4
THE IRON PIUATE
A Vlain Tale of Strange
Happenings on the Sea .
By MAX PEMBERTOS
oo-
CHAPTER X. (Continued.)
"We must act now," said Roderick, "be
fore they miss- their man. They've stopped
the engines, and we shall"' drop behind
the others. There's only one chance, and
that is to surprise them. Let's rush it,
and take the odds."
"If I went," said Mary, "what could
they do to me? I'm going now; while
I'm talking to them they won't be looking
for you."
She Tan up the companion-way, stand
ing at the top; while we cocked our pis
tols and crept after her. Then we lay flat
to the deck, as she ran noiselessly amid
ships, and into the very center of the five
men. To our astonishment, they gave a
great howl of terror at the sight of her
for she seemed but a thing of shadow hov
ering upon the ship and bolted headlong
forward; while we rushed in a body to
the hurricane deck and faced Paolo. He
turned very white. Dan served him as the
other, and hit hira with his pistol, so that
lie rolled senseless off the narrow bridge,
and we heard the thud of his head against
the iron of the engine room hatch. He
lad scarce fallen when Mary, with the
laugh still upon her lips, reeled at the
ight( of him, and fell fainting in my
arms.
The skipper got the whole situation at
the first look. He came co us with a cou
ple of rifles. We were now all crouching
together by the wheel amidships, . for
Mary had recovered. By the full moon we
aw dark shadows across the hatch. The
men were behind the galley. The skipper
tailed them.
"You, Karl. Williams are you coming
cut now, for me to flog you, or will you
swing at New York? You've got a couple
of planks between you and eternity. . I'm
going to fire through that galley."
He raised his rifle at the wprd, and let
go straight at the corner of the light wood
erection. A dull groan followed, and by
the shadow on the deck I saw one man
fall forward; his blood ran in a thick
stream out to the top of the hatchway,
and then ran back as tae ship heaved to
the seas.
"There's one down amongst you," said
the skipper ; "but that's the beginning of
it; I'm going to blow that shanty to
pieces, and you with it."
He raised his rifle, but as he did so one
of them answered for the first time with
his revolver, and the bullet sang above our
heads. The skipper's shot was quick in
.reply ; and the wood of the shanty flew in
splinters as the bullet shivered it. A sec
ond man sprang to his feet with a shout,
and then fell across the deck, lying full to
le seen in the moonlight.
"That's two of you," continued the
eklpper, as calm as ever he was in Ports
mouth harbor; "we'll make it three for
luck." But at the suggestion they all
made a run forward, and lay flat ight out
by the cable. ' There we could hear them
blubbering like children.
They fired three shots as ,we rushed on
them ; but the butt ends of the two mus
kets did the rest. Three of them went
down straight as felled poplars. The
others fell upon their knees and implored
mercy ; and they got it, but not until the
skipper, who now seemed roused to all the
fury of great anger, set to kicking them
lustily, and with no discrimination.
We had the other hands up by this
They got them below at the first break
f dawn, and the dead they covered;
while Paolo, who lay groaning, we carried
to a cabin in the saloon, and did for his
broken head that which our elementary
knowledge of surgery permitted us.
As the day brought light upon the ris
ing sea, I looked to the far horizon, but
the rolling crests of an empty waste met
my gaze. Again we were alone. The
right's work had lost us the welcome
company.
CHAPTER XI.
It was near noon when we had buried
the two stokers shot by the skipper, and
more on in the afternoon before the decks
were made straight, and the traces of the
scuffle quite obliterated. But Paolo lay
all day in a delirium, and Mary went in
and out, bearing a gentle hand to the
wounded, who alternately cried with the
pain of it, and begged grace for their In
sanity. After the hour of lunch the skip
per called Roderick and me into the cabin,
"One thing Is. clear," he said; "you've
brought me on more than a pleasure trip,
and while I don t complain, It will be nec
essary at New York for me to know some
thing more or, maybe to leave this ship
Last night's work must be made plain, of
course; and this second oflicer of yours
must stand to his trial. The men I would
willingly let go, for they're no more than
lubberly fools whose heads have been turn
ed. But one thing I now make bold to
claim I take this yacht straight from
here to Sandy Hook; and we poke our
noses Into no business on the way."
"That's qnite right," I said ; "there's no
reason now why we shouldn't go straight
on If we don't meet with anyone to ask
questions on the way."
