Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

Tides of Hate Then another shot crashed out, and it seemed more distant. Still the giant negro failed to pick out the ship from the enveloping night. “No bottom!” sang out the leadsman again, and Goliath added: ‘““Ah cain’t see de bulldog, sar, but nudder kin Ah see no broken wattar ahead or t’ looard. . Pears we done scrapped oveh dem reefs, cappen.”’ The king’s men were puzzled, if their intermittent firing was any guide. The shot that had hit the boat carrying the lanthorn had evoked no reply, and if the mark they aimed at was indeed John Cook’s pirate ship, as they believed, it was not like him calmly to endure a bombardment with- out reply. Soon Goliath was able to in- dicate beyond doubt the warship’s exact position only a few seconds before it was clearly apparent to those on deck. “Dar she lies!” he shouted. “Broad on de beam an’ standin’ in t’wards de reefs.” A great flare illumined the sea for acres around as a group of casks were set adrift from the warship containing sharp-flaming combustibles that shot a shaft of glaring light high in the air, to be reflected down upon the water revealingly. In the radiance the cruiser herself stood out a miniature of - utter marine loveliness, her bellying sails and glossy hull gleaming where the fire- light touched them, dark shadows only serving to accentuate their fairness. She too, like the Cadiz, was speeding through the sea with creaming forefoot; but be- tween her and the reefs were black specks which could only be boats, all pullirg in toward the spot where the wreck of the jollyboat floated, as if the ship had simply luffed up to drop them and resumed her course without losing a minute. And the freshening wind blew strongly from the east; it had shifted from the north since the Cadzz floated; and the cruiser held a strong weather gage. The light revealed the wrecked boat and the flying Cadzz at the same instant, and from the king’s ship a long piece belched round shot at the, Cadzz, her courses were hauled up with the swift precision of a veteran crew of naval men, and her ponderous mainyard swung aback, bringing her to a stand. Davies watched hér curiously, not able to understand her maneuvers. ‘“‘Now’s yer time, cap’n!” yelled Steve Carr frantically. ‘‘She’s struck, or some’at, 43 I tell ye! Won’t ye pepper her now ye ha’ the offer?” Davies laughed quietly. None knew bet- ter than he the motives which had caused him to endure peppering himself and make no retaliation on a ship of his Majesty. That pardon in the future should never be forfeited by fighting a king’s ship, no matter in what other way it might be lost. He watched intently, and saw the boats gather around the wreckage of the jolly- boat, pick up what appeared to be men in the uncertain light of considerable distance, then pull fast toward the cruiser. The Cadiz held on her course, speeding through the water as if no such thing as unknown reefs were likely to exist in her way. From time to time Carr hove his lead and sang out monotonously— “No bottom!” Another shot came down from _ the cruiser, and fell short. Davies chuckled, for his ship was still speeding, and the foe was at a stand, picking up her boats. “Hold her to a full and never shake her, and we'll show him our heels yet,” he said, standing beside the helmsman. The tar-barrel flare wavered and sank, to leap again in a final burst of flame. In its fierce dying gleams the cruiser’s courses could be seen to fall, her mainyard to swing, and her sharp bows pointed straight for the Cadiz as the flare died away in blackness. AVIT NOT all the elements of discord passed out along with Kestral and his maimed boat’s crew. His notion, and that of his followers, had been to escape what they feared must be inevitable dis- aster by yielding up Davies and his ship to the cruiser. Now, a week after losing their dogged pursuer in the darkness of that night among the reefs, the Cadiz swam evenly along be- tween doldrums and southeast trades in a speckless expanse of ocean, and her spacious decks were dotted with groups of idle men, many of whom held the contrary view to that of Kestral, and chafed under the ignominy, as they called it, of hauling down the black flag and sailing as an outwardly honest ship. A few bold spirits, whose natural tur- bulence had been held in check by a whole- some regard for the reputation of Ed COMmMiCMooks (C@