The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-01-26
THE IRON PIRATE
A Plain Tale Of Strange
Happenings on the Sea
By MAX PEMBERTON
coo

| with a man worth million, the captain
Of band of cut-throats, who stood at
no foul work, no crime, as Martin Halls
death clearly proved? Ny heart ached
at the thought; 1 felt the sweat dropping
off me; I stood without thought of any
man; the one word watched" singing in
my ears like the surging of a great sea.
And I had forgotten Roderick until he
burst into my room, great laugh on his
| lips, and a telegram in his hand.
"What do you think 2" he said; "Mary's
arrived all right"
"Oh, that's good: I hope she'll like
Salisbury"
| eyes, but she isn't at Salisbury at all !;
she's at Plymouth, on board the Celsis.
She went straight down there, and never
| as much as sent her aunt a telegram.
You don't seem pleased"
I'm not pleased" said, going on
with my packing. II don't think she
ought to be there"
II know that; we've talked 1t all over,
but when I think of it, don't see where
the harm comes in; we can't meet mis-
chief crossing the Atlantic, and when the
danger does begin in New York I'll see
she's well on the lee-side of It,"
It was full day when we reached the
yacht, and did not fail to cast quick
glance of admiration on her beautiful
| lines and perfect shape as clambered up
the ladder, at the top of which stood Cap
| tain York
| Welcome aboard" he said, giving Us
hearty hand shakes; and without further
| inspection at that hour we followed him
to the cabin, where steaming coffee
brought the blood to our hands and feet,
| and put us in better mood.
$50 my sisters here" said Roderick.
eyes, last night, no ORDERS" jerked the
| skipper with his usual brevity.
"Ah, we must see to that-and the sec
ond officer"
"Stin ashore: he left bit Of writing
he'll be aboard midday"
He had the writing in his hand, and
| was about to crumple it, but I caught
sight of it, and snatched it from him. 1t
was in the same handwriting as the letter
which Captain Black had sent to me at
| the Hotel Scribe in Paris.
whats the matter?" said Roderick,
as he heard me exclaim; but the skipper
looked hard at me, and was much mys-
titled.
do you know anything of the man ?"
he asked very slowly, as he leaned back in
his chair, but 1 had already seen the
folly of my ejaculation, and replied:
Nothing at all, although 1 have seen
that handwriting before somewhere; I
could tell you where, perhaps, II I
thought"
Roderick followed me to my berth and
had the matter Of the handwriting out.
I told him at once of the robbery Of some
of the papers, and the coincidence Of the
letter which the second mate had left
with the skipper. He was quick-witted
quite reckless in the methods he proposed
| to meet it.
There's no two thoughts about this
matter at ALL" he said; we've evidently
run right into a trap, but luckily there's
time to get out again-of course we shall
sail without second mate"
After a six hours sleep I went aft to
the quarterback to take stock of the
yacht. l had scarce made my inspection
of our new ship when Mary burst up
from below and began her explanation,
standing with flushed cheeks, while the
wind played in her hair, and her eyes
danced with the merriment of it.
1.-THE question is" said I, when are
you going ashore again?'
81 don't know, but I guess I'll get
ashore at New York, because mean to
60 to Niagara"
She laughed saucily, throwing back her
head so that her hair fell well about her
shoulders. l turned round, hearing astep,
and there stood our new second mate,
Francis Paolo. Our eyes met at once
with a long, searching gaze, but he did
| not finch. If he were a spy, he was no
poor actor, and he stood his ground with
| out the movement of a muscle.
I watched him walk forward, and fol-
| lowed him, listening as he directed the
| men; and a more seaman-like fellow
| have never seen. If he were an Italian.
| he had left all accent of speech in his
own country, and he gave his orders
smartly and in a tone which demanded
| obedience.
As l watched him from the hurricane
| deck, heard a collier who had not vet
| left the ship give him some impudence.
The new mate hit him such a terrific
blow on the head with spyglass that the
fellow reeled through the open bulwarks
right into his barge, which lay alongside.
The men were hushed before display Of
| temper like this; the skipper on the bridge
flushed red with disapproval, but said
nothing.
The order Islands heave anchor I" was
sung out moment after and as Roderick
joined me aft, the new Celsis steamed
away from Plymouth and the episode was
forgotten. And in that hour the great
| pursuit began.
| CHAPTER VIII.
1t was Paolo's watch. A night for
dreamy thoughts of home, of kinsfolk. of