The evening world. Newspaper, April 5, 1915, Page 15

Author of “TARZAN TILLY DTRNE wee @ product erent Went Bide fire ne HOt 20 pleanent wae | In other Teepe ta. « that eelimatle gentleman wos lolling lake and Kobey that tien w them ail, and nodded to © t Jungle end Prize Ring By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS ot man and the Ehe Bveaing World Daily Magesine, Mondsy. THE MUCKER OF THE APES,” &e. uae hee 8 toe Gy CHAPTER 1. j Shanghaied of the oirects oad alleys of Chicage's’ \ From Halstead to NKobey and from Grand Avenue to Lake Hireet there was scarce « Lertender @hom Miuly Beew wot by his And, 1h proportion to thelr Humber, which lx comald: | erebiy ieee, be knew the potrolmes and plain clothes men equally well but wr ugh-and + * hebter in the be justified in every Bhown way Lhe epithet really Degan happen to the life of Milly Byrne in front of & #aloun of Ue corner of « anerinble bhi passed bi of several as they saw him standing there, , and determined to ask the nest man who evinced even m: onderment at hie presence what eating him. Then Milly | strolling 4 from the east. It was Lasky, & 1 00 befriends Wotinel. are 4 doin’ around was there who had Leen signed regu- * asked the patrolman. “Didn't larly hore?" e peherhan had They were es tough and vicious « 1 lot am fale had ever foregathered ia )@ nights before old man One forecastiag and with them Billy pider sded to desperation by Byrne felt py etly at home. tie ated raids up € early threats of awful vengeance tv shown teh be wreaked upon the im and skip Vited to elev per had subsided with t » rough but Ne holdup men bh h wible advice of his Tacsimates ; ar. Wheeban had been a th the pew life Milly found bin on eueD Milly had not been with Sheehan eit. But with Lasky's words new What had hap 4 ‘Bheehan says | don eh?” he save.” within a mile of night,” protested fonk you; for you' slick to get nicked | out to get you, and if T was you I'd beat ft, and beat it quick.” An hour later Billy was bumping out of town toward the West on a fast freieht, Three weeks later he found himself in Frisco. He dropped in at a wa croas-eyed drink, - Billy woko up in the fo'csie of @tip well out at sca-—shanghaied! Cautiously he slid from his bunk to the floor, It was with difficulty that he kept his fect. Still that might be but the effects of the liquor, At last ‘he reached a table, to which he clung for support while he exte.ded ono hand toward a lamp. ‘iia 4t that moment a ligu' peared ve as the Pay re Gee aeel eon Ny saw the feet and legs of a 4 descending the ladder from ve, When the newcomer reached e floor and turned to look about his met Billy's, and Billy saw that it his cross-eyed host of the pre- ) evening. By ‘ell, my hearty, how goes itt” {J etranger. “You pulled it off pretty slick,” sald here,” replied the other coldly. “Don't you ferget that I'm mate of this Cas an’ you want to respectful to me if youain’t lookin’ for trouble. My name's Mr. ‘Ward, an’ when you speak to me say ‘air.’ Understand?” Billy stared at him stupidly. “What you need,” said the mate, advancing toward Billy, “is a bash on the beezer. It'll help you remem: ber that you ain't nothin’ but a dirty Jandlubber, ' when your betters come oround you'll”—— What Billy would have done tn the presence of his betters remained atiliborn in the mate's imagination in the face of what Billy really did do to his better, as that worthy @wung & sudden, vicious blow at the uc! ace. Billy Byrne had not been scrapping with third and fourth rate heavis arri! with real, live ones f ie mate's fist whistled ug! pty air; the blear-eyed hunt of clay that had seemed such easy prey to him was metamorphosed om the instant into an alert, catlike Dundle of steel sinews, and Billy me swung that awful right with the pile-driver weight that even the Big Smoke himself had acknowledged seapect for, straight to the short ri of his antagonist. * With a screech of surprise and pain the mate crumpled in the far corner of the forecastle, rammed half way beneath a bunk by the force of the terrific blow. Like a tiger Hilly Byrne was after him, and dragging the man o@t into the centre of the floor space, he beat and mauled him ‘uatll his detim’s yells echoed through the ship me stem to stern, ~ When captain, followed by half dozer Beamen, rushed down tho way they found Billy sit. prostrate form of the t fingers circled the with mighty blows r ms dashing the fellow’s head 0 foe the hard floor Amother moment and murder would aye been complete. ‘Avast there!" cried the captain, and as though to punctuate his re- inark he swung the heavy stick he ‘usually carried full upon the back of Bihy's head, It was that blow that saved the mate's life, for when Billy came