30
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, MARCH 18, 1900.
TMJTLE oftfe WINDS
By J.COCiTr -
PiftureS by G.A.SffiPLEY
Synopsis of Previous Chapters.
Sir James Stanofleld. of New Mllns, In com
pany -with his grandnon, young Philip, meets
in an lnnhouse his son Itillip nnd his son's
paramour. Janet Mark. Ther quarrel. Sir
James goes home, taklnr along: hla grandson.
That night he la murdered by his dissolute eon
and Janet Mark. They take his body outside
and lay It on an ice floe. In the effort to
fasten the crime on other shoulders. Bat the
boy Philip has witnessed the crime. He tells
his grandfather's chief tenant. Umphray Spur
way, and Spurway succeeds In having the real
murderer brought to Justice. He la sentenced
to be hanged, and his woman accomplice to be
transported. Mysteriously, rhlllp Stansfleld es
capes the gallows, seeks out hla wife, finds her
In the company of Spurway, nnd tries to mur
der her. but does not quite succeed. She Is
taken away to Abercalrn for sure, leaving her
eon. young Philip. In charge of Spurway and
In the company of little Anna Mark, from
whom he learns that In some ways girls are
worth quite as much as boys. For example. In
the time of the cattle droving, when Master
Spurway bought hla winter beasts in the mart.
Anna beat Philip In heljnns" to cut them ouU
Still, they are excellent friends, even though
ehe beats him at her studies in the school to
which they go together. John Stansfleld, Phil
ip's lawyer-uncle, brings In a new teacher.
Dominie Rlngrose, a small man. with wonder
ful eyes. Shortly after his coming the country
side Is chocked and thrilled with a number of
bloody and mysterious murders, evidently for
the sake of robbery. Business calls Umphray
Spurway from home. In his absence a big
packing case, purporting to be full of flne
Spanish wool. Is delivered to Will Bowman,
Umphrays clerk. He puts It In the weaving
rihed. That night Philip, playing about it.
sees shining through the gauze of the packing
case a pair of eyes. He calls Will -Bowman,
who counts three, then stabs the packing case
with a small sword. Blood flows. They open
the ea, and find Dominie Rlngroee Inside, ap
parently dead. Shortly After the house Is at
tacked by robbers, whom. Rlngrose had mennt
to let In. They are beaten off, but afterwards
Philip's mother refuses to let him spend the
holidays at New Mllns. Returning from a day's
visit to New Mllns, Philip falls In with Saul
Mark. Anna's gypsy fattier, who. under pre
tense of showing him Sir Harry Morgan's
treasure, makes him a prisoner. Anna finds out
his plight, and leads Umphray Spurway on hla
track. By the help ot nls silent partner.
Provost Gregory Parian. Saul Mark, super
cargo of the ship Corramantee. Imprisons both
Anna and Spurway, robbing Spurway of much
money and a portrait of Philip's mother.
Philip, the elder, who is In league with Saul
Mark, takes the portrait and sends young
Philip away. Leaving Spurway Imprisoned,
Philip Stansfleld the elder goes out In Spur
way's cloak to his wife' house, and by threats
dnduces her to go aboard the Corramantee.
Anna and Philip make friends with Eborra. He
ehows them the secrets of the Island, and where
Sir Harry Morgan's treasure Is, guarded by
Fer-de-lance, and his hosto. Eborra has scented
a boat, in which he plans to escape with Anna,
Philip, Mrs. Stansfleld and his mother; also
Will Bowman, who Is In the pirates' clutches.
The pirates sail away with two or three ships,
but a new difficulty arises It is Mrs. Stans-
field's fear to trust herself in the boat. At last
ehe Is persuaded. The boat starts, encounters
other pirates, but Is towed safe away by a
monster devilfish. The boat reaches Puerto
Rico .In safety, and its Inmates approach a
convent, asking help.
'(Copyright, 1898, under the name of "Little
Anna Mark." by S. R. Crockett.)
(Copyright, 1800. by S. R. Crockett.)
CHAPTER XXXVII. (Continued.)
Now I lay -watching the stars and listen
ins to the rushing of our boat through
the water. By moving slightly I could
let Anna rest more easily on my shoulder,
and at the same time watch the great
Jlsh darting tirelessly along underneath
us. The jolly-boat did not always ad
vance at the same speed or even In the
same direction. And it may have been
Imagination or reality, but true It Is that
whenever Eborra' s mother, crouched prone
In the stem like on Infernal figurehead
carved In den&est ebony, thrust out a
hand to right or left, I saw the great
devil-fish swerve from its course, like a
horse that answers the bridle.
And at this a shiver ran through all my
bones, and even Anna, lying warm and
soft against my shoulder, could haraly
bring back the heat to my heart.
