Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-14

I was not weaponless. Nobody had
thought to search the cabin, and a brace
OF pistols which always kept loaded and
ready for an emergency were locked Sc
curely in my chest. My hanger, none OF
your dandified French rapiers, but a
stout ships cutlass, ground to a razor's
edge, heavy enough to paralyze any arm
but one muscled like mine, hung at the
side OF my berth. The door was a strong
one. It was locked and barred without.
I might have broken it down. 1 could
have done so If had had space enough
in which to run and hurl myself against
it I might even have kicked 1t to pieces
with my heavy seaman's boot. Certainly
I could easily have blown the lock off
with my pistol, but any Of these en-
deavors would have reused the ship.
To let sleeping dogs lie when you have
no means Of controlling them should they
awaken, have ever found to be good
maxim. I had one other hope. If Capt.
Matthews should come to the cabin l
would appeal to him. For the rest de-
termined not to sleep that night. Some
strange forebOding possessed me. such a
feeling a man has when his own hand Is
taken from the helm and no one is there
on hand to grasp it. as II the ship must
surely breach to and founder.
We were near the latitude and longi-
tude Of the island we were seeking, If, in
deed. there were such an island as was
thought to be, and I reasoned that the
men would argue now would be a good
was removed. Would it come that night?
Would it come at all? Was I mistaken
in the men?
have often wondered why women were
made, and since they were made. why
men should be such fools about them.
Here I was helpless just because had
snatched kiss from one. Although 1
had ever been a decent man as man goes,
I had ventured as far as kisses with
many maidens here and there in this lit
tie world around which I had gone SO
many times, and none of them had ever
taken 1t quite like that. To be sure,
none of them was like her. And now that
I am in the mood for confession, l might
as well say that l fully rejoiced In that
kiss. 1t had not been on the cheek first.
but full and fair. and I had held her
tight and drunk my fi1l-no. not that, of
course. I could never do that, but still it
had been a mans kiss on a maidens lips
Well, whatever happened, I had the
memory Of that kiss. She would never
forgive me. OF course. there was abso-
lutely no hope that she would return my
suit even in her poverty. She was not
for such as !, and If there was anything
In this old buccaneers parchment If there
was an island, II she did get the treas
ure. why. the world would be at her feet
again, and 1, like the fool I was. was
helping her to get it, to bring it about
I was mad, aye. mad, with impotent
helplessness that night.
sat there in the dark, no light being
vouchsafed to me, and the lights in the
outer cabin not having been lighted. for
a long time. The wind rose and rose
The ship was pitching madly. My room
was on the starboard side of the cabin,
and presently 1 heard all hands called to
reef the topsails. Capt. Matthews was
alert and ready, of course. Presently he
put the ship about, and with the canvas
off of her she was steadier. There did
not seem to be any especial danger in the
weather, and for that I was thankful.
/ must have dozed. l was awakened
by the last echoing Of the bell forward.
I didn't know what time it was, because
didn't know whether l had heard it be-
gin to strike, but could count three cou-
pies, which meant that 1t was II o'clock.
at least I didn't know. of course, that
it was eight bells, midnight, until the
voice Of the boaswain came to me through
the bulkhead that separated the cabin
from the quarterback.
"A-a-all the port watch"
1 could hear the men below grumbling
and cursing as they turned out They