashor.
with these desperadoes, the least
could do was to overhear them at theil
councils; and my plain and obviou:
duty was to draw as close as 1 coult
manage, under the favorable ambush
of the crouching trees.
could tell the direction of the speak
ers pretty exactly, not only by tn,
sound of their voices, but by the be
| havior Of the few birds that still hung
in alarm above the heads of the in
/, truders.
Crawling on all-fours, / made
steadily but slowly toward them; til
at last, raising my head to an aperture
among the leaves, / could see clea
| down into little green dell beside TIL
marsh, and closely set about with trees
where Long John Silver and anothe
| of the crew stood face to face in con
! yersation.
The sun beat full upon them. Silve
had thrown his hat beside him on tn
ground, and his great, smooth, blond
face, all shining with heat, was LITE,
to the other mans in kind of appeal
/ "Mate." he was saying, "it's becaus
thinks gold-dust of you gold-dust
and you may lay to that! II hadn'
took to you like pitch, do you think T.
/ have been here a-warning of you? ALP
up-you can't make nor mend; it's t
save your neck that I'm a-speakine
and If one Of the wild 'uns knew j,
uhaxa nd i hs, Eons--newt .Asll ~