So all througfc. the night we swept on
and on The water about us swayed and
slept as If It had been a child's cradle
hooded by a vault of stars. "We were
no more the center of a whole school of
the demon-fish. The rest had long ago
stayed their course or turned aside. But
this one, devil-possessed or compelled by
some dour resolution of its own nature,
rushed onward tirelessly. Now It slack
ened a little, and anon started forward
again with a sudden tightening Jerk,
which brought the heart Into the mouth,
as with a plunging surge the bows of the
Jolly-boat were pulled welPnlgh under
neath tho water.
I might have thought that "Will Bow
man also slept, had it not been for the
occasional dip of his steering oar. which,
however, for the most part he let trail
behind him, useless as a duck's broken
wing.
"It is nigh to the hour of the zombis!"
said Eborra, behind me, speaking in a
whisper, with his lipe close to my ear.
"And what are the zombis?" I asked
him, without moving, for I could not
alter my position for fear of disturbing
Anna.
"They are the spirits of the dead," he
answered, solemnly. "They come when
my mother calls them. It Is they who
have entered into the devil-fish; soon they
will depart. You shall see!"
3 So in a kind of quivering awe, which
may have been partly the effect of the
chill of the night and partly the wind
caused by our rapid transit, I waited. The
speed of our boat seemed to grow greater.
I could see the two smooth, wing-like Jets
of water from our bows stand up six
inches at least above the planking. "We
had assuredly all gone to the bottom had
our jolly-boat been of the ordinary sort.
But she was exceedingly broad in the
beam, and shed the waves freely to either
side of her, like a bluff-bowed sea-coal
bark from Newcastle plunging round the
Nore with the wind stiff at her tall.
I knew not what I expected to see, but
at all events I was ready for any spectral
manifestation. Yet the zombis delayed.
A strange, unnatural light, changing from
pale green to Jivld red, rose out of the
sea ahead of us. "We heard a roaring be
hind us. like a mighty wind among the
trees of the forest, whereat Anna awoke
with a start of fear and looked up In my
face, crying, '"What is it, Philip? "What
is It?"
"Look! Look!" answered Eborra, point
ing behind us. as it were, over "Will Bow
man's shoulder. The stars, twinkling
many-colored through the dewy tropic
night, were blotted out by a dark-peaked
shape that advanced rapidly upon us,
Bushing1 a,, black cloud upward to the
zenith. An uneasy wnwi awoke and blew
furious, sudden-ceasing gusts, this way
and that. Yet still we sped on, and the
dark mass pursued us.
"It is a waterspout! God help us!"
groaned Will Bowman, pulling the hood
further over my mother's head, that she
might not see.
"Do not fear," answered Eborra; "it is
also Obeah!"
Even as he spoke the dark mass ap
peared suddenly to divide and pass to eith
er hand of us. Then, for the first time, I
perceived that as it went the sea ridged
upward in its path, and then sank again
like a whipped dog. The old witch woman
had risen to her feet now, and stood as
she had done at the first blotting out of
that strange, changeful band of light to
the north. The Jolly-boat lay, as It were,
in an eyot of still, black water, while all
around were roaring floods and fickle,
tormented water.
Tho twin dark shap2s swept past as
swiftly as if we had been standing still.
All was whirling vapor about thorn, and
they looked most like a pair of gigantic
hour glasses, spinning like a boy's top
about to fall. And as they had divided
behind us, so tho waterspouts (If indeed
such they were, and not demons of the
deep raised as the witch of Endor raised
Samuel out of the abyss), began to ap
proach each other ahead of us. It seemed
as If we must rush upon them to our de
struction. Then Eborra also stood up, and, with
his face all shining with the ruddy light
out of the north, he, too, held up his arms.
I could see the iron hook sharp and black
against the bright sky.
"Hear us, great Voodoo!" he cried?
"hear us, spirit of power! We are thy
priests, thy papilol! Let the spirits of the
dead return to their place!"
Then suddenly, with a flare that blinded
us, the levin bolt leaped from cloud to
cloud. The thunderclap deafened our
ears. The black shapes sank down as by
magic. And out of a heaving sea of milk,
curdled on the top with winking foam
bells, there seemed to rise strange shapes
that floated upward and hovered and van
ished. Batlike they were, and yet strange
ly human In suggestion. We watched
them open-mouthed.
"They are but the mist or spray from
the falling of the waterspout!" murmured
Will Bowman, speaking as if to reassure
himself. For so the Englishman had
taught him to regard ghostly things. But
even I knew better.
"We thank thee, Voodoo! Great and
worthy shall thy sacrifice be!" cried Ebor
ra, still standing up, erect as a spear
stuck In the ground, though the boat was
now heaving over the suddenly raised
waves of the milky sea.
Then Eborra turned to Will Bowman.
"Steer," he said imperiously, as if he
had been the master of us all; "keep her
head to the north!"
I looked over the side. The boat was
no more rushing along with the double
Jet of spray whimpering from her bows.
She lay heaving Idly on the creaming sea
of curd, and trembling a little all over,
like a horse which has run a race.
