Arizona state miner., 1926-04-24
CHAPTER VIII-Continued
-

''By the - -, but l
hoped twas that - - Flint come
R-seekin' mischief" he complained
''Where is Captain Murray" l an
swered
SIN his cabin"
And in the same mild manner he
continued to his men:
ITO your stations. Remember
cap'n's orders. Now these two are
aboard, yell fire at any boat that ap-
proaches and challenge afterward."
The negro lackeys stood aside as
we came to the cabin entrance under
the poop; the door was open. Down
the dark tunnel Of the companionway
with its stateroom doors on either
hand Peter and I could see my great
uncle sitting at the table in the main
cabin, glass Of wine at his elbow,
a chart spread out before him.
I recOunted briefly our conversation
with Flint and the determination Peter
and had reached in consequence.
He nodded agreement with it.
"You did quite right, Robert. Peter
did not exaggerate the dangers inher-
ent in the situation"
"You will excuse me-" he went on,
eff 1 return to my studies. 1 have
much upon my mind"
We bade him good night and went
to our stateroOms weary enough from
the unwonted exercise of rowing AS
AhoA
measuring distances in the Caribbean
with calipers, and jotting figures upon
the margin Of the chart
In the morning all hands were oc-
cupied with the task of careening the
ship. Twas when the work was pro-
ceeding satisfactorily that my great
uncle bade Martin tell off a dozen
hands who were good shots and call
away the iongboat.
81 marvel that you dare to leave
the James in this defenseIess condi-
tion," l said to him as the longboat
pulled off up the anchorage past the
silent bulk of the Walrus.
''There need not necessarily be
danger this afternoon" he said "'Tis
all quiet ashore, and l doubt if there
is a man sufficiently sober aboard
the Walrus to carry carton Of pow
der from the magazine"
''But by evening they'll ha' slept
it off," 1 insisted.
"True, and with it their lust for
bloodshed-for the time being, at any
rate. Our problem then will be to
turn Flfnts mind to some undertak-
ing which will divert his attention and
occupy him until we need no longer
be concerned for his whimsies."
We landed south of the first river,
below where Flint's party had held
their carouse, and proceeded inland
through a wooded valley, with hills
rising to right and left of us and the
Epyglass towering in the distance
The day was very clear, and the noun
tain's summit was a gray cone against
the blue of the sky. Even our sullen
hangdog escort of seamen became al
most CHEEKY under the influence OF
their changed surroundings, and with
the sight of their first goat they began
to whoop and shout like SchoolbOys
Murray, despite his age, was as spry
as the youngest of us, and he never
wasted a shot.
We had maintained a brisk pace
on our wanderings, and we reached
the site of the spring we'll before
sunset. My great-uncle surveyed the
situation with a calculating eye, esti
mated the stand Of timber on the hills
sides, and exclaimed that there was
no neighboring eminence whence al
enemy could command it.
"'Tis all you have asserted 1t tC
be-" he said. Moreover, it gives me
an idea Of a way in which we may
occupy the energies Of Captain Film
and his lambs for the ensuing weeks
of our stay"
A thread of smoke trickled up be
side the mouth of the rfvulet in the
woods along the estuary, and indi
Gated 1t to him.
~There Ia Flint" l said.