The evening world. Newspaper, November 11, 1915, Page 21

* oe (Ceara, 1918, by Doubleday. Pare & Os.) STMOPETS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, James ‘Trenhotm. an Americar (who tells the from Manila to Bongtong AY Ahem ace decked ta the forecestie, CHAPTER VIII. (Continned,) A Council of War. $4 N OT that,” said Riggs, selz- ing me. “You'll bave drown us ilk them down upon us, or they'll turn the fire hose down tho scuttle and ¢ rats. I've broken too Mr. Trenholm. You “But let's do something,” I pleaded. “We might as well be planning some- fing as to be sitting bere weeping over what has happened \ We stopped to listen as tho ham- ‘maring between decks grew louder. pirates were smashing tho chests held the gold, and to us in our tho noiss of their work was ous—as if they were buliding a 8 and we were condemned men. They've got tt,” said Riggs. “When stowed the boats with tt byt open her sea valves and down ll go. If there wns a chance in pe world, Mr. Trenholm, I'd fight; put, being a landsman, you don't b tand bow these things work wit@' out. They are probably driving her the coast now—we've been ‘ap casting, as I can tell from her roll, and, as they'll be well off the steamer lanes by daylight, they may wait until they can seo where they will make their landing. “But. if we give them trouble, they’ make sure of putting us out of the way before they abandon ship. Take tw caim, and we may cee a way out of it; but there is nothing to gain by opening the fight again, fixed as we are.” “It's a dismal outlook,” I confessed, tmpressed by his coolness in spite of Nis gurfender to the situation, ou may be right, but if you witl "ur wits to work you may see . * Nad any cartridges"— idges! Have you a pistol? dvew a heavy revolver from his /acket and dropped the empty cylin- “der into bis palm, and I gave a roar of Joy at tho sight of It, for 1 knew Mthat it would take tho bullets I had fond in Harris's pocket. ("A forty-four! Beret Those will I plucked # handful of the cartridges which were sud- transformed from so much use- and powder Into deadly mis- =P which might yet save our lives the sbip. duck bas turnet!” I cried, slap- r im on the back and puttl. ¢ six rot the greasy slugs into the cylinder pnd snapping it back into position, “We can fight them ¥#, captain, Gly let me get #ignt of one of those ‘murderers and (ll drit! him—Thirkle ‘and Buckrow and the whole lot ot ‘emt You won't get the chance,” he sald. “They are too wise to come prowling ouad if there is a chance of getting pple, and they won't bother thelr heads with us now—it’s the guld they Lwamt-—-there they Oo again.” «There wos a shot on deck, and then heard heavy shoes pounding over a wild yell over our ee comes got @ bullet or Jumped oR the companion to the gtuttle-hood and listened, and, with mthe ipisuol ready, tried to make out hat was going on, 1 could hear ‘yatrkle calting to Petrak, and then the screaming of Chinese, shots in raptd wut on, and the patter of bare feet cen api on the tron deck plates. In a few minutes the battle seemed to be transferred to the superstructure ‘and the afterdeck, and from then until ports of the forecastie became disks in the false dawn there scarcely a quarter of an hour 1 ag not marked by a pistol shot or Whe death cry of a victim, We new it was @ ruthless slaughter, and A tbat Thirkle was working out the an- Mi cient creed that dead men tell no i? tales. ng When the starboard ports turned gray with the light of morning we had given up, There was nothing te Jo Dut wait for something to happen, thine nd all we could foreseo was our DED Soom in the vessel, With the broken > v Ls ied . | otfe 1 bad cut @ ragged slit in the 4 “ barely big enough to squint through. 