The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-02-19
laven't a man to sparer'

cares how many of his fellows fall so
long as his own chest bursts with treas
ure. And once the matches cover what
you think enough there'n be a common
cry, warrant, for the eastward cruise.
Eth, Jack?'
sGrammercy, Alec! You'd not stay
holding on and off this sweltering coast
longer than we have to, would your"
Yes" he cried fercely. SID stay
till we'd driven every Spaniard back to
the devil who spawned him. I'd stay
till we'd given the country back to the
Indian it was stolen from or till we'd
peopled it with honest English hearts.
And, mark me, Jack, that's what it will
come to. Our people at home are in
creasing every day, and the island that
holds them isn't. Look at London, look
at Bristol; they're big, overgrown cities
even now, and they're still growing.
Where, think you, must the overflow
drift to? I'll tell you. When bread
begins to fail them, as it soon will, and
the little ones begin to cry to their ia
theirs for food, they will pour out to the
west here. Raleigh and his friends
planted faint hearted crew in more
northern land, SO have heard, among
savages and snowstorms and barren
rocks, and, as might have been expect
ed, those that did not die came back
wailing over their miseries and cursing
the men who had led them away from
England. But here, Itell you, it is diff
l>,s14
Spanish towns. There are Cumana,
Barcelona, La Guayra, Caracas, Va
lencia, Cartagena and all those in Mex
leo besides. And in every one of them
the cursed Spaniard tortures and burns
unhindered and makes the very gar
dens of Gods earth into foul blasphem-
ing hells. ! ask you, what nobler aim
could man have in life han to wrest
this fair land from these demons and
to bring it instead under the sway of
Elizabeth of England?
Jack Topp," he went on, flushing
deeply and gripping my arm till fairly
WINGED, 81 swear to you that if get
back home from this voyage with
sound skin and sufficient booty for the
purpose | will get a charter and fit out
an armada-at my own cost, if no one
else will join me-and I'll sail for the
main here and take every town as l
pass along. The west is the treasury
of Spain, and if her power be once bro
ken out here in the new world there's
little doubt as to who will be queen of
the seas over yonder in the old.''
He broke off suddenly and went to
his bunk, and turned away to mine.
For, truth. to tell, l had little heart to
argue with one who was as eager for
profitless battle as any paladin of the
plumber which would follow good
fight. Many hard blow have taken
and given, but it is a sport care little
for unless behind it there is that which
will pay for the broken heads and dam
aged limbs. And to give credit where
it is due, no man can say that John
Topp was ever backward in a fight
against those who We're defending
goods or treasure. But be that as it
may.
The sun was balancing over the west
ern water line when l came on deck
again, and the cliffs of Margherita
We're showing in low, dark line fine
on the lee bow.
Willie Trehalion was steering, with
his one brawny hand on the tiller and
the tiller rope cast on to his hook with
a couple Of half bitches. His one eye
took an occasional squint aloft and
then rove once more along the land
ahead. The, vessel was rising it rapid
~, charging the short seas with her
sharp stem and riding over them dry
iecked like the beauty she wa9. Our
Scourge was a craft of which every
man of her crew might well be proud.
There were none of those dull swishing
thuds Of green wave against round ap-
pie bow, which cause ship to stop
and shudder as though cringing under
a blow. The motion was gliding, oily
and pleasant. And the pace was so
great that we deemed it advisable to
stow the foresail and hoist the main
tack lest If we allowed ourselves to
come into sight in the daytime the dons
of Margherita should suspect our in
tent and make ready an uncomfortably
warm reception for us. We could not
afford to risk by such a piece Of care
..ssness the loss of our dainty racer.
Night fell, dark, moonless, starless,
but without rain or haze-just such a
night as our purpose asked for. AL
hands We're On deck, eager and expect.
ant, for word had been passed that 81
Pueblo del Norte was close under our
lee
Now, there is and has been from time
immemorial custom among fighting
men to put on their best clothes to dc
battle in. The sea dandy of the queens
ships would turn out in all the bravery
of puffed and bolstered hose and
trunks and with starched ruff circle
as big as a puncheon head numbering
his chest. But we wore our best-and
worst-clothes every day; in fact, we
had no more than one suit apiece, and
that skinny one. We could not
therefore, honor the conflict by much
change Of apparel True, there was
Spanish body armor in plenty If we
had cared to put 1t on, but body armol
has never found much favor with Eng