Evening star., 1924-11-02
CAPTAIN BLOOD
By RAFAEL SABATINI
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

much" he said under his breath, and
sprang for the Captains throat.
Tight locked in each others arms
! they swayed a moment. then together
went down upon the deck, the Span
iard's feet jerked from under him
by the right leg of Capt. Blood. The
Spaniard had depended upon his
strength, which was considerable.
But it proved no match for the steady
muscles of the Irishman, tempered
of late by the vicssitudes of slavery.
He had depended upon choking the
life out Of Blood. and so gaining the
half hour that might be necessary to
bring up that fine ship that was beat
ing towards them-a Spanish ship,
perforce. since none other would be
SO boldly cruising in these Spanish
waters off Hispaniola. But all that
Don Diego had accomplished was to
betray himself completely. and to no
pose. This he realized when he found
himself upon his back. pinned down
by Blood, who was kneeling on his
chest, while the men. summoned by
their captains shout, came clattering
up the companion.
will l say prayer for your dirty
soul now, while l am in this posi-
tiono" Capt Blood was furiously
mocking him.
But the Spaniard. though defeated.
now beyond hope for himself, forced
his lips to smile. and gave back mock
cry for mockery.
"Who Will pray for your soul. /
wonder, when that galleon comes to
lie hoard and board with you?"
THAT Ealleon." echoed Capt Blood
With sudden and awful realization
that already it was too late to avoid
-" CONSEQUENCES of Don Diego's be-
trayal of them.
THAT galleon," Don Diego repeated,
and added with a deepening sneer:
do you know what ship it is? 1 will
tell you. 1t is the Encarnacion, the
flagship of Don Miguel de Espionosa,
the lord admiral of CASTLE, and Don
Miguel is my brother. 1t is very
fortunate encounter. The Almighty.
you see. watches over the destinies
of Catholic Spain"
There was no trace of humor or ur-
banity now in Capt. Blood His light
eyes blazed; his face was set
He rose, relinquishing the Spaniard
to his men. Make him fast" he bade
them. Truss him, wrist and heel.
but don't hurt him--not so much as d
hair of his precious head"
The injunction was very necessary.
Frenzied by the thought that they
were likely to exchange the slavery
from which they had so lately es-
capped for slavery still worse. they
would have torn the Spaniard limb
from limb upon the spot. And if they
now obeyed their captain and re-
Trained, it was only because the sud
den steely note in his voice promised d
for Don Diego Valdez something far
more exquisite than death.
You scum. You dirty pirate, You
man OF honor" Capt. Blood apoS-
trophized his prisoner.
But Don Diego looked up at him
and laughed
You underrated me" He spoke
English. so that all might hear ~
tell you that l was not fear death.
and l show YOU that l was not fear it
You no understand. You just an
English dog"
Irish, if you please" Capt. Blood
corrected him. and your parole, you
tyke of SPAIN
You think I give my parole to
leave you sons of filth with this beau
tifui Spanish ship, to go make war
upon other SpaniardS. Ha," Don
Diego laughed in his throat. You
fool, You can kill me. Pish. 1t is
very well. / die with my work well
done. In less than an hour you will
be the prisoners of Spain, and the
Cinco Llagas will go belong to Spain
again"
Capt. Blood regarded him steadily
out of a face which, If impasSive, had
paled under its deep tan. About the
prisoner. claimant, infuriated, fero-
cious. the rebels-convict surged, al
most literally "athirst for his blood"
wait" Capt Blood imperiously
commanded. and turning on his heel
he went aside to the rail. As he stood
there deep in thought. he was joined
by Hagthorpe. Wolverstone, and Ogle
the gunner. In. silence they stared
with him across the water at that 9TH
err ship. She had veered a point away
from the wind, and was running now
on a line that must in the end con-
verge with that of the Cinco Llagas.
I'm less than half an hour" said
Blood presently. 1--WE shall have her
athwart our hawse, sweeping our
decks with her guns"
I'VE can fight" said the one-eyed
giant with an oath.
Fight" sneered Blood. "Cnder-
manned as we are, mastering a bare
twenty men. in what case are we to
fight? No, there would be only one
way. To persuade her that all is well
aboard, that we are Spaniards. so that
she may leave US to continue on our
course"
"And how is that possible?' Hag-
thorpe asked.
TT isn't possible said Blood. IF
it were ~ And then he broke
off, and stood musing. his eyes upon
the green water. Ogle, with a bent
for sarcasm, interposed suggestion
bitterly.
I'VE might send Don Diego de Es-
pinosa in boat manned by his Span
iardS to assure his brother the ad-
miral that we are all loyal subjects of
his Catholic majesty
The captain swung round, and for
an instant looked as if he would have
struck the gunner. Then his express
sion changed; the light of inspiration
was in his glance.
"Bedad, we've said it, He doesn't
fear death, this damned pirate: but
his son may take a different view.
Filial piety's mighty strong in SPAIN"
He swung on his heel abruptly, and
Strode back to the knot of men about
his prisoner. "Here!" he shouted to
them. Bring him below" And he
led the way down to the waist, and
thence by the BOBBY hatch to the
gloom of the 'tween-de where the
air was rank with the smell of tar
and spun yarn. Going aft he threw
open the door of the spacious ward
room, and went in, followed by doz-
en- of the hands with the pinioned
Spaniard. Every man aboard would
have followed him but for his sharp
command to some of them to remain
on deck with Hagthorpe.
In the wardroom the three stern
chasers were in position, loaded, their
muzzleS thrusting through the open
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