THE CRUISE OF THE FLYING FISH

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 253, 23 October 1907, Page 11

THE CRUISE OF THE FLYING FISH

BY OWEN FALL.

CHAPTER IX

WE SAIL FOR ISLE OF PDTES.

I won't try to teU the story as it was trtt mc by the old woman. It would be "possible - to give an idea of the tones gesture that made it so lite-hke; 1 «mld believe I saw and heard it all a≤ it took place. But the bare outline ol the story as I told it afterwards to Cap-en these: Pierre-though trom L 'hesitation of the old lady whenever she used the name I felt certain that it '--art bis real name—had aa enemy— Z£r enemies, indeed, but one in parti--nfer, named Begnier. who was a eapkin. and one of the senior officers ol SeVuard on New Caledonia. Pierrehad = quarreUed with this man about a mot convict 3 was bein = iII - t - reated ' U& had offered to fight the captain a dneL Ke<niier would'nt fight him. or course Then he called the officer a coward; and then he had Men beaten, br his orders. . "This had happened months oetore. when first Pierre came to the island, but a few weeks before I heard the story the same officer had recognised him among a workimr party on the road, and had insulted *»"""■ Pierre answered he struck him across the face with his cxae- then Pierre dragged him from his horse and beat him severely before the gnard could rescue him. He was tried fv court-martial and ordered to be floage'd; and when he had recovered from the- C fioggmg he was sent to Isle of Pines —the place from which, as the old lady siii none but the good God could rescue them. He would soon die. she said, now, ior she had heard a few days before that Captain Begnier-hsd been sent there as commandant of the convict station.

It was beginning to grow dark by the fine she had finished her story, and ilougi she begged mc to star till Jaques arrived to act as my guide. I decided to take my news tack to Cap'en Bill at once. The old lady rather embarrassed jnj Dy giving mc a 'warm embrace, and then I started for the shore. It was fortunate.that the forest track tras so different from our own at home, or I should- never have found my wa.y_ Even as it was I found it difficult, for the heavy shadows made it impossible to see lie tract and very often it was more by tonch than by sight that I managed to keep the tract. It was more than a little creepy, too; every rustle in the leaves made mc start at the thought of savages, and the heavy flap of a great; hat's 'wings more than ones made my lent stand stilL It was lucky I had teen accustomed to the bush at home, for Fm sure it gave mc some confidence, and at last, with a feeling of relief, I iiith» in sight of the fringe of palmtrees, -with the sea beyond.

"That yon, Sonny?" The hail came in. the hearty tones of Cap'en Bill's voice as soon as I came out of the shadow of the wood. '"I ain't a-sayrn' but what it's about time, neither, unless ye ■were fiiml-m , o , Bettlin' in New Caledonia. Give way, boys," he added, and in another imtant the bow of the boat grounded on the beach.

liras just going to tell my story as I took nnr_seat in the boat beside trat I felt Ms heavy nand laid waminsrlv on hit knee, as he went on: "Now. my lads; ii so be as ye wants yer supper, ye'd better give way, an , don't you forget it. Iheer aitft no time for hangiir , round, nor for talk neither, till we gets dear o , tHs thnnderm , reef."

I had sense enough to take Cap'en Effs hint and hold my tongue till we ■srere on hoard again and found ourselves a the cabin; then I told him the story I had heard from the old lady. When I had finished he sat for a minute without speaking.

"He tf Pines?" he said at last. well, come to that now, I ain't a-say-ffl , as ho-w ifs just the port I'd hey JEked myself, neither, not mc. I had ought to know, too. seem' as how I were ast away theer myself once: but what lays is this, Sonny,, wheer a EVomry can aake a middlhf landfall ain't too bad anmdhfs for an Englishman." '"Do yon. think there's a chance of °- e tpa? him away yet?" I asked, half risEg mmy excitement from the seat to ™f Cap'en Bui had motioned m c when i ile gave a short laugh. Well Sonny, I dnnno. but I ain't V ajm as how I've earned that thousand P°™s for the job, not yet; an' what I f*JS } is I ain't a-goin' home without ™a a try iar it—an' don't you forat

I at looking at him while he seemed Wife considering the question, for his |>*a tee live coals in the dim light l±^ m km P- At kst he looked S W &s old reckless smile to which I a grown accustomed" spread over his •** <ace more. , Som 3 r '" ie said. "I ain't aajm but what ifs time we was stowin' *°?e grab under hatches. You <ret laid out. ship-shape, an' I'll °ke "■£• alore y e could reef a topsafl." J* *?t °* task, and in a minute heard the word passed for all £?? A3 S* Order *» ol *yed: and <Ye riwT 14 -*"* hear the so,md of tte Iw J° ICe s P eaki «- I crept UP canTff 11 t0 *!"• I did so there Cap's, ICT , Clleer horn a* mm - Then t&Sv ye w f 5 ' ds - But - mM ftebJn U \ l ° n S shole J°b, this airft. there might he fightin' to be done, /anch whether, it's Frog^ es or ni |. to fight, that ' s WoTth takin ' * £ t? eU mc - if is a bit of gO UV2 Ch him ' ° r ther ° °"v deep out: " At - A y ™ i show us the course, make a try, anyhow!" WS LT , ' ladS; Vm there! **JiS SOU WSt b - v s Sam ** to* « «> be as he aenitf? * aihore »ah him this .

lt Wfe. »fiX m I Had. to sit "* an i «*t Si Ul> and tell him

person of importance, as everybody, from Alorgan downwards, was eager to hear everything I had seen and heard ashore. I was glad to get away at last from the carousel with which the men were celebrating the decision that had committed them to the attempt, the diffieultv and danger of which not one of them understood. For my own part I dreamt that night of adventures as wild as any I had ever read of in my books, and in everyone I was either the principal character or at least his chief assistant.

