The Washington times., 1905-05-21
THE GLORIA SCOTT
One of the Original Sherlock Holmes
Stories.
Continued from Page Two.)

that man who could do anything is |
going to wear his breeches out sitting |
in the stinking hold of a rat-gutted,
beetie-ridden, moldy old coffin Of
Chin China coaster. No, sir, such a
man will look after himself and win
look after his chnms. You may lay to
that. You hold on to him. and you may
kiss the hook that he'll haai you
through
That was his style of talk, and at
first | thought it meant nothing; but
after while. when he had tested me
and sworn me in with all possible sol
emnity, he let me understand that there
really was a plot to gain command OF
the vessel. A dozen oS the prisoners
had hatehed it before they came aboard,
prendergast was the leader, and his
money was the motive power.
I'D a partner said he, "a rare
good man, as true as a stock to bar
rel He's got the dibbs. he has. and
where do you think he Is at this mo-
ment? Why, he's the chaplain OF this
ship-the chaplain, no less! lie came
aboard with black coat, and his papers
right, and money enough IN his box 10
buy the thing right up from keel to
mair-truck. The crew are his. body and
gross with a cash discount. and he did
it before ever they signed on. He's got
two of the warders and Mercer. the
second mate, and he'd get the captain
himself If he thought him worth it,
.s.What are we to do, them" l ask
ed.
s..ssWhat do you think?" said he.
| "We,H make the coats Of some of these
soldiers redder than ever the tailor did
"a. But they are armed" said /.
"ssAnd so shall we be, my boy.
| There's brace Of pistols for every moth
| er's son of us, and if we can't carry this
| ship. with the crew at our back, it
time we were all sent to young misses
boarding school. You speak to your
mate upon the left tonight. and see II
| he is TO be trusted
| s'I did so, anc found my other neigh
ber to be a young fellow in much the
same position as myself, whose crime
had been forgery. His name was Evans.
but he afterwards changed it, like my
self. and he is now a rich and prosepr-
Gus man in the south of England He
| was ready enough to join the conspir-
acv. as the ofII,. means of saving our
selves, and before we had crossed the
! Bay there were only two of the pris-
| oners who were not in the secret One
| of these was cf weak mind. and we, did
Inot dare to trust MIN. and the other
! was suffering from jaundice, and could
not be OF any use to US.
:. From the beginning there was real
lly nothing to prevent us from taking
possession of the ship. The crew was q
set of rufians, specially picked for the
Job The sham chaplain came into our
cells to exhort US. carrying black bag,
| supposed to be full Of tracts, and Sc
often did he come that by the third day
we had each slowed away at the foot
| of our beds q file, a brace 81 pistols,
a pound of powder, and twenty slugs.
TWO of the warders were agents of
Prendergast, and the second mate was
his right-hand man. The captain. the
two mates. two warders, Lieutenant
Martin, his eighteen soldiers. and the
doctor were all that we had against US.
Yet safe as il was, we determined to
neglect no precaution, and 10 make our
attack suddenly by night, 1t came
however, more quickly than we expect
ed, and in this way.
Y y
lone evening, about the tliird week
after our start. the doctor had come
down TO see one of the prisoners who
-
the bottom of his bunk he felt the out
line of the pistols. If he had been silent
he might have blown the whole thing
but he was nervous little chap. SC
he gave a cry Of surprise and turned
so pale that tne man knew what was
up In an instant and seized him He
was gagged before he could give the
alarm, and tied down upon the bed. He
had unlocked the door that led to the
deck, and we were through it in rush
The two sentries were shot down. and
so was a corporal who came running &c
see what was the matter. There were
two more soldiers at the door of the
stateroom, and their muskets seemed
not to be loaded, for they never free
upon us. and they Were shot while try
ing TO fix their bayonets. Then We rush
ed on into the captains cabin, but aS
we pushed open the door there was ar
| explosion from within. and there be la3
with his brains smeared over the char
of the Atlantic which was pinned upot
the table. while the chaplain stood witt
, a smoking pistol in his hand at hi;
elbow The two mates had both beer
seized by the crew, and the Whole bust
hess seemed to be settled.
t 1.-The state-room was next the cabin
and we fiocked in there and f1oppee
! down on the settees, all speaking to-
: gether, for we were just mad with the
= feeling that we were free once more
There were lockers all round. and WI
son, the sham chaplain. knocked one o
2 them in, and pulled out dozen o
r brown sherry. We cracked off th'
2 necks of the bottles. poured the stuff
out into tumbiers, and were just tossinl
them off, when IN an instant withou
1 warning there came q roar of musket
= in our ears, and the saloon was so full
E of smoke that we could not see aeros
$ the table. When It cleared again tn
e place was a shambes. Wilson an'
eight others were wriggling on the tol
i of each other on the floor, and the bioo'
. and the brown sherry on that table turl
me sick now when L think Of 1t. w
j, were so cowed by the sight that
3 think we should have given the job u
IL it had not been Prendergast. H
beloved like bull and rushed for tn
= door all that were left alive at his heels
Out we ran. and there on the poop Wer
[ the Ita,ltenant and ten of his men, Tn