, 1926-05-12

"No, no, I'll not be going down there
again." she cried. son the inside of
a door l can think of naught but the
sorrow that is come upon me. I'll
stay up here in the open"
"Certes, this will be no safe place
in a Storm" | urged.
But she chung the tighter to us.
an not go down. I'd sooner be
taken by the pirates than go down.
Down there the rOlses of the water
and the ship will be like the .rylng
of the banshee in the Green room
where grandfather died. No, no! In
the cabin there is only death, and the
light is dim, and the noises will be
whispering at my elbow the llvelong
time. I'll have none of It'll Sure, !
care not what danger there is, if I
can stay up here and meet 1t in the
open"
eve let you stay" said Peter sooth-
ingly. "Ja, we better let der little
gal stay, Murray. Bob andt |, we take
care of her.
THAT will we" I Endorsed him.
My great-uncle eyed me II thought
qulzzically.
you are, 1t seems, subject to change
of opinion, Robert" he remarked. "By
all means let Mora remain with us.
1 daresay she'll be none the worse
for a wetting."
But the storm held of throughout
our mornlng-long chase down the east
coast of the island and then out to
sea to herd the Walrus in from the
north. Coupeau hulled the miserable
craft again and again, and shot away
her foretopmast; but she steadily
clawed ofrshore and made desperate
attempts to steal ahead of us and win
a clear path before the wind, and
when, toward noon, the breeze died
completely the positions of the two
vessels were practically the same as
they had been from the beginning of
the cat-und-mouse game that Murray
played.
The Royal James, by nimbler han
ding, had gained in the last hour, and
was more than a c%annon-shot to the
northwest Of the WaIrus. with the
northernmost of the Islands chain of
hills-the n the pirates called the
Foremost hill-almost due southeast
of US. II the wind sprang up again in
anything Ike the same quarter the
Walrus was fast in Murray's trap.
She would have the choice of two
alternatives: She could stand on and
fight, with the practical certainty OF
destruction for all hands, or she could
drive ashore, in which case the crew
might take to the woods, with every
prospect of eluding pursuit, unless
Murray made n determined effort to
comb the islands crHGgy recesses.
After the long-range batterlng they
had received all morning. on top Of
the hammering in the action in the
dark, there was not much doubt that
the Walrus' disorderly crew would
take the decision into their own hands
and choose the hitter as offering Il
fair chance Of life, no matter how cir
cumsCribed.
The helmsman had just turned the
hour glass, which lay beside the com.
pass in the hooded box in front OF the
steering wheel. when "A shout came
from Martin, who wHs halfway up
the maln-rigglng, sweeping the hori-
zon with a glass. My great-uncle had
been %pondering the deslrubillty Of get
ting out the boats ana undertaking 10
tow the James within range OF the
long elghteens. and he called back-
rs 1t wind?'
AYE, aye, sir" roared Mnrtln-and
fInpn tNsuE No naf14Nnnga Va..4 l.. IL
fellows tones. There's the -
est blow o. wind ms ever came
out o. the - - bowels o. the sky
or I'm q - - swnh as ever wos "
lie tumbeld from the ratllnes and
ran Mt to the break of the poop. his
face lifted earnestly In appeal.
Best let me lay an ax to the mlz.
zen, sir" he called.
My great-uncle took snun. calmly
deliberate.
Curb your fears. Martin" he an
swered. II have w~enthered a lifetime
Of gales In the Royal james. Take in
sail. Of course; but II we sacrificed
n mast needlessly 'twould cripple us
for weeks. Where away is this wlndf'
Martin waved an arm across the
northwestern arc of the horizon.
Look for yourself, cnp'n. | be nn
old man. and | level seed the like"
Murray's reply was 10 swarm up the
mlzzen rigging with the uncanny nglli.
IS Of which he was capable. and
climbed after him. We were some
fifty feet above the deck when We saw
clearly with the naked Eye n vast
purple canopy nrchlng forward across
thg northern sky. u thing Of splen.
dldly colorful Intensity. snyngely beau.
tlful. Jagged strenks OF lightning
flashed forth from It's mlrky depths.
A uttered fringe OF storm-clouds
whipped out ahead OF II like the ten.
tncles Of some monstrous s~ea-creature.
And II advanced at an Incredible
ERa.H aANarlnw uuII.a - . 49,.