"Tho devil-fish is gone!" I cried joy
fully. "The spirits have departed upward, and
tho beast has gone to his own place!" an
swered Eborra.
I looked again at the witch woman. She
had bent over the verge and was now
pulling In, hand over hand, the anchor
chain she had let down In the morning,
when wo were pursued by the pirates'
boat.
As she hauled in the dripping slack she
laughed a laugh hard and metallic as the
rattling of the links as they fell from her
hand into the bottom of the boat,
CHAPTER XXXVIIL
The Chain Ganff.
When the true morning broke we saw
before us the end of the sea adventure.
Directly in front the blue and purple
mountain ranges of a continent or great
island rose out of the ocean. To east
and west the shore line extended, edged
with an endless line of surf, save only
where some cavern bit a hole in the
white sea roller, and sent forth In token
of victory a noise like the lowest notes
of a trumpet.
The sun shone on a pallid company as
he set his fiery forehead above tho ocean.
Only my mother was at all like herself.
She awoke later than the rest of us, hav
ing slept soundly through the night. She
sat up, blushing like a girl to find her
self in the presence of so many, and as
by instinct her hands went upward to her
hair. I think she conceived that its
braids might have been disordered by the
hood of tho cloak in which it had been
nestled.
"I crave your pardons," she said gent
ly; "are we nearly home?"
I know not whether she had a vision
of Great Marlow and the pleasant woods
of Cliveden over against it, or whether she
thought of our little whitewashed house
at the quay corner of Abercorn. Most
likely, however, she was only dazed with
sleep and uncertain what she said, speak
ing at random with being so suddenly
awakened.
Will Bowman helped her up to a seat
beside him, where she could feel the soft
fanning breath of the trade wind.
"We are near land," he answered; "the
peril of the night is quite passed away!"
"What peril?" she asked with surprise.
For, Indeed, she knew none.
"The devil-fish is gone," he said quietly,
"you are quite safe."
"I am hungry," she answered, speak
ing more than ever like a child.
And I think her words reminded all of
us that it was many hours since we had
touched sustenance of any kind.
Then it was that Eborra became the
servitor he had been aforetime quick,
silent and serviceable. He was here and
there with dried meat (which he shaved
thin with his knife), rye bread, and the
milk of the cocoanut served in half ot its
own shell. Eborra had waited on even'
one before he would consent to bite a
crust himself.
As for the witch-wife, she lay in a
seeming trance in the bows of the boat,
her head on a small coil of rope, and
the end of the chain, all chafed and pol
ished, still clasped in her hand.
Suddenly my mother paused, with a
bit of bread half-way to her lips.
"We have not said a blessing!" sbe
cried, "and after what we have gone
through! Shame on you, Philip. . Say a
grace at once!"
But being taken, at a short and with
a great chunk of bucan (or dried West
India meat) between my jaws. I could
think on nothing except the beginning of
the Lord's prayer, and that I knew well
would not serve me. So I only choked and
was silent. At the same time Will Bow
man had great trouble with his steering
oar, turning him about and looking over
the stern of the boat.
"Think shame of you all." my mother
cried, shaking one slender forefinger at
us; '"you are not thankful to a merciful
I will e'en say tho blessing
And with that she bowed her head and
did so.
Eborra, with a curious look on his face,
uncovered him of his broad-brimmed pal-
j metto hat, and we (that Is, Will and I)
awkwardly enough followed his example,
Then, with a reproving stare around at
us all, my mother went on with her
breakfast, only complaining a little of
the taste of the water, which, as I have
said, had been put fresh from the spring
upon the Isle of the Winds Into the two
foreign liquor casks wo had stolen from j
the beach.
Then after this we fell to our oars, and
made good progress toward the land,
THE 3IONK CAST
The water still heaved after the storm ot
the night, but the milky and curded ap
pearance was clean gone. Only a slight
cloudiness In the blue of the sea re
minded us of the perils we had passed.
The coast lay before us very plain to
see. It seemed as If we must reach it In
an hour. Yet It was late afternoon be
fore we passed the islands, which guarded
tho entrance to the yet unseen harbor.
Two great cliffs stood up on either hand,
bare and steep to the xop, save for the
strange growths, tufted and prickly, which
clung to every crevice and drooped from
every crag.
Each one of us expected to see a settle
ment within as we glided through the
opening; but when we rounded the las:
point none appeared. The bay was girt
by the unbroken wall of the tropic forest.
We had left behind us the rollers thunder
ing carelessly on the outer cliffs. Within
the narrows of the strait these still moved
forward with an oily motion, spreading
greatly Into a fan-shape as the harbor
opened out.
As we entered this place and saw the
free wind-blown Carib sea shut behind us,
a greater fear fell upon our company
than had possessed us when we were be
ing towed we knew not whither by tho
devil-fish.
A strange silence brooded all about us.
