Evening star., 1924-10-25
CAPTAIN BLOOD
Bu RAFAEL SABATINI
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told


you at Government House they may
find a kennel for you therU until
morning"
Peter Blood's heart sank like Il
stone through water.
But e" he began.
BE off. say. VIII you stand there
talking until dark? His exceIlcrcy is
waiting for you" And with his cane
Col. Bishop slashed the horses quar-
:ers so brutally that the beast bound
ca forward, ali but unsea'ing her
rider.
Peter Blood went off in u state Of
r3ind bordering on despair. And there
was occasion for it. A postponement
of the escape At least until to:nor :
row night was necessary nov. and
FUstponement must mean the dis
coVery OF Nuttalfs transaction and
the asking Of questions it would be
difficult to answer
It was in his mind TO slinK hack in
the night, once his work at Govern
mcnt House were done, and from the
OUTSIDE or the stockade make known
to Pitt and the others his Irescnce.
and so have them join him that their
project might still be carried out
But in this he reckoned without the
governor. whom he found really in
the thrall Of a severe attack Of eoJt
and almost as severe an attack of
temper, nourished by BIood's delay.
The doctor was kept in constant
attendance upon him until long after
midnight, when at last he was able
TO ease the sufferer a little by 4
bleeding. ThereUpon he would have
Withdrawn. But Stced would not hear
OF II Blood must sleep in his own
chamber, to be at hand in case of
n JI-1
or him. For that night at least the
escape must be definitely abandoned.
Not until the early hours of the
morning did Peter Blood succeed in
making temporary escape from
Government House on the ground
that ne required certain medicaments
which he must himself procure from
the apothecary.
On that pretext he made an excur-
sion into the awakening town and
went straight to Nuttall. whom he
iouho In a state of livid panic. The
unfortunate debtor who had sat up
"aluhg through the night, conceived
that all was discovered and that his
own ruin would be involved. Peter
Blood uuieted his fears.
1t will be for tonight instead" he
SAID, with more assurance than he
feit If | have to bleed the governor
10 death. Be ready as last night"
But II there are questions mean
while" bleated Nuttall He was A
thin. pale, smaIl-featured man with
weak eyes that now blinked desper-
ately.
Answer as best you can. Use YOUR
"tS' man. can stay no longer"
iIo ieler went off 10 the apothecary
Tor his pretexted drugs.
Within and hour Of his going caroe
an officer of the secretary's to Nut
tan $ miserable hovel. The seller of the
ooat had-as by law required since the
coming OF the rebels s-convict-dulv
FePorteo the sale at the secretary's
once SO that he might obtain the
ENDORSEMENT of the 1O-pound sure
y INTO which every keeper of a small
boat was compelled to enter. The
secretarys Office postponed this re-
lmbursement until it should have OBJ
tanned confirmation of the transac-
tion.
We are informed that you have
Dousnt a Wherry from Mr.. Robert
FARRELL. said the officer
That is So" said Nuttall, who con-
celved that for him this was the end
of the world.
You are in no haste, it seems, to
declare the same at the secretary's
once. The emiSSary had a proper
bureaucratic haughtiness.
Nuttalls weak eyes blinked at a
redoubled rate.
To to declare il -
Eye know it's the law"
1 didn't. may it please you. &"
but It's in the proclamation pub
fished last January"
II 1 can't read, sir.
1 didn't know"
'Faugh" The messenger withered
him with his disdain. Well. now
you're informed See to it that you
are at the secretary'S office before
noon with the 10 pounds surety into
which you are obliged to enter"
The pompous officer departed. leav-
ing Nuttall in cold perspiration de-
spite the heat of the morning He
was thankful that the fellow had not
as ked the question he most dreaded.
which was how he, a debtor, should
come by the money to buy a wherry.
But this he knew was only a RESPITE,
The question would presently be
asked of certainty, and then hell
would open for him. He cursed the
hour in which he had been such a
fool as to listen to Peter Blood's
chatter of escape. He thought it very
likely that the whole plot would be
discovered, and that he would prob
ably be hanged. or at least branded
and sold into slavery like those other
damned rebels convict with whom he
had been so mad as to associate HIM
self. If only he had the 10 pounds
for this Internal surety, which until
this moment had never entered into
their calculations, it was possible
that the thing might be done quickly
and questions postponed until later
AS the secretarys messenger had
overlooked the fact that he was a
debtor, so might the others at the
secretary's Office, at least for day
or two: and in that time he would,
he hoped, be beyond the reach of their
questions. But in the meantime what
was to be done about this money?
And it was to be found before noon!