1 could not enlarge the 5 ‘The sea had calmed; and Captain Rigge unscrewed one of the ports and 4 out just as the sun popped up ‘er the hills of the Philippine coast. “Land!” shouted Captain Riggs, as the port, and I climbed up Jiro opened e bunks and opened a port for the Zambales coast 54 “Tha an toy Luson, and they have been making easting all night; but we are My } north now-—see that point dhead? It's really an tslanc—the Lite \ The Tale of an American’s Strange Adventures Aboard a Treasure Ship SSAA ROMINA aK GRE RRR - steamors here,” said rf MNRAS tle Sister, I am sure—and Dasol Ray les to the north up the channel be-! tween tho {sland and the mainland. He's running to get into that channel! bebind the island and scuttle ber there—he knows bis business,” “He's well off tho track of the Riggs, “but he won't Melay much longer now, unless he can get In bebind the island and, then he can take his own ime, be- cause he can pick up a sallfbefore be is sighted through the ends of the channel. That island eaps a little bay, and he'll be snug ag a bug in a rug to do bis work. I ‘s have @ look on deck and see what's up.” Rojah leaped out of his bunk and, after looking around for a minute in confusion at his strange quarters, drank the water we had saved for bim in the panntkin, and then put his face to a porthole and surveyed the land, I took the lead up the companion with the pistol ready, hoping that one of the pirates might be close to the tiny slit I had cut in the board and would offer a target. I applied my eye to the hole, The Rev. Luther Meeker, still in bis sult of duck and ponges shirt and battered pith belmet, just as I had seen iim on the mole in Manila, was pacing the bridge in the calm, com- manding way that marks the man accustomed to comm.nd, He was puffing contentedly at a cigar, and there was something amusing in the manner in which he cocked his head to one side to survey the sea and| then the land with a critical eye. | From side to side he tramped, swinging on his heel at each end of the bridge like a grenadier gen: and giving Potrak, who had the whee @ stern look as he passed, Buckrow Was at the port end of the bridge, with a glass to his eye scanning the rim of the sea; but Meeker, or Thirkio, kept aloof from his men, and he might well have been an admiral the bridge of his flagship—the ril's Admiral, indeed! Take a t whispered / and made way for him at the seuttle peephole, “Blast him!” raged Riggs as he saw the scene on the bridge, “I never thought 1 would live to see the like of that!” “But how does he keep her engines | going? The hreroom crew must know what has happened,” 1 said. ‘ “What's left of ‘em do,” said Rigxs. lew jikely got a few men below who } get « share of tho up steam, Perhaps fin at his post ke the chunkics going—leave that to devil on the bridge—he knows bis gume. die drew back into the nd Ll looked out again, on in, companion, i could seo a ently @ strip of breeze, and Long Jim with a sail-needle and a stood up, length of sail-twine in his teeth, and cut out @ square of tarpaulin om the deck. . “Look at the cockney,” 1 ald to Riggs. “I can't make out what he ts up to” He studied the sailor for a minute, and then drew back and whispered: i acks to carry the gold sway. starboard boats are hang- vin the davits, ready to lower away hen we are behind the islaud, There is a channel a mile wide in there and deep soundings, He may find an an- chorage until night and then get away in the dark, but I'm afraid he won't take that long, because he knows a coast-guard cutter ts tiable to spy bim out, This coast ts being watched pretty close by the navy and the Japs und the customs, because there is 50 much blockade-runging.” ‘It may bo that be is planning to maroon us on tie {sland.” That wouldn't be his way, fhe Devil's Admiral never leaves a man alive. Four men will get out of the Kut Sang, and you know who they are, He ain't the man to take a chance of meeting you or me, or even jetting us tell abou him. It's ‘Dead men tell no tales’ with him, you may be sure of | that.” Buckrow and Long Jim camé up sack slung In a rope, with a bulgiy ‘Thirkle gave them a hand up the ladder to the boat-deck, but he Ist them do the hard work. Petrak slipped a lashing over the wheel and leaned over the bridge- grinning down at them, and made e remark whic uw Buekrow to laugh so inordinately that he dropped his end of the rope, and the suck fell on the head of the ladder He pulled it up on the deck, and thrusting his hand into his trouser pecket, drew out a ol coins and buried them up at Petr They struck the remnant of siorm apron and rattled to the deck, some of the glittering disks pelt- ing Thirkle, who was halfway up the ladder, Petrak threw out his hand to catch the coins, and I saw that bis wrists were still encircled by steel bands, Thirkle reprimanded them, and Petrak went back to the wheel, and Buckrow and Long Jim hoisted the sack Into the boat and stowed it, While Petrak hol! te spoke of the wheel with one hand, he rasped