Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

@¢ TEACH: PIRATE DE LUXE. “Heli!” said that nobleman thought- fully. ‘“ Teddy, that blasted heme office had done me in. I need hardly point out to you that if you're coming to grief, I’ve got to be shot first. So you must please just consider me a clingmg Ruth for the um The pirate’s dark face.grew a ‘shade less = No, no, Raisghyll. That’s all. right. I know quite well you are far too much of a good fellow to give me away. “But they haven’t got me yet, though I must admit this island’s only about as big as a tea-tray, and the chances are slim. But get you back to your ship. I’m not going to drag you into it further.” “My dear Teddy, nobody these days talks of his honor, except in books. But that’s the item that’s involved. Do you think I xould shaw my nose in Brown’s or anywhere else respectable rf I stoed back and let you have your run alone? Nothing doing. “* Besides, as it happens, I know this bit of rock and turf pretty intimately. Been here for a fortnight once with a couple of egging chaps after Leach’s fork-tailed petrel and our niffy friend, the fulmar, and I can ‘tel you more about the local fleas than you'd believe. We'll just slip round to the back of the Tfactor’s house and take an observation fromethere. The track leads to nowhere that way, so if they do send a search party ashore, they'll bunt through the village first and out m the other direc- tion. I say, do look.” “What ath’ “Navy officer jumps on deck and de- mands the bleeding scalp of the pirate Teach. That chap who met him is my own man. He’s keen on yachting, so I always bring him along as steward and general utility man. “He’s a saucy devil. I can just picture him saymg that his lordship wouldn’t + mean himself by entertaining any but Me best people on board the Foam, and the Captain Cam, what was the only guest, was an old and vatued friend we’d known for years. “T respect the powers of the British navy, but I know my fellow’s tongue: 4 A 334 He'll give us half an hour. Teddy, my lad, we'd best be moving.” Forty miles west of North Uist was the position of St. Kilda when I last put in a fertmght there, and I have no reasen to suppose it has drifted from its moorings since, in spite of the unceasing efforts of the Atlaritic swells to shift it. The inhabi- tants speak a variety of Gaelic peculiar to themselves, and are members of the narrow- est sect of the Wee Frees. In normal times they live upon sea gulls’ eggs, sea gulls, and that other branch of the gull family, the bi-annual Glasgow tripper, and they are inhabited by more fleas per head of popujation than any other branch of the human race. They have no English, but in his spare time their worthy meenister is teaching them Latin. For the rest they are the descendants of the criminals transported to St. Kilda from Skye by that feudal lord, Macleod of Mac- leod, and still possess many remarkable characteristics. St. Kilda is, I betieve, some seven mtles in circumference, but as its outline is far too untidy to measure, this figure is a doubtful one. Further, the islanders possess exacthy one boat, and they are the most inefficient boat- men who have so far escaped drowning. I know they scared me very thoroughly. The one landing place is Village Bay, and there only when the swells -are net running in that direction. There are two other spots where one can get ashore at the risk of a leg or a neck, but I do net recommend them. - All the rest of the isle is walled against the sea. by high precipitous cliffs, standing in deep green water. Teach and Lord Raisghy!l! worked their way out from thé back of ‘the factor’s house, keeping carefully in cover. was a notable grouse shooter and deer- stalker, and went up the slopes like a crags- man, | But Teach was a fourteen stone man of the sea, and when it came to rising, hum- mocky ground, he “ drave heavily.” But he was a man of immense physical power, and showed no sign of flagging. Also, of course, there was a hanging ready for him if he was caught, and although no halter His: lordship _ Caging ine ne cOnMic DOO S C@ THE OHIO STATE UN