The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-08-24
cHAPTER xv-contInued-

-
10
They stared at him unbelievingly.
He threw out an arm. kicked the en-
tangling scabbard from his knees and
clustered on:
Sixteen there mxst be of you Six
muskets Crackley gave to you-and
you have pistols and cutlasses around.
Sixteen, fairermed and desperate,
and a longboat in the dark If you
remain here Muriilo's men will leave
you all 10 the buzzards tomorrow
know, / heard them say there were
men of Lafitte alive on this rect !"
They known" muttered the chief.
"T1ey guessl l say, we car retake
the schooner 1.-THE prize guard On her
is nothing-the teniente In command
can suspect nothing Once they lay
her astern the frigate there is no hope
for any OF you
"We were to send Mademoiselle to
the frigate In the l~ongboat." MUIR
INJURED Raoul.
Throw her TO the sharks-they're
kinder than MurIllo's men The
Spaniards think the schooner was
bound to the rebel republics of the
South. They will spare lone who had
to do with her-they blot out every
life that could tell of her takingl"
He swung an empty pistol holster
and tottered back and forth. Mon
sieur Sazarac tapped De Almonaster
on the shoulder.
ut is the truth. 1t is a chance.
Monsieur, our affair-we shall have TO
postpone it. And d-n your hot
head WIN you understand
nothing?"
Give me this actionl Let me be
the first to board the Seraphine-I
shall show you, Monsieur Sazarac, If
i am one to be sent away under the
protection of a woman !"
"Nom de Dieu And for that you
would fight me !" breathed the other
softly. Then he turned away, hasten
ing to the outlaws down the sane spit.
Jarvis had sat down again. He
watched the light in the south-the
Napoleon ship, drawing slowly out on
the ebb-tide, with the Spanish kings
men at the tow-lines.
IF they get a wind" mumbled Jar
Wis, I'VE are undone. Then l might
as well have stayed and died in the
grass. l came TO save you all"
"Johnl - cried De Almonaster, "what
madness seized you to turn upon him
at the pinch?"
81 saved you all" grunted Jarvis
indifferently. "The dogs plotted to
s- Co-o~oo f-o,. tho or,on 49, |
-the-well=" he seemed plaintively
difidcnt at her name-"well, the af-
fair of the Genaron. | knew 1t. They
hardly kept IL from me. after the rum
] preached for them. And once the
she-came aboard there was no hope
to stop trouble. l played the fool for
them; l roared ~chanteys In the TO-
castle l outdrank the best o. them
/ made myself, as you saw-the
blanket adviser to them"
you let them put her adrift from
the ship !" said Raoul sternly.
"Yes-to save her from John Crack
ley. To save you all from walking
the plank. Well" he grunted absent
ly. Il see. You are not grateful. No
one is grateful. / play the part Of a
Sazarac-save that ! cannot walk
with a sword between my legs-I
boast, and pose and swagger
that is, 1 try, Monsieur. You recall
the other night? I-alone on the
quarter-deck-quite had the stage to
myself? | was doing well until my
id pistol went of quite by accident.
Discounted. | hurried below and
drank and ate everything that had I
spread for the four of you at the ,
emperor's table. Eh-what did the ]
she-think of me. Monsleur?" [
"She," whispered Raoul hurriedly, {
apparently never saw you That Is, )
| believe she laughed-once-at some s
(
Name O. Cdr breathed the jest
er. "Ah. well. of counsel She I
laughed when she saw me hanging TO b
he lamp-post. On the staircase-well, s
could not see plainly. In fact, v
never see her plainly. Or she, me. Il
)f course-I am the ghost .
ry TO strut out In the brave light. r.
'ut there seems laughter always . Il
tit up the bottle. RaOul-glve me the 81
of it," d
He seemed suddenly startled to dis s.
over a white cloak so close to him. a
n fact, he seemed to hustle uncer-
ainly from II around to the outer F
dge Of the group that gathered about m
and Mademoiselle. And II al
he saw him at all or OWNED that Il
be fellow of the waistcoat was really e'
his bloody figure that had staggered
0 them but a moment since, 1t was l.
lain that he vanished from her sight
He had. indeed. meant TO sy
tretch a hand of authority, seeing a
the mad plot was his to ring out OF
swift n pregnant campaign wor-
ny of a pistoling Sazarac, but now be
e couldn't. He merely hung of In l.
grass ~hummocks, swamp mud and ea
Is W blood dripping from him. tn