The drumming of the breakers upon the
reefs without dulled itself into a far
away sough. There was not a breath of
air. It was a relief when a huge bumble
bee, six times the size of those about
New Milns, blundered Into the boat and
then clumsily blundered out again, boom
ing away, undismayed and lusty, toward
the green forest wall.
We looked about for some landing
place, but for a while saw none. Every
where a tangle of roots and leaves, creep
ers and twining vines grew riotously down
to the edge of the water. The waves
hissed and sucked among the slimy roan
grove stilts, upon which, in hideous array,
sat thousands of horrid vultures, motion
less, as If they, too, were part oj inani
mate Nature.
Such was my mother's horror of these
foul birds, which sat with drooping wing
in strained attitudes upon the grcen
sllmed roots and bedropped rotting
branches, that nothing would do but we
must pull out again and follow the curves
of the shore, seeking another landing
place.
At last Eborra, who had gone to tho
stem of the Jolly boat, pointed with his
hook.
"Enter there," he said; "a boat has
passed that way not long ago."
The place, to our unaccustomed eyes,
certainly did not look promising. It was
merely a low, broad ditch, choked with
green vegetation. Gray mudbanks
sloped down to the water's edge, and
there was a smell of rotting leaves every
where about.
"That Is fresh water!" said Eborra,
And soon we were pushing our way.
Will Bowman and I, through the rust
ling leaves of the water lilies, which, all
twitcning witn me, pulled as eagerly
away from us. Several times the boat
was brought completely to a standstill,
hut Eborra leaned over and pulled us
loose with his hook. In a quarter of an
nour we were iree, emerging into a
clear, amber-colored creek, bordered by
solemn aisles of cypress trees.
Suddenly Anna Mark gripped my arm
with one hand and pointed forward with
the other.
"Look! look! Philip; there is a man!"
she whlnpered eagerly.
I looked as I was bidden, and there,
sure enough, at the end of a trodden
path, which ended in a little landing
place between tufts of the plant known
as "Spanish bayonets," stood a man as
tall of 6tature and gray .of beard as
though he, too. had grown up along with
the cypress trees and had acquired some
of the gray moss which clings like mist
about their branches.
Now, in all my life I had never seen
anything resembling- this man, yet In-
Providence,
myself!"
ft Mj-i & YW " e -W1s 1
stantly knew him for a popish monk.
He was beyond tho stature of ordinary
men, "bareheaded, and wrapped from head
to foot in a long black robe, with a
cord. knotted loosely about his waist.
Instinctively we turned the bow of the
boat toward where the man. stood, and.
as we came near. Will hailed him in
English.
"Can we land here?" he asked.
But the man made no reply, continuing
to gaze fixedly at us as we advanced.
Then Eborra stood up and said some
thing In a language sweet and melan
choly of sound, which I guessed to be
Spanish, And at this the man slowly
lifted his hand and pointed to a low
bank, as if to guide our boat thither.
Eborra continued to speak as we ap
proached, and soon we were alongside.
Will leaped out first, and I helped my
mother to land upon a small pier of shell
marble. She, however, was so cramped
with so long sitting still that she would
have fallen if Will had. not caught her
in his arms. Whereat very pleasantly she
smiled and thanked him.
The rest of us sprang out one after the
other, but before coming on shore him
self, Eborra handed out his mother up Into
my arms.
I was astonished when I took hold oi
her. The old woman seemed hardly
j heavier than a "bird trussed for the table,
l When I had set her down, I looked
around, and lo! there was my mother on
her knees before the priest or monk or
-whatever he was. and hU hands were
stretched out over her head, which made
me very unreasonably angry, for I might
have remembered that my mother had
few of my advantages, having been
brought up among Episcopalians, who,
after all, arc little better than papists. As
for me, thank God, I would not kneel to
any pope or papist living,
Then the monk, still without speaking,
watched us tie up the Jolly boat, and.
motioning us with his hand, he turned
him about and stalked up the path be
ONE CONTEMPTUOUS GLANCE, AND
tween the sentinel tufts of "Spanish bay
onets." And now there wafted across us the
sound of a pleasant thing the ringing
of bells far away In the silence of the
wood. And It came to our ears sweetly
and solemnly, like the first psalm sung
in the kirk on a summer sacrament morn.
We followed our guide In order. First
went Will and my mother Will support
ing her with one arm and fending olt
from her with watchful eye and ready
hand the prickly plants which flourished
on either side the way. I followed next
with Anna. Then came Eborra and his
mother.
As we proceeded the sound of bells grew
louder and somewhat less mellow. Then
after a quarter of an hour we began to
arrive. First there appeared a wide
clearing in the forest.- Bearded pines and
cypresses had been felled, and Instead of
them young live caks whispered In friend
ly fashion, like companions who take each
other's arms to tell their secrets.
