The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1900-01-04

tne statha ~ thr frfs@ihink hahd, put coUld
not find him az frat, for both galley and fore
castle we're bare Of everything human As l
came ~ from the latter sAw him aatrids
the esarbosfd spreadcr OF the forcmasi with
piytnl ia his hand. doubted not that he
would have ahot at me as parsed under
him on my way forward, only that the helm
being relieved Of pressure She vessel had
gone into the wind, and thr violent motion
OF the headssils nad tFemor Of the mast un.
der the thundcrous thfashisg Of the ioresail
made an arm impossible. His attitude aud
the pistol told the stoSy Of tho part be- was
expected 20 play IN the mutiny which had
probably been hAtched before leaving Nor.
folk. hnt the oowardly cur had either
sknlked at the last moment OF had bcsn
too rapid for him. and he had swarmed %
the shronds 10 be out of reach, and there
sat looking down at me ! pa-ard no words
with him, bot, running back on ths lar.
board side, fetched my rifle from tho cabin,
and, standing BY the break Of the poop.
| drew a bead on him and commanded him ts
drop his pisinl aud come down. Al iirs4 he
dcmnrred, then whimpercd, and, finally
dropping the pistol, swung himself 10 Tho
halyaFds, down which he aid 10 the deck,
where, falling to his knees. be began begging
for his life, bis black face turned 10 a siekly
green through Abiect terror.
The blood was losing from my arm land
il was sight took it from my bead, ans
nay temper was tribe ls,zs mur,lrruus by the
time the fellow had come within my power
! had traded on he ignorance. a., had he but
known my sun was unchanged, natter
might have taken a different complexion
sternly ordering him below, drew the dido
over the hatch, and then, feeling my life was
safe from him, fetched a deep breath and
took look about me.
The ships were in fair sight By this, ths
one eastward doubtless a troop ship houna
iur New York with recnforcements for sii
Henry Clinton. who had already begun he
call for help. and kept It up through his al
minisirasioa. Tbs ship TO the weat looked
10 be a man-ot'war judging by her size and
rig, but twas the third that caukcd me the
most uncasincrs-a fine. large schooner CON,
ins down before the wind, and nov about
four miles away.
That che Phontom was her object nowis.
doubted. To pass myself az q royal-l bound
from Savannah 10 New York With lead foi
hi1 majesty tina. being the sist OF my iorged
papcrsl would hardly do in the face Of ons
dead man lying in the seuppers and singk
black hand driven below bu; saw nothins
Else 10 be done, for to have my true color,
known would be to lose liberty and property
At once. To fight was impossible; to run
~ far out Of the question
he the upshot what Il might, my arm de
mandcd my frat attention. and passed into
the cabin, where ! made a shift to stop IN,
flow Of blood. bind it NJ and set /, into
sling. Owing 90 the twist 81 the knife 'twai
an ugly cash, though. fortunately, no arterl
was severed. and In the end II served me
good turn instead Of being source Of great
trouble.
My next step was Go get my papers into
proper shape by destroying the regular clear
nnce, aud 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 rih..d Of
the ialsc documents. To be without credcn.
tia,s showing my business on the high seas
were a. damuing as to openly sail under tho
Tag 81 the colonies and the discovery 81 .ks
theft left me for the moment high and dry.
hethinklng me, then, Of the hare possibility
Of l.ounshury having carried the matter With
him, / jumped to the deck for the purpoas
OF ovsrhaullng HE body.
A glance seward showed the schooner
now about two miles away. hut bearing
straight for me. could easily imagine the
pcrplcziiy that possessed them at sight OF
the actions 81 the Phantom, for, as the helm
was still free and oil plain sail made on her.
she hove into the wind TOT a space. and there
aung in irons with j thunder VI canvas over.
head; then filling on the opposite tack she
staggered of. until, rounding up again, the
rntlre performance was repeated For al
the world she was like man well slswed
with liquor. using the width Of the road in |
his jourueyns.
That which lay before me TO DO must bs |
done quickly. I.ounsbuTy sprawlcd on ha |
lack, ~ that access 10 his pockets was an |
easy matter There was nothing IN his pea. |
iarkci save the junk carried hy q seaman, |
though ] soon discovered that around his |
body was belt stuffed full Of papers. Bat |
the stolen ones wcre not among them, and |
ici, sense Of hope'essntss come over me /
as the certainty Of their loss was forced on
MY mind.
liut Il was not for long 4 hasty glance /
At the belts contents al once opened ms |
eyes 10 the character OF the man before me, |
and caused me 20 come 10 a sudden deiermi. |
nation regarding my future action. Twas
a desperate resolve but. saving some un
toward circumstance, Il insured liberty, or,
II least, Immunity from present imprison.
nent, although Il would put my fortune in
jeopardy. II was no time to look far beyond
.he present. freedom was worth more than
fortune, and even that might not In the end,
'e lost; 10, throwing the belt overheard
laced the papers carefully in my pocket and
vent forward
The pistol dropped from Aloil found on
he deck, and with Il in my hand | slid back
he hatch cover Of the iorecastle and called
10 the black to come up. This he did, blink.
ng nightly az he struck the strong light,
Fhrn, clapping the weapon to his ear, 1
'wore ] would blow bis brains out, and, u
.eccsSary, follow him 10 the ends Of the
World to do Il, Il he brsathcd a word Of ms
yer having been master Of the Phantom.
tTo M coHTiNUEpl