Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-12-07

MS open lips; Israel Hands proppec
against the bulwarks, his chin OF
his chest his hands lying open be.
fore him on the deck, his face as
white, under its tan, as tallOW
candle.
For awhile the ship kept bucking
and siding like a vicious horse, the
sails filling, now on one tack, now on
another, and the boom swinging to
and fro till the mast grOaned aloud
under the strain. Now and again,
too, there would come cloud of light
sprays over the bulwarks, and a
heavy blow of the ships bows
against the swell-sO much heavier
weather was made of it by this great
rugged ship than by my homemade,
lop-sided coracle, now gone to the
bottom of the sea.
At every jump of the schooner,
Red-cap slipped to and fro; but
what was gastly to behold-neither
his attitude nor his fixed teeth-dis-
closing grin was any way disturbed
by this rough usage. At every jump.
too, Hands appeared still more to
sink into himself and settle down up
on the deck, sliding ever farther out,
and the whole body canting toward
the stern, so that his face became
little by little, hid from me; and at
last l could see nothing beyond his
ear and the frayed ringlet of one
whisker.
At the same time 1 observed,
around both of them, splashes of
dark blood upon the planks, and be-
gan to feel sure that they had killed
each other in their drunken wrath.
While I was thus looking and
wondering, in a calm moment when
the ship was still, Israel Hands
turned partly around, and with a
low moan, writhed himself back to
the position in which l had seen him
first. The moan, which told of pain
and deadly weakness, and the way
in which his jaw hung open, went
right to my heart. But when l re-
the talk 1 had overheard
from the apple barrel, all pity left
me.
I walked aft until I reached the
mainmast.
"Come aboard, Mr. Hands," I said,
He rolled his eyes round heavily,
but he was too far gone to express
surprise. All he could do was to
utter one word, Brandy"
1t occurred to me there was no
time to lose, and lodging the boom
as it once more lurched across the
deck, I slipped aft and down the COM
panion-stairs into the cabin.
1t was such a scene of confusion
as you can hardly imagine. All the
Iock-fast places had been broken
open in quest of the chart. The
floor was thick with mud, where the
ruffians had sat down to drink or
consult after wading in the marshes
round their camp. The bulkheads, |
Ill painted in clear white, and bead
I'd round with gilt, bore pattern of
iirty hands. Dozens of empty bot
les clinked together in corners to |
he rolling of the ship. One of the
loctor's medical books lay open on
he table, half of the leaves Quilted |
tut, 1 suppose for lamp-lights. In
he midst of all this the lamp still |
,ast smoky glow, obscure and
Drown as lumber.
1 went into the cellar; all the bar
els were gone, and of the bottles
surprising number had been drunk
,ut and thrown away. Certainly,
ince the mutiny began, not man
# them could ever have been sober.
Foraging about l found a bottle
With some brandy left, for Hands;
md for myself l routed out some
,iscuit, some picked fruits, great
lunch of raisins, and a piece of
heese. With these l came on deck,
Iut down my own stock behind the
and well out of the
reach, went forward to
he water4breaker, and had a good,
eep drink of water, and then, and
ot until then, gave Hands the
randy.
He must have drunk a gill before
q took the bottle from his mouth.
"Aye," said he, "by thunder,
ut l wanted some o. that!'
I had sat down already in my own
orner and began to eat.
much hurt?" l asked him.
He grunted, or, rather, l might
ay, he barked.
"If that doctor wa saboard," he
aid. ard be right enough in a couple
{ turns; but / don't have no manner
{ luck, you see, and that's what's
he matter with me. AS for that
wab, he's good and dead, he is" he
dded, indicating the man with the
cd cap. "He warn't no seaman, any
ow. And where mought you have
1me from?" II
"Well," said l." I've come aboard
, take possession of this ship, Mr..
-ands. and you'll please regard me
! your captain until further notice"
He looked at me sourly enough,
nt said nothing. Some of the color
adj come back into his cheeks,
,ough he still looked very sick and
i'll continued to slip out and settle
own as the ship banged about.
"By the by" 1 continued, Il can't
ave these coIors, Mr.. Hands; and by
1ur leave I'll strike them. Better
one than these.
And. again lodging the boom,
IN to the color lines, hauled down
,eir cursed black flag, and chucked
overheard.
"God save the king!" said 1, way !
20 NV cap: "and there's an end to
lptain Silver"
He watched me keenly and slyly, {
& chin all the while on his breast. !
at reckon" said he at last ]
-, roDsn Hawkins VOu'll kind S