at the iron upon It with a file, cutting away the heavy mauacle When they had all the gold up the: stowed the boats wit!) tinned roods and casks of water, ‘Vhon they @ bottle of wine and drank tenta, and Thirkle buried the forecastle, and \) smashed on the iron plates within a few t of us. Buckrow and Long Jim disappeared in the saloon after this, and Thirkle looked bis chart over again and mo- tioned to Petrak to alter the helm, “He's heading her in for the strait,” sald Riggs, “He had better allow for that tide-rip that comes down through or she'll have her head swung round peed before he knows where gis opi” T told him, as T saw Dhirkle listen a second and step d and Ninf piey SSRINKY, Hi ANTI ESsy s PREPARATION qunekly to the engine-room telegraph uuu throw it over. 1 could hear the vharp clang of tne bell; but the next instant there was a rifie roar, and the superstructure an to Vomit steam through the en- there we might have got out of here and put ip a Bunu's work, too, He wont bave steerage Way on ber—her engines ha‘ sone dead now, keel her swing with thai current?" “They've started #gain,” 1 1d, feet~ gine-room sxyught Just abaft the Lhe vessel, uh wheel-house, cried Kiges. “They've The boilers!" yelled Riggs. “She's id ber sea-valves!" blowing off, and there ts a steam- We listened and stared at cach other for a minute wile the water sucked and gurgled and the Kut Sang began to vibrate from the fleud pouring into her. Gradually her head began to swing to seaward away from the island, as the current caught her, and, as I looked out | saw Thirkle and Buckrow in tbe forward boat, lower- ing away. We were drifting broadside ip the current Now, sweeping down the coast and sinking at the same time, Iran up the companion and began to struggle with the scuttle-bo: again, hoping that the Chinaman wha was seeking shelter from the pirates’ bullets bad made it possible for us to escape, The board was looser, and I slipped !t to one side nearly an inch, and then it jammed again. “Trenholm! Trenholm!” yelled Riggs frantically from below, “What is it?” 1 called, hating to lone a second in my efforts to ret the board free, Me did not answer, and I called to him again. Before the words were out of my mouth I was sprawling on ail fours on the deck below. pipe gone, or someching below hus opened her whole insties up.” The Kut Sang was a white volcano amidsnips, and | saw Toirkie yelling franticully, and Buckrow and Long Jim appeared in the passage below and yeiled to Thirkle, waving their arms, and then dashed up the ladder to the bridge. Duduenmy they started back and grouped themselves about Petrak at Lie waeel Wild UCHWR Wedpous, aud next insiant 1 saw a halt-dozen forms emerge from the weiter of seam and aash at the pirates, ‘hey were Cusmese and Filipioo stokers, bul one of them seemec’ to be Y, and he wore an en- cap and was stripped to the 1 saw t.3 puns of smoKe Water, from the pistols of the four piraves— Petrak put nis back to the wheel and fired Over Tnrkies Suouluer—vut Lie awful racket of the steam-pipes drowned the reports, Two of the Cainese fell at the first volley, and # third, evidently wounded, turned im his tracks and jumped over the rail, Another backed viciously at Toirkle with a long knife, but ne could not reach him, Thirkle siood With bis Leet wide apart, aud his bel~ met on the back of bis head and fired coolly and swiftly, ‘Toe Filipino i the engineer's cap pped the tron bar with which he 1 advanced in the rush, and put CHAPTER IX. We Plan an Expedition. MAD been thrown down the companion by an appalling crashand a sudden lurch of pot) hans to Bis stomacn, and stood ina hee Ge ake aa Within six feet of Thirkle, looking at O08 ahs caregens him in a surprised way, and finally to port, It seemed to me that the bottom plates were being ripped out of her and she was set- ting on her side with a succession of thumps which I took to be her last effort to keep afloat, The sea was w- most to the open ports on the side; and, as T tried to gain my feet on is hands as if he Jost and curled over backward threw up his balanc to the deck. A Wilipino toppled over the bridgo- rail and struck in a heap on the fore- deck, and lay stil, but t could not tell whether it was the fall or a bullet that nad Killed him, One Chinaman slid down the ladder rail whirling like an acrobat in the the Uited deck of the forecastie, 