The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-21
PART II.
THE SEA COOK.
CHAPTER VII,

1t was longer than the squire i'm.
agined ere we were ready for tho sea
and none Of our first plans-not even
DIR. LiVesey's, Of keeping me beside
htn--could be carried out as we In
tended. The doctor had to go to Lon
don for a physician to take charge OF
his practice: the squire was lard at
work at Bristol; and l lived on at the
Hall under the charge Of old Red
ruth, the gamekeeper, almost a pris-
oner, but full of sea dreams and the
most charming anticipations Of strange
islands and adventures. | brooded by
the hour together over the map, all the
details OF which I we'll remembered.
Sitting by the fire in the housekeeper's
room, l approached thai island in my
fancy from every possible direction; I
explored every acre of it's surface; I
climbed a thousand times to that tall
hill they called the Spy-glass, and from
the top enjoyed the most wonderful
and changing prospects. Sometimes
the isle was thick with savages, with
whom we fought; sometimes full Of
dangerous animals that hunted us; but
in all my fancies nothing occurred to
me SO strange and tragis as u actual
adventures.
So the weeks passed on, till one fine
day there came a letter addressed to
DR.. Livesey, with this addition: 'To
NC olcilSu III lbe Vast u III dDSelltS
by Tom Redruth or young Hawkins"
Obeying this order we found, or rather
1 found-for the gamekeeper was a
Door hand at reading anything but
print-the following important news:
"Old Anchor Inn, Bristol, March l,
II.
Dear I.iyesey: AS do not know
whether you are at the Hall or still in
London, ! sv.ld this in double to both
places.
THE ship is bought and fitted. She
lies at anchor, ready for sea. You
never imagined a sweeter ~schooner--a
child might sail her-two hundred
tons; name, 'Hispaniola.'
Il got her through my old friend,
Blandly. who proved himself through
out the most surprising trump. The
admirable fellow literally shaved IN my
interest, and SO, 1 may say. did every
one in Bristol, as soon as they got
wind of the port we sailed for-treas-
ure. I mean"
"Redruth.'' said l, tnterrupting the
letter, DR.. Livesey will not like that.
The squire has been talking after ALL"
well, who's got a better right"
growled the ~gamekeeper. "a pretty
rum go if squire amt to talk for DR..
Livesey, l should think
At that ] gave up all attempts at
commentary. and G straight on:
"Blandly himself found the 'Hispa-
niola.' and by the most admirable
management got her for the mercst
trine. There IS a class OF men in Bris-
tol nlonstrously prcjudiced against
Blandly. They go the length of de
claring that this honest creature would
do anything for money that the His
PAMELA belonged to him n that he
sold it TO me absurdly high-the most
transparent calumnies. None Of them
dare, however, to deny the merits of
the ship.
$50 far there was not a hitch. T.
Workpeopie to be sure-riggers d
what not-wcre most annoying ely sloN
but time cured that. 1t was the ere
that troubled me.
Il wished a round score Of men-in
case of natives, buccaneers, or the obi
Gus French-and I had the worry Of a
deuce itself to find SO much as half a
dozen, till the most remarkable stroke
of fortune brought me the very man
that l required.
II was standing on the dock, when,
by the merest accident. l fell In ak
with him. l found he was an old
sailor, kept a public house, knew ali
the seafaring men in Bristol, had lost
his health ashore, and wanted q good
berth as cook to get to sea again. He
had hobbled down there that morning,
he said, TO get a smell Of the salt.
Il was monstrously touched-so
would you have been-and. out of pure
pity. I engaged him OF the spot to be
ships cook. Long John Silver, he is
called, n has lost a leg; but that I
regarded as 6 recommendation, since
he lost it in his country's service, I'M
der the immortal Hawke. He has no
pension, Liyesey. Imagine the abomi-
nab!e age We live IN!
Continued nex week.