The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

886 in their gaze, and he laughed as a man well pleased with himself. _ “Oh, yes, I know that it seems un- likely that a lad, and a landsman at that, can help us, but you may remem- ber that the mouse helped the lion in the fable. Have you planned it?” he asked, turning to me. “ Tell me what you would do. Speak wp, lad.” “Take the Osprey yonder; she is the smallest and can best be spared; shift her guns into the other vessels of the fleet—”’ Here a great thought came to me. This was legitimate war, to fight with regular Spanish troops. Moreover, I would now be fighting to save my own neck, and if I could get command of the Osprey and so get to Maracaibo, Dolores was there, and this was the last of my stay upon the Spanish Main. I made up my mind that if it were possible [ would go to her even if it only gave me a chance to see her with- out having speech with her. It came to me like a flash. : “Well, go on. You would take the Osprey yonder and shift her guns to the other vessels of the fleet, and then—” ‘“ And then, sirs, [ would break out her cargo and fill hold and ‘tween decks, cabin and forecastle with wood and straw and soak them all with tar and grease and oil. I would fill her magazine with all the barrels of pow- der that can be spared from the other ships, and I would soak her very tim- bers with pitch and resin, and when she was so prepared I would run her down upon the Spanish ships—” “ Excellent!’ sneered Hetherington; “but when all this was done do you suppose the Spaniards will allow a ship to run so close to them? They will suspect a ruse when they see that there are no guns mounted on the Os- rey.” “T would mount a few dummy guns made of painted wood and stand a lot of effigies about her decks.” He looked at me half doubting. “ And then—” THE ARGOSY. “Range my cables, sir, on deck in- stead of in the tiers. Place an anchor in stern and bow with a length of chain—not rope, they can cut rope— attached to each; and when we run down the Spanish vessels, which will be at anchor, [ will grapple them stern and bow, and then set fire to the Os- prey.” “Who will. do it? I mean, who will you get to set fire to the craft and how will he escape? ”’ My gorge rose under his taunting tone. “If Captain Morgan will give me leave I will go myself in charge of her,’ I said. “ While it is true I am not a sailor, yet [ can take the Osprey down the lake. [ know I can get plenty of volunteers. Can I take her, captain? ”’ ‘By Heaven, you shall, youngster! And you shall pick your own men; and, if the plan succeeds as it deserves to by reason of its very boldness, you shall have what you wish for your share of the loot. We will begin to change the Osprey at once.” It took much time and a great deal of labor to do it. First of all, we dis- mounted her guns and _ transhipped them to the other vessels, mounting them on poop and forecastle, for there were no empty gunports nor platforms on which they could be placed. Then we got some great logs, and the carpenters were put to work to hew them down to the size and gen- eral shape of heavy carronades, which when done we swung inboard and mounted them in the Osprey’s empty ports, smearing them with tar to make them look like metal. 2 Bundles of fagots smeared with tar and oil mixed with packages of gun- powder were cast into the hold, and quantities of resin were strewed over all till the hold was full to the coaming of the main hatch. Pitch was poured over the sides and the decks, and even the sails were drenched with turpentine. Last of all we went a begging around the fleet, asking for old E@MICGLOOOKS (E@)