The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 1 — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

, « ay THE MUTINY ON THE FLYING CLOUD.* Thrilling experiences among the islands of the Western Pacific—The hostage chosen by the pirates to coerce the first mate—What befell when the Malays attacked the stockade on Refuge Island. SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. THE clipper ship Flying Cloud, Captain Blake commanding, is en route between New York and Australia, with seven passengers: Dr. Henderson, his wife, little child Lucy and his wife’s sister, Sibyl Stanley; also Mr. Grant, a civil engineer, with his wife and seven year old son Percy. After crossing the line the chief mate, Bryce, is lost overboard and Ned Wilson, scarcely twenty, is advanced to the post, while Robert Manners, who is no older, is made second officer. Mean- time Josh Williams, one of the able seamen, foments-discontent among the crew and one night Captain Blake and Manners are seized, bound and placed in captivity, while Williams makes clear to Ned Wilson that the ptice of the safety of the women and children among the passengers is his promise to faithfully navigate the ship to the best of his ability for the muti- neers, Williams proposes to put the passengers ashore on one island and the two ship’s officers on another, but several days elapse before laud that seems suitable is sighted. Finally one about six miles long is selected and the passengers are sent off in two boats. At the last moment Sibyl Stanley is detained from accompanying her friends, Williams arguing that she must be held to insure Ned’s trustworthiness. Captain Blake and Manners are landed on another island, and soon afterwards the Flying Cloud is put in at a third one, having a safe harbor between tall cliffs, screening her fromall observation. Ned, while off on an exploring trip with Sibyl, finds a cave containing thousands of dollars’ worth of gold, a discovery which they determine to keep from the knowledge of the mutineers. Meantime, after Mr. Grant has chanced upon the wreck ofa vessel, the Mermaid, the party on Refuge Island set to work building a raft, a task which is completed satisfactorily at the end of a month. CHAPTER XX.—TuHE RArFr’s First VovAGE. HE settlers on Refuge Island were now in a position to attack the wreck in good earnest, which they did by rigging up a pair of shears on deck and hoisting the cargo from the ship’s hold and depositing it directly on the raft alongside. ‘The cargo proved to be, as had been expected, a general cargo—that is to say, it consisted of more or less of almost every cont ceivable product of a civilized country, from lucifer matches up to railway plant-and machinery. It was a very difficult matter to decide what might; and what might not, be of value to the party, and the result was that they eventually determined to land the entire cargo. Of course only a very small portion of it would go into the shed which they had erected; but this was a matter of no very great moment, for a great deal of it was of such a nature that rain would not ma- terially injure it. It took them another month to empty the wreck, and then they set about the task of breaking her up. *This story began in the January tissue of THE ARGOSY. The three back numbers will be matled toany address on recetpt of 30 cents. (E(@) 1EbDoo ES =} (E(@)