Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

832 craft will stand? So far I have not parted a rope-yarn,” he said to himself, and ‘call- ing the crew, to their surprise he ordered the square sail set on the staggering schooner. “It is a fair wind, boys, and I’ll be damned if I want to see those dead blacks climbing aboard over the taffrail,” said Hunt as they pulled the tack down. Under the additional press of sail, and before the following seas, the Madeline now tore along like mad, at times burying her cat-heads and throwing the water in cascades high over her bows. It lulled a little at daylight, and then he piled on the fore topsail and a “raffle” set over the square-sailyard— leaving the halyards aft to serve as a back- stay to the over-strained topmast. She fair- ly smoked along now, but ran as steady and true on her course as if she were in a groove. Though the breeze the next day was strong the weather was pleasant and the decks comparatively dry. The negroes were bathed and fed as usual. “We're making a good run, Mr. Hunt,” said De Castro. ‘We would make a better one if I could crowd more sail on her,” replied Hunt. Two days more of this hard pressing and early in the morning it was—‘ Land Ho ” from the cross-trees. At high noon the Madeline sailed through the passage be- tween Martinique and Dominica into the Caribbean Sea. Hauling her wind a point or more she then set the mainsail and the main topsail, and with breeze still strong, but in smoother water, she stood up for the south side of Cuba. “Keep your eye skinned for cruisers,” said Captain Reed who began now to stay more on deck. Hunt, was perched in the cross-trees nearly all the time, but no suspicious sail could he see. Every one on board seemed to be happy now at the prospect of land- ing and the childlike delight of the poor negroes, who were soon to view the Prom- ised Land, was pitiable. The wind veered till it was nearly abeam and the Madeline, with the strong current setting her to the westward, ran along the south side of Porto Rico and Santo Domingo. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, A crisis of the voyage was now at hand. The cargo must be landed in defiance of the cruisers that patrolled the Cuban coast. Captain Reed and De Castro began to get anxious. De Castro particularly could not conceal his uneasiness. To fail now—to be captured, or be compelled to lose vessel and cargo in prevention of capture and thereby have the expense, trouble and misery of the cruise come to naught? The thought was harrowing. All went well, however, and on the evening of the thirtieth day from the Congo River, with Captain Reed as the pilot, the Madeline, skirting the bunch of keys close to the coast, furled her topsails and stood boldly in for the Cuban shore between Trinidad and Cienfuegas. Getting no signal from the land, she lowered the foresail at dusk and stood off shore again. When a few miles off Captain Reed hove to for the night. All hands were called at daybreak and coffee served. “Take your glasses and go aloft, Mr. Hunt,” said Captain Reed as the mist be- gan to lift. ‘Look sharp in the offing, sir.” After a long and careful search Hunt re- ported nothing in sight. “Let her run in shore now,” directed De Castro and, filling away, the schooner stood in to within a mile of the beach. The sun was up and it was clear as noonday. Many boats—fishermen and pilot boats— were flitting about between the schooner and the shore, and one of them began now to wave a large white flag. “Run down aboard of that fellow, cap- tain,” said De Castro, and in a few minutes the boat was alongside the schooner and a man climbing over her rail. He was a Cuban fisherman. As he doffed his cap he inquired in Spanish for Sefor De Castro, and taking a letter from his bosom handed it to him. Walking aft as he read, De Castro said to the captain: “Tt is all right now, sir. There are no cruisers about. We were not expected so soon. I must send a reply ashore.” Hastily writing a note in pencil, he handed it to the men in the boat, who immediately put off from the schooner. : “Let her run down the shore now,” De Castro said smilingly. “ This man,” in- 2A CEOmiclOoks (©