Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-12-05

~ she does not fetch a SAILING
"lno before she makes the outer
passes, sixty Of the Baratarians will
swarm her chains for boarding before
daylight. Will that be answer enough
to the city. that Lafitte is here AGAIN.
the old fox in his hiding placer"
mad schemep muttered Raoul.
But-ah, well! For a womanI T
trust, sir, you see it is an act Of
piracy against the vessel of a friend
~ power in American watersr
The exile laughed grimly. "The
oice are against Laftte, the honest
mani"
Sir. does she know your identityY'
pursued De Almonaster grayeIy.
Can you ask? Lafitte-for whom
ner countrymea have gallows built
IN every port that flies the kings f1agP
come, sir! This is mans business
EVERY hour counts-every moment.
she VIII know, soon enough, when a
prescribed outlaw frees her
ana turns away to face his ring of
enemies
And suddenly old Bohon dashed to
MS feet and held a finger to the air.
He touched the skin with his lips and
held it again.
"D-n!" he shouted. 1.-THE air ia
changing. 1t is swinging northerly
A breeze in the river, and she will
make the passes before a man of us
could lift hand against her!"
1t was true. Five minutes later the
lugger lurched slowly around in the
tide The big sail began to lift and
stream in the starlight. Johannes
came aft cursing the stir of the water.
tell you it cannot be done. If
we had a thousand armed fellows In
the narrows what could they do with
cockleshell dugouts to board a shin
drawing sail?''
They listened to the tapping water
on the lugger's side. And now, from
the oak-grown islet, there came a
stumble Of feet, clatter Of arms, and
then a splashing in the starlit shall
lows.
AYE, bullies!" reared John Crack
ley. II said If ever we met this In
ftte there would be proper work for
you'll"
The deserters and the younger
swamp islanders were swarming out.
drunken and with ribald cheers, under
their smoky torches. "A-Barataria |"
one of the pardoned outlaws cried. It
was the old boarding sea-yell of the
Black Petrars crew, and it struck
with a curious cold prophecy to the
heart Of Lafitte. Fate was bearing
him, do what he might, back to the
lawless years Of the youth he had
put by.
'The devils hand is in this" grum-
bied Johannes. "This wind-it will
be good ships wind In the passes.
The Genaron will be In blue water to-
morrow noon!"
1T is fatal to our plan Of boarding
her in the river" unused LATTE. "And
the plan must change with the wind.
If we had weather boat off the old
isle"
"A boatP growled Nez Coupe. but
in all these coves, where once we
counted forty sail and two hundred
guns, there is nothing worth a nutshell
on blue water. Bahi We took the
Presidents pardon!"
"a ship!'' snarled Black Mike. "Seize
a ship! Damnation how does man
find a ship? Why, name o. G-d-he
takes her!"
And suddenly De Almonaster whirled
on the silent leader with glowing eyes.
"a ship? Why, there in the city
moored at the Place d'Armes !"
''The Napoleon ship!" shouted Jo-
harness. "Why, curse my eyes, that is
a ship, but death to the perfumed gen.
try that own her! ~
1.-THE Seraphine" cried Bohon.
"Why that beauty would sit ahead O.
the English bark and laugh In any
weatheri'
LATTE was staring half-amusedly at
De Almonaster. Monsieur, the Sera-
phine lies in the very heart of the city.
under the guns Of every fort and wars
man there!"
swell, then-threescore of your
swamp fellows gathered secretly by the
Algiers shore, and crossing the river at
midnight could board and have her
under way ere the port awoke. Once
off the passes, she could overhaul the
bark. She is gunned for the best Of
them, but there would be no need.
The Genaron could not fght-she
would give back the lady of course
the admiralties at Washington and
London would howl, but"-the young
man shrugged indifferently-''the af-
fair would be over"
"Over? Monsieur, are you mad?"
"Ah, had forgotten that I possess a
certain interest in the Seraphinei OF
course, l really know nothing about
such madness! / am amazed de-
nounce it much as / denounce this
Saz-a-rac whoa dinner guest of mine
is discovered to be Lafitte, the pi-
rate!"
= u III