St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1919-06-28

A4OAy ~ OAS
this side. There are but two keys
one for the captain and the other for
him who commands the buccaneers"
I stood there q moment, considering
this information. The only way the
mutineers could reach the cabin then
would be from the deck, descending
through the companion. So long as
they remained unaware of the capture
of Manuel there was little danger of
their taking such action.
every well, steward" / said. "You
go on about your work as though MOTH
ing had happened. II any word of this
affair gets to the crew, or to those fell
lows forward, I'll hold you response
BILE. You are not to leave this cabin
without my permission, nor speak to
anyone. LeVere."
The mulatto faced me respectfully
enough, and l had a feeling he would
obey orders, largely because he dare
not -ebel.
tThey will be wondering why you
are not ON deck. It will be better for
you to take charge of the watch at
once, apd keep the men busy. Relieve
Watkins at the wheel and send ethe
man down to me. He can choose the
fellows who will stick better than you
could, and then can circulate among
them without arousing suspicion"
Watkins soon shutfied down the
steps. He whipped off his cap and
stood waiting.
l put my hand ON his shoulder.
'"Tom;" I said soberly, 1--WE T in the
same boat, and understand each other.
The chance has come for both of us, IL
we play the cards right. Listen while
] tell you the situation, and what /
plan doing"
/ told 1t briefly, wasting no words,
yet relating every fact. He listened
eagerly, but without interruption un-
til the end.
"What do you make of itT' I asked.
"About what you do, sir. I knew
there was something of the kind going
on-some Of the men forward are in
on 1t. You've got the ~ring-leader."
Manuel, you mean. Who did he
count on for help in the forecastle?"
"Cochose, and a handful of others,
niggers and Spaniards, mostly. They
meant to pull the affair off either to-
day or tonight. Your plan gives US a
fair chance, sir. A dozen good men on
deck might do the business"
"But are there a dozen aboard to
be trustedf"
swell, yes sir. / rather think there
are. I'd say that in both watches
there's maybe fourteen to be relied
on"
"In my watch there's Jones, Har-
wood and Simms, either English or
Welsh. They're all right. Then there's
a niger named Sam; Schmitt, a
Dutchman, with his partner, whose
name / don't know, and two Trenches,
RaYel and Pierre. That makes eight,
nine counting myself. Then in the
starboard watch I'd pick out Jim Car
ter and Joe Cole, two Swedes, Carl
son and Ole Hallin, and another mig
ger. Then there are a couple of Firms
who ought to be with US, but | can't
talk their lingo. That would give us
sixteen out of thirty, and it's quite
likely some of the others would take a
hand with us, If they thought it was I
safe. I haven't any use though, sir,
for Francois LeVere. There amt a
worse scamp aboard"
81 know that" I admitted, but he
! had to be used"
"And what is my part now?"
"This is my watch below, and 1t will
be best for me to keep off the deck
until all is prepared. You sound these
j! men and get them together; wake up /.
the ones In the starboa1rd watch you :
! feel sure are all right, and have them !
slip quietly on deck. Then wen get
these arms In the rack here, and be
ready for ~business-the rest viii Be
done in a hurry. I'll wait here for
your report" !
At the very best Watkins could
J scarcely perform the task assigned
him in less than an hour. The success
tirely upon taking these fellows by
complete surprise. If it came to an
open fight our cause was hopeless, for
that would mean fourteen or fifteen
men unarmed, pitted against over a
hundred thoroughly equipped and
trained fighters. Only by confirming
them below, with matches battened
down, and a carrorade trained upon
them, would we be safe.
I sat where I could watch the Stairs,
and the entire forward part of the
cabin. Gunsaules lowered the table,
and began preparing the morning
meal. Finally he announced break
fast.
suppose you rap on the lady's door
yonder, and ask If she will join ne.
Say your message is from Senior
Gates"
She came at once and seated herself /,
opposite me-, and we spoke of the
weather while Guhsaules served. He
was still lowering about, but my anx-
iety to have a worU with her alone
caused me to sehd him to attend Cap
tain Sanchez We waited until he dis