Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

46 ‘“‘And now,” she went on briskly, stop- ping to pull the ears of Three-legs who came up and threw himself at her feet, “what say the men? They will not listen to your desires to return to England. Per- adventure they have something to sug- gest.” ‘Ay, that they have,’ he answered, bringing his fist down upon the rail. ‘““They propose to go where they list to seek pur- chase.” ‘“‘Purchase!”’ “They needs must have more gold, and so would gain further booty from the Span- iards in these seas.” “What!” she cried. ‘Would they then turn pirate?” “Turn pirate, at her wonderingly. they are pirates!”’ 99 says he at this, looking “My God, Madame, CHAPTER XI PIECES OF EIGHT OUNG BARNEY McGIGGEN, his red rag of a tongue curling from the corners of his delighted mouth, and his countless freckles sparkling in the tropical sunlight like so many specks of gold, had leaned over the rail close by them, absorbed apparently in a school of flying-fish, dis- porting themselves in the waves. But his ears had drunk in all that had been said. “Faith, then, Mademoiselle!’ he cried, his ireckles vanishing for an instant as his grin deepened. “If we are pirates, praise God, we have lost the best one among us, for never did I see a man more fitted for the trade than Yellow Eyes.” “Lost him?’”’ demanded Nancy wonder- ingly. ‘‘What mean you, lad?” “Nothing, save that we shall never see him again. He’s gone!” “Gone?” “Faith, and he was after being in the ‘longboat when you cut her adrift.” ‘‘And good riddance, too, I say, if this be true,” interrupted Captain Stillingfleet. ‘Tis true enough,”’ moaned Nancy. “I recall it all. I was the last one over the side just now when we took the ship. The dumb man was lying there in the bottom of the longboat, too weak to move, unable to cry out, and in the excitement of the fight I gave him not a thought.” Tears ed. Adventure sprang to her eyes. ‘‘He will die, I know, of hunger and thirst, for he was all but dead when I hauled him out of the hold of the Baptiste.” She ran to the stern and scanned the sea, then climbed into the shrouds that she might have a wider view. Seeing all around her naught save the boundless waste of water, she called aloft to the lookout, but the sailor replied that no sign of the long- boat could he see. ‘We must go back, Captain Stillingfleet,” said she, coming down from the rigging and joining him upon the quarterdeck. “I can not abandon the wretch to so horrible a fate.” : “‘Ods-fish! what is it to you?” he answer- “‘The fellow hath been but a menace to you since first he kidnaped you in France and brought you thither. We are all well rid of him. Never, I think, did I see so repulsive a human. He had the eye of a devil if ever I saw one.” _ “What you say may be true, and I have no cause to feel pity for him, but he is one of God’s creatures and I can not abide the thought of leaving him alone in all this desert with neither food nor drink.” ‘There was some water left in the cask,” replied ,Captain Stillingfleet indifferently, “enough, mayhap, to last him a day or two. But I do believe he is dead by now. In all events it would be a hopeless task to search for him, for we have taken no ob- servation since we seized the ship, and know not where we are, nor whence we came, nor how the currents set in these parts, nor anything soever, save that we have sailed before the wind. To look for him would be a waste of time.” “But you will bring the ship about and try,’ she pleaded, laying her hand upon his arm. “T could not, if I would. The men, with half of them lying in the scuppers from their gluttony, would refuse me even if they were able to, and I would but force an issue that I would defer until a more favor- able time. So you must give it over.” “Faith, he’ll turn up again, Mademoi- selle,’’ said Barney, wagging his head know- ingly. ‘“That fellow was never born to die —he was born to get killed.” Whereupon Captain Stillingfleet, with a great laugh, clapped him so heartily upon the back that Barney was lifted from his feet and went off rubbing his shoulder. COMmichoooks (©