Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 35: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Days of Morgan fear. I have turned loose the English pris- oners in the fort—and here they come now.” And with this up they came in a rush, Bras- de-Mort leaping to his feet and putting him- self upon the defensive.” ‘Nay, friend, for my sake!” cried Cherie, laying her hand upon her husband’s arm. ‘Desist, I pray you, and make no alarm. The girl hath found means to escape from this frightful place, even as you and I but a moment since were wishing we might do.” ‘‘An’ that be your wish, ’tis easily enough granted,” said Nancy. “For we propose to seize the ship and go away.” The men had hurled themselves upon the boat by now, lifting it in their strong arms, and bore it to the water and launched it, Cherie in her amazement remaining still in the bow. Bras-de-Mort had jumped upon the beach. Some among the Englishmen knew him, and hailed him, and offered him passage with them did he choose to go, seeing that he was a friend of the English girl. Then they scrambled into the boat and got out the oars. “Be quick, my friends,” said Nancy. “You have but a moment to make your choice.” , “Sacre bleu! I am a fatalist,’” said the Frenchman with a shrug, and waded out to shove off, as there came from the settle- ment the sound of a shot and the roar of men’s voices. “Yellow Eyes hath found a way to give the alarm,” cried Nancy, “or else a spy hath come down to where we are and dis- closed our purpose to the rest. Pull, men!” f THEY bent to the oars, and the longboat shot down the creek on the ebbing tide, Bras-de-Mort in the stern where he had hurled himself at the first alarm. Torches were gleaming now among the palm-trees, and presently a volley of musket-balls whistled over their heads. It was lighter over the water, away from the shadow of the thick tropical for- est of the island, so that they had no diffi- culty in making out the ship’s lights. By the time the cattle-hunters on shore could load their pfeces and fire again, they were under her stern. Dropping noiselessly along the ship’s side, they made fast at the beak-head, and so gained the deck over the forecastle. 3 Nancy, Three-legs in her lap, felt herself lifted in a pair of strong arms, so that she was able to half-push, half-throw the mas- tiff aboard, and then, clambering up by the mainstay and the foretacks, followed him. The men did not wait to go up by the lad- der, but clinging to the scupper-leathers, dragged themselves up in a twinkling. Two of the watch came running forward at all the commotion they made, sltepy- eyed, and wondering. They went down like ninepins, and rolled into the scuppers. Nancy, hearing at her side the husky voice which she recognized as Jim Rimble’s expressing to himself a doubt as to whether or not he would find a bottle of brandy handy, turned in time to see ‘him leap for- ward upon a familiar figure. It was Pierre, the bushy-bearded Pierre, and although she could not see him very clearly in the dark- ness, she fancied that his little eyes were blinking and snapping with a rapidity un- usual even for him. She shouted out a warning to him, and Pierre, recognizing her voice and compre- hending at last that the ship was taken, disappeared into the forecastle like a fright- ened rat. Another volley sang out ashore, and they could see the flashes of fire from the mus- kets. But they were too far off now to worry as to this. He of the vibrant voice hurled a dozen quick commands at the men, who answered him with cheery “Aye, aye, sirs.’”” “Pass the cable along aft there, boys,” he called in the darkness. ‘‘Walk it along! Walk it along! Lay aloft aft there, you lub- bers. Take the gaskets off those sails and let everything go by the board. How’s your wheel there, Mr. Helmsman?” Nancy and Barney sprang for the wheel and put it hard to port. Her stern came around at this, and the Baptiste dropped down the cove on the ebbing tide. Out- side, clear of the land, a flying, light breeze laid her over. ‘“‘What’s the matter with the old tub?” shouted the voice again. ‘‘She’s as light as an empty jug.” ‘All her cargo has been unladed,”’ Nancy called to him. “T thought so. Boys, look alive now, I say, you’ve got your work cut out for you this night.” The last man to come aboard, the fellow to whom Barney had passed his knife on the top of the hill, had cut the painter and CoMmichoooks 33, ; CO