Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-31
,ya hlue Thnt's n. true word"


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 sudden, out Of the mid
die of the trees In front of us, thin,
high, trembling voice struck up the
well-known air and words:
Fifteen men on the dend mans chest
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle OF rum!'
never have seen men more dreadful
ly affected than the pirates. The color
went from their six faces like enchant-
ment; some lcapcd to their feet, some
clawed hold of others; Morgan groveled
on the ground.
Its Flint, by Nv cried Merry.
The song had stopped as suddenly as
1t began--broken off, you would have
said, In the middle Of note, as though
some one had laid his hand upon the
singers mouth Coming SO far through
the clear, sunny atmosphere among the
green trec-tops, I thought 1t had sound
ed airily and sweetly and the effect on
nv companions was the stranger.
| OOmc, SulU DlIVcI, StI Win
his ashen lips to get the word 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 skvlarking-
some one that's flesh and blood, and
you may lay to that"
His courage had come back as he
spoke, and some of the color TO his face
along with it. Already the others had
! begun to lend an ear to this encourage
ment, and were coming little to them
selves, when the same voice broke out
again-not this time singing, but in IA
| faint, distant hail, that echoed yet
fainter among the clefts of the Spy
glass
DARBY M'Graw," it wailed-for that
/ is the word that best describes the
sound - DARBY M'Grnw. Darby
MGraw!" again and again and again.
and then rising little higher, and with
an oath that 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; Ibis last words above board"
Dick had his Bible out and was pray
ing volubly. lie had been well brought
up, had Dick, before he came to sea
and fell among bad companions.
Still, Silver was unconqucred. Icould
hear his teeth rattle in his head; but he
had not yet surrendered.
Nobody in this here island ever
heard Of Darby" he muttered; mot one
but us that's here" And then, making
a great effort: "Shipmates," he cried
I'm here to get that stuff, and I'll not
be beat by man nor devil. / never was
feared of Flint in his life, and, by the
powers, I'll face him dead. There's
C 70o,o0 not quarter of mile from
here. When did ever q gentleman o
fortune show his stern to that much
dollars, for booty old seaman with q
blue mug-and him dead, too?"
But there was no sign of reawakening
courage in his followers; rather, in
deed, Of growing terror at the irrever
ence Of his words.
Delay there, John!" said Merry
Don't you cross a sperrit."
And the rest We're all too terrified tc
reply. They would have run away
severally had they dared, but fear kept
them together, and kept them close by
John, as If his daring helped them
He, on his part, had pretty we'll fought
his weakness down.
"Sperrit? Well, maybe" he said
but there's one thing not clear to me
There was an echo. Now, no man ever
seen a sperrit with a shadow; well
then, what's he doing with an echo tc
him, should like to know? That aim
in natur', surely?"
This argument seemed weak enough
to me. But You can never tell what will
affect the superstitious, and, to my
wonder, George Merry was greatly re
lieved.
"Well, that's So" be said. you've {
head upon your shoulders. John, ant
no mistake. Bout ship, mates! Thi,
here crew is on the wrong tack, ! do be
lieve. And come 10 think on it, it wat
like Flint's voice, grant you, but no.
just so clear away like it, after all l.
was liker somebody else's voice now
it was like"
"By the powers, Ben Gunn!" roaret
Silver.
"Ay, and so It were" cried Morgan
sprineing on his knees. Ben Gum i
were!"
"It don't make much odds, do II
now?' asked Dick. "Ben Gums no
here in the body, any more'n Flint"
But the older hands greeted this re
mark with scorn. "Wby, nobody minds
Ben Gunn," cried Merry; dead or alive
nobody minds him."
It was extraordinary how their splr
its had returned, and how the natura
color had revived in their faces Soor
they were chatting together, with In
tervals of listening; and not long after
hearing no further sound, they shoul
dered the tools and set forth again
Merry walking first with Silver's com
pass TO keep them on the right lin.
with Skeleton island, He had said tn
truth; dead or alive, nobody minded
Ben Gum.
Dick alone still held his Bible, an,
looked around him as he went, witt
fearful glances; but he found no sym