Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09

me. Come dine with me on board at King
ston tomorrow night. If there's any fuss
II see what can do. Or you can take a
trip with me to Havana till it blows over.
My old woman's on board His face fell.
But there, you'll get round her. III see
you through"
Accordingly, d go down to Kingston.
1t happened to he day when the seven
pirates were hanged at Port Royal Point.
1 had never seen hanging, and man who
hadn't was rare in those days. l wanted to
keep out of the way, but it was impossible
to get boatman to row me off to the Lion.
They were all dying to see the show, and,
half curious. half reluctant. l let myself
drift with the crowd.
The gallows themselves stood high enough
to be seen-a long, very stout beam sup
ported by posts at each end. There was
blazing sun, and the crowd pushed and
shouted and craned its thousands of heads
every time one heard the cry of Here they
comet" for hour or so. There was a
very limpid sky, very iimpid sea, a scat
tering of shipping gliding up and down and
the very silent hills a long way away.
Finally there was a roar, an irresistible
swaying, rattle of musket ramrods,
rhythm of marching feet, and the grating
of heavy iron-bound wheels. Seven men APP
peared in sight above the heads, clinging to
each other for support, and being drawn
slowly along. The little worsted balls on
the infantry shakos bobbed all round their
feet They were a sorry-lookfng group,
those pirates; very wild-eyed, very ragged,
dust-stained, weather-beaten, begrimed till
they had the color of unpublished mahogany.
Clinging still to each other as they stood
beneath the dangling ropes of the long
beam, they had the appearance of a group
of statuary to forlorn misery. Festoons
of chains completed the composition
There was forward rush of the crowd,
which carried me away. Some one in front
began to shout orders. and the crowd sway
ed back again. The infantry muskets rat
tied. The commotion lasted some time.
When 1t ceased, / saw that the man about
to die had been kissing another man; tears
were streaming down the gray, parchment
colored cheeks. He had the rope round his
neck; 1t curved upward loosely toward the
beam, growing taut as the cart jolted
away. He shouted:
'Adios, viejo. para siempre adj"
My whole body seemed to go dead all
over / happened to look downward at my
hands; they were extraordinarily white
with the veins standing out all over them.
They felt as If they had been sodden in
water, and 1t was quite long time before
they recovered their natural color. The
rest Of the men were hung after that, the
cart jolting a little way backward and for
ward, and growing less crowded after every
Journey One man, who was very large
framed and stout, had to go through 1t
twice because the rope broke He made a
good deal of fuss. My head ached and
after the involuntary straining and craning
to miss no details was over, felt sick and
daZed. The people talked a great deal as
they streamed back, loosening over the
broader stretch of pebbles; they seemed to
wish to remind each other of details l
have an idea that one or two in the sheer
largeness of heart that seiZes one after
occasions of popular emotions asked me in
exulting voices IL l had seen the Niger
tongue sticking out.
Others thought that there wasn't very
much to be exultant over We had not
really captured the pirates; they had been
handed over to the admiral by the Havana
authoritfeS-as an International courtesy I
suppose, or else because they Wore pirates
or no account and short in funds or be-
cause the admiral had been making fuss
in front of the Moro. II was even as
serted by the antf-admiral faction that
the seven weren't pirates at all. but merely
Cuban mauvais sujets. hawkers of deroga-
tory coplas, and known free-thinkers.
hand caught at my arm, and some one
began TO speak to me. 1t was old Ramon
who was telling me that he had a special
kind of Manchester goods at his store He
was drawing me gently along all the time
and had not any idea of resisting He
had been behind in the crowd, he said be-
side the carriage of the commissioner and
the judge of the marine court sent by the
Havana authorities to deliver the pirates
1t was after that, that in Ramon's duslSy
store, L had my first sight of Seraphina
and of her father, and then came my meet
ing with Carlos. could hardly believe my
eyes when l saw him come out with ex-
tended hand. 1t was an extraordinary SEN
sation, that of talking to Carlos again. He
lost it's moist bloom, its hardly distin-
guishable subcutaneauS flush. 1t had grown
very, very pale. Dark blue circles took
away from the blackness and sparkle of his
eyes. And he coughed and coughed
He put his arm affectionately round my