1 air before he landed, and another fell against the cutbourda of the line followed him, but they were the last, of bunks and Buckrow and Long Jim starved Mk uxroundt? sobanined Cauiaio after them, The first started for the Rixgs at me, “She's gone smash flat into a bed of coral! See that green streak running away from us to sea- ward? That's a reef running out from the mainland and we've piled up on it, and tf we don't slip off we're safe until 1b comes on to biow.” lie rap to the starboard side climbed the bunks to look the ports there, Vs all round us! Hear her set- Sho's making a bed for ber- self in the coral-pateh and she's not ecastle and began to throw of the ling between me and the deck, $0 that I could not see what was happening for a minute. He worked frantically, Jabbering all the while, and, as 1 thought, calling to his companion, He couldn't have been at work more than a minute, but to me it seemed an hour or more, and [ prayed that he might succeed in opening the scut- t 1d | wondered at his surprise if 1ould sliding- and through t out with up- dy . t a pistol spoke close at hand,| he narrow slit in the board let in the sun again and | saw the China- man fall just outside, Buckrow and Long Jim were running back to the bridge, ‘Thirkle yelled something to them and they nodded and went through the starboard pasmage, The uproar of the escaning steam was dying out, and [ told Rimes what I had witnessed, ‘The Filipino in the ean was the chief engineer, and we knew thet he had led a last ortte against the pirates, determined to die in a last effort to defeat them rather than he shot or left to drow: “Sally Ann!" said Rigs, “Tf that chinkle had cleared away the chains Evening World. THE TARZAN MAN AGAIN! There is @ treat in store for the thousands who thought “TARZAN OF THE APRS” was the best story of the decade. Edgar Rice Burroughs (author of The Evening World a still more thrilling novel of the African jungle. ‘This new serial is ralled “THE MAN-LATER.” “THE MAN-EATER" will be next week's Complete Novel in The Don’t miss @ single instalment. PRE ea Sum la taking any more water, She's safe as a church, Mr, Trenholin, If the the don't lift her off enoug to pull her into deep water, or the current swing her, she'll hold until the eea comes up; but she’s pretty decp and lays steady. She'll break up right bere.” “That's small comfort for us,” 1 sald, nursing my bruises. “They've cone in behind that potnt and made a landing.” said Riggs, still looking ¢ ugh the port. out of here in jir-time now, Where be my matches? Here! You and Rajah fish for water witb these ting ou @ string, and wet Gown all thase rags, Pull all the water im here you can.” “What's tho plan?” I asked. “urn the cussed scuttle off a mite at a Ume, Grease a bit of the board and then hold tho flame of the lamp on it, and, when it gots too lively, heave some water on and put it out and begin again. Haul @ couple of barrels of water in here and spill it under the bunks so that we cup git at it with the pans if the fire starts to git away from us. Clay on, man; we need every minute now. While wo were at this task Rigge was up in the scuttle, and from time to time we could hear the crackle of flames, and then the hissing of the water ag he extinguished the burning planks, Tbe thick amoke came down the companion and burned our eyes and nostrils as it escaped through the ports, “T've got lt throug! he yelled to us from a smoking shower of black fragments of tue board, and { ran up to him and saw the sun through the chains around the frame of the scucue., Tne Unks are glowing with heat and we dashed water on them. In @ short ume We bad wrenched them apart « Itajab could get through the strands, Then he threw off the bars of our prison and Riggs 294 and I gained tho hot plates of the sloping fore-deck, erawling over the body of the dead Chinese, which we rolled into the sea. “Phey are clean gone,” said Riggs, crawling up to the starboard side and scanning the island and the channel. “They went in beulnd the poir {t's a good chance they'll be back if gine's still afloat,” come," I gatd. ro weapona In tt 1 few RUNS stowed yuida't find ‘em, 1 some away, Alw he was, and he got i's least Harris atraid of mu one with a veng my ticket to a penny whistle we'll find 'Thirkle and his mea on the tsland,” poor chap. ‘arzan"’) has Just written fo: You ean't