Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

Io kind,” laughed Davies, pulling down the parrot from a powder-cask and petting it. “Tt made me think that perhaps something is known as to where that gold vanished to. But let us creep out. I smell smoke too near for comfort.” “Wait. Curiosity fools many a woman, Edward Davies, and it may fool me; but tell me why, since you have no fear of Cook, you chose to play the simpleton among his men, enduring insults, blows and the fare of a prisoner when you might have asserted yourself and forced this rabble to obedience.” “Was that so easy? Only you have de- tected who I am, and how you did it the —— only knows. Without the knowledge that Captain Davies commanded them how many of this gang of swine would obey? “Besides, I want no babbling runaway to carry tidings of my whereabouts just yet. *Twould get to the Frenchman’s ears maybe, and cause him to hang back from the ven- ture.” “Oh, then he knows where lies the trea- sure, and you do not? Is that the secret?” “Perhaps,” was the laughing rejoinder. “But let that be a secret still, as is the man- ner of your detecting me. Come. We'll creep out.” He wriggled into the hole they had dug, and only faintly heard the woman’s impa- tient retort as she followed him: “Plague take you and your secrets! Mine is no secret. I am a woman, ain’t I? Can a woman be mistaken in the face of any man she wants to know?” Pee SMOKE and flickering fires greeted | << them~ outside, stopping all talk. ———I Davies thrust his parrot into his pocket and lifted up a fagot, revealing beyond the black loom of the woods, and overhead the blinking stars among the palm-tops. Around them could be heard the hoarse shouting and crackling of burning fagots; but on the side where they crouched ready for a dash out there were none to see, for the fire had been built highest, and started soonest, on the side where the window was, and there the pirates were gathered, hun- grily peering through the thickening smoke reek for the agonized faces they expected soon to appear at the aperture. There two men with long pikes were stationed, to see that escape was made doubly impossible. Adventuré “Stay while I get muskets,” whispered Davies, letting fall the fagot again. “TI saw a movement yonder in the bush.” ‘Rather haste away from this oven,” Nell replied hoarsely. ‘I am choking. *Tis but a dozen yards or so to my hut, and once there we can gain entrance by the rear to John Cook’s own house. There are arms in plenty, and shelter good enough.”’ “Then run!’ the Schoolmaster gritted. He helped Nell to her feet with a powerful lift of the arm, and together they darted from the shadow of the powder-store straight for fhe nearest line of huts. A tremendous roar volleyed up behind them, and for an instant Davies paused, grimly certain that they were seen. But the pirates did not follow, and he dashed on. In the loom of the houses a dark figure confronted Nell; a cavernous mouth was opened to howl the alarm. Davies struck at the gaping mouth with a terrific straight- arm blow, and the man’s head twisted crookedly on his neck when he fell. “Here! Inside, quick,” panted the wo- man, holding open the door of her own hut. Davies joined her, and shut the door behind him. ‘“‘Now out by the rear!” she cried. “‘T’ll join you ina minute. I needs must change my attire if I am to play tag with these mongrels.”’ But the Schoolmaster was peering out through the small window, and seized her arm to draw her beside him. “Look!” he whispered fiercely. “Play the spectator at your own funeral, Nell!” A shower of sparks flew high in the air; a piece of the store-roof fell, and the pirates scattered in all directions to a safe distance. Then a deep hush fell over all; a mob of murderous ruffans held their breath in expectancy; only the growing roar and crackle of the fire prevented the stillness of the calm night being absolute. IV OUT at sea, just beyond the outer reefs, John Cook, chief of the Aves brotherhood, stood on the deck of a small topsail schooner and stared in angry wonder at the red glow among the trees where his settlement stood. His vessel was sparsely manned, and showed plenty of traces of recent rough handling. Gaping co bulwarks and splintered spars, patched sails , CORmMICLOoOolkKs (E@