Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-03-29

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81 swore would blow his brains ont"
the cabin, where I made shift to stop tn,
flow of blood, bind it up and get it into q
sling. Owing to the twist of the knife twa.
an ugly cash, though, fortunately, no arter,
was severed, and in the end it served me {
| good turn instead of being a source of great
trouble.
My next step was to get my papers into
proper shape by destroying the regular clear
ance, and twas here / discovered the cause
OF the tone of my mate, for, though there
had been taken nothing of value besides, the
locker showed itself to have been rifled Of
the false documents To be without creden.
tials showing my business on the high seas
were as damning as to openly sail under the
flag OF the colonies, and the discovery of the
theft left me for the moment high and dry.
betltinking me, then, of the bare possibility
OF Lounsbury having carried the matter with
HIM, L jumped to the deck for the purpose
of overhauling his body.
A glance seward showed the schooner
now about two miles away, but bearing
straight for me. could easily imagine the
perplexity that possessed them at sight of
the actions of the Phantom, for, as the helm
was still free and all plain sail made on her.
she hove into the wind for space, and there
hung in irons with thunder of canvas over
head; then filing ON the opposite tack she
staggered off, until, rounding up again, the
entire performance was repeated. For all
the world she was like man well slowed
with liquor, using the width of the road in
his journeying.
That which lay before me to do must be
done quickly. Lounsbury sprawled on hil
back, 30 that access to his pockets was an
easy matter. There was nothing in his pea.
jacket save the junk carried by seaman,
though L soon discovered that around his
body was belt stuffed full of papers. But
the stolen ones were not among them, and
felt sense of hopelessness come over me
as the certainty of their loss was forced on
my mind.
But it was not for long. A hasty glance
at the belts contents at once opened my
eyes to the character of the man before me,
and caused me to come to sudden determi-
nation regarding my future action. Twas
desperate resolve, but, saving some UNI
toward circumstance, it insured liberty, or,
80 ASoooy AAhAIuAlCy 41Olu PIebeut llupEIh0u-
ment, although it would put my fortune in
jeopardy. 1t was no time to look far beyond
the present; freedom was worth more than
fortune, and even that might not, in the end,
be lost; SO, throwing the belt overheard,
placed the papers carefully in my pocket and
went forward.
The pistol dropped from aloft found on
the deck, and with 1t in my hand slid back
the hatch cover of the forecastle and called
to the black to come up. This he did, blink
ing nightly as he struck the strong light,
when, clapping the weapon to his ear, /
swors would blow his brains out, and, if
necessary, follow him to the ends of the
world to do it, if he breathed word of my
ever having been master of the Phantom.
The fellow was bound to be source of
anxiety to me as long AZ he had the power
to speak, but could not well murder him
outright. Fortunately, his patois was we'll
nigh unintelligible to ears unframed to the
dialect of the southern negro, and, if my plan
worked, he would ere long meet his deserts
in one of the British prison hulks, the hor-
rible reputation of which was now wide
spread. have small doubt that he thought
he was coming to his death when ordered
him up, for, like the slave he had once been,
he cringed and writhed at my feet, begging
for his life in manner both disgusting and
pitiful. Yet, for all his gratitude at my
promise to spare him on condition of his 81
lence, I felt that, were it in his power, he
would have knitted me as / stood. had no
fear that he knew OF my hidden gold, Louns-
bury having been far too shrewd to take for
partners men of the character of the crew,
he probably having seduced them with
promises of some ready cash, backed with
visions of prize money and the high favor
of British officers. / had warrant for thus
believing, for my mate had suddenly lowered
his voice as he referred to the treasure be-
low, in all likelihood for the purpose of CON
cealing from the man at the wheel its pres
ence on board the schooner.
To the fellow at my feet, whose name, l
now mind me, was "Stofe" (probably cor
ruption of Christopher), I made no prom
Use for the future, only saying would hold
my hand for the present, and then or.
dered him to take in the jib and staysail,
that the Phantom might lay in the wind and
meet her fate as soon as possible.
Indeed, had expected ere this to have
had shot acorss my bows and another one
into me for not obeying the hint Of the first,
an action which had 80 far been impossible.
l fancied land afterward found was right
they were nonplussed at the queer seminar
ship displayed by the drunken progress Of
the Phantom. It had been thought, may
hap, that, as but two msn showed on our
deck, we had host below, and that, in the
disguise of simple trader, we were intend
ing to deluds them and lay them aboard
with little ceremony; or, failing in this, were
adopting some uncouth mode of warfare on
the sea, as strange to them as is the Indian
land method to the European regular.
1t was with feeling akin to shame that
when the forward halyards were let go had
the negro bend the Stars and Stripes to the
ensign halyard, placing the flag union down
and under the flaming bunting of the enc
my. These were hoisted to the mainpeak,
and thus had set sign of surrender before
surrender was called for, but as part of my
plan it became hard necessity.