afford to. Author sand ond put something down before bim. Then he stretched at full length, with bis hands raised from his elbows to shade his eyes from the wun, “He's taking sights on the big pesk over yonder,” sald Riggs. “It looks to me as if they got a bearing on It from where they bave stowed the gold, and Buckrow wants to get the same bearing from the beach and leave a marker as a middie point and a gulde to where the treasure ts con- coaled, The oppoxite reading of the compass from tho bearing of the peak would be a leader to the cache e bearing takes, extended beh him, will run pretty near to where the gold is hidden, He's particular as @ Swede «kipper with that slght he’ in: pacity, Buckrow crawled Into the Jungle again and disappeared. We | saw bim no moro. “He made a Nitto beacon with three stones,” explained the captain, “I ain't sure just what it means, but |qhirkle ain't the man to leave such work to Buckrow. Yow can bet Thirkle will know how to find the gold again without asking Buckrow for the bearings, ‘There ts rome | Jeviltry afoot, and my best guess ts linat tho virates ain't getting along none too well among themacives with that treasure. ' “If we can crawl up on ‘em while they are all together and turn loose with our pistols from cover, wo've got “em,” went on Riggs “The three of us ought to lay them out before they | know what's up.” } It was arranged that | should scout from one side and Rixgs and the boy from another. Before we parted, how- ever. we came on a cove where thelr boats were moored. We made note of the spot and then I ret off alune in search of the pirates. | “Don’t go too far or stay too long,” cautioned the captain, as I set out “We ought to keep close together, Mr, Trenholm, and fight together.” I went up a trail a few rods, and as 1 was about to turn back I saw & level steh abead, where the tral! lof the pirates led away from tho bed of the stream into a patch of bich, thick grass. ‘Thirkle and bis men had lout @ narrow lane through this grass by trampling down the stalks, and my curiosity wot tho better of my caution, and J decided to explore a little further. open space and gained the jungie on the other side and found myself near peceneiehmemteneneeneeseomnaeninananst fs Wolpe OF OW, TeOky alll that was oy cvergrown with rank weeds and oon you'll go after them, ©ap- 1.44 and giant ferns it was hardly n Well, I'd rather guess so,” he said noticeable untl! { was close against hemently, “I'm on falr grovnd che wall. how, and If they don't come back to ‘ype cliftide wae damp and green puro the ship im the man to hunt with mosses, and the ground was moist what I'm afraid of is they wili hido and springy. The cool of the place the aah make for the mainiand, was grateful after the heat of oe oF put off to the north in the boats cin up the rocky bed of the creek. to seo If they can't be picked up by “H@> UP r sume ste cat for the nares aan 1 was about to return and urge pera They'll report the Kut Sang lost, Riggs to press on to this placo ~ Thirkie “U figure on getting back { hoard the subdued imurinur of hare before folks are sunpicious, Of voices away to the Fight and the gold may smell a rat and keep tab sWishing of follage. ; on him, but he'll see that he gets clear. 1 cropt through the jungie to ine He'll report her foundered far from yostigate. Then, a8 I drew near, I paused, hidden and listen “Keep over to port,” [ heard Long Jim way, “Mind them brambles, or here—leave that to him. I doubt if Ye'll have the eyes of mo blvomin’ he'll quit this place as long as he sees @ foot of the Kut above water, well knocked out! i'm ail siinned about the neck from ‘eavin’ away at Are you game to go after him, Mr, these poles. Drop it a bit, Re Trenholm?” “Tm with you to th whole gamo—I want to # out now, win or lose.” ‘It's near noon now, Mr, ore ue CURHE to get away In an LoWF ‘There was @ metallic thud as they let down a burden, which 1 knew must be a sack of gold. 1 lay quiet for a minute, and then began to wriggle through the brush to get a glimpse of them, and, in case it proved to be the os he boats they left are mashed, but I can rig a rart with enough camp, learn what might be the most advantageous method for our attack. hateb-covers good the {sland. to take us “My back is broke,” | heard Petrak to ‘We'll take plenty of grub and water, and if they don't give us a whine. “What