The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

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 in- forms Ned Wilson that the price 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 clays elapse before land 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 from all 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 build a raft, on which to transport the wreck, piecemeal, to the shore, to be utilized in various ways. On one of these journeys they fall in with a canoe containing Captain Blake and Rob Manners, and there is great rejoicing over the reunion. Captain Blake warns them that there are savages in the neighborhood, and they pro- ceed to build a house or fort, out of a quarry they are fortunate enough to find on the island. They plan also to build a cutter, in which to escape, and after the laying of the keel Captain Blake goes fishing on the raft. He falls asleep and when he wakes discovers the sails of a large ship gliding across the face of the moon, just sinking to the horizon. In a wild state of excite- ment he hoists sail, starts in pursuit, and is overtaken by a frightful storm just as those on the ship are about to take him on board. —_—__- CHAPTER XXVII.—THE SuNDERED REFUGERS. p VERY moment Captain Blake expects to hear, above the noise of the pouring rain, the roar of the tornado that he knows must soon burst upon him, In spite of his desperate peril, he calmly sets to work at once to take what precautions he can against the t>mpest’s shock. With all the cool- ness and skill of a finished seaman, he lowers the sail on deck and proceeds to secure it as well as he can, for he knows only too well what the next act in the drama will be. He knows, too, that those on board the brig—invisible now—are as well versed as himself, and are at this moment far too busily en- *This story began in the January iss2 of THE ARGOSY. The four back numbers will be matled to any address on recetpt of go cents. AecOmmicloools