The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-07-09
CHAPTER x

III

came ABOUT ana lay TO unQer our lee
quarter; nor did he exhibit excite
ment when she unloosed the small
boat she towed astern and half
dozen swarthy fellows commenced to
pull 1t toward us. He INDUCED In
pinch of snuff and took his station
by the starboard rail at the break of
the poop. Peter and 1 followed him.
Besides US there was only Martin,
who stood aft by the man at the
wheel.
The rowboat was as i2fnitesimal as
an insect in those tossing wastes;
but the man at the steering-oar guided
IT with uncanny skill, up the topping
crests that threatened to crush it,
down the dizzy sleeps that bade fair
to hurl 1t to the oceans oozy bottom,
and brought 1t to rest 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 stringy black. His
voice when he spoke in answer to
sign from my great-uncle, was
harshly rhythmical. but what he said
/ could not understand, for both he
and 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
sloop and leap aboard, one by one.
The sloop hauled her wind and beat
off to westward In long, slanting
tacks, 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 said. '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
"Js, it's all right II dot Englishman
we sighted last week don't find a
frigate," said Peter.
Murray's face fell a trife
'Yes, we have always that to reckon
with" he acknowledged. "Stap me,
/ see not what the fellow could have
suspected to send him killing from u.s."
'If he suspected us, why not some of
the other craft that have passed us
on our beat?" / interjected. There
ha' been plenty"
My great-uncle pointed to the white
ensign floating from the mizzen-
truck
'They were all Spaniards or French
men," he answered. "They took us
for kings ship. No, there's little
chance of interference. II there is"
his jaw squared-"Tll hunt the San
tissima Trinidad into Cadiz 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. The
sixth day was like its predecessors,
blazing hot, bubbling the pitch out of
the deck-seams, gentle sou'east
breeze barely sufficient to keep the
sails drawing. Daylight found US far
Their to the south than 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
TO our customary station, and to guard
against the possibility that the San
tissima Trinidad had passed US In the
heat haze whilst we were beating up
from the south my great-uncle ran
down the wind into the mouth of the
passage for several glasses. We en-
countered a fiShing-periagua then, and
the Indians of its crew shouted back
to Murray's question that no great
ship had entered the passage that
day. SO back again we beat to wind
ward the whole weary afternoon.
In the shadowy hour that precedes
the dawn the hail came from the
masthead
Lights ho!"
'How do you make them?" Murray
trumpeted.
RED and yellow, over and under.
answered the main crosstrees.
''Very good" replied my great-uncle
Master Martin, pipe all hands to
breakfast, and serve an extra ration
of rum"
"Aye, aye, sir" sighed Martin
Sand here's to luck, - - my
eyes -
The dawn came all at once, as II
magician had waved his wand. The
red disk of the sun lifted over the
horizon And it was day. Westward
perhaps half a league, a great shiE
was wallewing toward us before the
freshening wind The coloring Of heI
fgurehead sparkled in the level rays
which touched her dingy canvas ane
turned the sails to cloth-of-gold, The
gaudy banner of Spain tapped witt
a spendid insolence In the pure light
"She is heavy-laden !" exclaimed my
great-uncle, staring at her through hi