Evening star., 1924-12-04
CHAPTER xxx.
The Service oR King william

One Of the boats bumped alongside
the Arabella, and UP the entrance
ladder came first q slight, spruce
little gentleman in Il coat Of nlul-
berry satin laced with gold. whose
wizened, yellow, rather peevish face
was framed in a heavy black peri
wig. His modish and costly apparel
had nowise suffered by the adventure
through which he had passed. and he
carried himself with the easy assur-
ance of man Of rank. Here. quite
clearly, was no buccaneer. He was
closely followed by one who in every
particular. save that OF age, was his
physical opposite. corpulent in
brawny, vigorous way, with full.
round. weather beaten face whose
mouth was humorous and whose eyes
were blue and twinklinG. He was
we'll dressed without fripperies and
bore with him an air Of vigorous
authority.
AS the little man stepped from the
ladder into the waist. whittier Capt.
Blood had gone TO receive him, his
sharp. ferretS dark eyes swept the
uncouth ranks Of the assembled crew
of the Arabelia-
And where the devil may be
now" he demanded irrita bly,. Are
you English or what the devil are
you?"
Irish, sir. My name is Blood-Capt.
Peter Blood. and this is my ship the
Arabella, all very much at Your
service
Hood" shrilIed the little man.
20 Sblood. a pirate" He swung to
the Colossus who followed hinl--"A
damned pirate, van der kuyleu.
Rend my vitals, but we've come from
Scylla to Charybdis."
go
and again, "So?" Then the humor
of 1t took him and he yielded TO it.
'Damme! What's to laugh at you
porpoise?" spluttered mulberry coat.
"A fine tale thisll make at home,
Admiral van der Kuylen first loses
his fleet In the night, then has his
flagship fired under him by a French
squadron, and ends all by being cap
tured by a pirate. I'm glad you find
1t matter for laughter. Since for my
sins l happen to be with you, I'm
damned IL / do"
There's a misapprehension. if !
may make so bold as TO point il out
put ia Blood quietly. You arc not
captured, gentlemen; you are rescued.
When you realize II, perhaps IL viii
occur to you to acknowledge the hos
pitality / am Offering you. 1t may be
poor. but II is the best at my dis
posaI."
The fierce little gentleman stared
at him. 'Damme! Do you permit
yourself to be ironical?" he disap-
proved him. and possibly with a view
20 correcting any such tendency, pro-
ceeded to introduce himself. Il am
Lord Willoughby. King Williams
governor general OF the West Indies,
and this is Admiral van der kuylen.
commander of his msjesty's West
Indian fleet, at present mislaid some
where in this damned Caribbean Sea"
king WIlliam?" quoth Blood. and
he was conscious that Pitt and Dyke.
who were behind him, now came edg
ing nearer. sharing his own wonder.
And who may be King William, and
of what may he be king?'
What's that" In a wonder great
er than his own, Lord Willoughby
stared back at him. At last: 81 am
alluding TO His Majesty King William
I1I-william of orsnge-who, with
Queen Mary, has been ruling England
for two months and more"
There was a moments silence, until
Blood realized what he was being
told.
Dye mean. sir, that they've reused
themselves at home, and kicked out
that scoundret James and his gang
of ruffians?"
Admiral van der KuyIen nudged
his blue eyes.
His bolitics are ferry sound, l dlnk."
he growled.
His lordship's smile brought lines
like gashes into his Ieathery checks.
"Slife! Hadn't you heard? Where
the devil have you been at all?"
''Out Of touch with the world for
the last three months said Blood
Stab me! You must have been. And
in that three months the world has
undergone some changes" Briefly he
added an account of them. King
James was fed to France. and living
under the protection of King Louis.
wherefore, and for other reasons.
England had Joined the league
against her. and was now at war with
France. That Tas how 1t happened
that the Dutch admirars flagship had
been attacked by NJ. de Rivarors fleet
that morning. from which 1t clearly
followed that in his voyage from
Cartagena the Frenchman must have
spoken some ship that gave him the
news.
Continued in romorrow's stare