The Omaha morning bee., 1924-10-08
CNH Romaacs q 1as .Spanish 7aaia Hk
.2(APIAM, BLOOD
u 3b;e RAFAEL SABATINI A4lJ

scythe of the broadside. The Ara
bella held to her course, giving place
to the Elizabeth which, following
closely, executed the same maneuver
And then whilst still the Frenchmen
were confused. panic-stricken by an
attack that took them so utterly by
surprise, the Arabella had gone about
and was returning in her tracks, pre-
senting now her larboard guns, and
loosing her second broadside in the
wake of the first. Came yet another
broadside from the Elizabeth and
then the Arabella's trumpeter sent
call across the water, which Hap
thorpe perfectly understood.
And now, jeremy" cried Blood
Stand by, there! Prepare to board
Hayton the grapnels.' Briskly
he explained himself to his two
guests. Board is our only chance
here. We are too heavily outgunned. y
OF this the fullest demonstration
followed quickly. The Frenchmen
having recovered their wits at last,
both ships swung broadside on. and
concentrating upon the Arabella as
the nearer and heavier and therefore
more Immediately dangerous of their
two opponents, yolleyed upon her
jointly at almost the same moment.
The Arahella rocked and staggered
under that terrific hammering. For
a moment she seemed to hesitate,
then she plunged forward with a gap
ing hole forward that was only just
above the water line. Meanwhile, the
Frenchmen going about, gave the like
reception to the Elizabeth. The Ara
bella. indifferently served by the
wind, pressed forward to come to
grips. But before she could accom-
plish her object, the Nictorieuse had
loa ded her starboard guns again. and
pounded her advancing enemy with
a second broadside at close quarters.
Amid the thunder of cannon, the
rending of timbers, and the screams
of manned men, the half-wrecked
Arabella plunged and reeled into the
cloud of smoke that concealed her
prey. and then from Hayton went
up the cry that she was going down
by the head. The blue and gold
flank of the Victorieuse loomed
through the smoke. But even as
Blood caught that enheartening
glimpse he perceived, too, how slug
gish now was their advance. They
must sink before they reached her.
But they had not yet completely
failed. Hayton himself and score
of sturdy rogues whom his whistle
had summoned. were crouching for
shelter amid the wreckage of the
forecastle with grapnels ready. With
In seven or eight yards of the Vic.
torieuse, when they way seemed
spent. and their forward deck al
ready awash under the eyes of the
jeering, cheering Frenchmen. those
men leaped up and forward. and
hurled their grapnels across the
chasm. OF the four they flung, two
reached the Frenchmans decks, and
fastened there. Unhesitatingly all
threw themselves upon the chain OF
one of those grapnels, neglecting the
other, and heaved upon it with al
their might 10 warp the ships 10
gether. Blood sent out his voice IN
a clarion call:
"Musketeers TO the prowi'
Fifty of them dashed forward In
stantlv. and from the ruins OF the
forecastle they blazed over the heads
of Hayton's men. moving down the
French soldiers who, unable TO dis
lodge the irons, firmly held where
they had deeply bitten into the tim
hers of the victorieuse. were them
selves preparing to fire upon the
grapnel crew.
Starboard to starboard the two
SHIPS swung gainst each other with
a iarring thud. The advance guaro
of the boarders, a hundred strong
were ordered to the poop, grapnel
men were posted. and prompt TO obey
Rloods command at the very moment
of impact. As result. the founner
ing Arabella was literally kept anoa'
hv the half dozen grapnels that In
an instant moored her firmly TO the
Victorieuse.
Led now by Blood himself. they
launched themselves upon the Frencn
like hounds upon the stag they nave
brought TO bay. For fully half an
hour that battle ragged aboard me
Frenchnan. The French resisted
stubbornly. and they had the adVan
tage of numbers TO encourage tnenl
But for all their stubborn valor, tney
ended by being pressed back and pach
across the decks that were danger
ouslv csnted to starboard by the
null of the water-logged Arabella.
The buccaneers fought with the des'
nerate fury OF men who know that
retreat is impossible. for there was
no shin TO which they could retreat
and here they must prevail and make
the Victorieuse their own. or perish.
And their own they made her IN
the end. and at cost Of nearly hall
their numbers. Driven to the quar-
ter-deck the surviving defenders
urged on by the infuriated Rivarol
maintained awhile their desperate re
sistance. But in the end Rivarol
went down with bullet in his head,
and the French remnant, numbering
scarcely score Of whole men, called
for quarter.
Even then the labors of Blood s
men were not ar an end. The Eliza
beth and the Medusa were tight