to he found himself in a dark and smelly hole, chained and padiocked to_a stanchion. They kept Billy there for a week, hut every day the captain visited him in'an attempt to show him the error of his way, The medium used by the skipper for impressing his ideas discipline upon Billy was the large, hard stick, At the end of the week it was necessary to carry Billy above to keep the rats from devouring him, for the continued beatings and star- vation had reduced him to little more than an une: bieeding meat, Ten days after they brought him up from the hold, Billy was Iimping about the deck of the brigantt: Halfmoon doing light manual labor, From the other sailors aboard he learned that he was not the only mem- ber of the crew who had been shang- hailed, Aside trom a half-dozen reckless men from the criminal classes who toned voluntart): elther be- not t a berth yy wise they could upon a decent ship or desired to filt ‘{@s quietly from the law sone of the United States as possible, not a man nscious mass of raw and welt vakin, na new character, He ourprised himself singing at bis work ~ le, Whowe whole life up to now had beeu devoted to dodging honest labor, whoee motte bad been; “The worl owes mo @ living, and it's up to me to collect it.” Also, be Was surprised to discover that he liked to work, that be took keen pride in striving to outdo the men who worked with him, and this epirit, deepite the suspicion which the Captain entertained of Billy since the » Went far nore endur- for and though he had little idea of sub- ordination, it was worth putting up with something to keep him in condi- tion to work. There waa only one man aboard whom Billy Lh es hated, That wan the passenger, Divine; and Hilly hated him, not because of anything that the man had said or done to Billy, for he had never even @o much as en to the mucker, but because of the fine clothes and superior air which marked him plainly to Billy as a member of that loathed element of society—a gentleman, Inwardly he wondered what the “dude” was doing on board such a vessel ag the Halfmoon, and marvel- ed that eo weak a thing dared ven- ture among real men. Bifly’s contempt caused him to Aetice Divine more than he would have been ready to admit. He saw that the man’s face was handsome, bat that there was an unpleasant shiftiness to his brown eyes, Then, entirely outalde of his former reasons for hating the man, Billy came to loathe him intuitively, as one who ‘was not to de trusted. Finally bis dislike became an ob- eeasion. He haunted, when discip- Une permitted, that part of the ves- eel where he would be m likely to encounter the object of his wrath, hoping, always hoping, that the dude would give him some slight pertext for “pushing in his mush,” as Billy would picturesquely have worded it. He was loitering about the deck for this purpose one evening when he overheard part of a low-voiced conversation between the passenger and Skipper Simms—just enough to set him to wondering what was doing and to show him that whatever it might be, it was crooked and that the tmimaculate Divine and Skipper Simms were both “in on” it, Billy Byrne did learn from what he overheard, however, that the cruise of the Halfmoon was being directed by Divine, the passenger; that it had been financed by one, Clinker, in San Francisco, to whom Divine was deeply indebted, and that it Involved some one called Hardin; and some one elae by the name ot Barbara, Also there wan to be a wreat deal of money for all con- cerned in the event of success, He questioned “Bony” Sawyer and “Red” Sanders, members of the crew, but neither had nearly as much in- formation as Billy himself. So the Halfmoon came to Honolulu and lay at anchor some hundred yarde from @ staunch, trim, white yacht, and none, other the Halfmoon's officers and ingle passenger, knew the real mission of the harm- less-looking little bigantine, CHAPTER I. Plots and Counterplots. shore leave was granted the crew of the Halfmoon while the vessel lay off Honolulu, and deep and ominous were the grum- blings ofthe men. Only First Officer Ward and Thericre, the second mate went ashore, When Mr. Ward and the second mate came to shore a strange thing happened, They entored a third-rate hotel near the water front, eng» ced a room for a week, pald in advance, were in their room for half an hour, and emerged clothed in civillan rat- ment. ‘Then they hastened to another hos- telry—a first class one this time—and the second mate walked ahead in frockcoat and silk hat, while Mr, Ward trailed behind in a neat blue erge sack suit, carrying both bags. At the second hotel the second mate registered ag “Henri Theriere, Comte “adenet, and servant, Fran His first act thereafter was to hand @ note to the clerk, asking that it be despatched immediately, The note was addressed to Anthony Harding, Esq., on board yacht Lotus, Count de Cadenet and his servant repaired to the count's rooms, there to await an answer to the note. Henri Theriere, the second ¢'ficer of the Halfmoon, in frock coa. and silk hat looked every inch a nobleman and a gentloman, What bis past had been none but he knew, but his polished manners, his knowledge of navigation and sea- manabip, and bis leauing toward the ways of the martinet in his dealings with the mon beneath him, led Skip- per Simms to assume that he had once held a commission in the French navy, from which he had, doubtless, been kicked In disgrace. The man was cold, cruel, of moody disposition, and quick to anger, He had been signed as second officer for this cruise through the tn- tervention of Divine and Clinker. Ward hated him, But moaey can work wonders, and Divine's promise that the officers and crew of the Halfmoon would have a cool million United States dollars to divide among them in case of the suc- cess of the venture, had quite effec- tually overcome any dislike which Mr, Ward had felt for this particular phase of his duty. On board the yacht in the harbor Preparations were being made to land @ small party that contemplated a motor trip up the Nuuanu Valley when a small boat drew alongside, and a messenger from the hotel hand- ed a sealed note to one of the saliors, From the deck of the Halfmoon Skipper Simins witnessed the transac. tion, smiling inwardly, Billy Byrne also saw it, but it meant nothing tc him. He had been lolling upon th deck of the brigantine, glaring at the yacht Lotus, hating her and the gay, well-dressed men and women he could see laughipg and chatting upon her deck, He saw Theriere's note handed by the saflor to a geay-halred, smooth faced man—a large, sleek, weill- groomed man, The man who took and opened the note wus Anthony Harding, Esq. He read it and then passed {t to a young woman od near by talking wi young people, he said, * thing of moro Interest to you than to me. If you wish I'll call upon him and invite him to dinner to-night.” "The girl was reading the note, MY DEAR MR. HARDING: This will introduce a very dear friend of mine, Count de Cadenet, who expects to be in Honolulu about the time that you are there, The count is travelling for y ure, and as he is entirely unac- Quainted with the Islands, any courtesies which you y show him will be greatly appreciated, Cordially, 1, CORTWRITE DIVINE, The girl smiled as she finished pe- Tusing the note, “Larry ts always pleking up titl and making ‘dear friends’ of them. she laughed. wonder where he found this one, Let's pick him up on our Way through town now, and take him with us for the day. That will be settling our debt to friendship, and dinner to-night can depend upon what sort of person we find the count to be."* “As you will" replied her father, and #0 it came about that two big touring cars drew up before the Count de Cadenet’s hotel half an hour later, and Anthony Harding, Esq, entered @nd sont up his card. The “count” came down tn person to greet his caller. Harding saw at @ glance that the man was a gentle- man, and when he had introduced him to the other members of the party it was evident that they ap- praised him quite a, had their ho¢ Barbara Harding seemed particu- larly taken with the Count de Cad- enet, insisting that he Join those who occupied her car, and so it was that the second officer of the Halfmoon rode out of Honolulu in pleasent con- versation with the object of his visit to the island, The day's outing had two signif. cant results, It put into the head of the second mate of the Halfmoon that which would have caused hi; and the retiring Mr. Divi mental] perturbation could they ha ed it; and it put De Cadenet nto possession of information which Nneceasitated his refusing the urgent invitation to dine upon the yacht Lotus that evening—the information that the party would sail the follow- ing morning en route to Manila, They left De Cadenet at his hotel, and as he bade them farewell the man turned to Barbara Harding with & low aside. “L shall see you again, Miss Hard- ing,” he said, “very, very soon.” The moment De Cadenet entered the hotel he hurried to the room where the impatient Mr, Ward await ed him. “Quick!” he cried. from here with all haste, to-morrow morning.” Half an hour later they stepped to the deck of the Halfmoon and entered the cabin with Divine and the skip- per. Billy, who saw them go, strolled over to one of the cabin's open ports and listened. What the mucker heard made him prick up his ears. He learned that something after his own heart was ping—something crooked, and he ered that so