We were out of sight of land in the morning, and for two long days we held our course to the southward, with ligh, breezes that tried my patience to the utmost, and seemed to have an almost equally bad effect on the crew. Cap'en Bill alone seemed quite unaffected, but 1 noticed that he got out all the stock of arms on board, and set the men at work cleaning the guna and even grinding a dozen rusty-looking cutlasses he had found among the stores. In spite of this the time crept slowly away. On the afternoon of the second day Cap'en Bill had set a look-out man at the cross-tress, and as the afternoon passed slowly away I noticed that as he paced the deck the Cap'en's ere turned every few minutes to where the look-out stood, with his arm thrown round the mast! Then he would glance slowly round the horizon, as if he was looking for something, and then back again at that motionless figure. The sun was getting low when the figure moved at last. He put his hand to his brow, and seemed to be looking eagerly ahead for a minute or two; then he put the hand to his mouth, and the cry of " Land ho! " came down to the deck. •• Whereaway, then? " Cap "en Bill shonte in reply. The sailor pointed. CHAUTKR X. CAP'EN BILL- TAKES A PRISONER. The breeze had fallen again, and the sun went down before -we could see the land from the deck. We knew it was there, however, and our spirits rose in the near prospect of an adventure of some sort, though, as far as I could make out, none of the crew had ever been at the '• Isle of .Pines " before, or had any idea of the sort of attempt they misht find themselves called upon to take part in. Their one thought evidently was that there was to be fun of some sort, which would most likely include a fight, and the prospect was enough to raise the spirits of the reckless fellows who formed our crew.

I think we all watched with a certain amount of awe the great figure of Cap , en Bill that night as he paced the deck, his hands clasped behind him and his head bent forward, apparently buried ia thought. The word was passed round that Ca.p"en Bill was busy a-layin' off the course, and the men kept out of his wav, and talked in whispers of strange, wild adventures with which report had connected his name in every leading port in Australia. I sat listening to some of these stories, till I began to understand how he had such a Hold on the imaginations of the rough hands collected by Sam Morgan for this expedition aboard the Flying Fish. "

My first thought when I woke in the morning was to get a look at the land, and my disappointment was great, on coming on deck, to see nothing but sea on every side.

" Don't you go for to grizzle over that, youngster," was the comfort I received from the old sailor at the wheel, to whom I applied for an explanation. " He knows what he's a-doin' of, you bet. He made up his mind wot the correct course were last night; so he puts her about an' stands off shore. I reckon ho ain't anxious to hang about off shore in daylight."

1-ater on I found the old sailor had guessed correctly, for towards noon the course was altered, and about three o'clock the look-out man announced that land was in sight once more. There was a feeling of excited expectation aboard the schooner that afternoon. Nobcdy—unless possibly Sam Morgan—knew what Cap'en Bill meant to do, but everybody felt certain _that it would be something exciting; at any rate, there was a hundred pounds man banging in the balance. I could hardly control my own impatience as I followed Cap'en Bill about with my eyes, in hopes of attracting his attention and reminding him of his promise that I should have some share in whatever was to be done.

1 It might still have wanted two hours to sunset, and we were drawing in pretty close to the land. The crew were gathered about the bow, discussing the appearance of the island, and comparing it with others they had visited in the course of their trading in these seas. I was leaning over the bulwark, following with eager eyes every point and bay as we swept past them, and noting the long white line of the coral reef that followed the windings of the coast, on which the ocean swell broke with a sullen boom, which reached us though we must have been a mile off shore. The shore looked more beautiful, or, at least, it attracted mc more than any place I had seen before, as the sun shone full on its strip of silver coral beach, and glowed in a hundred tints on the sloping banks of shrubs and trees that opened the way into little valleys and rugged gullies that were almost choked with vegetation.

"Admiring o' the place, sonny? " Cap'en Bill said, stopping in his walk beside mc.

'• Well, I ain't a-sayin' but what it looks a heap bettern what it feels like, come to live there a while —leastways if so be as ye ain't just free to leave by the next ship: an' don't you forget it." "■ It looks a nice place," I said; " but I don't see any houses. Where do the people live? "

•• Well, sonny, I ain't rightly sure as how ve'd call 'em houses —not to say most on 'em. What d"ye say if you an' mc has a lock at 'era after four bells?"

'• Mc ? " I exclaimed, starting up and looking at him with excited eyes. He laughed.

"In course, sonny; didn't I promise ? But r mind ye, this ain't a. common lark, this ain't. This here means business. You do just what I tell ye, an' you'll be all right, you wilL An' more'n that, sonny, it's as like as not we'll get Pierre out o' this "ere scrape o' his."

I looked my promise at him, for in my excitement and delight I could, find no words.

"Right he was, sonny," he said, in answer to my look. ,; Mind ye take plenty o' rations aboard. This ain't none o' your empty jobs, this ain't."

I don't know how far I succeeded in obeying orders in this respect, but I did my best to eat a meal, and I know I was more than ready when four bells gave the signal that it was time to start. It was now within an hour of sunset, and the schooner had run, in shore till she was

within quarter of a mile of the reei, which now seemed quite close to us, though I -noticed that the sea no longer broke over it. The tide had gone down, and the smooth water lapped with a low murmur against the ridge of white rock that rose high enough to show plainly above the surface in the level sunshine.

(To be continued daily)