Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-04-26

talked 10 lnelr nedrl 3 content, IL DeihB
then n little past noon, the doctor took
up his hta and pistols, girt on a cut.
lass, put the chart in his pocket, and
with a musket over his shoulder,
crossed the palisade on the north side,
and set off briskly through the trees.
Gray and i 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 or
his mouth and fairly forgot to put 1t
back again, SO thunderstruck was ne
at this occurrence.
why, In the name of Davy Jones"
said he, us DR.. Livesey mad?"
why, no." says /. He's about the
last OF the crew for that, / take It,"
We'll, shipmate,' said Gray, mad
he may not be; but If he's not, marx
my words, / am"
II take It," replied /, 1.-THE doctor has
his idea; and If / am right, he's going
now to see Ben Gum"
|The mutineers were soon only eight
in number, for the man shot by Mr..
Trelawney on board the schooner died
that same evening OF his wound. But
this was, OF course, not known TIL
after by the faithful party.
/ was right, as appeared later; but
in the meantime, the house being
sitting hot. n the little patch OF
sand inside the palisade ablaze with
midday sun, / began to get another
thought into my head, which was not
by any means so right. What / began
to do was to envy the doctor, walking
In the cool shadow of the woods, with
the birds about him, n the pleasant
smell of the pines, while / sat grilllng,
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 n disgust OF
the place hat was almost as strong as
fear.
Ali the time | was washing out the
block-house, n 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 hen observing me, / took
the first step toward my ~escapade, and
filed both pockets Of my coat with
biscuits.
! was u fool, If you like, and GER
tainly l was going to do a foolish,
OVERLOAD act; but / was determined to
DO IL 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.
M next thing / laid hold Of was a
brace OF pistols, and, as l already had
81 powder-horn and bullets, / felt my
self well supplied with arms.
As for the scheme l had in my head,
it was not a 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 / had OBJ
served last evening, n ascertain
whether 1t was there or not that Ben
Gum had hidden his boat; a thing
quite worth doing, as | still believe.
But as | was certain | should not be
allowed to leave the Enclosure, my only
plan was to take French leave, and slip
out when nobody was watching; and
that was so bad q way of doing 1t
as made the thing itself wrong. But l
was only a boy, n / 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 1t
over the stockade and into the thick
est OF the trees, and before my alb
sence was observed l was out of cry
of companions.
This was my second folly, far worse
the first, as / left but two sound
men to guard the house; but, like the
first, it waC a help toward saving all
of us.
| took my way straight for the east
coast of the island, for | was deter
mined to go dow the sea side OF the
spit to avoid all chance of observation
from the anchorage. 1t was already
late in the afternoon, although still
warm and sunny. AS | continued to
thread the tall woods | could hear
from far before me not only the con
tinuous thunder of the surf, but q
certain tossing Of foliage and grinding
of boughs which showed me the sea
breeze had set in higher than usual.
Soon cool draughts of air began to
reach me; and a few steps further /
came forth into the open borders OF
the grove and saw the sea lying blue
and sunny to the horizon and the surf
tumbling and tossing its foam along
the beach.
/ have never seen the sea quiet round
Treasure iSland. The sun might blaze
overhead. the air be without a breath,
the surface smooth and blue, but still
these great rollers would be running
along all the external coast, thunder
ing and laundering by day and night;
and | scarce believe there Is one spot In
the island where a man would be out
of earshot OF their noise.
| walked along beside the surf with
great enjoyment, till, thinking / was
now got far enough to the south, l
took the cover of some thick bushes
and crept warily up the ridge OF the
spit.
Behind me was the sea, in front the
anchorage. The sea breeze, as though
it had the sooner blown itself out by
it's unusual violence, was already at an
nd: il had been succeeded by light,
airs from the south and south
east, carrying great banks Of fog; n
the anchorage, under lee OF Skeleton
island, lay still and leaden as when
first we entered. The "Hispaniola"
in that unbroken mirror was exactly
p iotrayed from the track to the water
lire, the Jolly river hanging from her
peak.
Alongside lay one of the gigs, Silver
in the stern sheets-him l could always
recognize-while a couple of men were
leaning over the stern bulwarks, one of
them with a red cap-the very rogue
l had seen some hours before stride !
legs upon the palisade. Apparently
were talking and laughing, though
at hat distance-upwards OF a mile-I
could, of course, hear no word OF What
was said. All at once there began the
most horrid, unearthly screaming,
which at first startled me badly, though
/ had soon remembered the voice OF
Captain Flint, and even thought L
could make out the bird by her bright
plumage as she sat perched upon her
wrist.
Soon after the ~Jolly-boat shove Off
and pulled for the shore, and the man
with the red cap and his comrade went
below by the cabin companion.
Just about the same time the sun
had gone down behind the Spy-glass,
and as the fog was collecting rapidly
it began to grow dark in earnest. l
saw / must lose no time If | were to
find the boat that evening.
The white rock, visible enough above
the brush, was still some eighth Of a
mile further down the split, and 1t took
a goodish while to get up to 1t,
oro uIipo oftap IN all fnurc amopo the