dainty a thing as Divine could have a hand in it. It almost changed his estimate of the passenger of the Halfmoon, “Barbara Harding,” it) appeared, had been left $20,000,000 by her wrandfather that was to be hers on her marriage, In addition she had five millions in her own right, and her father, Anthony Harding, was @ mil- lonaire several timen over. The scheme was that Barbara waa to be kidnapped by Simms and held for ransom. Divine, Miss Harding's old friend, would prove to be a pris- oner In the hands of the abductors. He would force the girl to marry him, and then they two would be returned, The ransom and a substantial slice of the girl's fortune would then he split among Simms, Ward, Theriere and the absent Clinker, the crew get- ting triple pay. It seemed that by the wording of the will the girl's husband would get ten millions at once for “We muat £0 They sat , himself, However, as Billy learned later, Divine did not know of a clause in the will which made {t necessary for Mixs Harding’s husband to be the cholee of both herself and her father in order that she should inherit the money. Therioere, glancing up during the talk, caught a glimpse of the mucker's face at the port. He said nothing, but later summoned Billy to his own quarters, “My friend,” said Theriere, once the two were behind the closed door of the officer's cabin, “I do not need to ask you how much you overheard of the conversation in the Captain's cabin, “What I would say to you ts this: Keep your mouth shut and stay by me in what will occur within the next few days, Those.” he jerked his thumb in the direction of the Cap- tain's cabin, “are making themselves ready for the hangman; and I, for one, do not tntend to place my head in @ noose made by another man. Now, without this Divine we shall have much more to divide, ta It not? particularly if we do this thing rightly, I have @ plan and it needs but three or four to succved with tt. "You do not like this Ward," he continued, “and you may he very certain that Ward does not love you. If you stand by him and the others, Ward will cheat you of your share moat surely, and perhaps of much more in addition, In short, Byrne, my friend, your life itself t# In danger—you are a poor tn risk just so long as Bender Ward ts on the same ship with you. Do you understand what T mea’ said Billy Byrne, “1 ain't afraid o° that stiff! Let him make any funny crack at me an’ I'll cave in a handful of slate for him—the piker!"* “That is right, too, Byrne,” said Theriere. “Of course you can do it If anybody can, If you get the chance; but Ward is not the man to give you any chance, There may be shooting within the next day or so, and there is nothing to prevent Ward giving you a bullet in the back, by acc!dent, If he does not do it then, there will be many tunities before any of us ase a white man's port again. Ho will kill you, Byrne, never fear—he te that sort! “Now, with me you will be free of Ward, Simms and Divine, There will vey in It for you, and you to go in fear of death from behind at any minute. What do you say? Are you with me, or shail 1 go back to Skipper Simms and Ward Aud tell them that 1 eaught you la. toning at the porthole? “Oh, I'm game," sald Billy Byrne, “if you'll promise me a square deal @: on the divvy."" The Frenchman extended his hand, “Let us shake on it," he sald, Billy took the proffered That's a he sac better wise mo to wot's doin Yot now," said ‘Therlere; “soma might overhear, just as you did, Wait until T have’ a better oppors tunity and T shall tell you all there 18 to know, In the mean time think who would be the best men to work with us—we shall need three or ur more besides ourselves. Now, go on deck about your duties as ‘though nothing had " and tf Tam more rough th with you, you ehall undera it is to avert V_possit “I'm next, . n usual uspicion later." said Billy Byrne, CHAPTER Il. Mallory Makes Good. Y dusk the trim Uttle brig- antine was acudding away toward the west before a wind that could not have sulted her better had been made to order at the special behest of the devil himself to speed his minions upon their devil's work. Hilly was still pondering the second mate's offer, Now, tf he could but devise some scheme for double-crose ing Theriere the pleasure and profit of the adventure would be tripled, Tt was this proposition that was occupying his attention when he caught sicht of “Bony” Sawyer and “Red” Sanders emerging from the forecastle, Billy Byrne hailed the When the mucker had explained the possibilities of profit that were to bo had by entering the conspiracy aimed at Simma and Ward the two seamen were enthusiastically for it. Kony Sawyer suggested that the Blanco, was about the other member of the crew