Adventure Magazine Cover — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

3° with a@ most insinuating smile, he shakes with a twist of his hand and which before _ the astonished Bellamont, cascades over the back of a chair as a shawl of the rarest work- manship and material. “A present for Lady Bellamont,” says Emmott, with another obeisance. What can be the fellow’s game now? Bellamont rose and walking across the room allowed the shimmering texture to ripple through his fingers. ‘‘A» present for Lady Beliencnt oe | was a wonderful thing; Bellamont can see that. Emmott steps up as close as politeness permits and glancing about artfully whis- pers, “From Captain Kidd,” and throws his head back with a wide smile like a doting parent playing the réle of Santa Claus. “Kidd!” cries the earl. ‘Kidd!’ Yes, the old partner of Bellamont, Liv- ingston and Company had turned up. All sorts of notions chase themselves through the governor’s brain Jike hare and hounds, and chiefly he is afraid; he fears this notori- ous colleague of his has shown up to be the ruin of them all. Why on earth didn’t the fellow stay out in the East Indies. To _ Emmott this is as plain as the ripple on a smooth pool of water. He rubs his hands one over the knuckles of the other and looks all sorts of meanings. “An incredibly prosperous voyage,” he murmurs, “incredibly. A mere trifle—the captain wishes to send Lady Bellamont something really worth while.”’ He almost sneers at the magnificent shawl.. The governor sits down and gazes out over the harbor. Now, it is probable that if the notorious partner had shown up with nothing but a story of hard luck the gover- nor would not have sat down in just the way he does; but a partner coming back, eyeh with a sooty reputation, but stuffed with treasure—well, one must think the matter out. There was one’s original in- vestment in the old Adventure to be pro- -tected, one must remember. Emmott continues: “The captain feels deeply chagrined to find this unjust hue and cry made about him. It is a great mistake. He can explain .all; and he suggests that the governor see that this irritating matter of the piracy charge is disposed of so that they can pro- ceed to an accounting as all good partners ‘Pirate Tales from the Law—Kidd should. Really, he has been absurdly ; See fortunate in his East Indian enterprise.” They talk the thing over indecisively and = without committal on either side, and the outcome of it is that the governor decides that he will see his errant and erstwhile partner in person. Lawyer Emmott backs out of the room and hies back to New York. So far so good. XI Bellamont Kidd did that which has BEFORE going to Heston to see A — With this decision 2 somehow so caught the imagination _ of artists and fictionists; he ran the sloop : over to Gardiner’s Island, at the east end of Long Island Sound and there buried a con- siderable portion of his money and finer articles of plunder. yarn of the pirate’s buried treasure. Like Hence arose the great _ all the rest of Kidd’s doings this is wildly _ exaggerated. practically recovered by the colonial au- thorities. centuries. What there was was all Yet the myth persisted for a A writer who considered himself con- s servative speaks of Kidd bringing home twelve thousand pounds.: This is a modern computation, but it does not agree with our figures. subordinates got more than half of the With all his scheming the captain’s — takings, and if Kidd got twelve thousand ~ pounds it would mean that in all thirty or forty thousand: pounds were gained by those few months’ work in the Indian seas. It is allway beyond the facts. Admitted- ly, the ation of the government at the time,ship and cargo all told were not worth more than Quedagh Merchant was the one con- Re siderable haul and according to the valu- five thousand pounds. Arecent writereven represents the Quedagh Merchant alone as — being of the value of thirty thousand pounds! In the indictment upon which Kidd was tried that ship is said to be worth four hundred pounds, which is more like it. | The captain did very well, as we have said, if he came home with a good five thousand pounds. As well as communicating with Bella-_ mont, Kidd put himself in touch with his other partner, Colonel Livingston, and the colonel became very much excited over the prospect of cutting a pretty fine little melon. If the Queda ~~ « gh Merchant, a respect-— able and capacious cargo vessel, cost four Comic JOOKS