The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-02-23
THE IRON PIRATE
A Plain Tale of Strange
Happenings on the Sea
By MAX PEMBERToN

| lamps at intervals, and having the doors
of many rooms on the right-hand side
Of it. Several of these doors were oDen /;
| and l saw the interiors of well-furnished
| bedrooms, of smaller sitting rooms, and
| of a beautifully furnished billiard room.
At the end of the passage we descended a
| flight of stairs to another landing. This
proved the way to a small stretch of
| beach, and here l found several substan-
| tial buildings of stone, evidently for the
use of Blacks company. The largest Of
the houses seemed to be a kind Of hall,
we'll lighted by arc lamps. Into this we
passed, lifting a heavy curtain of skins !;
and seated there, on all sorts Of rough
lounges and benches were the men l had
seen in Paris, with fifty or sixty others,
no less ferocious looking.
Men," said Black, 81 want to tell you
that we've got a stranger with us; but
he's here to stay, and he's my charge"
HAS he jined" asked a biear-eyed
man, who had eyed me with much curios-
ity; but the captain answered:
That's my affair, and you keep your
tongue still If you don't want me to cut
1t out; he'll join Us by-andIby."
That's agen rules" said Roaring John.
"Agen what?" asked Black in q tone
Of thunder.
"Agen rules" replied Roaring John !;
This man broke my jaw, and I'll pay
him, or, you guess"
Maybe you're right. No stranger
stays here unless he joins, except them
from the mines-but I've my own ideas
on that, and when the time comes I'll
abide by what's done. If any man would
like to dictate to me, let him step out"
The fellow skunk away under the
threat. Black was master beyond all
question, and he protected me.
We went back with him to the long pas
sage where I had seen the doors of bed
chambers, and there he babe me good
night. The doctor showed me into a room
cut in the solid rock, but with windows
towards the sea. But first he said:
"You must have been born under a
lucky star; you're the first man to whom
Black ever gave an hours grace"
CHAPTER XVI.
The bed in which I lay was wondrous
soft and downy; and the cold gave me
deep sleep, 50 that I awoke at a late hour
to find the sun streaming through my
rock window, and the negro telling me
that my bath was ready. When we re-
turned to my sleeping place, found the
bed curtained off, leaving a commodious
apartment, with books, armchairs, a writ
ing table and a fireplace, in which coal
fire burned brightly. But the greater sur
prise was the view from my window
over a sunlit ford, away to mountain
peaks, snow-capped and shining: and be-
tween them to vista of an endless snow
plain, white and dazzling.
The doctor came to me while I was at
breakfast. 1.-The captain sends you his
compliments" he said. 1.-The men are in
clined to resent the exception that has
been made in your case. I am afraid it
will lead to trouble unless you choose to
close with the offer that Black makes to
you"
How has an exception been made in
my case, and what is the ofIerY
Captain Black has brought thirty or
forty Englishmen of your position to this
place within the last three years; not one
Of them has lived twenty hours from the
time he set foot in the rock house. The
time will come when you must sign an
agreement such as have signed. and
these men have signed-and l don't be-
lieve that you will refuse"
"You lay it all down very clearly" I
replied, "but you can have my answer
now If you like"
"Black won't hurry you. You can't do
hn<tov than hok 10 fhivU~ nau~ 80 - ~
place."
The idea CT inspecting the place pleased
me. I followed Doctor Osbart to the
beach. The coast-lne was lofty and awe
inspiring. l stood entranced with the
vigor born Of the life-giving breeze. At
last he touched me upon the shoulder, and
pointed to where the nameless shin Law
snugly moored.
Look" he said, "at the instrument Of
our power. Is not she magnificent? With
her we defy the world. Aboard her. we
are superior to fleets and nations: We
laugh at the fastest cruisers and the big
gest warships."
He spoke with extraordinary enthusi-
asm. The great ship was indeed beau
teous object, lying there golden, yet swan
| tAACs INC 8uAD uASVvSAS0 a. k0S U1eu WOEk.
| ed at them.
"She II 4 wonderful ship" said I, and
built Of metal never met with"
"Her hull b constructed Of phosphor-
bronze" he answered, and she b driven
By gas. 1t was one Of Blacks inspira-
lions to choose Greenland for his hole /;
Il Il one Of the few eomparatively unin-
habited countries in the world where coal
| u to Be had"
who are your minersT asked.
Honest British seamen whose voyages
have been interrupted. We give them the
alternative Of work IN the mine. or their
liberty on the smoW yondef."
But how can they live in such placer
They don't live" said h. They die
like vermin."
CHAPTER XVII.
For some days I saw no moro Of Doctor
Osbart or Of Captain Black. Once or
twice I saw the man "Four-Eyes," and
from him gained few answers to my