with packin’ the whole blasted cargo into the hills and this a of the ‘Trenholm, fight trom shore before we lind, we cau cache our suppiics and take our ime looking for that sweet gang. We'll keep out of sight as much as we can before we leave, and we might bi gia Bosal R.. T'm for getting -time, Satta teat ess we sco them ¢- WI ‘t he loave it t black boy Rajah iv n big Jeunt now, Why couldn't it help,” said . as We taocred oUF clone to the beach, 1 want to know? improvised ton the ir'und's beach \yho wants to be packin' It oul again some time later and Rajah ran.up a nearby hill, “Tho lad has moro savvy than ye'd think, He seems to know just what to do in any emergency. And fight! A mad Arab that T shipped in Aden made for me one day in the Red Sea, T didn't mind the chap tll he was ‘most on ma, and @ bit more and he'd ha: some day ike « coolie? Snug enough, y, close down to the water, and ss to know? Think be was bury- in’ of it for Kingdom Come! Fine job ma, b us got him with the kris, genial ae her “Lucky for Thirlte the boy had tost the bloomtnk idiots! “My last it lant night when they had me going says 'e, ‘Your Lust haul, ‘ell!’ says mo over the bowa! He was after Thirkle then, when a sen come over and upset him, and away went his knife to bim, 1 telly him to mind the rest of us ‘as a ‘and tn the gold as well as in the gittin’ of it, Ye think ‘e's goin’ A pebble hit the water near us, and to jet us in on this? Not Thirkie, we looked up to see Ratah wildly jteddy. waving his arms tous, [He had spted Ur every bloody man for ‘tnsolf something on the other side of the now, and the devil take the 'indinost, pam which he will, L way, Thought ‘e'd ‘ave the whole of {t all to himself, did he? I kuowed ‘e’d give us dire when CHAPTER X. The Pursuit Ashore. ‘IZING our pistols, wo hur- it come to some big cut like this, and t's why I'm for gittin’ mine and n’ on with it this wi burden 2 gain, aud I saw Long Jim stoop to peer ried ashore, and, when back: but I was off oa tir Manky Rajan sow us coming, he und kept well concealed. Vetrak wuld . turned his attention to the something T could not catch, But 1 beach again and levelled the * Rhee ace glass tn the dtrection in which ho had 4,2 ve that, dil hem" asked teas found danger, Presently we gained hat wus tho lay, the lod, nore Le atood. “Told me he'd send ye » the trail | Rajal wriggled himself over to me With me, and to keep drawed ap clove to ye; and when I see my chance to hook a knife into ye, and be eure and make a clean job of it. But I'm no man for that, Jim. Mind when yo split @ bob (shilling) with me in liceolo’s boardin’-house in St, Paul's jand I took the binoculars; and, when |1 had put the: on a man in the dis tance, I saw Buckrow walking slowly {tn our direction with his bead bent to the ground, as If searching for ~viare? I don't do for no man what | some object. split a bob with me, and we was ship- “He's taking bearings on that nutes before we ever knowed Thirkle; * and we'll be shipmates again, Jim.” “With this ‘ere? asked Long Jim. ‘Ye think I'd look at a bloody sbip mountain peak or some other beacon said the captain, taking the binocu- Jars. “Ele's got @ small compass.” knoe of bein’ owner myself, when we Without the glass I could see Buck- get away with this sack of guineas? row get down on bis knees tn the It's @ pub for the two of us ia Liver- waited for a quarter of an hour, keep gi fng close watch on the beach, but we a Stooping low, I ran through thie wo, BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS - of “TARZAN,” iy treed near = Dock, | jemen, or I'm ; “low me if I didn’t the gold!" said Petrak, ching. “But J meant it the way of sbij mates, Jim, and that’s why I could: do for no such as he sald. “Hook yer knife in him, quick and sharp, usder the kidneys,’ says Thirkle to me. He Bucky and me left. red be up. pards of ten thousand pounds, man and man, share and share alike, and all the same. “That's Thirkie tor yo, Jim—thats 3 Thirkie, it was all Gne long as we, didn't make no great hauls, just t b enough for @ bit of a ime sehore; but sow we're rich, and he wants ut us honest chaps that helped get It out of the cut up. “Til take this sack for mine an@ aptit fair with yo, Jim; and it's better than Thirkle would give the twe of us, and ain't sayin’ as how be wouldo’t silt our throats to the bar gain Rpt back agar “That ‘o will,” said