THE ADVENTURES OF LARRY BLAKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13905, 12 November 1908, Page 3

THE ADVENTURES OF LARRY BLAKE.

PUBLISHED Br SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

BY LOUIS RKCKE, • Author of "Notes From My South Sea Loir," " Sketches in Normandy," "By Reef and Palm." CHAPTER Xll.—(Continued.) The captain, who spoko Spanish well, invited them on board, and agreed to buy all the provisions for a moderate sum, but declined to have the liquor at any price. Whilst, however, he and 1 were paying the loader of the party in the cal)iu, him tome refreshment, the steerage passengers and some of our crow drove a bargain with the men who remained in the boat lor all the jars of mescal, which were uukkly passed on deck and carried below into the foc'sle. Our visitors, who seemed quiet, wellmannered people, with more Indian than Spanish blood in them, only remained with us a short time, after vainly pressing Barr and me to come on shore and accept their 1 hospitality. They told us that the country around their little town was very fertile within a certain radius, but that beyond it was ban-en and desolate in the extreme, there being uo water, aud the arid soil producing: only cactus. An hour or so after they had pushed to return to the shore a tike breeze sprang up from the north-west, and lifting anchor at once, we were soon walking away from the land in great style. Burr's keen eyes . presently noticed that many of the crew were half drunk, aw' inclined to be cither jovial or quarrelsome. On making inquiries from the mats ho was greatly angered to learn about the mescal, though, for the time, lie took no action. However, when eight bells struck, the steward came aud reported to him that the cook was in a. drunken sleep in the galley, and that dinner (Would be late. Barr, up to then, had never carried a pistol— least, aa far as I had seen. Calling the mate below he had a brief conversation with him, and laconically told him to get his '* shootin' iron" and come with him. I followed them on deck to see what was going to happen, anil us we emerged irom the companion-way we heard an angry exclamation from the second mate. It was addressed to the man at the wheel, who, not being sober, was steering " anyway." The man gave an insolent reply, and letting go the wheel told the otlicer tc "come and steer the ship himself." The next moment the mate felled the sailor with a blow from a belaving pin, and the second officer sprang to the wheel. At this time most of the crew were on deck, none of them sober, but in an instant they all, with the exception of 0110 man, ran, or staggered for aid and went below. Asking mo to take the wheel, Ban - , who was perfectly cool, then bade the mate and steward arm themselves and stand by. The one A.B. who had not gone off with the rest now came aft. aud offered to take the wheel from me. Barr nodded assent, and then he, tho two mates, the steward, and I went along the main deck to the steerage passengers' deck-house. Both doors v;erc closed, but quickly sliding one back tho captain revealed a pretty picture. boated at the table were the four passengers gambling as usual. On the floor wax, a jar of liquor, and the tilthy table was littered with tin mugs, piles of dollars, and slopped over with mescal, the smell of which, together with that of bad cigars, was most, sickening. Lying on the deck of the house with .111 empty mug in his band was one of a lie men in the mate's watch— quite incapable. " Hands up, you fellers," said Barr quietly, levelling his pistol at " BuckyV head. " Bueky' 1 made a quick movement- with his hand to get at the pistol in his pocket, but the French steward,-who was a power- j ful man, dealt him a smashing blow on the mouth -villi the butt of his .own heavy Colt's yif tij, and Mr. " Bucky"' went flying: backwards .with a crush. The'other three sullenly, handed over their weapons, of which II took- .'barge. Then the halfemptied. j<ii of liquor was pitched overboard, &ud " Bucky" was handcuffed by the second mate. r "Now,l look here, you fellers," said Barr. "jest you keep quiet inside this house until I tell you that you can come out. If I tec a head show outside that door before then, it will get a hole put through it mighty quick." . i : No answer being made, we turned and • left them, and went for'ard to find that the crew had secured the fore-scuttle from the inside. They refused to open it at the captain's demand. "We must get 'em out of that pretty quick, Mr. Curtis," observed the captain. " They will be setting the ship 011 fire with all that cust-ed liquor lyin' around. And there are five tons of blasting powder stowed in the for^-hold." A handspike soon made short work of the scuttle, and then Ban - and the second mate descended into the darkened foc'sle. A short but violent struggle ensued, and Bancalled out to. us to pass down a line. This was done, and in less than ten minutes lour of the seamen were hauled up 011 deck, feet first, and dragged 5 aside and laid on the waterways. /Two were merely drunk; hut the other-two had shown fight and had been badly knocked about, for their faces were s'yiothered in blood, and they were barely conscious. Then a light was brought, and the rest of the men (five) were driven up 011 deck at the pistol's point. Those who were sober enough promised to turn to and do'their duty again, and in an hour the matter was apparently ended-as wo of the after-guard imagined. Search was made ii- the men's bunks for the jars of liquor, and four , full and one nearly empty were found. These wore brought aft, and placed in the lazaretto, instead of being thrown overboard, as I imagined they would have been. But Barr was a manrough and almost cruel as he could be at times— a sense of justice. "These fellers boughtjthot pizeu with their own money, and whon we got to M'agdalena they can have it to take on shore with them, and drink it, Mr. Curtis. De«say, though, if they behave themselves, I'll lot them have half a gallon a day later on. They are a tough lot, but I'll do tho square deal with them, if they do 'the square deal with me." " I do not believe, Captain Barr," I ventured to nay, "that htivo secured all the ollas of liquor that came on board. I am certain that I saw quite ten in that boat, and so far we can only account for six. And I particularly noticed that when the boat • pushed off for tho shore there : was not a single jar left." This led to a further search, but nothing was found except some pistols and bowio knives, which were promptly taken possession of and placed in tho cabin. Then the forehold bulkhead was examined to see if it had been tampered with, and the jars i hidden among the cargo in the forehold. i But everything was intact at far as the | bulkhead was concerned, and tho men them- ) selves swore that they and the steerage j passengers had bought only six jars. CHAPTER XIII. % "Bucky" and his threo scallywag comrades behaved very properly durtpg the following three or four day's, anal tho crew j also appeared to be quite peniteit, obeying : the officers' orders with ai-icrityi So poor j Captain Barr and the two mates were lulled into a false sense of security, and only one man-~Hcnri, the steward— to have any misgivings as to the future. Ho went about his work with a gloomy face, scarcely speaking to anyone. One 'night, 01 rather early one ,morning, as the Dollie Sage was slipping the water at five or six knots oyer Ik gently j heaving sea, 1 was tormented with an acute j earache '«tiie after-results of a '.savage ear- 1 boxing 1 had been given by my brutal '■ music master in my Sydney school- days). | The second mate—whose watch it was on j —told me that Henri had a bottle of chloroform, and that I should soak a, bit of ' cotton-wool in some, and put it In mv oar. I went below, and to my surprise saw that a light was burning in the steward's cabin, the door of which was partly open and hooked back. I heard a sob, and looking 'in 1 saw that the man was on his knees I earnestly praying before a small crucifix, ! • which he had placed on the edge of bis bunk. I was; about to withdraw, when the sound of my booted feet caused him t<> turn. He at one? rose and begged roe to come in. I did so, apologising for tioubU-