We all went out on deck after we had
agreed to let him have his will. We found
the first officer on the bridge, looking
away to the southeast, at the black hull of
a steamer. I noticed that she steamed at
a fearful speed, and she showed no smoke
from her funnels.
"Skipper," I said, "will you look at that
hull? Isn't the boat making uncommon
headway?"
"You're right. She's going more than
twenty knots. I've seen that ship be
fore," he said. '
"Where?" asked Roderick laconically.
"Five days ago, when she fired a shell
into the Ocean King."
"In that case," said I, "there isn't much
doubt about her intentions ; she's chasing
us !"
"That may or may not be," he replied,
as he raised his glass again, "but she's
the same ship, I'll wager my life. Look at
the rake .of her and the lubbers, they've
left some of their bright metal showing
amidships !"
He indicated the deck house by the
bridge, where my glass showed me a shin
ing spot in the cloak of black, for the
sun fell upon the place, and reflected from
it as from a mirror of gold. There was
no longer any doubt; we were pursued
by the nameless ship.
"What are you going to do, skipper?"
asked Roderick, as gloom fell upon the
three of us ; and we stood together, each
man afraid to tell the others all he
thought. -
"What am I going to do?" said he.
"I'm going to see the boats cleared, and
all hands in the stoke-hole that have the
right there;" and then he sang ,out,
"Stand by!" and the men swarmed up
from below, and heard the order to clear
the boats.
They, had all the grit of the old sea
dogs in them. The thought of a brush-up
put dash and daring into them ; they had
the boats cleared, the water barrels filled,
and the life-belts free, with an activity
that was remarkable. Then they stood to
watch the oncoming of the nameless ship ;
and when we hoisted our ensign they
burst again into a hoarse roar of applause
which rolled across the water waste, and
must have sounded as a vaunting mockery
to the men behind the walls of metal. But
they answered us in turn, running up an
ensign, and a cry came from all of us
as we 'saw its color, for it was the blue
saltire on a white ground.
"Russian, or I'm blind," said the skip
per, for the nameless ship, which five days
ago showed her heels under the Chilian
mask, now made straight towards us In
Russian guise.
I turned my eyes away to the crimson
arch which marked the hun's decline; I
looked again to the east, whence black
harbingers of night hung low upon the
darkened sea; I searched the horizon In
every quarter, but It lay barren of ships,
and soon the last light would leave us,
and with the ebb of day there was no se
curity against an enemy whose intentions
were no longer disguised. I say no longer
disguised. The skipper pointed to the
mast on the nameless ship, where the Rus
sian ensign had hung ten minutes before.
It was there no longer; the black flag took
its place.
"Pirates!" said the skipper; and then
he whistled long and loud and shrilly as
a man who has solved a sum. "Gentle
men, I said I would resign this ship at
New York; with your permission I will
withdraw that. I will sail with you
wherever you go."
He shook our hands heartily, as though
the discovery of our purpose had uncloud-l
ed his mind. But we had no time for full-.
er understanding, for at that moment the
air Itself seemed torn apart by a great
concushion, and a shell burst In the
water no more than fifty yards ahead of
us. Old Dan fired his gun into the air
with a great shout. Yet we knew that
all this was the cheapest bravado; and
when the skipper touched the bell to stop
our engines, I was sure that he was wise.
The great vessel rode still some quarter
of a mile away from us; but the glass
showed me the men upon her decks, and
conspicuous amongst them I saw the form
of Captain Black standing by the steam
steering gear. Soon their launch was
making for us. The boat came so near
that I could see the faces In it ; and three
of the five I recognized, for I had seen
them in Paris. The man who was in com
mand was the fellow "Koaring John ;"
and when he was within hail he stood and
bawled : ,
"What ship?"
"My ship!" roared back the skipper,
again looking at the mist-clouds, and my
heart gave a bound when I read his pur
pose; we were drifting into them.
"And who may you be?" bawled the felt
low again, growing more Insolent with ev
ery advance.
"I'm one that'll give you the best hiding
you ever had, If you'll step up here a
minute I" yelled the skipper. "You're com
ing aboard, are you? And which of you
shall I have the pleasure of kicking first?"
"Oh, you're funny, ain't you, and pret
ty with your jaw. But it's me that you'll
have the pleasing of speaking to, and right
quick, my mate, oh, you bet I" said Roar
ing John.
