The Blue Clipper — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

63 _ THE BLUE CLIPPER, “If you'll come back in half an hour, you may go,” an- swered tiie coxswain, who had thus by Watson been instructed to deal with the men. -“T sartinly will be back in that time, sr,” answered Bend —at once winning the coxswain to good will by “ sirring ” him. He moved along until out of sight of the boat, when he struck rapidly in the direction Watson had taken. Meanwhile, the captain kept on for about a mile, when, near the angle of a rock, he met a tall figure, muffled in a cloak, The two men communed together for some time. It was pitch dark, so that neither could see the face of the other. Suddenly the full moon burst forth from behind a black cloud. Then the faces of both men were distinctly revealed to the watcliful gaze of Bend, crouching in the shadow of a clump of shrubbery, within ten feet of the speakers. The light eyes of the Cape Cod man gleamed like a wild-cat’s, as he listened, while his orbs expanded to thrice their nat- ural size. He turned, as the moon was again hidden, and in less than half an hour, was again by the boat. Nearly another bal-bhour passed ere Captain Watson re turned, beating with him something under his cloak. The eyes of Bend might have been seen, through the dark- ness, to scint@ute like sparks of fire, The boat was soon alongside the culter,.where it was left, not to be hoisted until next day, as there was work to be done on the outside of the cutter, It was Bend’s watch on deck for two hours afier. He cautiously crept aft, and peering down through the grating in the cabin, he beheld a sight, which seemed to interest him much: Captain Watson carefully inspecting a ledger book he had obtained, and making copies from it upon a long, thin roll of pauper. “What are you doing, there?’ said a gruff voice behind Bend. The Cape Cod man sprung to his feet, to confront the offi- cer of the wuateh. “ Beg purdin, sir,” he said, humbly—* but it looked so nice ‘down there, sir, d'ye see—” “Go forward, where you belong.” 2 icomilebooks: com - ee a « geet ae ’ * - é 7. * a ee" i eh - oe Th ee 4) a ee . Cn eT e « eas oe —.)h— tC C(Cr | es