The Frontier, May 1926 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

16 rowed back to Kidd’s Mauley, with orders to fire from the peak as a warn- ing if any canoes were sighted; and, pointing out that there was no reason to believe that the island was inhab- ited, not a sign of smoke or movement having been seen when we approached it, he advised them to enjoy their out- ing without fear. “T’'ll send out muskets for two to stand guard, if you like,” he said, “and the rest of you have pistols.” This cheered the men visibly. With but five exceptions, all elected to re- main ashore. And, what rather amazed me, Fallon, Martin and Dumphey were among these five—young Newell and a youth named Johnston making up the remaining two. “Tf it’s the same to you, sir, I'll go aboard,” said Fallon. “Them bats, I think it were, has turned me stomach.” “T couldn’t even drink ale with the thought of them bones,” said Dum- phey. “Here too,” growled Martin. Their departure was greeted with jeers by the others, as might have been expected. “So much more ale though, for the rest of us,” one shouted. But Fallon, the glib-tongued Celt, for once had no response. “Why,” I whispered to Donovan, “Y’d never have picked those three to be squeamish.” “Ah!” said Donovan. “That’s a funny thing, now. Maybe you wouldn't believe it, but I tell you if one of them bats flew down and touched me, even, I’d be heaving Jonah for a week.” by CHAPTER VUI DONOVAN STAYS ABOARD + EVERAL events fia occurred that night hex| which we had cause to remember later, but which did not —with but one ex- ception, and this for a short time only—appear of any great importance at the time. It was a little after five bells—halt- past ten—and Uncle George, the judge, the skipper, Donovan and I were sit- ting on the poop, talking over the mor- row’s trip, when suddenly there was a thunderous report ashore, and the figures round the red blaze broke off in their singing and leaped to their feet. For a moment pandemonium held sway; some running to the boats, others discharging their pistols into the brush, and all yelling excitedly. THE FRONTIER “Cannibals!” I gasped, my heart sinking into my boots, so to speak. “My God!” Uncle George cried. “What a fool I was.” “Vun minute!” snorted Captain Van Tassel, He strode to the rail, lifted his voice, and bellowed, “Sing oudt, you lubbers. Vot in hell is der mad- der?” ““Something in the brush, sir!” a voice answered, coming clearly across the still water. Just then another voice in the brush rose above all the rest. “Stop that We Some held the snake aloft shooting, you lubbers! I’ve killed it. It’s a snake.” The captain sat down, chuckling ; the cries ashore changed to shouts of Jaughter; then, as men ran into the brush with torches from the fire, the laughter changed to cries of amaze- ment. A few minutes later one came running down to the shore to shout that they had killed a snake fifty feet long ! “Vell,” roared the captain, “enuff is enuff. You best bring him aboard be- fore you shooit der island full of holes.” The gigs came alongside not long afterward, with some of the men hold- ing the dead snake aloft for our in- spection. In the torch light it appeared truly monstrous. By actual measure- ment it was twenty-seven feet in length, and weighed two hundred and eight pounds. When cut open it dis- gorged a partially digested wild pig. “I were on guard, sir,’ a seaman named Nutter explained. “Getting tired, I moved about a little, and what did I step on, behind a bush, but this, all coiled up. Snoozing away, he were, and digesting this here pig—though wot he had in his belly I didn’t stop to think at the time, not me. And lucky for me the moon was up. Any- way, I just up and lets him have it through the head.” “And lucky for you that type does- n't uncoil rapidly, once asleep,” said the judge. “It’s a constrictor—a rock python, I’d say.” This exciting and unusual adven- ture not only brought all but the sen- tries on Kidd’s Mauley aboard, but kept us up for another two hours dis- cussing snakes, while the men finished their ale on the fo’c’sle deck. But finally I turned in; and then, an hour or so later, being unable to sleep for the maudlin singing going on forward, I got up and took a turn about in the waist. Dumphey and Martin were seated on a crate beside the bulwarks, drinking from a pannikin. “Ay, and we might as well have had a real bellyful of this!” Dumphey, not hearing me, growled to Martin, as I approached. But Martin, seeing me, made a lit- tle clucking noise with his tongue, and they were silent until [ returned to the poop. - Donovan was still there, and talk- ing to the mate. As I came up, the giant rose, yawned, and bade us goad night. A moment later we heard a crash in the companionway, and, running down, we found Donovan sitting upon the cabin floor. He was nursing his right ankle in his hand and swearing frightfully under his breath. “Stumbled on the companion,” he growled. “It’s that there weak ankle of mine. Flop one once, and there’s allus trouble with it.” We assisted him to his feet and into his little stateroom. He winced a lit- tle with every step, but when Uncle George thrust his head out and was told of the fall, Donovan waved of- fers of further assistance aside. “Tush—T’m not a _ baby!” he growled. “If you, Mr. Jenkins, would just get me a little liniment and a rag, V'll be right as rain come morning.” Expressing a hope that he would find the sprain only a minor one, my uncle and I then retired, leaving Jen- kins to minister to him; but, when we arose in the morning, Donovan hob- bled out with his ankle heavily band- aged and announced ruefully that we must go treasure-hunting without him. “I rate a nurse,” he growled, dis- gustedly. Of course we commiserated witi him; but there was nothing to do but leave him aboard ship, so we went on with our preparations. Uncle George and the captain hold- COnnicloooxkS. com