"In that case," said the skipper, with
his calmness well at sero : "In that case
you, Dan! Introduce yourself to tie gen
tleman. Dan's reply was Instantaneous. He
had up with his shot gun, and the long
ruffian, who had reached forward with
his boat hook, got the dose full in his
face. At the same moment the skipper
called "Fire 1" and the heavy crack of the
rifle and the sharp report of the pistols
rang out together. The very launch itself I
earned to reel under the volley.
"Full steam ahead!" roared Captain
York, as the nameless ship replied with
a shell that grazed our chart room. Then,
slinking his fist to the warship, he almost
screamed: "Bested for a parcel of cut
throats !"
There was no doubt about It at all.
The moment the yacht answered to the
screw the fog rolled round us like a sheet,
in thick wet clouds, steaming damp on
the decks; and twenty yard ahead or
astern of us you could not see the long
waves themselves. Shot after shot hissed
and splashed ahead of us, behind us ; now
dull, heavy, yet penetrating, and we knew
that the ship lay close on our track ; then
farther off and deadened, and we hoped
that she had lost us.
When I left the bridge it was midnight.
I was soaked to the skin and nigh frozen,
and the water ran even from my hair;
but a hot hand was put into mine as I
entered the cabin, and then a thousand
questions rained upon me.
"I'll tell you by-and-by, Mary. Were
you very much afraid?"
"I was a bit afraid, Mark a a little
bit ! I oh, I nursed Paolo he's dying."
The man truly lay almost at death's
door ; but his delirium had passed ; and
he slept, muttering in his dream, "I can't
go to the city Black; you know it let
me get aboard. Hands off! I told you
the job was risky;" and he tossed and
turned and fell into troubled slumber.
And I could not help a thought of sorrow,
for I feared that he would hang if ever
we set foot ashore.
"Gentlemen," said the skipper later,
"you owe your lives to the Banks; and,
please heaven, I'll see you all in New
York before three days."
And he kept his word ; for we sighted
Sandy Hook, and harm had come to no
man that fought the unequal fight.
CHAPTER XII.
It was about 6 o'clock in the evening
when we brought the Celsis through the
Narrows. Then the greater harbor be
fore the city itself rolled out upon our
view; and as we steamed slowly Into It
the customs took possession of us, and
made their search. It was a short busi
ness, for we satisfied- them that Paolo
suffered from no malignant disease.
For ourselves we went off to dine at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel. When dinner was
done I suggested that' Roderick should
take Mary through the city awhile, and
that I should get back to the Celsis, there
to secure what papers were left for me,
and to arrange, after thought, what my
next step in the following of Captain
Black should be.
I was driven to the wharf very quickly,
and got aboard the yacht with no trou
ble. There was a man keeping watch
upon her decks. I went to my own cabin,
getting my papers, my revolver and other
things that I might have need of ashore.
As I was ready to go back to the oth
ers I looked In Paolo's cabin, and, some
what to my surprise, I saw that he was
dressed, and seemingly about to quit the
yacht. This discovery set me aglow with
expectation. If the man were going ashore,
whither could he go except to his asso
ciates? Was not titat the very clue I
had been hoping to get? This thought
sent me forward into the fo'castle, where
Dan was.
"Hist, Dan !" said I, "give me a man's
rig-out a jersey and some breeches and
a cap quick," and, while the old fellow
stared and whistled softly, I helped to
ransack his box; and in a trice I had
dressed myself, putting my, pistols, my
papers, and my money In my new clothes ;
but leaving everything else In a heap on
the floor. As I came on deck, I saw a
shadow on the gangway. The man was
leaving the yacht at that moment, and I
followed him.
Once out into the city, and having turn
ed two or three times to satisfy himself
that he had . no one after him, Paolo
struck for Broadway, and thence with
staggering gait he made straight for the'
Bowery. At last, after a long walk, and
when the man himself was almost falling
from the exertion of it, he stopped before
an open door in the dirtiest of the streets
through which we had come, and disap
peared Instantly. I came up to the door'
almost as soon as he had passed through,
and found myself before a steep flight of
steps, at the bottom of which through a
glass partition I could see men smoking
and bear them bawling uncouth songs.
