The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-03-09
THE IRON PIRATE
A Plain Tale Of Strange
Happenings on the Sea
BY MAX PEMBERTON

tain Black; yet I saw at once that, lack
ing my help, he would elude them.
1t was half past six when at last man
unlocked the door of my room and entered.
He was one Of Blacks negroes.
"Sar will come quick" said he, "and
leave his luggage. The master waits"
He gave me no time for any explana-
| tons, but took me by the arm, and, pass
| ing from the house by back door, he
went some way down a narrow street.
There a cab waited for US, and we drove
| away, but not before one, who stood on
| the pavement, had made a slight signal
| to me, and called another cab. In him
| recognized Detective Inspector King, and
l knew that we were followed.
CHAPTER XXI.
We drove rapidly and took a train for
I1lbury. The journey was accomplished
| In something under an hour; and when
we alighted and got upon the bank Of
| the river, saw a steam launch with the
man John in the bows Of her. l entered
the launch and we started Immediately,
| going at great pace towards Sheerness !;
| and reached the More after some buffet
we sighted the tender. and went aboard
her, when we made full speed towards the
North Foreland.
Black had made a colossal mistake,
from his point Of view, in setting foot in
England; but the crowning blunder Of his
life was that fatal act of folly by which
he had sought to shield me from the men.
Now the object of letting Black reach his
vessel again was as clear al daylight; it
was not so much the man a. his ship
| which they wished to take.
But were we followed? had seen
nothing to lead me to that conclusion as
l came down the Thames; and now, IA
vored by an intensely dark night, we
promised, If nothing should intervene, to
gain the Atlantic in two days, and to be
aboard that strange citadel which was our
stronghold against the nations. There
was no sign of any warship pursuing; no
| indication whatever that the tender, then
steaming at thirteen knots towards Dover,
was watched or observed, by any living
being.
1 was dead worn out and slept twelve
hours at the least. for 1t was afternoon
when l awoke. Black was not in the
cabin, and l went above to him on the
bridge. There was no land then to be
seen; but the clear play of sparkling
waves shone away to the horizon over a
tumbling sea, upon which were a few
ships. Upon one Of these he constantly
turned his glass.
BY and by all the crew began to OBJ
serve Blacks anxiety and to crowd to the
starboard side; but he told them moth
Ing, although he never left the bridge. 1t
was somewhat perplexing to me to OBJ
serve that, while the great ship was un-
doubtedly following us, she did not gain
yard upon US.
This strange pursuit lasted three days
and into the third night; when 1 was
awakened from a snatch Of sleep by the
firing of a gun above my head. l got on
deck, where my eyes were almost blinded
by great volume of light which spread
over the sea from a point some two miles
away on our starboard bow. We had been
in the Atlantic then for twenty-four
hours, and l did not doubt for a moment
that we had reached the nameless shin.
Had there been any uncertainty, the wild
JOY of the men would have banished 1t.
l heard the voice of Black singing,
Hands, stand by to lower boats!" At
that moment the cruiser showed her teeth
Suddenly there was a rush of flame from
| her bows, and a shell Kissed above us
| the first sign Of her attempt to stop NJ
| joining our own ship.
We were no more than a quarter Of q
mile from safety, but the run was full Of
peril, and. as the launch stood out, the
| nameless ship of a sudden shut of her
light, II possible to shield u in the dark.
But the pursuer instantly flooded Us with
her own arc, and. following 1t with quick
| shots, she hit the jolly-boat at the third.
OF the eight men there. only two rose
| when the hull had disappeared
Fire away" cried Black, shaking his
fist, and mad with passion; land get your
hands in; you'll wan. all the bark you've
got just now"
But we had hauled the men aboard Al
he spoke, and, though two shells foamed
in the sea and wetted us to the skin in
the passage, we were at the ladder of the
nameless ship without other harm, and
| with fierce shouts the men gained the
decks.
For them 1t was a glorious moment.
They had weathered the perils Of a city,
and stood where they couiu best face the
crisis of the pursuit. 1t was a spectacle
to move the most stolid apathy; the sight
! Of couple of hundred demoniacal figures
| lighted by the great white wave of light
from the enemy's ship, their faces up
turned as they waited Blacks orders.
| their hands fourishing knives and cut
| lasses, their hunger for the contest be
| trayed in every gesture.
Boys" cried Black. "yonder's a row
eminent ship. You know me, that don't
run after war scum every day, for that's
not my business. But we're short of oil
and the cylinders are heating. Boys. it's
swing or take that ship and the oil aboard
her"
| Look out aft-the torpedo I"
A tiny hne of foam was lust visible
for second in the way Of the light but.
the moment the cruiser had shot It from
her tube, she extinguished her arc, leav-
ing NJ to light the waters with our own.
There was no difficulty whatever In tel
lowing the line Of the deadly messaae.