Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-11
We had made her out, together, old Pedro


the Lions mizzen chains with crash that
brought genuine expression of concern to
the old negroes face. He had managed the
whole thing with a most convincing skill
ana without even ONCE. glancing at the
ship. We had done our part, but the people
OF the Lion seemed to fail in theirs unac-
oountabiy: OF all the faces that crowded
her rail at the shock not one appeared with
a glimmer of intelligence All the cargo
ports were down. Their surprise and their
swearing appeared to me alarmingly I'M
aIected, with most mbecile alacrity they
eXerted themselves with small SparS and
boat hooks to puch the drogher off. Nobody
seemed to recognize me; Seraphna might
iiaNe peen peon sitting on deck, cloaked
from neck to heels under sombrero. l
dared not shout to them in English for fear
or pelnS heard on board the other ships
around. AT last Sebright himself appeared
on the poop.
He gave one look over the side.
What the devil = ." he began Was
he blind, too?
Suddenly 1 saw him throw up his arms
ABOVE MS head. He vanished. A port came
open win jerk at the last moment.
lifted Seraphina up; two hands caught hold
VI hef. ana IN my great hurry to scramble
up up after her | barked my shins cruelty
me ne poft 1eil the drogher went on humping
aiohssioe' completely disregarded. Sera-
flung off her hat
1000 morning, amigos" she said gravely
l.. . turned up by heavens! Go in.
tears stammered Sebright, push
once!'' " w III o.
sebright. burning with impatience, pulled
me away: Inc cabin door fell upon Sera-
pima When. in the expansion of INV heart
trleu 10 panrer him about not keeping hls
WORD 10 look out for us. he bent double in
lying utiiahs 70 restrain his hilarity. slapped his
tiIghs' and grew red in the face.
me excellent joke was that. for the past
SIX SEX Gays we mad been supposed to be dead
crowned at least Dona Seraphina had been
provided with that sort of death in her
own name; 1 was drowned, too, but in the
disguise of piratical young English noble
man.
:. There's nothing too bad for them to be-
neVe OF US. he commented, and guffawed
In his JOY at seeing me unscathed. Dead!
Drowned! Ha! Ha! Good, wasn't it? Ha!
Ha! Drowned! Excellentr'
He shook me by the shoulders, looking me
straight m the eyes-and the bizarre, ner-
vous h1larity Of my reception, SO unlike
his scornful attitude, proved that he, too,
had believed the rumor. Indeed. nothing
could nave been more natural, considering
my inexperience in handling boats and the
fury of the norther. 1t had sent the Lion
staggering into Havana in less than twenty
hours after we had parted from her on the
coast.
Suddenly a change came over him. He
pushed me on to the settee.
vf speakl Talk What . has happened'
you look ten years older"
Ten years. Is that alp ! said.
And after he had heard the whole story
Of our passages he appeared greatly Sob
cred.
Wonderful! Wonderful!' he muttered,
lost in deep thought, till 1 reminded him
1t was his turn. now, to speak.
You The talk of the town." he said,
recovering his elasticity of spirit as he went
on. The death Of Don Balthasar had been
the first great sensation of Havana, but 1t
seemed that O Brien had kept that to him
hn 10 ri md oa
that Seraphina and l had escaped from the
Casa Riego.
Then he gave 1t to the world; he let 1t be
inferred that he had the news of both
events together. The story, sworn to by
various suborned rascals, and put out by
the creatures, ran that an English deSper-
ado, arriving in Rio Medic with some Mex
leans in schooner. had melted the rabble
of the place to attack the Casa Riego. Don
Balthasar had been shot while defending
his house at the head Of his negroes, and
Don Balthasar's daughter had been car
ried off by the English pirate.
The amazement and sensation were ex-
IRENE. Several Of the first families went
into mourning. A service for the repose of
Don Balthasars soul was sung in the Ca
thedral Captain Williams went there out
of curiosity, and returned full of the mag
nifieence of the sight; nave draped in black,
an enormous catafalQue, with silver angels.
more than llfe-size, kneeling at the four
corners with joined hands, an amazing
multitude of lights.
And you know, with all these affairs
O'Brien feels himself wabbling in his sock
ct SebrIght began again, after musng
Tor while. Indeed, the last events in Rio
Medic were endangering his position He
could no more present his reports upon
the state of the province, with incidental
renectlons upon the arrogance Of the Eng
nSh admiral, and concluding with the loyal-
ty and honesty of the Rio Medic population.
who themselves suffered many acts OF
molestation from the Mexican pirates"
II was reported in town that the private
audience the Juez had lately from the cap
tam general was of most stormy descrip-
ton. They say old marshal What d call
UNI ended by finging his last report m his
I 1 and asking him how dared he work
his lawyers tricks upon an old soldier
GOOD Old lighting cock But stupid. All
these old soldiers wee stupid, Sebright de-
clared Old admirals. too. However. the
. .ai' troops mad arrived in Rio Medic by
this time; the Tornado frgate. too. no
doubt, having sailed four days ago with
orders to burn the villages to the ground:
and the good Lugarenos must be catching
colds trying to hide from the carah. neers
In the deep, damp woods
our admiral was awaiting the issue ~
mat expedition. Returning home under a
cloud Rowley wanted to take with him tho
assurance or the pirate nest being DESTROYED
at last as a sort of diplomatic feather in
his cap. "
What he is most anxioues for" said
Sebright, lis to get the notorious Nichols
!iito Ills HdHuS, Jake MIN nome for hang
ing. 1t seems clear to me that thew are
humbugging him ashore. Nichols, Where's
Nichols? There are people here who saw
that Nichols has had free board and lodp-
ing in Havana Jail for the last six months.
Others swear that 1T is Nichols who has
killed the old gentleman. run off with Dona
Seraphina, and got drowned Nicbol.i
Who's Nichols? On that showing you are
Nichols Anybody may be Nichols. Who
has ever seen him outside Rio Medic? l
used to believe in him at one time, but.
upon my word, 1 begin to doubt whether
there ever was such a man.
But the man existed, at any rate" I
said II knew him-Tve talked with
him. He came out second mate in the
same ship with me-in the old Thames
Ramon took charge of him in Kingston,
and that's the last positive thing 1 can
swear to, of him But that he was in Rio
Medic for two years, and vanished from
there almost directly after that unucky
boat affair / am absolutely certain
We'll I suppose O'Brien knows where
to lay his hand on him. But, no matter
where the fellow is, in Jail or out of It,
the admiral will never get hold of him.
If they had him they could not think of
giving him up. He knows too much of the
game and remember that O'Brien, If he
wabbles In the socket, is by no means down
vet A man like that doesn't get knocked over
like a nnepin. -You may be sure he has
twentv nut aWay in good p1aceS