ling" him, but) explained the cause. He cheerfully got me out a small bottle of chloroform, dropped some on a piece of cotton-wool,- and pressed it into my ear. The pain ceased instantly, and as I gave a sigh of relief I noticed that the man—who was a strikingly handsome blonde," with a carefully trimmed moustache and beard of the real golden hue—looked worn and distressed, while he had evidently been weeping for a long time, as his eyes were red and swollen. " Aro you ill, Henri?" I asked. " No, m'sieur,'" he replied in French, "nob ill in body, but ill in mind, and I have been praying to the good Cod to protect my poor wife and little son whom I shall never see again, for 1 know that death is near me." I was startled, and knew net what to say. He closed the door quietly, bade me sit down, and placed his hand on my knee. " Monsieur, this ship if doomed. It has been revealed to me that 1 and sojne others of the after-guard will be cruelly murdered by that bad man 'Bucky' and his comrades." "Who revealed this to you, Henri?" " God,'* he replied with a strange impressiveness. Then in quiet, whispered tones , he told me of a strange vision he had had the previous night, in which he saw Captain Barr, Mr. Curtis, and himself lying dead, with blood pouring from dreadful wounds. He 'went- on to say that on the following mornill!; lie had told Captain Barr of his dream, and begged him to put " Bucky" and his three comrados in irons, together with three of tho crew, whom he (Henri) named, for ho was sure that treachery and murder were afoot. But the skipper only laughed at bis fears. I was greatly impressed by- his earnestness,. ana readily listened to his suggestions. "I beg of you, M. Blake, to speak to the captain yourself. He may perhaps listen to you. ~ He thinks that my mind has become affected bv a mere silly dream, and that tho fear qf death by violence has upset my nerves'. But, monsieur, I am no coward. 1 have no fear of death in any form. But I have fear for the wife and child whom I shall never see again. They 'ive at Baton Rouge, in the southern United States, .and when I am, dead they will be friendless. They have money enough to last them for at least one year, and 1 have with me now ten twenty-dollar golu pieces, which I beg of you to take care of and send them, or the value Jof them, to the address written on the little packet I shall now give you. It contains a", few little trinkets, some of my dear Marie's letters to me, and a letter from myself." " But why give it. to me, Henri? I, too, if your visions should come true, may bo killed." "No, monsieur. You will escape. I did uot see you lying dead. Best assured. You will escape. . . And you will send the money to Marie?" " I promise to do so, Henri." "Good. lam content. I know that you will not fail. And now, monsieur, take this good little five-chambered Springfield revolver, and put it in your pocket. I know that you have a beautiful Smith and Wesson pistol, but a second may prove useful. I have another, and that other I shall perhaps be able to use when the time comes. Now, I shall dress and go on deck.' 1 . (To be continued daily.)