Gilpin observer., 1903-11-26
moment Crystal drove his cutlass |
through his shipmate's heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Last.

| HIS HECK, anu ner OldCk ndIT mluSlluS
with the dead mans, lay Laura Crys-
tai in a swoon. Crystal had turned of
a greenish waxen complexion, and
his face was terrifying with the gri-
maces which worked in it.
Il had rather anything than this. He
| forced it upon me. He should have
SURRENDERED he said, trembling and
shuddering, and looking at the body
and then at the blade of his cutlass.
slightly streaked with the heart-blood
of his ship-mate.
"Pick the lady up, and put her into
her cabin" says he, and them Pull
that body into it's cabin out of my
| sight"
This was done, and the rugged man,
| always grasping his cutlass, ran on
| deck, and the others followed him,
after stopping, each man, a minute, to
drink from the rum bottle on the
| swing-tray.
Crystal went to the mainhatch;
here two armed men were on guard.
"Is all quiet below?" said he.
There's been some hammering.
They're quiet now
Keep a sharp eye for your lives
sake, and cut down any man who at
| tempts to break out" called Crystal.
Crystals voice expressed him as,
filed with horror and deeply agitated.
In truth he had never reckoned upon
killing Pope The scheme for his
| friend was his friends scheme for
him. Pope was to have been sent
adrift empty handed with a number
of the pirates whose services Crystal
| did not require. But the scar -blacken-
| ed buccaneer, unsuspicious Of Popes
| treachery, had been little too soon
| for him with his own desperate de-
| sign, and Pope lay murdered on his
cabin floor, regardless now of booty
and of love; and sixteen or seventeen
| men lay roasting like battened-down
| slaves in the briggs heart.
Crystal walked right aft to the
wheel, and looked into the compass
bowl The quaint old Illuminated disk
| showed true course for Kingston,
| Jamaica; this course was not to be
| changed. He spoke to the man at the
| helm, and told him that Captain Pope
was dead, killed by his hand, by the
hand of his friend, and he bemoaned
| it, and his voice was broken by one
or two dry sobs.
He would have killed you SIR"
said the helmsman.
When dawn broke it had ceased to
rain for nearly an hour. The wind
| was gone, but when the melancholy
gray rolled smokelike out of the east
over the sea. it disclosed number of
broken clouds in the northwest, with
the orange brightness of the young
morn reflected betwixt the edges of
the vapor. and from that quarter they
| might expect the wind.
| Crystal was now in command, and
on him the airs of the commander
sat in formidable and savage aspect.
He ordered two of the carronades to
be loaded with grape and canister;
these pieces of artillery were then rim
to the mainhatch. The half-cover of
the hatch was lifted, and instantly
when this was done the muzzles of
the guns were depressed.
No sooner had the light of day
| fallen through the opening of the
hatch, than half a dozen men came
| and stood under looking up. One of
the men was Grindal. He caught
caught sight of Crystal. and sung up:I
What have you shut us men dowr
here for?"
His face ran with sweat, and his
repulsive countenance was unusually
hideous and swollen with the helpless
wrath and passions of his wicked soul.
"Your captains dead and the ships
mine," answered Crystal. BE you as
| lambs, or we'll save ourselves some
trouble of mercy by firing into YOU"
Crystal now marched on to the fore
castle with two of his men, leaving
the mainhatch well guarded and
| everything ready for a deadly belch
of cannon, should the men below
| prove troublesome. He opened the
scuttle and called up Pope's servant,
who Immediately appeared blinking at
the strong light
Thomas exclaimed Crsytal. 81
am the commander of this brig, and
the bulk of the crew are under
matches. Turn-to now and light the
| galley fire. and get breakfast for me
and the lady and my men. And when
you've dressed a meal and served It.
| turn-to and stitch Captain Pope's
| body up in hammock, and mind ye
put two round shot in the clews at the
feet. But before you stitch him up
l want no sight of him-overhaul his
pockets. Now do you understand
me?"
The man answered "Yes." He was
sober-headed fellow. and perceived
that he was in luck as compared to
most of the rest, and went away to
the galley on swift legs, to make the
best of his good fortune.
You can come up" shouted Crystal