Across this open glade we marched
straight upon a stretch of lofty wall,
llchened like the trees, and already
weather-worn and ancient. This barrier
was flanked with towers, In which the
mouths; of cannon made little black O's
full of purposefulness. Then came a low
door, but our guide did not open It. In
stead he turned to the left and skirted
the long, featureless boundary wall, In
which there appeared only here and there
a crucifix or a little shrine of the Virgin,
gay with fresh paint and gliding.
At the first break in the wall we turned
to the right, passed through a sort of
stockade and found ourselves In a street
crowded with small wooden booths and
tinkling with the rln of hammers upon
anvils.
Our guide strode on, and we followed.
But we had not gone far when a cry went
up, and we began to hear the tread of
feet hurrying toward us from every di
rection, and to see many people running
and crying to each other. Some of these
were casting off blacksmiths aprons, that
they might run the faster. Some (these
were women with dusky faces) shrilly
bade their men folk wait for them till
they could come or so, at least, I Inter
preted their querulous crylngs.
Presently we became the center of a
throng of quaint dresses, "whose wearers
pushed and strove and elbowed about us.
But our guide swept his staff to right and
left, smiting them with the soundest of
thwacks. Whereupon they fell hastily
back, one treading on the toes of an
other. Presently we stopped before a gate,
or midway between two gates facing each
other at the distance of rather more than
100 yards. Our guide turned to that on the
left hand, and we followed him.
He lifted a knocker shaped like a
crucifix and knocked loudly. A wicket
opened in the little door at the side of
the larger gate, and a face looked
through a face which might have been
that of a marble knight upon a tomb,
so strong and purposeful it seemed. For
the brow was hidden In a white napkin.
as though bound up for the grave, and
i from the dead whiteness of the skin large
dark eyes looked forth mournfully and
hopelessly.
I The monk said something in a low tone.
and stood aside to let the guardlani of the
portal see us. Then the little wicket shut
to again, and behind us we heard the
buzzing murmur of the crowd and the si
lent breathing of many folk.
We stood there for what seemed a long
space, the westering sun throwing our
shadows tall and black on the blazing
whiteness of the wall.
Then the little window was again
opened, and this time another face was
seen; also a pale face, and enwrapped
with the same mournful swaddllngs.
But the features were more delicate, and
a certain quick frailty of temper had
thinned the nostrils and drawn furrows
across the brow. Our guide bent cour
teously and began to speak. Then there
ensued between them a long whispered
colloquy. When this was finished, the
monk turned to us and said something in
Spanish, which I did not understand.
"We are to retire, you and I and he,"
Eborra translates briefly, pointing last
at Will Bowman.
With much regret, and because we are
helpless among so many, I let Anna go
from my side, and left the three women
standing together. The monk himself also
stepped back, with a bow low as a rever
ence before an altar.
Then I heard the pallid woman behind
the grating begin to speak la a low and
pleasant voice, and Eborra's mother ut-
tering replies In Spanish. But the words
were Inaudible to me, even had I under-
stood the language.
Then the door opened, and first the old
witch woman entered, then my mother
who was so dear to me and lastly Anna,
As the door shut upon the three I start
ed forward, as If to go, too, but Eborra
laid his hand upon my arm, and tha
monk motioned us Impatiently to follow
him. He turned Into the gateway to the
right, uttered a word through a barred
wicket, and In a moment more we found
ourselves within the great walled Inclo
sure of the monastery of San Juan de
Brozas.
And to a Northern boy the wonder of It
the hourly growing surprise! I saw
scores upon scores of brown-clad monks
moving here and there, their dismal array
laced and beaded, with black-robed
priests, white acolytes and boys wearing
purple undervests of silk. Curiously
enough, I thought first of what Mr. John
Bell would say to a sight like this.
This monastery of St. John of Brozas
was built throughout of a stone like coral
hard, white and a little crumbly. Its form
a great oblong. At one end, that oppo
site to where we had entered, rose the
church. The rest of the Inclosure was gal
lerled and arcaded about. Shade trees
sprang everywhere. Fountains spouted
and plashed. Little streams were crossed
by bridges small as a child's toy. The
OXE ONLY, IN THE DIRECTION OF THE
white walls were so aglow wlth the airy
scarlet of creeper, so crowded with close
ranked geranium, that It seemed as If
many cardinals' robes had been, hung out
to dry. Beyond the palmettos In the
square, through whose leaves we caught
the glint of metal, they were building
something huge and white. I could see a
long string of men carrying mortar in
wooden boxes on their shoulders. The
fierce sun sparkled upon something that
connected the files and swung in mid-air
between them, while to our ears came the
faint tinkle of metal. The men were
chained together.
At that moment, from the gable of the
church (a beehlve-llke prominence of
which formed the belfry) a bell began to
ring, and we heard the low chant, th6
words of which seemed to begin with
"Ora pro nobis! Ora " and I recalled
enough of my Latin to know that that
meant "Pray for us!"
