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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1904)
Kemp in England and Jamaica By Joseph Conrad (Copyright. 1304. by MeClure. Phillips A Co.) CHAPTER IV. i remained lying mere, Douna nana ijl T and foot, for a long- time; for . quite lone enough to allow me to rtorap collect my serines and see that I ill had been a foul to threaten I had been nobly Indignant, and I hail a Hack thrown over my Ollrlen. behold! bead for my pains and was put awuy afcly somewhere or other. It seomoJ to bo a collar. I was In search of romance, and here were all the elements; Spaniards, a con spirator and a kldmiplng; hut I couldn't feel a fool and romantic as well. True ro mance, I suppose, needs a whirl of emotions splashing. Jarring and It became obvious to me that I was being taken to some ship, the Spanish ship, of course. Suddenly I broke Into cold prsplratlon at the thought that, after all, their purpose m.' t be to drop me quickly overboard. "Curios!" I cried. I fplt the point of a knife on my breaHt. "Silence, senor!" suld a gruff voice.. Thin fear vanished when we came along side a ship evidently olready undrr way; but I was handled so roughly and clumsily that I was thoroughly exhausted and out of breath by the time I was got on board. All was still around me; I was left alone on a settee In the main cabin, as I Imag Inpd. For a long time I made no move ment; then a door opened and shut. There necessary. This young gentleman was about to become singularly Inconvenient, and he is In no way harmed." He spoke In a velvety voice, and walked away gently throagh the darkness. Carlos followed with the lantern dangling at arm's length; strangely enough, he hud not even looked at mo. I suppose lie was ashamed, and I was too proud to speak to him, with my hands and feet tied fast. The door closed and X remained sitting In the darkness. I turned my hend to a click; I saw a floor open a little way, and the small blue flame of a taper floated into the room. The llsht shone redly through protecting Augers, and upwards on to a small face. Sl'UnKNt.Y CVNTKO. 8TRETCHINO 1113 AKM OUT AT MB. CRiliD: "COMB, HOMBRES, THIS 13 THE CABALUERO 23K12.12 HIM!" ' to extinguish all the sense except that of sight, which It dims. Except for sight, which 1 hadn't at all, I hud the use of tlvni nil, and all reported unpleasant things. 1 waited, and my fury grew In a deud silence. How would it end with what outrage? 1 would show my contempt and preserve my dignity by submitting with out a struggle-1 dnsplsod this odious plot. At lust thero were voices, footsteps; I found It very hard to curry out my reso lution and refrain from stilled rriea and kicks. I was lifted up and carried like a corpse, with many stumbles, by men who sometimes growled us they hastened along. From time, to tlm somebody murmured "take care." Then I was dcpnalted Into a boat. The world seemed to be swaying. was a murmured conversation between two voices. This went on In animated whispers for a time. At lact I felt as if some one were trying, rather Ineffectually, to re move the sack Itself. Finally, that actually did rub Its way over my head, and some thing soft and silken began to wipe my eyes with a surprising care, and even ten derness. '"1 his was stupidly done," came a discontented remark; "you do not handle a cabcllero like this." "And how else was It to be done, to that kind of raballero?" was the curt retort. liy that time I had blinked my eyed into a condition for remaining open for minute stretches. Two men were bending over me -Carlos and O'Hrien himself. The latter said : "Iklieve turn, your mistake mads this It came to a halt, and I made out the figure of a girl leaning across a table and looking upwards. There was a click of glass, and a great bluio of light created a host of shin ing things. A large silver lamp she bad lighted kept on swinging to the gentle mo tion of the ship. She stood just In front of me; the girl that I had seen through the door; the girl I had fccn play with the melon .seeds. She was breathing fast it agitated me to be alone with her and she had a little shining dagger in her hand. She cut the rope round my ankles, and motioned me imiieriously to turn round. "Your hands your hands!" I turned my buck awkwardly to her and felt the grip of email, cool, very Aim &iigers upon iny wrlbls. My arm fell apart, numb and perfectly useless. I waa half aware of pain In them, but It passed unnoticed among a cloud of other emo tions. I didn't feel my finger tips because I had the agitation, the flutter, the tan talization of looking at her. "Ask nothing," she said, hurriedly. "The land it uot far yet. You can tscupe. Carlos thought Hut no! You would only perish for nothing. Go with God." She pointed imperiously toward the square turnposts of the cabin. "Uo go go with God," tho girl whis pered urgently. "There Is a boat " 1 made a motion to rise; I wanted to go. Hut I tould not stand, though the blood was returning, warm and tingling, in my legs and hands. She looked at me with a sharp frown, puckering her blows a littlo, beat a hasty tattoo with una of her feet and cast a startled glance toward the for ward doors that led on deck. "Your life hangs on a thread," she mur mured. I answered: "You have given It to me. Shall I never " I was acutely conscious) of the imperfection of my language. She looked at mo sharply; then lowered her lids. Afterwards she raised them again. "Think of yourself. Kvery moment la " "I will be as quick as I can," I said. "That man thinks he can destroy you. I hate him I detest him! You have see a how he treats my father." It struck me, like a blow, that she waa merely avenging O'Brien's Insolence to her father. I had been kidnaped against Don Balthasar Rk-go's will. It gave me very well the measure of the old man's power lessness in face of his lntendant who waa obviously confident of afterwards sooth ing the resentment. 1 was glad I had not thanked her for taking an interest in me. I was distressed, too, because once more I bad missed Ro mance by an Inch. Someone kicked at the locked door. A voice cried I could not help thinking warningly. "Seraphlna! Seraphina!" and another voice said with exceaslve softness, "Senorita! Voyons! quelle folie." She sprang at me. Her hand hurt my wrist as she dragged me aft. I scrambled clumsily Into the recess of the counter and put my head out. The night air was very chilly and full of brine; a little boat towing by a long painter waa sheering about la the phosphorescent wake of the ship. A little astern of us, on our port quarter, a vessel under a press of canvas seemed to stand still; looming up like an Immense pal ghost. She might have been coming up with us, or else we bad just passed her I ctuldn't tell. The sound of another kick at the door made me swing myself out, head first, with out reflection. I got soused to tho waist before I had reached Uie bows of the boat. With a frantic effort I clambered up and rolled In. When I got on my legs the jerky motion of tossing had ceased, the boat waa floating still, and the light of the stern win dows was far away already. The girl had cut the painter. The other vessel was heading straight for me, rather high on the water, broad beamed, squat and making her way quietly, like a shadow. The land might have been four or five miles away I had no means of knowing exactly. It looked like a high, black cloud, and purply-gray mists here and there among the peaks hung like scarfs. I got an oar over the stern to scull, bat I was not fit for much exertion. I Blared at the ship I had left. Her stern windows glimmered with a slight up-and-down mo tion; her sails seemed to fall Into black confusion against the blaze of the moon; faint cries came to me out of her, and by the alteration of her shape I understood that she waa being brought to, preparatory to lowering a boat. The land breeze was dying away, and In the wake of the moon I perceived the bout Of my pursuers coming over, black and distinct; but the other vessel was nearly upon me. I sheered under her starboard bow. There was a lot of noise on board and ni ne Bcemed to hear my shouts. Several voices yelled. "That Spanish ship ahead la htuvlng-to athwart our hawse." The ship forged ahead In the light air; 1 caught the main chain anil scrambled up, while the bout floated away from under my foet. A yell camu from forward, "Hard aport!" Then the same voice addressed itself to abusing the Spanish ship very close to ua avuw. "What do you mean by coming -ta