Evening star., 1924-11-13
BLOOD
Bu RAFAEL SABATINI
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

which led to that narrow passage
| out to sea.
The Elizabeth and the Infanta, lead
ing side by side, were almost abreast
Of the fort before their shadowy
bulks and the soft gurgle Of water
at their prows were detected by the
Spaniards. whose attention until that
moment had been all on the other
| side. And now there arose on the
night air such a sound Of human
batfied fury as may have resounded
about Babel at the confusion Of ton
cues. To heiGhten that confusion,
and to scatter disorder among the
Spanish soldiery, the Elizabeth emp
tied her larboard guns into the fort
as she was swept past on the swift
ebb.
At once realizing-though not yet
how-he had been duped, and that his
prey was in the very act of escap
ing after all, the admiral frantically
ordered the guns that had been so
laboriously moved to be dragged back
to their former emplacements, and
commanded his gunners meanwhile
to the slender batteries that of all
his powerful, but now unavailabl BILE,
armament still remained trained upon
the channel. With these. after the
loss of some precious moments, the
luTt at last maze nre.
1t was answered by terrific
hroadside from the Arabella, which
had now drawn abreast. and was
! crowding canvas to her yards. The
enraged and gi3bering Spania cds had
a brief vision of her as the line of
flame spurted from her red flank, and
the thunder of her broadside drown ed
the noise of the creaking halyards.
After that they saw her no more.
Assimilated by the friendly dark
ness which the lesser Spanish guns
were speculatively stabbing, the
escaping ships fired never another
| shot that might assist their baff1ed
| and bewildered enemies to locate
them.
Some slight damage was sustained
by Blood's fleet. But by the time
the Spaniards had resolved their con-
fusion into some order of dangerous
offence. that feet, we'll served by
a southerly breeze, was through the
| narrows and standing out to sea.
Thus was Don Miguel de Espinosa
left to chew the bitter cud of lost
| opportunity. and to consider in what
terms he would acquaint the supreme
council of the Catholic king that
Peter Blood had got away from Mara
Caybo, taking with him two 20-gun
| frigates that were lately the property
Of Spain, to say nothing of 100000
| pieces of eight and other plunder.
| And all this In spite of Don Miguers
four galleons and his heavily armed
| fort that at one time had held the
| pirates SO securely trapped
Heavy, indeed, grew the account of
Peter Blood. which Don Miguel swore
passionately to Heaven should at all
costs to himself be paid in full.
Nor were the losses already detail
ed the full total of those suffered
on this occasion by the King Of Spain.
For on the following evening, of the
coast OF Oruba. at the mouth of the
Gulf of Venezuela, Capt. Bloods fleet
! came upon the belated Santo Nino,
speeding under full sail to reinforce
Don Miguel at Maracaybo
At first the Spaniard had conceived
that she was meeting the victorious
fleet Of Don Miguel, returning from
the destruction OF the pirates. When
at comparatively close quarters the
pennon Of st George scared to the
Arabella's masthead to disillusion
her. the Santo Nino chose the better
part Of valour, and struck her flag.
Capt. Blood ordered her crew to
take to the boats. and land them
selves at Oruba or wherever else they
pleased. So considerate was he that
to assist them he presented them
with several Of the piraguas which
he still had in tow.
You will find" said he to her
captain, that Don Miguel is in an
extremely bad temper. Commend me
to him, and say that | venture to
remind him that he must blame him
self for all the ills that have befallen
him. The evil has recoiled upon him
which he loosed when he sent his
brother unofficially to make a raid
upon the Island Of Barbados Bid
him think twice before he let's his
devils loose upon an English set
tlement again"
With that he dismissed the captain,
who went over the side Of the Santo
Nino. and Capt. Blood proceeded to
Investigate the value Of this further
prize. When her matches were re-
moved. a. human cargo was disclosed
in her hold.
Slaves" said Wolverstone. and per-
sisted in that belief, cursing Spanish
deviltry until Cahusac crawled up out
OF the dark bowels Of tho ship, and
stood blinking in the sunlight
There was more than sunlight to
make the Breton pirate blink. And
those that crawled out after him
the remnants Of his crew-cursed him
horribly for the pusillanimity which
had brought them into the ignominy
of owing their deliverance to those
whom they had deserted as lost be-
yond hope
Their sloop had encountered and
had been sunk three days ago by the
Santo Nino. and Cahusac had mar
rowly escaped hanging merely that
for some time he might be a mock
among the brethren of the coast
For many a month thereafter he
was to hear in Tortuga the jeering
taunt:
Where do YOU spend the gold that
you brought back from Maracaybo?