Still we followed our guide, passing
close by the chain gang. We now saw
that the men were guarded by swarthy
musketeers, each with a gun over his
shoulder and a sword girt by his side.
Gigantic negroes, armed with whips,
stalked along the ranks, each with a
dignity of a Nero cut in ebony.
Will Bowman had fallen a little behind
with Eborra, so I hastened to place my
self beside the monk who had brought us
thither. The hymn had put It into my
head that I would try him with some of
my shanty Latin.
"Who are these men?" was what I
tried to say.
He stopped in an astonishment as great
as if his ass had spoken to him.
"You are a cleric," he said. And though
he pronounced the words differently, yet
I understood him well enough. Whereat
I began to be glad that Umphray Spur
way had made me learn by heart George
Buchanan's Latin psalms, one each day
for a. whole year, which he declared to be
the only worthy literature that Scotland
hath ever produced.
"No, I am no cleric." I replied.
It was wonderful (so I thought) how
easily the speaking of Latin came to me!
And on the spot I began to plume me on
my talent for languages.
"Convent-bred, then?" he continued,
glanchlng sideways down at me.
"I am. not." said I.
"How, then, do you speak Latin7"
I pointed silently to Will, who had come
up with Eborra. We had halted under
a tree, and there was now only a foun
tain with many Jets between us and the
chain gang. The swaying leaves and the
hush of the water falling softly on wet ,
marble were certainly most soothing, nut
somehow that continuous tinkle of swing
ing links over by the new building mis
liked me greatly. Also, I was anxious
about my mother.
The monk, on whose face there appeared
never the shadow of a smile, bowed to
Will.
"You are learned?" he said, in the same
curious Latin.
Will modestly denied It, but I struck
In boldly.
"He Is a very learned scholar," I said.
"Of thl3 I will inform the abbot," he
said, and again turned to precede us.
But I pointed to the gang of laboring
prisoners, from the far end of which had
Just come a sharp cry, as the knotted
lash of the black overseer's whip fell
across the naked shoulders of a lad halt
ing under a burden. I trembled to kill
the brutal striker.
"Who are these?" I said Indignantly,
"and by what law are they chained and
beaten? Are they murderers?"
The monk cast one contemptuous
glance, and one, only, In the direction
of the chain gang.
"These are heretics," he said, as If tho
fact explained all.
And as I followed the trailing skirt of
his brown robe (not daring to raise my
eyes lest I should see some further hor
ror) I was by no means so sure that the
devil-fish had done us a good turn In de
livering us from pirates and bringing ua
from the Isle of Winds to underlie the
tender mercies of the monks of the mon
astery of San Juan de Brozas.
CHAPTER XXXDC
The Grand Inquisitor.
'JJBs excellency the grand Inquisitor!"
announced the tall priest who had hith
erto conducted us, and whom we after
ward knew as Brother Pedro.
A small, apple-cheeked, pale-eyed man
entered, smiling and dimpling, almost in
the manner of an antiquated beauty. His
head was thurst a little forward, like a
bird's about to peck, and the scanty hair
fringing It was a pale yellow hue, and
fell in a meek frill about his ears. There
was nothing really Spanish or grand In-
qulsltorial about him. He looked more like
a fawning debtor who arrives to ask an
extension of time from a stony-hearted
creditor.
"You have come" he spoke a curious,
halting English "from the sea with three
womans you have come. Sirs, you are
welcome to San Juan de Brozas."
"You are the abbot of the monastery?"
I spoke before Will could find words.
For talking to Anna had taught me quick
ness of speech.
"I am not the abbot. I am grand In
quisition. From Palos I have come with
300 heretics in one galleon, that they may
work m the plantations for the good of
their souls! Then, If they do not repent,
we will take other measure!"
"But, most reverend, you speak Eng
lish?" I suggested.
He smiled, seemingly well enough
pleased.
"I have been long time In your coun
try, spreading the holy religion! First
with James the King, and afterward (in
Dutch persecution and peril) under the
Dutch heretic William! But, alas! I have
much forgot. I speak him not well!'"
Nevertheless, in spite of his modest dis
claimers, he smiled like a boy who has
"trapped" his way to the top of his class.
"Sit down, gentlemen!" he added, Im-
CHAIN GANG.
mediately In an altered tone
"The abbot
comes this way!"
And the grand Inquisitor, blushing and
smiling at once, looked so like a pleasant
country dame that from that moment 1
began to be better satisfied with our lodg
ing in the monastery of San Juan de
Brozas.
We heard a step hustle along the pas
sage, the soft brush brush shuffle brush
of sandals worn by one who does not lift
his feet. The door opened and a man en
tered, at the first sight of whose face my
heart sunk within me.
