The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-09-24


sand coming ever nearer to our eyes
In the moonlight: and samson's light
there, was keeping white and steady.
With the thought Of my treasure and
the king so near BY II was hard
to resist the temptation to plunge In
and follow my heart ashore. But
managed to control the boyish i'm
pulse. and presently we were all snug,
and some Of us snoring below decks,
rocked In the long swells of the shoal
water that cleaned milkily like an
animated moonstone under the stars
old Sailor curled up at my feet, just
like old times.
/ woke just as dawn was waking
too, very still and MINDLESS; for the
threatening nor'easter had changed Its
mind. and the world was as quiet as
though there weren't human being
In II. AS the light grew 4 scanned the
shore to see whether / could detect
the entrance Of the hidden creek; but
though ] swept II up and down again
and again. 1t continued to justify the
kings" boast. There was no sign
Of an opening anywhere. Nothing but
straight line of brush, with man.
groves here and there stepping down
In their fantastic way into the water,
And yet we were but hundred yards
from the shore. Certainly "Black-
beard"-if the haunt had really been
his-had known his business; for an
enemy could have sought him all day
along this coast and found no clue
to his hiding place.
But presently, as my eyes kept
on seeking. a figure rose. tall and
black. near the waters edge, a little
to our left, and shot up long arm
by why Of signal. 1t was Samson: and
evidently the mouth Of the creek was
right there In front Of us-under our
very noses, so to say-and yet 1t was
impossible to make ii out. However,
at this signal, ! stirred up the still
sleeping crew, and presently we had
the anchors up, and the engine started
at the slowest possible speed.
The tide was beginning to run In,
so we needed very little way on US.
] pointed out Samson to the captain,
and, following the kings" instruc-
tions. told him to steer straight for
the negro. Samson stood there and
called:
Gall right, sar. Keep right on.
You'll see your way in minute"
And. sure enough, when we were
barely fifty feet away from the shore,
and there seemed nothing for II but to
run dead aground, low down through
the floating mangrove branches we
caught sight of narrow CLEAN start
ing inland, and In another moment or
two our decks were swept with foliage
as the Flamingo rustled In, like a
bird to cover, through an opening In
the bushes barely twice her beam |;
and there before us, shaking through
the brush, was lane of water which
Immediately began to broaden between
palmetto-fringed banks, and was evi
IDENTIFY deep enough for much larger
vessel
PLENTY of water, sar," hallooec
Samson from the bank, grinning q
huge welcome. Keep a-going after
me-" and he started trotting along the
creek side.
Samson went trotting along the
twisting banks, we cautiously feeling
our way after him, for something like
a quarter of mile; and then, com
ing round a sudden bend, the creek
opened out into a sort Of basin. On
the left bank stood two large palmetto
shanties. Samson indicated that
there was our anchorage; and then,
as we were almost alongside of them
the CHEEKY halloos Of a well-known
voice hailed us. 1t was the liking -
and as / answered his welcome the
morning suddenly sang for me-for
there. too. was Calypso at his side.
The water ran so deep at the
creeks side that we were able to moor
the Flamingo right up against the
bank, and when / had jumped ashore
and greeted my friends, and the king
had executed a brief characteristic
fantasia on the manifest advantages
of having a hidden pirates creek In
the family, he unfolded his plans, or
rather that portion of them that was
necessary at the moment.