It was a fearful hole, peopled by fear
ful men ; all nations and all sorts of vil
lains were represented there; low Eng
lishmen, (Frenchmen, Russians, even
Chinamen ; yet Into that hole must I go
if I would follow Paolo to the end. I
pulled my cap right over my face and
passed through the swinging door.
The room was long and narrow ; bank
ed Its whole length by benches that bad
once been covered with red velvet, but
now showed torn patches and the pro
truding wool of the stuffing. ' I passed
quickly to a bench near the door, and
there sat wedged against a fair-haired
seaman, whose look stamped him to be a
Russian.
(To be continued.)
Came of the Stoop.
The Portrait Agent One notices a
great many stoop-shouldered' men In
this vicinity. Due to hard work, I sup
pose? Tlie Storekeeper Nuthln' else,
b'gosh. Totln' around the average crop
uv whiskers peculiar to these here
parts ain't no sinycure, I tell you!
Puck.
EENOWED JAPANESE SOLDIER.
General Baron Nogl, who was thrown
from his horse nt Toklo and BorloiiRly
Injured, won undying fame through his
capture of Port Arthur from the Rus
sians. He Is a Sumural, and Jh 57
years of age. He first achieved mili
tary renown In the war with China In
1894, when ho also figured In the cap
ture of Port Arthur from the Chinese,
the men under his command storming
successfully the famous Itzeslmn fort.
After he had wrested Port Arthur from
General Stoossel, In the Inst war, he
marched north with his troops, and
materially assisted In the capture of
Mukden, and the utter defeat of Kouro
patkln. Baron Nogl Is noted as a strat
egist and organizer, and has Berved as
Governor of Formosa. Before taking
i
GENERAL NOOI.
Fot that
Dandruff
There is one thing that will
cure it Ayer's Hair Vigor.
It is a regular scalp-medicine.
It quickly destroys the germs
which cause this disease.
The unhealthy scalp becomes
healthy. The dandruff disap
pears, had to disappear. A
healthyscalp means a greatdeal
to you healthy hair, no dan
druff,noplmples,no eruptions.
The best kind of a testimonial
"Sold for over sixty years."
A
Md by J. 0. Ayer Co., Lowtll, Mma.
hw BMuuiNiuriri vi
7 SARSAPARILLA.
PILLS.
CHERRY PECTORAL
yers
command at Port Arthur he participa
ted In the brilliant Japanese victories
at Kinchow and Nausuan Hill. After
the war opened he is alleged to have
expressed the hope that none of his
three sons would survive ; and, strange
to say, all fell victims to Russian bul
lets. - AN INDIAN MOSES.
More than Likely,
John Kendrlck Bangs was discussing
In a New iork club a case of plagiar
ism, says the New York Tribune.
"The man admitted that plagiarism
was suspected of him," said Mr. Bangs
smiling, "ue almost admitted It was
proved. He reminded me of a Yonkers
boy I used to know.
"This boy said to his chum one morn
ing: "'I hid under the parlor sofa last
night to hear what young Softlelgh
would say to my sister.'
" 'Well, what did he say?' the other
boy asked.
" 'He only talked religion and poll
tics, and he kicked me about thirty
times on the head.'
1 " 'He knew you were there, I guess,'
Bald the second boy.
I " 'I'm afraid he suspected It' "
FITS
rrve
Creek Chief Would Lead Hit Follow
er to Settle Mexico.
Chltto Harjo, better known as Crazy
Snake, a full-blooded Creek Indian, Is
planning to become the Moses of his
people. All his life
he has been fight
ing the government
In a vain endeavor
to prevent the ab
sorption o. his
home and the lands
of his people by
the whites and
now old and bro
ken In spirit he
sees the uselcssness
of the struggle and
would flee from the long-dreaded In
evitable. For Ave years he has teen
the leader of the more discontented
and resentful Indians of the Five Civ
ilized Tribes. Now he Is trying to dis
pose of all the land In the Creek na
tion that Is held by his followers and
lead them to Mexico to colonize there.
There he believes they can lead a nat
ural primitive life undisturbed by the
white man. Crazy Snake is 70 years
old, so that the task before him, even
if neither the United States nor Mexi
co Interposed objection, would be an
arduous one.
fit. Vitus' Dance and all Nervous Distance
nermaiiently cured br Dr. Kline's (treat
erv Reaiorer. Kend fur KKEE 12 trial bottle and
treatise. Dr. H. ILKllne, Ld., 931 Arch BU, Pulla.,?,
CBAZT SNAKE.
