Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-06-12
CHAPTER xXXu.
II1II I0EASUflE HUN i = I al
VOICE AMONG THE TREES.

VOICE AMONG THE TREES.
Partly from the dampening influence
| of this alarm, partly to rest Silver and
the sick folk, the whole party sat down
| as soon as they had gained the brow of
| the ascent.
| The plateau being somewhat tilted
| toward the west, this spot on which
| we had paused commanded a wide
prospect on either hand. Before us,
over the tree tops, we beheld the Cape
of the Woods fringed with surf; be-
hind we not only looked down upon
the anchorage and Skeleton island. but
saw clear across the spit and the
eastern lowlands-a great field of open
sea upon the east. Sheer above us rose
| the Spyglass, here dotted with single
| pines, there black with precipices.
There was no sound but that of the dis
| tant breakers, mounting from all
round, and the chirp of the countless
insects in the brush. Not a man, not
g sail upon the sea; the very largeness
tude.
Silver as he sat, took certain bear
| ings with his compass.
There are three tall trees" said
he, about in the right line from skele-
ton island. Spy glass shoulder
| take it, means that lower pint there.
It's child play to find the stuff now.
II don't feel sharp" growled Nor
gan. "Thinkin' o. Flint thing 1T
were--as done me-"
"Ah, we'll, my son, you praise your
stars he's dead" said Silver.
HE was an ugly DEVIL cried a third
pirate. with a shudder; that blue In
the face, tool"
added Merry. blue! well, reckon he
lllua Tbotfs t-lla word
Ever since they had found the skele-
| ton and got upon this train of thought
! they had spoken lower and lower, and
they had almost got to whispering by
now, so that the sound of their talk
hardly interrupted the silence of the
wood. All of a sudden, out of the mid
| die of the trees in front of us, a thin,
| high, trembling voice struck up the
| Well known air and words.
| "Fifteen men on the dead mans
chest
| Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
/ never have seen men more dread
| fully affected than the pirates. The
| color went from their six faces like
| enchantment; some leaped to their feet
| some clawed hold of others: Morgan
| groveled on the ground.
| Its Flint, by" cried Merry
The song had stopped as suddenly as
| it began-broken off, YOU would have
| said, in the middle of a note. as though
some one had laid his hand upon the
| singers mouth. Coming SO far through
| the clear, sunny atmosphere among
| sounded airly and sweetly, and the eff
| feet on my companions was the
| stranger.
Come" said Silver, struggling with
| his ashen lips to get the wcrd out,
| that won't do. Stand by to go about.
| This is a rum start, and ! can't name
| the voice, but it's some one skylarl1-
| ing-solne one that's flesh and blood,
| and you may lay to that"
His courage had come hack as he
| spoke, and some of the calor to his
| face along with 1t. Already the 9th
| crs had begun to lend an ear to this
| encouragement. and We're coming lit
| tie to themselves. when the same voice
| broke out again-not this time sing
| ing, but in a faint, distant hail. that
| echoed yet fainter among the clefts of
| the Spy glass.
DARBY McGraw," 1t wailed-for that
| is the word that best describes the
| sonnd-"Darby McGraH: Darby Nc
| Graw!" again and again and again.
| Then rising little higher. and with
| an oath that l leave out. Fetch aft
| the rum, Darby"
| The buccaneers remained rooted to
the ground, their eyes starting from
| their heads. Long after the voice had
| died away they still stared In silence,
| dreadfully, before them.
That fixes it, gasped one. Lets
co.
They was his last words" moaned
Morgan; his last words Above board. .
"Dick had his bible out and was
praying volubly He had been well
brought up. had Dick. before he came
to sea and fell among bad companions.
STILL Silver was unconduered. i
could hear his teth rattle in his head
but he had not yet surrendered.
Nobody in this here island ever
heard of Darby" he muttered; mot