upon they could depend, and at request Bony promised to co-operation of the glant Ethiopian From early morning of tne second day out of Honolulu keen eyes scanned the eastern horizon throug) powerful glasses. About two bells of the afternoon watch a alight smudge became visible about two points north of east, Immediately the course of the Half- nh was altered #o that she bore ost directly north by west in an effort to ebme safely into the course of the steamer which was soon rising rapidly above the horizon The new course of the was held as long as It sonably safe without dan, brigantine seemed rea- © of being siichte der full sail by the on- comin, I, then her head was brought into the wind, One by her sails were lowered and furied. the keen eyes of Second Offic Thericre showed him that there w: no question but that the white hull in the distance was that of the stean pleasure yacht Lotus. Upon the deck of the unsuspecting vessel a merry party laughed and chatted in py ignorance of the plotters In their path, It was nearly half an hour after the Halfmoon had come to rest, dritfing idly under bare poles, that the lookout upon the Lo- tus sighted her, “Sailin’ vessel lyin’ to, west halt south,” he shouted, “flyin’ distress signals!" “How exciting!" exclaimed Barbara Harding. of course it's not a real shipwreck, but maybe it's the next thing to it. The poor souls may have been drifting about here in the centre ' Apri By Robert Minor of tho Pacific without food or water for goodness knowa how many weeks.” “If they've been drifting for any considerable number of weeks with- out food or water,” hagarded Billy Mallory, one of the guests, “about the only things they'll need’! be what We didn’t have the foresight to bring along—an undertaker and @ preach- ‘Don't be horrid, Miss Harding. “You know perfectly well that I didn't mean weeks—1 meant days, and anyway they'll be grateful to us for what we can do Hilly,” returned for them, I can scarcely wait to hear their story.” Billy Mallory was inspecting the stranger through Mr, Harding's glass, Suddenly he gave an exclamation of dismay “By George!” he cried. “It ts seri- ous, after all. That ship's afire, Look, Mr. Harding,” and he passed the glass over to his host, And sure enough, as the owner of the Lotus found the brigantine again in the center f his lens he saw a thio ke rising amid- ship Hid not #6 was Mr opposite side of the Halfmoon's cabin superintending the burning by the black cook of @ bundle of olly rags in an tron boiler, “Hy Jove!” exclaimed Mr. Harding. “This is terrible, The poor devils ar panic-stricken, Look at ‘em making for the boats! and with that he dashed back ty with his Captain, Tho offivers and men of the Halt. moon, so far as those on board the Lotus could guess, had all entered the boats at last, and were pulling fran- tleally away from thelr own ship to ward the rapidly nearing yacht; but what they did not guess and could not know was that Mr, Divine paced nar- yously to and fro in his cabin, while ne bridge to confer nd Officer ri tended the smoking rags which Ward and Blanco had resigned to him so that they might take thelr places in the boats. As @ matter of fact Therlere had been mightily smitten by the fa d fortune of Barbara Marding, an vac seen in the trend of events a possible opportunity of so deeply obligating her fqther and herself that when he pald court to her she might fall « Willing victiin to his wiles, In this case he would be obliged to risk noth- ing, and could make away with his accomplices. by explaining to Mr. Harding that he had been compelled to concoct this other scheme to obtain their assistance against Simms and 1; then they could throw the into irons and all would be lovely, Isut now that fool Ward had upset the whole thing by bitting upon this asinine fire howX us an excuse for boarding the Lotus in force, and had further dampened — ‘her scheme by suggesting to mms the danger of Th recognized as they were Lotus and bringing # them all immediately. They all knew that a pleasure yacht rding the iclon upon like the Lotus was well supplied with small arms, and that at the frat in- timation of danger there would be plenty of men aboard to repel assault, and, in all probability, with entire success, The boats were now quite close to the yacht, which had slowed down al- most to a dead stop. In answer to the query of the Lotus's captain, Skipper Simms was explaining thelr trouble. ‘m Capt, Jones," he shouted, “ot tho brigantine Clarinda, ‘lrisco to Yokohama, with dynamite, We dis abled our rudder yesterday, an’ this afternoon fire started in the bold, It's making headway fast now, and ‘Il reach the dynamite most any time. You'd better take us aboard, an’ get away from bere as quick as you can ‘Yain't safe nowhere within five hund’er’ fathoms of her." The officers and men of the Halt- moon swarmed up the sides of the Lotus, dark visaged, flerce and for- bidding, “Reminds me of @ boardtug party 5. 