Evening star., 1924-11-23
CHAPTER XXIII..
Hostages,

WHAT ne HdU SdlO.
CHAPTER XXIu..
Peter Blood stood in the pillared por-
tico of Government House. and with
| unseeing eyes that were laden with
pain and anger stared out across the
great harbor Of Port Royal to the green
| hills rising from the farther shore and
the ridge Of the Blue Mountains be-
| yond. showing haZily through the quiver-
| ing heat.
He was aroused by the return of the
negro who had gone to announce him,
and following now this slave, he made
his way through the house to the wide
piazza behind It. in whose shade Col
Bishop and my Lord Julian Wade took
what little air there was.
| so we've come" the deputy governor
! hailed him, and followed the greeting
by series Of grunts of vague but ap-
parently ill-humored import.
He did not trouble to rise, not even
when Lord Julian, obeying the instincts
| of finer breeding, set him the example
| From under scowling brows the wealthy
| Barbados planter considered his some
| time slave, who, hat in hand, leaning
! lightly upon his long beribboned cane,
! revealed nothing in his countenance of
! the anger which was being steadily
nourished by this cavalier reception
At last, with scowling brow and in
! self-sufticient tones, Col. Bishop de-
! livered himself.
/, II have sent for you, Capt Blood, be-
! cause of certain rews that has just
! reached me. l am informed that yester-
! day evening frigate left the harbor
/ having on board your associate WolVer-
stone and a hundred men Of the hun
| dred and fifty that We're serving under
! you. His lordship and I shall be glad
| to have your explanation of how you
came to permit that departure"
Permit" Quoth Blood. II ordered
/ it,
| The answer left Bishop speechless
/ for moment. Then:
| You ordered it, he said in ac-
cents Of unbelief, whilst Lord Julian
raised his eyebrows. "Swounds, Per
/ haps you'll explain yourself? Whittier
/ has Wolverstone gomez"
! To Tortuga. Hes gone with mes
/ sage to the officers commanding the
other four ships of the fleet that is
awaiting me there. telling them
what's happened and why they are no
| longer to expect me-"
! Bishops great face seemed to swell
and its high color to deepen. He
swung to Lord Julian
| You hear that, my lord? Delib-
erately he has let Wolverstone loose
upon the seas again-W
the worst Of all that gang of pirates
| after himself. ! hope your lordship
j begins at last to perceive the folly
of granting the Kings commission to
such d man as this against all my
counsels. Why. this thing is
| It's just mutiny treason, Ry
God It's matter for a court martial"
| will YOU cease your blather Of
! muttny and treason and courts-mar-
tial?" Blood put on his hat. aud sat
down unbidden. Il have sent Woiver-
! stone TO inform Hagthorpe and Chris
tian and Yberville and the rest of my
lads that they've one clear month in
which TO follow my example. quit
piracy. and get back to their bou-
cans or their logwood, or else sail out
OF the Caribbean sea. That's what
! I've done"
But the men," his lordship inter
| posed in his level. cultured voice
| This hundred men that Wolverstone
has taken with HIM"
! Ihey are those OF my crew who
have no taste for King James serv-
/ ice, and have preferred to seek work
OF other kinds. 1t was in our compact.
my lord. that there should be no con-
straining of my men"
Il don't remember it." said his
, lordship, with sincerity
! Blood looked at him in surprise
Then he shrugged. Faith. I'm not to
| blame for your lordship's poor mem
| ory. | say that it was so. and l don't
lie. I've never found it necessary. in
I any case -e couldn't have supposed
that l should consent to anything
different"
I,a Il
/ ploded.
! You have given those damned ras-
. Gals in T"rtusa this warning 50 that
! they may escape, That is what YOU
have done. That is how you abuse
! the commission that has saved your
! own neck!
! Peter Blood considered him stead
| lily. his face impassive.
| Il will remind YOU he said at last
very quietly, that the object in view
| was-leaving out of account your
| own appetites which. as every one
knows, are just those of a hangman-
| to rid the Caribbean of buccaneers
| Now, I've taken the most effective
way of accomplishing that object
| The knowledge that I've entered the
| Kings service should in itself go far
toward disbanding the fleet of which
| | was until lately the admiral"
| II sec!" sneered the deputy gov
ernor malevolently. And if it does
not?"
1T will be time enough then to
| consider what else is to be done"
Lord Julian forestalIed a fresh out
burst on the part of Bishop.
1T is possible" ne said, that my
, Lord Sunderland will be satisfied,
provided that the solution is such as
you promise
1t was a courteouS Concilia tory
speech. Urged by friendliness toward
| Blood and understanding of the diff
ficult position in which the buccaneer
found himself, his lordship was dis
posed to take his stand upon the let
ter Of his instructions. Therefore he
now held out a friendly hand to help
him over the latest and most difficult
obstacle which Blood himself had
| enabled Bishop to place in the way
Of his redemption. Unfortunately the
last person from whom Peter Blood
| desired assistance at that moment
was this young nobleman, whom he
regarded with the jaundiced eyes of
| jealousy.
Anyway" he answered, with
suggestion of defiance and more than
suggestion of a sneer, ITS the most
ye should expect from me, and GER
| tainly it's the most yell get"
His lordship frowned, and dabbed
his lips with handkerchief
Il don't think that I quite like the
way you put IT. Indeed, upon refiec-
tion, Captain Blood, l am sure that I
do not"
Il am sorry for that, so I am"
said Blood impudently. But there
! 1t is. I'm not on that account con-
rerned to modify it,
His lordships pale eyes opened a
little wider. Languidly he raised his
! eyebrows.
| "Ahi" he said. You're nro-