Quite a Difference.
"What!" exclaimed the angry mo
diste. "You mean to say that Mrs. De
Flasher used all the samples we sent
up to make a fancy quilt? Why, she
Is an old crank."
"But Mrs. De Flasher' Is worth a
hundred thousand. "
"Really? Well, In that case I sup
pose she Is eccentric."
"And she will Inherit half a million
by the first of the year." " .. i V
"Half a million? Why, write the
lady a note at once and tell her she
can have another bundle of samples
and compliment her on being so de
lightfully bizarre."
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY
Take LAXATIVE BROMO QUININE Tablots
Druggists refund money if It fails to cure. E, W
GROVE'S signature is on each box. 25c.
The Imperial Board of Health in Ger
many has issued a statement that "total
abstinence from strong drink, is not inju
rious to health."
Unmentionable.
"Let mo see," said she. "What Is
It you call these men who run automo
biles?" "Pardon me," replied the gallant
man, "I'm too much of a gentleman to
tell you what I call tbem." Philadel
phia' Ledger.
If men were relatively as" strong as
beetles' they could juggle with weights
of several tons.
Protected Proverb.
"You can't Judge by appearances."
Can't you, though! How else can you
Judge an actor but by his appearances?
"Never say die." Nice, prosperous
undertaker you'd make with that mot
to, wouldn't you?
"Give the devil his due." What's
the use of bothering, he's sure to get
It
"Seeing Is believing." Not always.
Your wife sees you when you come
home late from "sitting up with a sick
friend," but she doesn't believe you.
"Faint heart never won fair lady."
Well, what of It? Ours is a brunette.
Boston Transcript.
Christmas Adam.:
Mamma You have addressed your
letter "Mr. Santa Claus Adam." Why
did you put the Adam there, dear?
That isn't Santa Claus' name.
Edbble Well, who Is the Christmas
Adam, then?
"What Christmas Adam? I never
heard of one."
"There's a Christmas Eve, and there
ought to be a Christmas Adam, I should
think." Kansas City Journal.
How's This?
We offer One Hundred Dollars Reward fot
any case of Catarrh that cannot be cured bj
Hall's Catarrh Cure.
F. J. CHENEY A CO., Props., Toledo, 0,
We, the undersigned, have known F. J.
Cheney for the last 15 years, and believe him
perfectly honorable in all businesa transac
tions and financially able to carry out any ob
ligations made by their firm.
W kbt & Truax, Wholesale Druggists, Toledo, 0.
Waldino, K inn am & Mabvin, Wholesale Drug
gists, Toledo, O.
Hall's (Jaiarrh Cure Is taken internally, act
ing directly upon the blood and mucous sur
faces of the system. Price 75c. per bottle.
Bold by all Druggists. Testimonials Ires.
Hall's Family fills are the best.
The leopard is the most cowardly ol
animals.
Onlr Teat.
"Is there any known test for true1
love?" asked the very young man.
"Nothing except marriage," answer
ed the home-grown philosopher. "If
that doesn't evaporate it you have got
the real thing." .. .
TERRIBLE TO RECALL.
Flret Prayer in Congrem,
The first prayer In Congress was
made, in 1777 by the Rev. Jacob Duche,
rector of Christ church and a man of
considerable learning. He afterward
turned traitor to the cause of Inde
pendence. The Sunday Magazine.
The Hldeona Dreaa Coat.
ConBlcence, which makes cowards of
us all, Is being abolished, but the dress
coat, which makes waiters of us all,
persists. Puck.
Many a rich man Is unable to offei
anything better than a poor excuse.
Five Weeks In Bed With Intensely
Painful Kidney Trouble.
Mrs. Mary Wagner, of 1367 Kossuth
Ave., Bridgeport, Conn., says: "I was
so weakened and
generally run down
with kidney dis
ease that for a long
time I could not do
my work and wag
five weeks in bed.
There was continu
al bearing down
pain, terrible back
aches, headaches
and at times dizzy
spells when every
thing was a blui
before me. The passages of the kidney
secretions were irregular and painful,
and there was considerable sediment
and odor. I don't know what I would
have done but for Doan's Kidney Pills.
I could see an improvement from the
first box, and five boxes brought a final
cure."
I Sold by all dealers. 60 cents a box.
I Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.