Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-11-22
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
| AS the bearers of news of the seizure
Of the English shipping in Vigo bay we
were persons Of some consideration in
Bristol The good folk of the town
were all eager to hear from our lips a
true account Of the outbreak with
SPAIN and the result to us was that
except for our beds and a light morn
ing meal of cold beef and ale we were
very little in debt to our host OF the
| Blue Mermaiden. the tavern in which,
as it was place frequented by seafar-
| ing men. we had made our headquar-
| ters.
1 The adventure had left US well IN
| pocket. too. for though the Severns
| cargo had of course not been sold II
had been brought back unspoiled, and
our Spanish galleon, a new ship and
well stored turned out most valuable
prize. So our lads promised them
selves good time on shore, and, judg-
! ing by the number of them that we met
| in the streets with broken heads and
| blackened eyes. they kept faithfully to
| that promise.
| Trade with Spain was naturally out
| of the question for the time being, and
| any attempt on my part to return and
| carry off Inez was practically useless.
| To try iI would be to condemn myself
to the galleys or a Spanish dungeon
for life, so | had reluctantly to resign
| myself to waiting In the hope that bet
to" times were in store for US.
Alec had some wild notion of fitting
out ship for the purpose of marrying
the Spaniards and breaking up their
armada before 1t could leave the
coasts; but, as | pointed out to him,
Drake and Hawkins and Sir Richard
Grenville and 20 others would play at
that IL it were at all feasible. and we
had better wait for lead from them.
So, as none of these well known cap
tains gave any sign of moving we, too,
staid where we were and enjoyed our
selves among the hospitable people of
Bristol
One night, however, we learned a
piece of news which put a sudden
period to our idling. We were return
ing arm in arm from n pleasant supper
at the house of Peter Waltham, one Of
the city aldermen, ] chattering In my
needless fashion about the charms of
our entertainers youngest daughter,
and Alec as usual listening gravely to
my nonsense and putting in a word
here and there.
The yellow moon ogled US through
the crannied clouds, and by the time
we reached the Blue Mermaiden the
rain had begun to fall and the alehouse
sign was swinging and croaking dis
cordantly In the now rapidly rising
wind. There was every promise of a
wild night, and we were not sorry
when we reached the friendly shelter
of the inn. 1t was long past midnight,
an hour at which the house was usual
ly as still as the cable tier in a calm;
but as we entered we heard voices
coming from the kitchen, so we peered
in to see who the visitors were.
There on the settle lolled the host,
with his rosy treble chin on his chest,
snoring heavily. Beside him was a
tall, spare man, with tangled black
hair, and an ugly scar running right
athwart his brown forehead, which
gave him n truculent appearance that
his weak, shiftless mouth failed to
corroborate. On the edge of the table
sat short, squat, broad man. older
than the other; he wore a seaman's
skin cap and huge brown coat whose
wide skirts spread out far behind him
on the table. These last two were
talking to one another in a language
that | did not understand. I made a
move as though to go in, but Alec put
his hand on my arm and drew me
gently back.
Its Cornish they're speaking" he |
Whispered, "and we shan't be able to |
make out word of 1t. Let's go to bed |
and be thankful there's no watch to |
keep till the suns well up tomorrow
morning."
SO up the ladder we climbed to our |
chamber, and the voices of the two men |
followed us dimly through the empty |
passages. Suddenly, with utter disre-
gard Of the effect that his vocal efforts |
would have on sleeping household, |
one Of them began to sing, but our |
windo W shutter made such a din, rat |
Ting in the wind, that we could not |
distinguish much of the song beyond |
the Tilt, which, however, sounded |
strangely familiar.
Alec went and made the shutter Sc |
cure, so that the second verse came to |
us distinctly:
Sail away,
Hack away,
Plunderl [Rapl
Gather all the valuablcs you can
Come back,
Nothing lack, S
Thunderl [Rap.l
Scatter all the money like man.
The singer repeated this verse time
after time, and the other man Joined in
an occasional chorus, while both, SO far 1
as we could judge by the SOUND, were
beating a vigorous accompaniment
with their fists on the hard oak table.
The song was a common enough one
among mariners, but there was no mis-;
taking the rasping tones Of that saw
like voice.
IT'S Willie Trehalionr' cried Alec
and rushed to the door followed. and,
scram bling down our Ladder again, we
made for the kitchen.
Art lying. nephew we heard the
older man ask MS we approached.
NO uncle-sober truth" replied the
one with the scar.
You always was n vagabond, job
Like you. uncle"
By this time we had reached the
door and saw that the skin cap was
now lying on the table, and an iron