Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-20
Homeward Bound

Inc Copyrighted by Houghton Mifflin Company
CHAPTER NJ
Homeward Bound
IN the cabin of the captured Spaniard
I Jasper Leigh found himself that evening
~ face to face with Sakr-el-Bahr, hailed
Ithither by the corsair's gigantic Nubians.
Sakr-el- Bahr had not yet pronounced bis
intentions concerning the piratical little skip
per, and Master Leigh, full conscious that
he was villain, feared the worst and had
spent some miserable hours in the forecastle
awaiting a doom which he accounted fore
gone.
"Our positions have changed, Master
Leigh, since last we talked in ships cab
in was the renegades inscrutable greet
ing.
"Indeed,' Master Leigh agreed "But I
| hope ven remember that on that occasion [
was your friend"
cat price" Sakr-eI- Bahr reminded him.
| "And at price you may find me your
! friend today
The rascaIIy shippers heart Ieaped with
hope.
'Name it, Sir Oliver" he answered eager
| ly "And SO that it lies within my Wretched
| power [ swear III never boggle at it. I've
| had enough of slavery he ran on in a
pIantive whine Five years of it, and four
of them spent aboard the galleys of Spain,
and day in all Of them but that I prayed
for death. Did you but know what I ha'
Suffered.'
never was SuILerlng more merlted, never
punishment more fitting, never justice more
poetic" said Sakr-el-Bahr in a voice that
made the shippers blood run cold. "You
would have sold me, a man who did you no
| hurt, indeed, a man who once befriended
! you-you would have sold me into slavery
for matter of two hundred pounds"
NAY, nay" cried the other fearfulIy, "as
| Gods my witness twas never part of my in
tent. Yell never ha' forgot the words I
spoke to you, the offer that I made to carry
you back home again"
aye at a price It's true" Sakr-eI-Bahr
repeated "And it is fortunate for you that
you are today in position to pay price
| that should postpone your dirty neck's &C
Qualntance with rope. I need a naviga-
tor he added in explanation, land what
| five years ago you would have done for two
! hundred pounds you shall do today for your
| life. How say you, will you navigate this
ship for me?"
Sir cried Jasper Leigh who could scarce
! believe that this was all that was required
! of him, 'IIl sail it to he'll at your bid
ding"
Il am not for Spain this voyage" answer
ed Sal1r-el-Bahr "You shall sail me pre-
cisely you would have done five years
ago, back to the mouth of the Fal and set
me ashore there. Is that agreed?"
"Aye, and gladly replied Master Leigh
without a seconds pause.
The conditions that you shall have
! your life and your liberty" Sakr-el-Bahr ex-
! planned. But do not suppose that arrived
| IN England you are to be permitted to de-
| part You must sail us back again. though
once you have done that I shall find a way
| to send you home if you so desire it, and
! perhaps there Will be some measure of re-
| ward for you if you serve ne faithfully
| throughout Follow the habits of q lifetime
| by playing me false and there's an end to
| you. You shall have for constant boz. ard
these two lilies of the desert" and he Point
! ed to the colossal Nubians WI, stood there
INVISIBLE almost in the shadow but for the
flash of teeth and eyebals
They shall watch over you and see that
no harm befalls you so long as you are hoa-
est with me, and they shall stran-.- you at
| the first sign of treacLory. You may go.
| Y on have the freedom of the ship buy YOU
| are not to leave it here or elsewhere save
at my express command
Jasper Leigh stumbled out, counting him
self fortunate beyond his expectations or de-
serts, and the Nubians followed him and
| hung behind him ever after like some vast
twin shadow.
To Sakr-eI-Behr entered now Biskaine
with the report of the prize captured Be
| yond the prisoners, however, and the actual
vessel which had suffered nothing in the
fight, the cargo was of no account. Outward
| bound as she was it was not to b. expected
| that any treasures would be discovered in
| her hold. They found great store of arma-
ments and powder and little money; but
nauSht else that was worthy Of the corsairs'
| attention.
sakr-el-Bahr briefly issued his surprising
orders
"Thou1t set the captives aboard one of the
| galleys Biskaine, and myself convey them to
i Al8iers, there to be sold All else thou 1t
leave aboard here, and two hundred picked
corsairs to so on voyage with me overseas,
men that will act at once as marines and
| fighters
Art thou, then, not returning to AIgisrs,
O Sakr-eI-Bahr?"
! vey my service to Asad-ed-Din, whom Allah
guard and cherish and tell him to look for
| me in some six weeks time
This sudden resolve of Oliver-Reis created
| no little excitement aboard the galleys. The
corsairs knew nothing of navigation upon
! the open seas, none of them had ever been
| beyond the Mediterranean few of them in
| deed had ever yoyaged as far west as Cape
Spartel, and it is doubtful if they would
have followed any other leader into the
perils Of the open Atlantic. But Sakr-el-
| Bahr, the child of Fortune the protected of
| Allah, had never yet led them to aught but
victory, and he had but to call them to
heel and they would troop after him with
ersoeyer he should think well to CO. So now
| there was little trouble in finding the two
hundred he desired for his fighting crew.
| Der of those eager for the adventure within
! the bounds he had indicated.
You are not to suppose that in all this
Sir Oliver was acting upon any preconcerted
plan. Whilst he had laid on the heights
watching the fine ship beating up against
the wind it had come to him that with such
a vessel under him it were a fond adventure
to sail to England, to descend upon that
Cornish coast abruptly as a thunderbolt, and
! present the reckoning to his craven bastard