The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-04-25
7 RE A SU II T.
ISLAND lis: =: :: $500:

loud groans that reached us from the
doctors patients.
Out of the eight men who had fallen
in the action only three still breathed--
that one of the pirates who had been
shot at the loophole: Hunter, and
Captain Smollett; and of these the first
two were as good as dead; the mutt
neer, indeed, died under the Doctors
knife, and Hunter, do what we could,
never recovered consciousness in this
world He fingered all day, breathing
loudly like the old buccaneer at home
in his epileptic fit: but the bones of
his chest had been crushed by the
blow, and his skull fractured in fall.
ing, and some time in the following
night, without sign or sound, he went
to his Maker.
AS for the captain, his wounds We're
grievous, indeed, but not dangerous.
No organ was fatally injured. Ander-
sons ball-for it was Job that shot
him first-had broken his shoulder
blade and touched the lung, not badly;
the second had only torn ard displaced
some muscles in the calf. He was
sure to recover, the doctor said, but,
in the meantime, and for weeks to
come, he did not walk or move his
arm, nor so much as speak when he
could help it.
My own accident, cut across the
l1nuckles. was fieabite. Dr.. Livesey
patched it up with plaster. and pulled
my ears for me into the bargain.
After dinner the squire and the doc
tor sat by the captains side awhile III
consultation: u and when thay had
talked to their hearts content, it being
then a little pas. noon, the doctor took
up his hta and pistols, girt on cut
lass. put the chart in his pocket, and
with a musllet over his shoulder,
crossed the palisade on the north side,
and set off brislily through the trees.
Gray and l were sitting together at
the far end of the block-house, to be
out of earshot of our officers, consult
ing; and Gray took his pipe out OF
back again. so thunderstruck was he
at this occurrence.
why, in the name of DaVy Jones,
said he, "is DR.. Livesey mad?'
'Why, no." says l. He's about the
last of the crew for that, ]. take it,
We'll, shipmate,' said Gray, mad
he may not be; but II he's not, mark
my words. l am"
Il take it," replied I, "the doctor has
his idea; and If I am right, he's going
now to see Ben Gunn."
"The mutineers were soon only eight
III lluHlDely lOI lLc Hldi SllOl ny wi.
Trelawney on board the schooner died
that same evening Of his wound But
this was. of course, not known till
after by the faithful party
l was right. as appeared later; but
in the meantime, the house being
sitting hot, and the little patch Of
sand inside the palisade ablaze with
midday sun, l began to get another
thought into my head, which was not
Nv, irrl,f
to do was to envy the doctor, walking
in the cool shadow of the woods, with
the birds about him. and the pleasant
smell Of the pines, while l sat grilling,
with my clothes stuck to the hot
rosin, and SO much blood about me,
and so many poor dead bodies lying
all around. that ! took a disgust of
the place that was almost as strong as
fear.
All the time 1 was washing out the
block-house. and then washing up the
things for dinner the disgust and envy
kept growing stronger and stronger,
till at last, being near a bread-bag,
and no one then observing me, l took
the first step toward my escapade, and
filled both pockets of my coat with
biscuits.
1 was a fool, if you like, and GER
talnly | was going to do a foolish,
overbold act; but / was determined to
do it with all the precautions in my
power. These biscuits. should any
thing befall me, would keep me- at
least from starving, till far on into the
next day.
The next thing 1 laid hold of was a
brace of pistols, and, as l already haG
a powder-horn and bullets, l felt my
self well supplied with arms.
AS for the scheme l had in my head,
1t was not bad one in itself. 1t was
to go down the sandy pit that divides
the anchorage on the east from the
open sea, find the white rock l had OBJ
served last evening. and ascertain
whether it was there or not that Ben
Gum had hidden his boat; thing
quite worth doing, as | still believe.
But as 1 was certain / should not be
allowed to leave the Enclosure, my only
plan was to take French leave, and slip
ont when nobody was watching; and
that was so bad a way of doing it
as made the thing itself wrong. But I
was only boy, and l had made up my
mind.
Well. as things at last feel out, I
found an admirable opportunity The
squire and Gray were busy helping
the captain with his bandages; the
coast was clear: i made a bolt for it
over the stockade and into the thick
est Of the trees. and before my alb
sence was observed / was out of cry
of companions.
This was my second folly, far worse
than the first, as ] left but two sound
men to guard the house; but, like the
first, it was a help toward saving all
of us.
1 took my way straight for the east
coast of the island, for l was deter
mined to go down the sea side of the
spit to avoid all chance OF observation
from the anchorage. It was already
late in the afternoon, although still
warm and sunny. AS I continued to
thread the tall woods ] could hear
from far before me not only the con-
tinuous thunder of the surf but