Long Jim. “ ‘t's thick with Bucky now, but mind eye when ‘e gits Bucky close ha me. Think Bucky'll ever find is way back'to this place? Thirkie'll do for ‘im—right ye are, Red—just os ‘e'd done for the two of y i “What was {t Thirkle told ye, Jim? a I'd give a bob to know. Was it about t me, Jim?” “Tella me the same bloody thing *e told yo,” said Jim, shutting one eye and making a grimace to imprese Petrak, “What's that, Jim? I don't reuem- ber of what yo mean.” tran! me ‘to do for ye down the “The beggar!” sald Petrak, “Gawd strike me blind if 'e didn’t! ‘Take walk for yerself down the tratl with Petrak,’ he says ‘Mind when yo get a chance and ‘ook a knife in his kidneys, and do It neat and clean; and then there'll be only three of us to cut this pile ‘ere three oe Bucky, ‘and yer own self, ‘ They shouldered the pole again and went on, and I followed them for @ Ume, trying to estimate the position of tain Rigge on the trail from where | was; but ia the excitement of followity Petrak and Long Jim I had lost my bearings. Wo came through a grove of wild hemp trees, and, keeping the bush that had concealed and the pirates, 1 these wide spreading banches of gi- wantio leaves drooping to the ground and managed to get behind 1 But as I rolled under the stalke rose near ine and screaming sufiny in long-drawn cries of alarm, and sev- eral of its young, hunting for cover, set up a racket ja the dead leaves on i the ground, 1 lay still for a minute, boping that the two pirates would not think any- thing amiss; but the mother bird me, screaming ond | darung down, and 1 beard Peirak and | Leng Jim curs an ann Lg toward me. I jumped up bebind the q tree, and, looking through the big : leaves, aaw them coming with drawn pistols, “Blow {f it ain’t the bally sald Long Jim, stopping a ‘ing Pressman! within a bundred foet tbrough the tres. That’ there, or I'm a Dutchman ‘That's who it is,” | called to them, } cocking my pistol, “Come on and see what you get!” “You're tm the Kut Sang,” sald } Petrak queerly, his knees shaking aa 1 if be had seen @ ghost. “You're deud | in the Kut Sang, along with Capt. Riggs and the rest of Uicw. For that very reason you had better not bother with me.” Petrak started off to the left 19 circle and get behind me, and Loug Jim began to draw near, cocking his pistol again and raising It and leering at me. Don't ye turn about or m he sald, “Turn yer ‘ead and dead tun He was within five yards of m*, and I saw him making a signal letrak, who was approaching ne from behind, I glanced back quick:y and saw the little red-headed maa stealing up on me with his knife ta bis hand. I lifted a pistol, and saw Long Jiu 4 stop ayd open his mouth in surprise, They had thought me unarmed. [ fired at the triangle of his nalee breast where the shirt was unbut~ toned from the neck. He curled over backward, as tf broken in the middie, ; and fired his pistol stratmhy we tn! the sky and then lay sty CHAPTER XI. The Gold and the Pirates. ERTAIN that Long Jim was dead, | turned on Petrak and presented my pistol at him, The litte flend was survey me blankly, taken abacis it. He stood within s of me, with bis legs wide a t and his Koves bent as Lf be were on the deck of a plunging ves- sel, dismay on bis face and the blade bo had intended for my back held Umply before him. I could see the butt of a big pistol hanging from his belt tn a holster ho had made from the top of an old shoe, but lie made no motion to reach f it, The Singers of bis left hand were twitching, splayed out as if from fear, and his mouth was open showing his ) yellow teeth. “If you move IN kill you!” T uid, having a mind to take him and com- twer pel bim to lead Higgs and me to hirkle's camp. “De be whined, “Don't shoot did ye git the gun, sir? We never kuowed as how ye had it. Don't shoot, Mr, Treahum! Yo und how I took Inegawe aboard!" Where's Thirkie and Buckrow?” ¢ ad. Up there,” he sald, swingtog his in the direction wo had I saw the familiar crafty into his eyes. “Quite a bit, air; in a cut of a clift with the booty,” low far?” jot far it aln't, Mr, Tronbua, Roundaboutish, but not far, and I'm thinkin’ I might lead ye on to ' sir, if ye'd let me have the sack . had, sir, Ye done for Jim right enough, but that's my sack now ” “Throw down that kaife and une buckle your belt, and see that you don’t reach for a pistol," I said, (To Be Continued) ‘ ; \ ,