Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-01-24
CHAPTER NNEI.

CHA PIER y y l.
As long as we were within sight Of
Margherita we held on as though max
ing for some Of the Windvard group,
for we knew that there would be
watchers ON the cliffs. to say nothing
Of the pearl fishers in their canoes,
who would at once spread the news of
our neighborhood. and so spoil our
chance of making a capture, unless we
could manage to battle them. But when
the highest peaks Of the Islands We're
Just visible rs dots on the horizon from
our mastheads. we hauled our wind
and began making short boards under
easy canvas to north and south alter
nately BY this means we kept our pc
sition as far as possible unchanged,
just out Of sight Of Nargherita, and
trusted that the gold hunger of cur
lookout would let nothing Of value es-
cape us on the read to Spain.
For T. long days did we patrol the
seas on narrow sentry 20. without
sighting a sail On cae night mer-
maiden was reported Is Hob Trebali0n
as having sung t3 L..a a Le hung over
tie tillpg. and .se tCia us with shame
faced chucEip That il must have been
the comp.luess Of LIS feat;rrs which
attracted he's t;:a.her afternoon we
hauled a u9aAti shark aboard and
ate him WIFI tie g.cstri relish when
we reMaar,vrs1 thar De- would doubt,
less haze G-u- TIE ERIE by us had the
taH.cs ircn tagroi
On The. fifteenth NH; Uf watched.
with no lif.c t.,aa.;.Grss. 81 5aio. flicker
ing fame aa ~ along lia waters 10
coilinc rureos su...e ;Era .f--Ces or to
ward fhc nguh-Eo.thvasj The know
ing ones said it was til. breath Of the
great sea srrpeut pgowi.uS in search OF
prey and would have tried to scare IL
away with shot from our big gun had
not Alec GaIy forbidden H. Now.
though 81 The time thought this veto
Of his III judged and foolhardy. as tend
ing to make the mon careless in guard
ing against the common dangers of the
deep, yet. as the issue showed, it was
tile luckiCst thing for us that the men
did not have their way. for had the
noise Of firing gore abroad just then
the reward Of Our patient search would
have slipped away ere we could pluck
1t. and we should never have known
the rich prize we bad lost.
Scarcely had the last flicker of the
sea serpents trail died into the night
when Job Trehalion, who as the keen
est sighted man on board was jockey
ing the fore crosstree, hailed that an
other light was shining out now.
What kind Of light?" cried Alec.
"a clear, steady glow, sir, though 1t
bain't bigger fhan a pea"
"Where away"
Down to loo'ard. Square abeam."
AT the welcome news we Stacked out
our sheets. pat the helm up and ran off
before the wind to see what manner of
company that light promised Us.
When we had run half a league, job
sang out that there were three lights
now ana that he could make out that
they were the poop lanterns of a large
ship hove to end on To US.
In Pu instant all was preparation.
our numbers were small, but the 80
men who assembled without needing a
drum to beat them to quarters were
tough as whipcord and wiry as game
cocks There were no prentice hands
to hinder matters by 0verwilling scurry
and hustle nor were there any towards
who would duck to flying bullets. Each
man knew his place and his work and
went to It Guns were east loose and
loaded, pixies unlashed from the booms,
axes and small arms taken from their
racks, intstock tubs arranged along
the decks the powder room thrown
open and everything cleared for action.
Yet all this was done with the greatest
quietness, so that If possible we might
creep up within range of the enemy un-
discovered.
The night was dark and suited our
purpose well The Scourges course
was down the wake OF the few rays Of
moonlight that crept through the Gran
MED clouds, but the side of her cloths
which faced the Spaniard was shroud-
ed In heavy shadow. The galleon, on
the other hard, was plainly visible to
the eager eyes which peered over our
bulwarEs. She was hove to, as Is the
cautious habit Of the dons during even
the finest night, and her heavy bow
now thrashed down into the swell and
now shot off cataract of foaming wa
ter rs the beak rose again into the salt
laden air She was riding very dead,
and many were the congratulatOry rib
nudges when the men saw how low shel
lay In the water.
'An 500 ton galleon" rumbled out
while TFehalion in growing whisper.
Eight hundred ton never one less. If
my eye ha'n't lost its trick o mcasur-
ing, IN laden that deeply her waists
most flush wi' the wave tops. There'll
be tidy pickings behind those stout ribs
o hers, very tidy pckings."
"Oh, no, ho" chuckled the old man
softly. Counting the moidorcs and
forgetting the cabalIcros that guard
them. Smacking your lips over the
tidy pickings like my burly Jack here.
whose soul thrsts after plunder more
than his belly does after drink But
Boatswain Willie and Lieutenant Jack,
there's going TO be bloody fight first,
ch?
"Ah. hal It's Il blissfully grcwsome
time | see ahead for the galleon yon-
der Seek sides hacked through and
through with shot, carvings splintered
and gIdings blackencd her pinions
plucked, her fabric dismantled, and her
scruppers will bleed till the sea around
gloWs like an autumn sunset. Oh, ho,
Captain Ireland, You're like TO choke
our good friends, the sharks, with very
surfeit before this world is a night and
n day older.
"Think Of II! Scarce a shot viii leave
your guns that does not dun its speed
on humnn flesh. That galleon has not
spare housing for "A fly. She's cram
med with men close MS peas In a pod,
soldiers aud servants, passengers and
cooks, marines ana officers. There
should be nearly GOO pairs of ears
aboard her. Saiuls What n merry
goucelt It would be to shred off those
same ears and carry 'cm home like "a
string Of dried figs as n present to her
most gracious majesty! What say you.
Jack Topp shall we do itY
WAS about to make n sharp answer,
for the old dotard's savagery slckeued
me, when Alec stcrnly called for si-
lcnCe for fear that our voices should
give The alarm. And so | held my
tongue, and the old man subsidized into
smothcred eurglings.
Save for the creaking of the gear and