Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-02-13
CHAPTER xv-continued.

ne Threw out an arm, kicked the en-
tangllng scabbard from his knees and
clustered on:
Sixteen there must be Of wont Sfx
muskets Crackley gave to you-and
you nave pistols and cutlasses around.
Slxteen, fair-armed and desperate.
and longboat in the dark! If Won
remain here Murillo's men will leave
you all to the buzzards tomorrow
know, l heard them say there were
men OF Lafitte alive on this reef ,n
They known muttered the chief
They guess! say, we can retake
the schooner the prize guard on her
Is nothing-the teniente in command
can suspect nothing Once they Law
her astern the frigate there is no hone
for any of you"
"We were to send Mademoiselle to
the frigate in the longboat," MUIR.
INJURED Raoul
Throw her to the sharks-they're
Kinder than MurilloS men! The
Spaniards think the schooner was
bound to the rebel republics of the
South. They will spare none who had
to do with her-they blot out every
life that could tell of her taking!"
He swung an empty pistol holster
and tottered back and forth. Mon
sieur Sazarac tapped De Almonaster
on the shoulder.
ut is the truth. It is a chance.
Monsieur, our affair-we shall have to
postpone 1t. And d-n your hot
head VIII you understand
nothing2"
give me this actionl Let me be
the first to board the Seraphine-I
shall show you, Monsieur Sazarac, If
am one to be sent away under the
protection of a woman!"
"Nom de Dieul And for that you
would fight mel" breathed the other
softly. Then he turned away, hasten
ing to the outlaws down the sand spit
Jarvis had sat down again. He
watched the light in the south-the
Napoleon ship, drawing slowly out on
the ebb-tide, with the Spanish kings
men at the tow-lines.
IF they get a wind" mumbIed Jar
Wis, "we are undone. Then I might
as well have stayed and died in the
grass. came to save you all"
"John!" cried De Almonaster, 'what
madness seized you to turn upon him
at the pinch?"
81 saved you all" grunted Jarvis
indifferently. "The dogs plotted to
turn on Sazarac from the moment she
-the-weIl-" he seemed plaintively
diffident at her name-'well, the af-
fair of the Genaron. / knew it. They
hardly kept it from me, after the rum
/ preached for them. And once the
she-came aboard there was no hope
to stop trouble. / played the fool for
them; I roared chanteys in the fo'-
castle I outdrank the best O. them
made myself, as you saw-the
blanket adviser to them"
"You let them put her adrift from
the ship!'' said Raoul sternly.
"Yes-to save her from John Crack
ley. To save you all from walking
the plank. Well" he grunted absent
". II see You are not grateful. No
one is grateful. play the part of
Sazarac-save that l cannot walk
with a sword between my legs-I
boast, and pose and swagger
that is, I try, Monsieur. You recall
the other night? I-alone on the
myself? / was doing well until my
ID pistol went off quite by accident.
Discounted, I hurried below and
drank and ate everything that had
been spread for the four of you at the
emperor's table. Eh-what did the
she-think of me, MONSIEUR"
"She," whispered Raoul hurriedly,
apparently never saw you. That is,
/ believe she laughed-once-at some
thing"
Name o. Cdr" breathed the jest
er. "Ah, WE'LL of course! She
laughed when she saw me hanging to
the lamp-post. On the staircase
could not see plainly. In fact, l
never see her plainly. Or she, me-
OF course-I am the ghost
try to strut out in the brave light,
but there seems laughter always
tilt up the bottle, Raoul--give me the
last of it u
He seemed suddenly startled to dis
cover a white cloak SO close to him.
In fact, he seemed to hustle uncer-
tainly from it around to the outer
edge Of the group that gathered about
Sazarac and Mademoiselle. And II
she saw him at all; or OWNED that
the fellow of the waistcoat was really
this bloody figure that had staggered
to them but a moment since, it was
plain that he vanished from her sight
shortly. He had, indeed meant to
stretch hand of authority, seeing
that the mad plot was his; to ring out
\ swift and pregnant campaign wor-
thy of pistoling Sazarac, but now
he couldn't. He merely hung OF in
the grass hummocks, swamp mud and
his own blood dripping from him,
dangling an empty holster, and listen
ing with mouth agape. She put this