The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-11
:. but trust you as a frfend.'s


 curve of shore line forming the little cove. Just within the foam of the breakers a half dozen men were launching a small boat stared at them an instant before realizing what 1t meant Then I dropped the curtain.
 s'The mate is coming aboard,'' I said swiftly. s'You must go to your room; here is the key; lock yourself in and only open when you hear my voice."
 "And you
 ..I must take care of myselA don't worry about me.'
 Without so much as a glance at our prisoner she opened the door and, with a swift look about the outer cabin, dis appeared.
 must keep Henley concealed and silent until darkness rendered our es- cape possible. In order to accomplish this it would be necessary to prevent either the steward or the mate from entering the after cabin. All peril from the negro I dismissed quickly, confident that his knowledge of my standing on board would impel him to accept any explanation I might make, But with Herman the situation was not so clear. whether or not the captadnNhad inform ed him that was volunteer on their IawIess expedition I did not know. had him placed as a gruff, hard listed sea dog who would strike first and in vestiRate later. one in dealing with whom either diplomacy or force might prove equal failures. Yet I possessed this advantage: I could deal with him alone. With but two watch officers on board only one at a time could leave the deck, and Broussard, felt assured, had no priv ileges in sthe captains cab in From what I knew of Henley I doubted if even the first officer felt privileged to invade the privacy of his chief without some special reason. There was discipline on boavd, strict discipline. There had to be to control such crew.
 As I lifted the helpless captain into his berth, his eyes glartng at me in i'm potent rage, my ears could distinguish the sound of oars as the small boat rounded the stern of the Sea Gull. Much as I despised the fellow, hated to gag him, yet our safety depended on his silence, and I. dared not neglect the precaut1on. Even as the boat grated along the side stepped forth into the main cabin and sat down to wait To my surprise and relief, 1t was Brous- sard who came down the companion stairs, driving the steward before him.
 ''vat for you loaf, hey?" he snapped fiercely. "By gar, teach youi work four-seek-hour, an nodding to eat You say ze captaine send your Bah! Eet vas not so-nevaire! Vat you have, hey2''
 The negro mumbled something through thick lips, and the irate mate gripped him by the. collar of his jacket, shaking the fellow as he might dog and hurling him half across the deck
 'SacreI I keel you for 5 centI Queek now-junnp! Put all on right way. by gar or I show you! Here, you-ze brandy furstT'
 The steward skunk into the passage leading to the pantry, and the creole, turning, saw me.
 tAh. m 'sieur, l saw you not Par don ze roughness, but lose ze tenn peair, misieur.'
 ''That is not to be wondered at,'' answered, affecting good humor. Has sthe first mate been ashore?''
 'sOui no'sieur- asleep in the sun, bet you! BahI Any man could watch the sea from the cliff. Dat job not need ze furst officer. Sacre, but 'tis a dogs life at seaP'
 I nodded my head, too busily engag ed with my own thoughts to give much consideration to his troubles. Still, this situation as revealed by Brous- sard's complaints would afford us a respite Of at least four hours. If this was the creole's watch below. then Herman would keep the deck. Even lying there at anchor those fellows would not leave the crew alone There was too much at stake, and, besides, there must still remain a lookout orFN rn1i ffN know that the German had nothing of importance to communicate to Henley, no occasion even to come below. BroussaKd sank back into a chair, Y watching the frightened negro hurry back and forth. At last, satisfied that everything available had been pro- duced, the former strode across to the table, jerked out a chair and waved his hand toward me in invitatio to join him.
 '4The lazy dog! Iris likely all you will get, m m'sieur. Maybe you eat with me, hey? Or would you wait for ze capitaineY'
 ''I'lI take pot luck with you, Brous- sard," I agreed genially, speaking loud enough so the negro would .over- hear. ''Pve got to get accustomed to camp fare and am hungry enough to D0SIu 0SS1u0S, Odpld1u a0uA0y IS 1a1O up in his berth with a sick headache and doesn't wish to be disturbed. He told me to tell you, Louis.''
 ffYes, sah. Shall An make you sum coffee, sab? Massa Rroussard he don't nebber drink none."
 'fYes. And, by the way, Louis, take q lunch into the lady, Fix up some thing neat if you can, and let me know when it is ready
 "You know ze capitaine before may beP' Broussard asked.
 ''No,' I answered, wondering what he could be aiming at, but willing to give him a free rein. "But he seems to be a pretty good fellow
 'sYou think so-hey! Maybe so while