, 1926-04-07
CHAPTER X
The Treasure Ship
III

1880 az az
boat she towed astern and a half
dozen swarthy fellows commenced to
pull 1t toward US. He INDUCED in a
pinch of snuff and took his station
by the starboard rail at the break of
the poop. Peter and l followed him.
Besides us there was only Martin,
who stood aft by the man at the
wheel.
The rowboat was as infinitesimal as
an insect in those tossing wastes
out the man at the steering-oar guided
1t with uncaHny skill, up the toppling
crests that threatened to crush it,
down the dizzy sleeps that bade fair
to hurl 1t to the oceans oozy bottom,
and brought it to rest a scant fifty
feet from the James hull, his long
sweep Tending and twisting to main
tain the position. He was very dark
and lean, with bare, corded limbs and
a sinewy trunk covered by the rem
nants of a cotton shirt and trousers.
His hair was a strlngy black. His
voice, when he spoke in answer to
a sign from my great-uncle, was
harshly rhythmical, III what he said
| could not understand, for both he
n Murray used Spanish.
My great-uncle asked two questions,
both brief, and he answered as briefly.
My great-uncle waved his hand again
he dug his steering-oar into the crest
of one of the monstrous surges, and
the little boat shot away like a round
shot from a gun. A few moments
later we saw them make fast to the
-T.Az ~-N Loo pHAav1
The sloOp hauled her wind and beat
off to westward in long, slanting
lacks, and the James was once more
alone in the western mouth of the
Mona passage, HispaniOla a blur in
the north and Porto Rico somewhere
out of sight southeast of us.
Murray busted a second pinch Of
snuff into his nostrils as he turned
from the rail.
"Our three weeks waiting hath not
been in vain" he aid "The Saints
sima Trinidad was to sail from Porto
Bello within the forty-eight hours after
Diego put forth. She will be up with
us in another five days. The fools
have delivered her into our hands.
BY her sailing orders, so Diego told
me. she must hug the south shore Of
Hispaniola, that she may be within
easy run of Santo Domingo in case Of
accident. AS for the nights. she'll
be lighted up like Bartholomew
fair.
ia. It's all right II dot Englishman
we sighted last week don't find a
frigate," said Peter.
Murray's face fell n trihe.
yes, we have always that TO reckon
With" he acknowledged. "Stap me-,
] see NOT what the fellow could have
suspected to send hin killing from u.s."
"If he suspected us, why not some OF
the other craft that nave passed us
on our beat?" ! interJected. There
ha' been plenty"
My great-uncle pointed TO the white
ensign floating from the mlzzen-
truck.
They were all SpanIards or French
men," he answered. '"They took us
for a kings ship. No, there's little
chance Of Interference. II there is"
his jaw squared-"I1l hunt the San
tisslma Trinidad into Cadlz port"
Nothing happened that day or the
next. And so three more days passed
with increasing tension. The look
outs In the crOsstrees were relieved
every two hours, that the mems vision
might be fresh and unstrained. Thu
sixth day was Ike It's predecessors.
blazing hot, bubbllng the pitch out of
the deck-seams, a gentle sou'enst
breeze barely sufficient to keen the
sails drawing. Daylight found us far.
ther to the south thar we usually
piled, since Murray feared the Span.
lard might have missed his reckoning
and shifted the designed course he
was TO follow.
Noon observation saw us returned
90 our customary station, and 10 guard
against the possibility that the San.
tissima Trinidad had passed us In the
heat hnze whilst we were beating up
from the south my grent-uncle ran
down the wind Into the mouth OF the
passage for several glasses. We en-.
countered a fishing. perlngua then. and
the Indians Of It's crew shouted back
10 Murrny's question that no great
ship had entered the passage that
day. So bach again we beat to wind.
NuTu lhe Nhole Wehry AFTERNOON.
In the shad0wy hour hat precedes
the dawn the hall anne from the
masthead
Lights -hol"
How do you make them1" Murray
trumpeted.
"Red and yellow, owe and under"
answered the min crosstrees.
"very good" replied my grent-uncle.
master Martin. pipe all hands TO
breakfast. and serve an extra ration
of rum"
ave. aye. sir" sighed MnrtIn.