1915 ly Matory the jaat he threw © ing over the Fall, reeck the a pretty, ore they? the Lord for ih out reennt i ws wetul at then,” laughed the man I've cerlalnly been unsuccessful enough in another matter rap make myself ee t 1 final ried the be » be before you got your bead? notion to » with the . ed Wit | "Oh, Billy! What are th doing?” exclaimed (he girk “They're shooting! They're shooting at papa Quick, Milly! Do ae or i heaven’a eake, do somethin, | On the deck below them the “rea leued” crew of the Clarinda had eur rounded Mr. Harding, Capt. Norris of the crew of the Lotu n't none of you | get hurted.” “What do you want of us?" erted \Mr Harding, "If It's money, take what you can find aboard Us and go lon your way, No one will hinder you. Bkip Simme paid no attention to him, His eyes swept aloft to the up- per deck, There he saw a wide-eyed «irl and @ man looking down upon them. “Who is that woman you hi | board here?” he cried tn an accusing tone of voice, “That's what we'ro [here to find out.” ss “Why, ahe’s my daughter, man’ blurted ‘Harding. “Who did you" “Thanks,” sald Skipper Simma, with a nolf-satisfied grin, “That’e to be eure of. Hey ou're nearest the com- fetch the girl.” ommand the mucker turned ped up the stairway to tho up- per deck, Billy Mallory had over. heard the conversation below and Simms'a command to Byrne, Disengaging himself from Barbara Harding, who tn her terror had clutched his arm, he ran forward to the head of the stairway, ‘The men of the Lotus looked on tn mute and helpless rage. All were covered by the guns of the boarding party, the still forma of two of their companions bearing eloquent witnens to the slendernéss of provocation necessary to timhten the trigger fin- gers of the beasts #tanding over them, Billy Byrne never hesitated in his rush for the upper deck. The aight of the man awaiting him above but whetted his appetite for battle, Billy Mallory was an older man than the mucker--twenty-four per haps—and fully as large. For four yaurs he bad played right guard on a great Kantern team and for three had pulled stroke upon the crew. As the mucker rushed upward to- ward him Mallory had all the adv: tage of position and preparedness, had he done what Billy Byrne would have done under like otrcum- stances he would have planted a kick in the midst of the muck: facial beauties with all the power and welght and energy at hia command; but Hilly Mallory could no more have perpetrated a cowardly trick such as this than he could have etruck a woman, Instead he wnited, and mucker came on an even with him Mallory swung a@ victo right for the man's jaw, Byrne ducked beneath the blow, came up Inside Mallory’s guard, and atruck him three times with | trip-hammer velocity and pile-driver offectiveneas -onee upon the Jaw and twice-—be- low the belt! Tho «irl, clinging to the rall, rivet- ed by the paralysis of fright, saw her champton stagger back and half crumpled to t deck, Then she saw him make @ brave’ and desperate rally though torn with age ho lurched forward in an endeavor to clinch with the brute before him, Again the mucker struck his vietim —auick, choppy. hooka that rocked Mallory's head from side to elde— and again the brutal blow below the belt. Hut with the tenacity of a bulldog the man fought for a hold upon his foe, und at last, notwithstanding Kyre heat eff he succeeded tn clowing with the mucker and drag- king him to the deck, He » two men rolled and tum- tyrne biting, Kouging and kick ing, while Mallory devoted all of his fast waning strength to an effort to * close his fingers upon the throat of his antagonist. Lut the terrible punishment which the mu inflicted upon him over t last, and as Byrne fit the man’s efforts weakening b partially disengaged himself, and, raising himself upon one arm, dealt his now almost unconscious enemy a halt dozen frightful blows upon the rac With a shriek Barbara Harding turned from the awiul sight as Billy Mallory'’s bloody and swollen eyes rolled up and set, while the mucker threw the inert form roughly from him, Quick to the girl's memory sprang Mallory'a recent delaration, which she had thought at the time the empty and vatnglorious wating of the man in love—"Why, I'd die for you, Barbara, and wel- the chance!” How soon and how terri the chance come!” moaned the girl, Then @ rough hand fell upon her 1. arm “Here, you!" a coarse voice yelled in her ear, ‘Come out o' de trance!" and at the game time she was jerked roughly toward the companionway, \ \ oath Anthony ard te protect hie the butt Re peer to ‘nure wor Ie ter 1 (he @ir Row permit. ereeit to be led te the deck ber Quickly che was lowered inte o f the U he Ltn «of the crew of t 1) tame ¢ a places apen tho OriaaaalaD of those left as 4 prine crew aboard the yacht, returoed with the girl to voaer|« salle were goon od trimmed, and in it on lowed by the Let i out of the lane of regular fle trame ie Une Barbera Harding been kept below, u 1 yoabin. She had seen no than @ great ro, whe brought ber meals to her three times ally meals that she returned carcely touched the Haifmoon was brought “lay with nto the wind, wher ‘Me canvas, Skipper Simms re- turned to the Lotus with the of the y Ua crew that ha brought aboard the brigantine with him two days before, and as many more of his own men, Once aboard the Lotus, the men were put to work with those alre on the yacht, The yacht’s rudder was unship) and dropped into the ocean; her were put out; her ines were at tacked with sledges until they were little better than #o much funk. Ne chance was to be taken of immediate pursuit or of belog traced to the Malf- moon's destinath Even the 1 was all shovolled into the Pacific. for extra mass and spare sails fol- lowed the way of the coal and the, rudder, so that when Skipper Simms and Firat Officer Ward left her with: all of their own men that had been little better than jot, manned by Hard- and crew. her cabin window Barbara, Harding had witnessed the wanton wrecking of her father's yacht, When it was over and the crew of the antine had returned to their own ahi ahe presently felt the movement of the vensel as it got under way, Soon the Lotus dropped to the stern’ and beyond the range of her tiny port. With a moan of hopelessness and ter- ror the girl sank prostrate across the hard berth that spanned one end of her prison cell. Her father had been abandoned to his fate! Finally she was aroused opening of her cabin door, 1 the othe #prang to her feet, ready to defend herself againat what ehe felt might easily be some new form of danger, her eyes went wide in astonial an they reated on the face of the who stood framed in the doorway of her eabin. “You?” she orted. CHAPTER IV. Conflicting Stories. ES, Barbara, it 40 1," eaid Mr. Divine: “and thank God that I am here te’ do what little any man; may do against this, band of murdering pirates.” “But, Larry,” cried the girl in evi«* dent bewilderment, “how @4 you: come to be aboard this ship? How did you get here? What are you do- ing among such as these?" wi “I am @ prisoner,” replied the many: “Just as are you. I think they ine: tend holding us for ransom. They got me in Frisco, Slugged me and hustled me aboard che night before’ they sailed." “They cannot have treated you very badly, Larry,” she sald, “You are as” weil groomed and well fed, appar ently, as ever.” "Ol no,” he hastened to assure her, “they have not treated mo at all badly—why should they? If I die the collect no ransom on me, It is the same with you, Barbara, #0 I think you need apprehend no harsh” treatment.” It seems #0 remarkable," she went on, “that you should be a prisoner Upon the same boat. I cannot under- stand it. Why. only a few days Wo received and entertained a friend” of yours who brought a letter from you to papa-—the Count de Cad Md “They made me do that,” he said Jerking his thumb in the general direction of Skipper Simims's cabin. ‘Maybe that accounts for thelr brings! ing me along. ‘The ‘Count de Cades~ nev’ ts @ fellow named Thertere, sec- ond mate of the ship. They sent Bim « to learn your plans, when you ex- pected CB from Honolulu, and your course. ‘They are all crooks and: villains. If I hadn't done they told me they would have killed me. The girl made no comment, but Di vine saw the contempt in her face, “I didn't know that they we ing to do this, If I had I'd have Hedy hes before I'd have written that note, Added rather lamely. $ he «irl was suddenly looking very: sad. She was thinking of Billy, Maley lory, who had died in an effort to gave e' The mental comparison she wat king between him and Mr. Divine = was not overly flattering to the latter gentleman, ’ “They killed poor Billy,” she " at last.” “He tried to protect mee ae “Billy would have done better have bowed to the inevitable, as did," he sald. “Living, I am able to help you now, Dead, I could not have prevented them carrying out thetr in~+ tentions any more than Billy hag, nor could I have been here to aid now any more than he ts. I can: . see that his action helped you to amy. great extent, brave as it was.” “L think I should rather be alone, Larry,” aho said. “I am very un-. happy and nervous. Possibly I oo: sleep now." With @ bow he turned and left tne cabin. (To Be: ”