He was a tall man, gaunt and hollow
jawed. His eyes, deeply sunk In his head,
shot out fire upon us. H!s very manner
was terrifying, and I could well imagine
him casting oiled faggots about the feet
of poor wretches condemned to die for
their religion. The grand Inquisitor re
ceived the abbot of San Juan with a gentle
purring deference, and made room for him
on the black wooden settle as a spaniel
dog might give place to a mastiff.
He said som -thing to the grand inquisitor
In a low tone, and then turned to us.
"You are doubtless of the religion you
have escaped from their cruel English
plantations?" and the abbot bent his brows
upon us as he spoke.
"We have come from the Isle of Winds,"
I made answer. "We were carried thither
by pirates from our native land!"
I heard the whisper of Eborra In my
ear.
"If you wish to live and save those
whom your love, swear to the man that
you are of his religion! What matters it?
Swear!"
"From the Isle of Winds they come!"
said the grand inquisitor, translating Into
Spanish for the benefit of the abbot. Ana
at the word I saw him turn up his eyes
and cross himeelf.
"But you are of the religion?" he per
sisted, softly, and like one who insists on
doing another a good turn. The grand
inquisitor translated this time for our
benefit.
"I was christened of the Church of Eng
land," said Will Bowman, bluntly, after
his fashion, "and though I can lay claim
to little enough religion of any kind, that
is the religion I shall live and die In."
That was wel! enough said of Will, but
I was not to be set behind the door. No
Yorkshireman alive was going to over
crow me with his Epl3copianism at best
a poor thing to make a boast of.
"I am a Scot, and of the Scottish re
ligion!" I said as grandly as I could.
"What is that? I never heard of It!"
The speech of the grand Inquisitor was
more silvern than ever. Almost I might
say he purred.
'T am a Presbyterian," I replied, a trifle
nettled. "That la the religion of my coun
try!" "Say an opinion call It an opinion, and
I am with you!" he said, and continued to
smile.
"And you?" his eye passed on to Ebor
ra, "have you been christened in the
church of Inghllterra. or arb you also
of the Scots persuasion?"
To my surprise Eborra had shed his
manner of a King's son, and now met the
small, shrewd gray eyes of the grand in
quisitor with the broad grin which had
attracted me first on the street of the pri
vateer's village.
"I poor. Ignorant Yellow Jack," he
said, speaking thickly. "I know nothing.
But learn yes, holiness. Yellow Jack will
ing to learn everything!"
The grand Inquisitor nodded " pleasantly.
"Ah, that I3 better much better!" he
said. "Though your color Is that of Ham
the accursed, such willingness doei" you
more credit than your companions fair
faced stubbornness. But you may in
fluence them for good. The reverend ab
bot wishes you to have free access to
those of your race In charge of the chain
gang. Perhaps they may furnish you
with additional reasons for desiring In
struction In our holy faith, and In this
way your companions also ftnay come to
find the truth!"
"Give poor black boy your "blessing,
holiness!" said Eborra, jaieeung wiin a-
mlrable suppleness.
The grand inquisitor extended a couple
of Angers In a perfunctory manner, curved
thorn a little as If he were going to
scratch the head of a persistent cat. but
continued to keep hl3 eyes nxea stead
fastly upon us.
I was very angry with Eborra for thus,
as it were, deserting us in the face of the
enemy: and as for Will Bowman, he glow
ered at the half-caste as if he could have
slain him.
The abbot of San Juan and the Inqulsi
ter conferred together, the tall, dark
monk apparently persuading- his little,
plump friend to something against his
will.
"We had better look out for squalls,"
whispered Will Bowman. "I do not trust
that monk with the black brows. Tha
little one's our friend. I wonder what they
are whispering together about?"
But I had been making up my mind to
ask the inquisitor to give us a lodging In
some place where we could see and com
fort my mother. I knew well that she
would be In distraction away from us and
alone with Anna, whom she had never
liked.
"Most reverend," I began, "we have
escaped from a pirate island. My mother
and her companion have undergone many
hardships. I pray you try permit us a
lodging near together. The health of my
mother has long been weak"
The grand Inquisitor turned toward me.
smiled indulgently.
"Do not fear." he answered, "your
mother's health will be cared for by the
good sisters. I doubt not you will And
her much Improved when you see her
again. It la not customary for the sexes
to mix with each other In the religious
houses of St. John of Brozas and of our
Gracious Lady the Holy Mary!"
And with a little quieting wave of his
white, plump hand he turned again to his
consultation with the abbot.
Eborra stood apart in seeming dejection,
the broad smile gone from his face. He
caught my eye and nodded confidentially.
To this I did not reply, but averted my
eye, for I still was angry at his desertion
of us.
Presently the grand Inquisitor turned to
us agam, smiling In his most fatherly
fashion.
"My friend has agreed to provide lodg
ing for you," he said; "you must pardon
the roughness ot it. It shall only be tem
poraryI can promise you that. If I have
any Influence In this Island which I may
say I think I have!"
I answered that I had no doubt of it.
