The Frontier, May 1926 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

22 meant almost certain death for us; yet there were several points which almost made me laugh aloud. Every man there, including the recent deserter, Erickson, aped his new commander. Their heads were wrapped with col- ored scarfs; bright sashes adorned their waists; and they wore their head- dress cock-a-pie, over one eye, as Gentry did, and even attempted to im- itate him in the way he had of turning his remarkably shrewd eyes aside without turning his head, When they arose, and moved about, they swag- gered like a bucko mate ashore at a longshoremen’s picnic; when they spoke, they used tones at least an octave below those I had heard when they were honest hands aboardship. They used the most dreadful oaths, each seeming to vie with the others in coining new expletives; but whenever Gentry spoke, or reached out with his pannikin, it was laughable to see them fall silent instantly, or stumble over one another in an effort to serve him first. “Ah!” he would say, sitting there with his air of superb assurance. “Thankee for that, Bill. Here's luck!’ Or, having downed a potion, he would cry, “Well, now, you tell me this: does this sort of life beat being hazed afore the mast, with a few dol- lars when port is reached—or doesn’t it?’ Whereupon they would howl, and pound one another on the back in glee. “Here’s the way it is with me,” he said once: “I’m cap’n, and him as for- gets it will know about it, by the Fly- ing Dutchman! But you see how I am: I ain’t so high and mighty I can’t take a drink with them as is brave. enough to sail under the Jolly Roger. Dooty must be done, to be sure; ships can’t be sailed nohow without it; but once there’s no dooty to worry about, we live, Ah, but you made no mistake in jining Cap’n Gentry. Once we has the treasure aboard, why, we'll be roll- ing in money—rolling in it, I tell you, like drunken lords.” “Ah, Cap’n,” cried one, “and when do we go after it?” “Why, a day or too more, at this rate, and we'll have enough to laugh at ’em,” Gentry replied. “But where is the treasure, Cap’n?” Erickson asked. “Where is it?’ Gentry returned, in his easy, deep tones. “Well, now, men, I'll tell you: it ain't far from the waterfall. That much I’ll tell you. Best to play safe whenever possible— so I won’t tell you exactly where till THE FRONTIER “Scatter and find them, men!” we gets there. But in the meantime, mind—in the meantime—if anything should happen to me, it’s sewed up here in my shirt. The directions, I mean.” “Fair enough,” said Erickson; and the buccaneers chorused an agreement. As Gentry turned once more to young Jenkins and the men fell to singing, Killifer suggested going. We had at least learned one point; the ap- proximate location of the treasure. But I insisted on remaining in the hopes of learning more about their plans. It was well that we did. A half hour passed; I was beginning to itch all over and aching to ease myself, when suddenly a shot sounded from the direction of the cavern, followed by three more in rapid succession. The buccaneers were on their feet on the instant. “That wouldn’t be Allen and Thompson on Kidd’s Mauley, would it?” cried Jenkins. “Don’t think so,” said Gentry. “It’s nearer, No; it’s near that cave,” And suddenly he grinned. “Now, what would you say if it was more mates a-breakin’ away for to jine us?” His guess proved correct. Within a half hour we heard voices on the beach; and the butcaneers, who had resumed their places about the fire, leaped up once more, muskets in hand. “Who goes?” roared Gentry. “Five more to ship with Cap’n Gentry, sir,” came the voice of a sea- man named Latham from the dark- ness. “Come up, then, one at a time,” said Gentry. The five were shortly standing be- fore him: three white sailors, and two of the negro servants. “Well,” said Gentry, “what hap- pened? Ah, Nero,” to one of the ne- groes, “I see you're wounded in the arm. Here, there, Erickson, you take four hands and go aboard ship for that medical kit. Can’t let a new messmate suffer.” “It’s like this, sir,’ said Latham, when Erickson and his crew departed. “That damned hazer of a Dutchman sends out the five of us under the bos’n, O’Donnell, to cut more firewood. So I put it up to him, O’Donnell I mean, to go. Well, he wouldn't, he said, and with that Larry here hit him a clip with the butt of his pistol. He went down, and we started. But he got two shots at us, one getting Nero. We fired back, but don’t know whether we hit him or not.” “Anyway, you are here,” said Gentry. “Ha!” He paused to reckon. “Why, that makes us twenty-five now, and them—let’s see—only nine left. Men, we'll start for the treasure first thing tomorrow morning. Get round, now, and welcome your new mess- mates.” The men came crowding round; they pounded the new buccaneers lust- ily on the back, thrusting pannikins at them besides; and Lathan was just about to down his drink, after salut- ing Gentry, when he paused suddenly and held up his left hand. “TI almost forgot!” he cried. “That young Bellew and Killifer are here somewhere spying on you.” “What?” roared Gentry. “Scatter and find ’em, men. Lively, all hands!” But before one could move Killifer thrust his musket forward and fired. The shot struck Latham in the fore- head, and he pitched backward into the fire. My own musket thundered a second later, but, though I had aimed at Gentry, he seemed to leap aside, as if warned by instinct; and someone behind him cried out in pain. Then Killifer and I were off, running for our lives. CHAPTER XI AMBUSCADE HE pursuit was in full cry on the in- stant. Musket balls whipped _ through the thickets about us; pistols cracked behind us; and as we burst out of the brush and made for the beach, where there was no danger of being tripped by vines, the buccaneers came thunder- COnniclboooxSs. com