Arizona state miner., 1926-06-19

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be numbering and Staying and he that
was good man and kind-when he
wasn't in liquor-should lie in heath
en- ground?"
She leaped up, quivering with pas
sion lashed af1ame.
"Jacobite! The toe Of my boot to
the word and them that use it! Lit
tie enough hath 1t meant to me but
poverty and exile and the death of
her that bore me and now-and now
the padre-and now"
She fled from the cabin in tears,
and her stateroom door slammed aft
er her.
"Poor lass! Poor lass!" sighed my
great-uncle. "It hath been a trying
day for her. We must be lenient."
"You should be down on your knees,
beseeching her forgiveness, you who
wantonly dragged her into this dan
ger! p l snarled at him.
'Wantonly,' Robert?' he objected
mildly. "Certes, you should know bet
ter by now. Ny reasons were Of the
best, my motives Of the highest"
He rang the silver bell in front Of
him, and when Gum appeared said
"Send Coupeau to me-"
Then he turned to me again
"You, of all persons, Robert, have
least cause to censure me for Mis-
tress O'Donnell's presence"
II have most - I retorted hotly. II
am so unfortunate as to be related to
you, and therefore must be in some
measure a sharer of the obloquy at
tached to your deeds"
He wagged his head sadly.
"Words! What rash, unreasoning
words will not youth sponsor in it's
blind prejudices! Peter, 1 appeal to
you: Doth not my grandnephew lie
in my debt for my conduct in arrang-
ing for him the opportunity to squire
our little Irish maid?"
Peter drained a glass of brandy.
"You better not say any more, Muir
ray" he grunted. "Neen! Maybe
you say too much"
II had supposed myself the model
Of diplomacy" protested my great
uncle.
Peters little eyes twinkled behind
their protective rolls of fat.
ia, you been pretty smart, Murray.
But der smart feller, he has to look
oudt or he gets too smart. ia! Andt
when he gets too smart he Is in
trouble"
Coupeau,s hideous mask Of face
showed in the cOmpaniOnway entrance.
"Oui, m'sieu?' he growled.
can, Coupeau," answered Murray.
"a strange sail approaches the island,
perhaps Flint, perhaps another. To
us it matters not. We must entrench
ourselves ashore. The treasure and
sufficient stores for two weeks so
journ will be shifted to the stOckaded
fort on the hill north Of Captain Kidd's
anchorage. The men must work all
night again if necessary. Do you un-
derstand?'
"Oui, m'sieu." replied the gunner.
And Coupeau dumped off down the
companionway. A moment later his
hoarse voice split the quiet of the
ship as he commenced to bark orders.
"a stout fellow, Coupeau," COM
mented my great-uncle. II have never
regretted the salvaging of him. But
perhaps it would be as we'll If we
went on deck and lent him moral
support"
AS a mater of fact, there was less
disposition than we anticipated on the
part of the crew to object to this
new labor And the reason was not
far to seek. The transfer of the
treasure to the fort by the Anchorage
furnished them an opportunity to es-
tabish an intimacy Of contact with
it they had not known previously, an
intimacy alluring, stimulating, dis
composing. True, they already had
transferred the entire cargo of the
Santissima Trinidad once, had re-
moved the half of it from the Royal
James to the Dead Mans Chest, and
only two days since had broken out
the remainder for division with the
Walrus.
Peter and l, with MORA and Ben
Gum and Sclp1O, TOllOWeQ the main
column Of the evacuation about mid
night. Coupeau had led the first
contingent, some of whom we met re-
turning to the ship, to fetch a second
load of stores. My great-uncle was
to come after us with these and the
remainder of the crew, leaving be-
hind on the Royal James only some
twenty-odd men who had not yet re-
covered sufficiently from wounds re-
ceived in the two actions with the
Santissima Trinidad and the Walrus
to permit of their removal, and who
were made as comfortable as possible
on the gundeck.
/ noted uneasily that the groups
who passed us were talking eagerly
amongst themselves, with no appear
ance of the surliness to be expected
normally from any sailors put to ex-
ira work, although they fell silent as
soon as they saw who we were.
'They have never been drinking"
I 70 Dntnr