Arizona state miner., 1926-03-27
CHAPTER v
Aboard the Brig.


streaming across my face through the
thick, greenish glass of q headlight
and an odd feeling of contentment.
There was soothing swisshsh Of di-
Vided waters; and the brig herself
was swaying easily in following sea.
utter exhaustion, and l was at pains
not to disturb him as 1 slipped to the
floor, opened the door and entered
the main cabin This was deserted
save for the boy Darby, who was
curled up on the seat under the stern
windows, peering out at the briggs
creamy wake. He heard the door close
after me and swiveled round at once,
landing lightly on his feet as if he
had been to sea for years.
"Och, Master Bob" says he, 81
thought ye'd never wake up. All, it's
the grand, grand day. And do We
smell the brine in the air? It makes
the toes of your two feet dance,
whether We will or no-troth, 1t does.'
Twas impossible to nourish resent
of us. He was as naturally lawless
and immoral as a young wolf, but l
could not resist a jeer at his recent
transformation.
"And how does 1t seem to be a pi-
rate, Darby?"
"Oh, fine! Sure, 1 always knew l
wasn't intended for a bOnd-boy to run
errands and carry bales. All, it's the
grand life, Master Bob They tell me
himself" he jerked his thumb to-
ward the door of a stateroom opposite
that In which Peter and Iswere berthed
lis own uncle to We, and some day,
IL ye choose, We can be as great as
him. Faith, and 1 know what my
choice would be!'
''Is it your idea that pirates never
work" 1 inquired.
His face fell a trif1e.
Och, there's work everywhere We
go, bad cess to it But I'm to have
my own cutlass and two pistols for
my belt, and they say I'm good
luck"
UOOU HOW y Indl
"Sure, it's my hair, l think. Flint
him that this crew sail with by
usua1-he has a liking for a red
headed lad. Such as meself brings
him luck, so they swear, and Long
'Who?"
'LOng John-Misrer Silver, to be
sure-him with the one leg we talked
to by the shore yesterday-he says
Tu go far with Flint"
had to laugh at my own bemuse-
ment at the picture Darby's remark
called up. Yesterday morning at
this hour l had been laboring indus
triOusly in the counting room in
Pearl, street. And how much had
happened since then! I harked
back to- my setting forth for the Bris-
tol packet, the casual conversation
with the one-legged mariner-how
skillfully he had pumped me and an
nexed Darby to his plot the en-
counter with the Irish maid
With this 1 curbed my recollec.
tiOnS. Thought of Moira ODonnell
was unpleasant, for l could not rid
my mind of the suspicion that she
must be bound up in some way in
the schemes her father worked at in
cooperation with my great-uncIe.
But there l found relief in this
reflection Certes, her father could
be no worse than my relative; and
here was I, innocent of any art or part
in AIurray's devious ploys, yet tossed
into the grip of their mechanism as
Euthlessly as If my life depended
upon his success. And perhaps 1t
did. What more natural, then, than
that she was equally innocent? Aye
from the conversation betwixt the
two cOnspiratOrs L had overheard the
night before 1t appeared that she
was ignorant, probably in greater ig
nOrance of her fathers plans than 1
else how explain O'Donnelrs concern
upon discovering the character of the
men with whom she was to be thrown
In contact?
And this aroused a further recOl
lection. What was 1t the lass haC
said as we parted2
"Here our paths diverge."
Ahe would not have said that hat