Arizona republican., 1899-02-26
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BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
(Continued From Yesterday)

For awhile the ship kept bucking and siding like a vicious horse, the sails filling, now on one tack, now on an- other, and the boom swinging to and fro till the mast groGned aloud under the strain Now and again, too, there would come a cloud of light spray over the bulwark, and heavy blow of the l ships bows against the swell--so much heavier weather was made of it by this great rigged ship than by my home made, lop-sided eoracle, now gone to the bottom of the sea.
 At every jump of the schooner, red cap slipped to and fro; but-what was ghastly to behold-neither his attitude nor his fixed teeth-disclosing grin was any way disturbed by this rough usage. At every jump, too, Hands appeared still more to sink into himself and set tie down upon the deck, his feet sliding ever the further out, and the whole | body cnnting toward the stern, so that his face became, little by little, hid from me; and nt last I could see noth- | ing beyond his ear and the frayed ring let of one whisller
 At the same time, I observed, around both of them, splashes of dark blood upon the blanks. and began 10 feel sure that they had killed each other in their drunken wrath
 While I was thus looking and won dering, in a calm moment, when the ship was still, Israel Hands turned part ly round, and, with q low moan, writhed himself back to the position in which had seen him first. The moan, which told of pain and deadly weakness, and the way in which his jaw hung open, went right to my heart But when 1 remembered the talk I had overheard from the apple barrel, all pity left me. walked aft until reached the main mast.
 ''Come aboard, Mir. Hands," I said, ironically.
 He rolled his eyes round heavily; but he was too far gone to express surprise. All he could do was to utter. one word: Brandy"
 It occurred to me there was no time to lose; and. lodging the boom as it once more lurched across the deck, 1 slipped aft, and down the companion stairs into the cabin.
 It was such t scene of confusion as you can hardly fancy. All the lockfast places had been broken open in quest of the chart. The floor was thick with mud, where ruffians had sat down to drink or consult after wading in the marshes round their camp. The bulk heads. all painted in clear white, and beaded round with gilt, bore a pattern of dirty hands. Dozens of empty bot ties clinked together in corners to the rolling of the ship. One of the doctors medical books lay open on the table. half of the leaves gutted out, suppose, for pipe-lights. In the midst of all this the lamp still cast smoky glow, ob- scure and brown as umber.
 1 went into the cellar; all the barrels wee gone, and of the bottles a most surprising number had been drunk out and thrown away. Certainly, since the mutiny began, not a man of them could ever have been sober.
 Foraging about, I found bottle with some brandy left, for Hands; and for myself I routed out some biscuit, some pickled fruits, great bunch of raisins, and piece of cheese. With these I came on deck, put down my own stock behind the rudder-head, and well out of the cockswain's reach, went forward to the water-brcaker, and had a good deep drink of water, and then, and not till then, gave Hands the brandy.
 He must have drunk gill before he took the bottle from his mouth.
 "Ay," said he, ''by thunder, but wanted some O that!"
 I had sat down already in my own corner and began to eat.
 T 1
 He grunted, or, rather, I might say he parked.
 If that doctor was aboard he said. i ''Id be right enoughin in couple of turns; but I don't have no manner of luck, you see, and that's what's the matter with me. As for that swab, he's good and ! dead, he is," he added, indicating the man with the red cap. "He warn't no seaman, anyhow. And where mought you have come from?"
 Well" said I, five come aboard to- take possession of this ship, MT. Hands; and you'll please regard me as your captain until further notice' !
 He looked at me sourIy enough, but |. said nothing. Some of the color had come back into his cheeks, though he still looked very sick and still contin- ued to slip out and settle down as the ship banged about.
 By the by," I continued, q cant , have these coiors. MT. Hands; and by your leave I'll strike 'em. Better none than these.''
 And again lodging the boom, ran to the color lines, hauled down their cursed black flag, and chucked it over board.
 God save the king!" said I, waving my cap; ''and there's an end to Capt. Silver
 He watched me keenly and slyly, his chin all the while on his breast.
 Il reckon" he said at last-"I reckon, Cap'n Hawkins, you'll kind of want to