Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-24
The ISLE oftbeWINDS
g By S.R.CROCKETT 9 g 9

| a seafaring man. He used often to land at
| your town. though that not his coun-
| try. I have heard him speak of it. Ken ye
him.
'What?" I cried. loud enough for Anna
TO catch every word-She had withdrawn a
| little from the paling. but still stood listen
ing. little removed from the woman's sight
what, not a swarthy. gypsy-like man
with silver rings in his ears?"
The same-Gods truth the same!' she
! cried, yet not gladly. What of him? Tell
/ me quickly. He is dead-tell me- he is sure
| ly dead,"
He has oft been reported g." I
| swered. 'bu! ever turns up again, like
bad penny which even beggar will not
take aims
Where or heard you of him last?"
1t was a difficult question, but / turned
the corner of it, as l thought adroitly
enough.
1T comes to me that ere left Abercairn
l was told that he had turned privateers-
mani
ALAS, alas" she muttered, this is worse
and worse. Every pirate and privateer in
| the world makes for the Spanish Main.
And this you1h'-she turned about to
where Anna had been standing. but. seeing
| nothing of her, she continued-"what does
, he in the nunnery? He looked somewhat
| over comely to be foot page among 50
many granin women folk
She laughed at her own conccit and l at
the MOreham expression she had at the
close. So from this point We're better
agreed. And | escaped for that time from
answering any more questions. l fear that
l should have been forced to lie ere long.
So the lady Judnita Si!vcda rode away
upon her white mule. her dainty feet in
cased in pair of silver stirrups large
salt boxes. while rings like barrel hoops
jung ed at the bride bit.
And faith-she tnk the eye as a great
lady and a comely! But ] alone. of all on
that island, knew her for the convict MUIR
deress. Janet Mark. transported beyond the
nd r1gyx- in
strange fashion escaped from her punish
ment and established in all honor this
Spanish plantation Well, even for Annals
sake l would ne 10 tale bearer. Yet | was
glad, for the know edge might prove use
fuI.
Then came Eborra to Us hastily and took
us away to the road without giving me time
to speak a word of warning TO Anna. But
trusted that my loud manner of speech
and meaning gestures would have put her
on her guard. Yet | could not think on the
simplicity of my mother without a swarf
of fear coming over me. Nevertheless l re-
fected that in the habit of nun and with
the changes made by the inevitable years
ii was not likely that Janet Mark would
know my mother now. Still, if any in
quired. my mother would be sure to say
point blank: Il am the wife of Philip
StanSfield of North Nlns in Scotland For
thus did my mother always. having no way
about her but the straightforward one-a
way | have found ill-htted enough to this
present world. and which l look forward to
as likely to prove anything but convenient
in the next.
Eborra FASTENED us way to the
gang, knowing that if the Lady Juanita
were at St. Juan de Brozas it was not
Likely that Don Nicholas Silveda would be
far in the rear. And so. indeed it proved.
For no sooner had turned the corner
of the nunnery orchard than at the further
end of the gang We beheld man upon
great plunging horse, riding this way and
that among the gang, swearing, striking
Unfortunately at the prisoners and the
negro overseers.
From the distance only the gust of his
loud-mouthing oaths came to us, but pres
entity We could hear the tapping of his stick
on bare backs and iron belts.
"Our turn next said Eborra. Take
care not to answer wordi
At that moment the man on horseback
caught sight of us approaching. Instantly
he set spurs TO his beast and came shout
ing down the whole length of the gang to
where we were beginning to work.
He called out something to Eborra, and
made as if he would have smitter us. Now,
Spanish is easy language to catch the
drift of to any ore with some smatter of
Latin. Added to which. that every Span
lard. instead of clipping his words like the
English. or broadening them out OF recoS-
milton like the Scots. thinks it worth while
to speak as beautifully as he can-which is
called among them having the true Cas-
lillian" So. though L could yet speak but
little l understood good deal, and guessed
more.
--IT,-gs" he cried. Let me come at the
dogs. Mav ! be Chere followed silly
batter Of 7athsJ II let one of the cursed
crew escape
And what with the trampiir2s of his
horses hoofs and the scattering or me
gravel and sand used for the embanking, L
stood dazed and amazed right in his path.
Anon he seemed about TO ride down.
But swerving aside when quite near us, he
brought his stick round with sweep and
took me directly under the ear with a ding
that fairly drove me stupid. | swayed and
would have fallen but that VIII caught me
on his arm and shielded my head from the
blows of Don Nicholas Silveda, taking them
/ on his own shoulder without complaint
After exhausting himself on us. he turned
| upon EbOrra to strike him also. The black
| balanced himself little upon his hams like
a fencer at the engage. He thrust out his
| hook in front of him and looked steadily at
the assaiant who lowered above him.
| heard a sharp cry, and at first being still
muzzy with my cicuted sconcc, l thought
| il was the cry of Eborra. But looking
again l that it came from a vizened
| little creature like monkey, of a brown
| Countenance. who pricked hither and thith-
| er lively ass much as a gadhy does
| about group of cattle.
Beware - beware. great captain" he
/ cri,S,!. ''le. Iron-hand alone. He is very
| great Obeah. He Wi, hc"itch you If you
] so much touch him.
| Instantly Lon Nicholas checked his
stroke. and with his thumb thrust between
| sign for averting the evil eye.
| 'Avaunt," he cried II will not touch
| Get away. I will have witchcraft in my
| commanderie. The grand inqusitor shall
1 know of this. Carrajo-l will beat the white
| heretics insteadr'
i And he would have fallen again upon us,
| as it were for mere pleasurabe exercise,
! but at the very mon ent when he raised his
| stick Donna Juanita rode up upon her
; mule.
| She did not waste a word upon him, but
| took hold of The weapon by the end which
| he had over his shoulder in the act of
| bringing it down upon our heads. She
! wrested the cudgel from him with a quick
| jerk, and, to the great amusement of all
| the chain gang. laid 1t soundly across the
| shoulders of the commandante.
/ ''ThesH are my people-do not touch them.
pig of SPAIN she cried. Have 1 not
| warned you before? Go, You are in dis
| grace. You are sow brought up in the
! Batuecas. You have more manners than
| bull of Estramadura,'
And this learned was her ordinary man.
| ner with her husband. She was so eager
! To acquire the words which bite and scarify
| that she would go among the very truils
| and morris of the soldiers quarters that she
| might hear them talk. Then. upon occa :