And that, whatever quarters he provided
for us, they would prove pillows of down
after the hard seats of the jollyboat and
the dangers of the pirate isle. It was
good, I continued, to find one's self once
again among Christians and brethren.
Ho struck a bell, and Immediately, as
if they had been waiting for the signal,
half a dozen lay brothers entered. We
could see a score or so of the tall negro
overseers collected In the shaded porch.
The abbot spoke rapidly to the lay
brothers, nodding his head the while, and
the grand Inquisitor continued to smile
subtly upon us.
"I bid you good-bye for the present." he
said; "you, young sir, of the Scots per
suasion, and you also" (he turned to
Will), "who have had the so great honor
of being christened In the Church of Eng
land. Many a good conscience and the
memory of your past privileges support
you!"
The monk who had flrst found us upon
the shore stood before us. He hooked
a beckoning finger at me and uttered two
words In Latin:
"Venlte, fratres!"
Wo followed him out Into the court
yard, among the whispering leaves and
plashing fountains. Will and I walked
side by side. But Eborra got no further
than the doorway. Here he found him
self surrounded by tho black men, with
whips in their hands. These all began to
talk at once. laughing and slapping each
other In noisy fraternity, Eborra grin
ning and talking away as fast as any.
Half a dozen of tho brown monks ac
companied us, talking low among them-
selves. These did not walk as If guard
ing prisoners, but rather like people ac
cidentally going the same way. In this
order we crossed the open square to tha
corner opposite the church. Then we de
scended a flight ot steps and turned Into
a cool passage. We heard a sound as of
dogs yelping, and began to smell the
smell of kennels.
Our guide flung open a door and mo
tioned us with a fling of nls arm to enter.
We did so. Will Bowman going first.
We found ourselves In a high, narrow
cell, the floor of earth, trodden hard.
Rings and wheels of Iron were let Into
the wall on either side. Rope and pul
leys cobwebbed aloft. The whitewashed
walls were stained here and there with
streaks and gouts of darkish brown. In
their nature very suggestive. The win
dows were set high up, defended by thick
bars of Iron. Three tall-backed chairs
stood on a raised platform at one end,
tVi mhoot Vialnc- r thk fTifrtllA nnH two
a little retired in support. Above thJ
center chair were the Insignia of the holy
office of the Inquisition.
I saw now where we were. The abbot
had played us false. Still. If we wer
to appear before the grand Inquisitor, I
felt that he would deal kindly with us;
for my liking had gone out to the little
shy man, with his soft voice and gentle
ways. On the other hand, I knew we had
no chance of mercy from the abbot. I
had mistrusted him at flrst sight, and
Will Bowman thought as I did.
So we stood there, wondering what
would come next: and my mind flew
to Anna and my mother, even when my
eyes were wandering among the maze of
wheels and ropes, overhead the purport
of iwhich I understood well enough, though
not the particular tortures for which they
were designed.
What would become of my mother and
Anna Mark? Would they also be shut up
in some den of cruelty and pain, or would
the sisters be more merciful, seeing that
they also were women? Before my mind
had reached any conclusion I was re
called to myself by the entrance of half
a dozen stalwart negroes. The first stag
gered In with a smith's brazier, and
charcoal smoldering red upon It. A sec
ond followed with a pair ot bellows upon
a wooden stand. Then came two others
carrying black loads of clanking chains.
They were all laughing and cracking
jests at each other's expense. Two gigan
tic guards, wlth muskets over the'r
shoulders and short swords by their sides,
brought up the rear.
The negro with the bellows was evi
dently a sort of master among them. Ha
set down his stand with an air of author
ity, then he looked closely at us, bend
ing his hams and laying his hands upon
his knees In the attitude which wo of
Moreham call "hunkering." After study
ing Will and myself for a minute with
bloodshot injected eyes the eyes of a
bloodhound scenting tho trail he slapped
his thighs suddenly and cut a high capor
with his feet. Then he cracked his heel3
together and crowed like a cock. Th8
monks had retired to the further end of
the chamber, where they stood, leaning
elbows on the black chairs and talking
quietly together.
"Ha, ha. ha!" broke out the huge black.
"If this here doan beat cock-flghtln,! Eng
lish by Gar! Me English, too Pcmpey
Smith my name. Once me live In tha
Carollnas. English overseer score poor
Pompey's back. Now Pompey have da
whip and score Englishman's back. Ha,
ha, ha!'"
Then he took hold of Will Bowman
rudely.
"Hold out your leg." he said. "I fit
It with one pretty bracelet. So! LIka
him so much you never take him off
not even when you go by by!"
He was stooping to take hold of Will's
knee when he received a direct left
handed blow between the eyes, and went
down like a log. Presently, however, ho
got up, rubbing his forehead, upon whica
a shiny lump began to rise.
(To Be Continued.)
"Hunger Is the best sauce." You will
have a good aDDetite if vou taica Hood's
1 Sarsaparillo,
Y
n