The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-04-21

bucket; another moment and the craft
would have been preached to-"
"He must have crept behind the
longboat and got into the forecastle,"
suggested Carlton.
I'll bring him up with a round turn
for playing this trick" grumbled Lam
bourne.
flush" said I, as a strange sound
fell upon my ear.
what is it?" asked the others, lis
tening.
"a cry-did you not hear it?"
"No-nonsense!" said they, together.
at was a cry that came from some
where"
Il did hear something" said Will
White; but it was a sheave creaking
in a block aloft, l think"
mo, no." said l, pausing by the
capstan, as a terrible foreboding seized
me; at came from the cabin"
There is no one there but the Cap
tain, Hislop, and the boy Bill, who
sleeps in the steerage, and they are
all three sound enough by this time"
said Lambourne.
But the sound was from the cab
in" l persisted, Fastening aft.
At that m another cry. loud
and piteous-a cry that sank into a
hoarse moan, echoed through the brig,
piercing the nights duh ear" and
ringing high above the welter of the
sea alongside, the bubble at the stem
and stern, OF the hum of the wind
through the taut rigging.
We all rushed aft to the companion,
and at that instant Antonio sprang up
the cabin stair. By the clear splendor
of the tropical moonlight we could see
that his usually swarthy visage was
pale as death, while his black eyes
blazed like two burning Goals. He
grasped his unsheathed knife, the blade
of which, as we'll as his hands and
clothes, were covered with blood!
My heart grew sick with vague ap-
prehension, and my first thought vas
for a weapon; but non was near.
What have you been about, you
rascally picaroon-and why did you
leave the wheel?" shouted Lambourne,
becoming greatly excited; "the masts
might have gone by the board-what
DEVILS work have you been after be-
low"
Then the dark Spanish creole
grinned, as the blood dripped from his
hands on the white and moonlit deck.
KNOCK him down with a handspike,
| Carlton" added Lambourne, who could
not leave the wheel; knock him
down-the shark-faced swabl'
On hearing this, Antonio drew from
his breast a revolver pistol, one Of a
pair which we knew always hung
loaded in Weston's cabin, and fired
straight at the head of Carlton-who
lodged the shot, which killed the sea-
man named Will White, who stood be-
hind him.
The ball pierced the brain of the
poor fellow, who bounded convulsive-
ly nearly three feet from the deck; he
fell heavily or his face and never
moved again, for he was dead-dead
as a stone.
In it's suddenness this terrible deed
pal uIJ ECU Us Win ~ III uIlllACI
with fear, as we were all unarmed and
completely in the power of this Span,
ish demon, the report of whose pistoI
brought all the startled crew tumbllns
over each other out of the forecastle
AHA, maldita! Santos y Angeles!'
said the Spaniard, waving the pistol
the muzZle of which yet smoked, to.
ward us in a half circle, as a warning
for all to stand back; did you think
to run your rigs upon me? l am An.
tonic ell Cubano, and don't value you
all a rope's-end or a rotten castano
as you shall find. | am now the cap
tain of this ship, and shall force you
all to obey me, or else"-here he swort
one of those sonorous and blasphem,
GUS oaths which run so glibly from &
Spanish tongue-"I will shoot you al
in succession, till l am the last mar
left on board; and when l am tired O
the ship I can burn or scuttle her. d.
you understand all this?"
Dead silence followed this strangt
address, the half of which was scarce
ly understood by our men, as it wa.
said in Spanish.
"Basta" (avast) l see that you d.
understand" he resumed; "and nov
begin by obedience. Throw this car
rion-this bestia neutrality-suspicious..
But perceiving how we all shranl
back
Overheard with him." he added
brutally kicking the inanimate bod,
of poor Will White; "or demonio,
shall send the first who disobeys m
to keep him company"
He grasped me by the hand--hi
hateful clutch was firm as a smith
vise-and then he leveled his pistol a
the head Of Ned Carlton.
For a moment the latter stood irres
olute, and then, seeing the black muz
zle Of the revolver within a foot O
his head, he muttered a deep maledic
ton, stamped his foot with rags on tn
deck, and said:
"Mr. Rodney, bear a hand with m
to launch this murdered man-thi
poor fellow-overboardr'
"Obey!" Numbered Antonio.
Like one in a dream I bent over tn
dead man, On whose pale face, glaze
eyes and relaxed jaw the bright moon
light was shining, and in my ex