The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-06-12
CHAPTER Iv-Continued.

Can this be truey he asked, less as
a question than in surprise at the uneX-
pected disclosure of the Rocks weak
ness. How am / TO be certain of it?'
he went on. Pardon my suggestion,
but you are unknown 70 me. L must
avoid a trap to speak plainly. 1t might
be pleasing to the Spanish to have our
feet batter itself to pieces against their
fortress. II you will give me some proof
to show"
i give you the proof of a word that
has never been broken in promise to a
fri@nd or threat against an enemy" in
terrupted Courtney. Let your admiral
ask Dick Powelton If that is not sufii-
cient. 1t is not l who would profit by
the fall Of Gibraltar"
Then why do you desire it?''
Courtney rose from his chair. but af-
ter moment he sat down again.
But there" he said. more gently
than he had before spoken. II will tell
you the story, not because you ask, but
because it pleases me to do so. Murat,
bring some more OF this wine. and do
you, sir. make yourself comfortable"
Then Anita. crouched beside the little
aperture at the top of the partition
heard for the first time the story OF this
mans life and Of her own.
The young officer sat in silence wait
for this companion to begin. But for
many minutes Courtney said nothing.
1t was MS own suggestion that he
should tell the story OF his hatred for
the Spauiards. Had CalthOrpe asked
him to do so he would have refused.
He felt the desire 10 conflde In some
one; a strange, new desire it was for
Andrew Courtney, and it surprised even
himself a little.
Nor was it easy to overcome the ST.
lence which had become the habit of his
life. To no human being had he ever
before spoken of his past. He hardly
knew how to begin.
At length. however, he cleared his
throat and said, speaking more to him
self than to his companion:
The starting OF the story is a long
way back. II must be forty years or
more. That was when first knew Dick
Powelton. We shipped together as boys
on the Barbary Chief. y good ship she
was for those days, trading with the
Mediterranean and the African coast.
There was bad luck in her naming.
guess. AT any rate. she ran us on to
a sunken rock just inside the Straits
yOnder and while we lay there helpless
along came one Of the Barbary pirate
ships and overhauled us. Almost be-
fore we knew what had happened we
We're chained together like cattle. work
ing in the gardens of the Sultan Of
Morocco with a black devii over us
who never let us forget the lash for
long at a time"
Courtney struck his hand upon the
table and writhed in his chair as though
the memory of it all cut him like the
whip itself.
My back win show today" he went
on. speaking sharply now. the marks
put there by the slave drivers ash.
Aye and worse than that II bears the
scars OF white hot irons pressed into my
flesh when ] dared 10 raise my hand
against that hound Of hell.
Those were rough times. young sir
worse times than those we live in now.
England had no time to look after the
fate of common sailors imprisoned as
were we. The only escape from the Iiv-
ing hell into which we had been thrown
was 20 dig our way out.
Il need not tell Of all our efforts to
escape or the fortunes that our failures
brought upon US. It was the work Of
years to prepare for the final attempt,
TO shape the edges Of a few broken tools
into weapons, to gather the few coins
that would bride a single keeper.
1--WE succeeded. at last. We served
our oveTseer with the death he de-
served. by the fortunes he had inflicted
on US We cut our way through the
guards-a handful Of desperate men
fighting for death. But at the end Dick
Powelton and I were the only ones left.
do you know what it is TO be made
a beast of burden for twelve years. to
be broken in body and spirit each day
of II all, until your very blood turns 10
gall and all your strength IS taken up in
hating and you know that If you could
no longer hate you would cease %
live?
'Of course, you cannot understand it.
but If you could you would understand
how we felt when we left that land
where we had been robbed of the best
years OF our lives. You would under
stand the vow we made at parting to be
revenged for all we had suffered there.
I'VE went our own ways 10 seek the
revenge that was our due. His led him
10 the service OF England: mine led %
my own service. lived for one thing
alone-tO bring about the destruction OF
the man who had destroyed my soul and
who had done his best TO destroy my
body"
CaIthorpe shuddered at the others
malignant tone, but fOrebOre TO inter
rupt him.
When / had become master OF n
ship Of my own, no matter how" went
on Courtney. 81 took tribute from the
Sultan until he had paid many times
over for every lash that our shoulders
sr1arted under in HIS servitudc. Ny
bOat was the fastest IN the Mediter-
ranean; her crew feared neither man
devil. nor tho gallows.
Il made Il my business 10 know all
tho Suitan's affairs, ard 81 came about
that ne could not send a grain ship
across the Mediterranean that we DID
not case her OF all the best OF her cargo
II was net piracy, though such it might
have been adjudged.
To my mind ] was only collecting 2
heavy debt, and the scars across my
back. put there by the Sultan's com,
mand. felt the easier whenever 1 light
ened one OF his vessels or sent one Of
his officers of the end OF a plank
Il took good care for my own pro
lection. ! paid for Il well TO the gov
ernor Of one OF the Spanish coast prov
y inces ! cared nothing then for ;ht
gold / took. and 1 spent it more freely