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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1904)
May 13, 1004. THE ILLUSTRATED HEE. IS crypt lit by the little blue flame of an oil lamp. From above cum e sounds like thunder. Immense, vibrating; -we were Im mediately under the choir. Through the cracks around a large stone showed, a parallelogram of light. In the dimness I had a glimpse of the face of my conductor a thin, wonderfully hollow-cheeked lay brother. Ho began, with great gentleness, to assist me out of my black robes, and then he said: TlJo senorlta will be here very soon with the Senor Tomas," and then added, with an Infinitely sad and tender, dim mile: "Will not the Scnor Caballero, If It Is not repugnant, say a prayer for the repose of" He pointed gently upward to the great flagstone above which was the coffin f Don Balthasar and Carlos. The priest himself was one of those very holy, very touching perhaps, very stupid men that one finds In such places. With his dim, wistful face We Is ever present in my memory. He added: "And that the good God of us all may keep It in the Senor Caballcro's heart to care well for the soul of the dear senorlta." "I am a very old man," he whispered, after a pause. He was Indeed an old man. quite worn out, quite without hope on earth. "I have loved the senorlta since she was a child. The Senor Cabattero takes her from us. I would have lilm pray to he made worthy." Whilst I was doing it, the place began to he alive with whispers of garments, of hushed footsteps, a small exclamation In a gruff voice. Then the stone above moved out of Its piece and a blase of light fell flown from the choir above. I saw beside me Se.raphlna's face, bril liantly lit, looking upwards. Tomas Castro said: "Come quickly come quickly the prayers are ending; there will be people m the street." From the open door the priest rattled his keys, and said, "Come, come," Impa tiently. I was horribly afraid that Scraphlna would shriek or faint, or refuse to move. There was very little time. The pirates might stream out of the front of the cathe flral as we came from the back; the bishop had promised to accentuate the length of the service. Hut Scraphlna glided toward the open door; a breath of fresh air reached lis. She looked back once. The coffin was swinging right over the hole, shutting out the light. Tomas Castro took her hand and said, "Come come," with Infinite tenderness. He had been sobbing convulsively. Ye went up some steps and the door shut behind us with a sound like a sigh of relief. We went very fnst, -4n perfect blackness and solitude, on the deserted beach be tween the old town and the village. Every soul was near the cathedral. A boat lay half afloat. To the left In the distance tho light of the schooner opposite the Casa niego wavered on still water. Suddenly Tomas Castro said: "The senorlta never before set foot to the open ground." At once I lifted her into the boat. "Shove eft, Tomas," I said, with a beating heart. part pot' an i. Allude tind Gnltar, CHAPTER 'I. There was a slight, almost imperceptible Jar, a faint grating noise, a whispering Bound of sand and tho boat, without a splash, floated. "Hurry, senor," whispered Castro. "The mists In tho middle of the bay will hide os when the moon rises." It was time if we were- to escape. Es cape where? Into the open sea? With that silent, sorrowing girl by my side! In this miserable cockleshell, and without any refuge open to us? It was not really a hesitation; site could not be left at the mercy of O'Hrien. The mists rising on the lowlands never filled the bay, and I could see them lying In moonlight across the outlet like a silvery wliile ghost of u wall. We penetrated it, and instantly Iwcame lost to view from the shore. On this very night Manuel-del-Popolo was outside with a good many rowboats, wait ing on an Indluman. The ship had been seen Hearing the shore since noon. It was becalmed now. Perhaps they were looting It already. I heard Seraphlnu's voice saying softly: "You are a true friend, Tomas Castro. To you shall come a friend's reward. "Alas, senorlta!" he sighed. "What re mains for me in this world for me who have given for two musses for the souls of that Illustrious man, and of your cousin Don Carlos, my last piece of silver?" "We shall make you very rich, Tomas Castro," she said with decision, as If there bad been bags of gold In the boat. He returned a high-flown phrase of thanks in a bitter, absent whisper. I knew well enough that the help he hud given mo was not for money, not for love not even for loyalty to the Itlcgos. It was obedience to the hist recommendation of Carlos. Ho ran risks for my safety, but gave me ioni of his allegiance. biic i;ave no sign of having heard Castro's words. But suddenly I felt, without her cloaked figure having stirred, her small hand slip into mine, "All, you are generous," I whispered close to the edge of the cloak overshad owing her face. "You must now think of yourself, Juan," she said. "Of myself," I echoed sadly. "I have only you to think of, and you are so far away out of my reach. Tln-ro are ymr dead all your loss, between you and me." She touched my arm. "It Is 1 who must think of my dead," he whispered. "Hut you, you must think of yourself, because I have nothing of mine in this world now.' The noise of oars rowing fast, to tho precipitated jingling of a guitar, swooped down upon us with a gallant ferocity. "Caramba," Castro muttered; "It Is the fool Manuel himself!" I said, then: "We have eight shots between us two, Tomas." He thrust his brace of pistols upon my knees. "Dispose of them as your worship pleases," he muttered. "You mustn't give up, yet," I whispered. "What is it that I give up?" he numbled wearily. "Besides, there grows from my forearm a blude. If I shall find myself indisposed to quit this world alone. Listen to the singing of that Imbecile." We were in the thick of it. It was Manuel's boat, as Castro had guessed, and the other boats were rallying upon It grop ingly, keeping up a succession of yells: "Ohe! Ohe! Where, where?" And the people In Manuel's boat howled back at them, "Ohe! Ohe e! This way; hero!" Suddenly he struck the guitar a mighty blow, and chanted In an inspired and grandiose strain: "Steer for the song." "Hombres de Rio Medio! Amlgos! Va lients! " Manuel was beginning lib peroration. He would lead them, now, against the English ship. The terrified heretics would surender. Tnre was always gold In English ships. He stopped his speech, and then called loudly, "I,ct the boats keep touch with each other, and not stray in that fog." "The dog," grunted Castro. We heard a resolute bustle of preparation; oars were being shipped. "Make ready, Tomas," I whispered. "Read for what?" he grumbled. "Where shall your worship run from these swine?" " We must follow them," I answered. "The madness of the senor's countrymen descends upon him," he whispered with Bardnnic politeness. "Wherefore follow?" "To find the English ship," I answered swiftly. The rapid clatter of rowing, the excited hum of voices, the violent commotion of the water, passed by us with nn im petuosity that took my breath away. They had started In a bunch. There must have been amongst them at least one crew of negroes, because somebody was beating a tambourine smartly, and the rowers chor used In a quick, panting undertone. "Ho, ho. tslibambo. Ho, ho, tall hambo." One of the boats silhouetted it self for an Instant, a row of heads swaying back and forth, towered over astern by a full-length figure as straight us an arrow. A retreating voice thundered, "Silence!" The sounds and the forms faded together In the fog with amnzlng swiftness. Seraphlna, her cloak off, her head bare, stared forward after the fleeting murmurs and shadows we were pursuing. Some times she warned us, "More to the left," or "Faster!" We had to put forth our best, for Manuel, as if in the very wantonness of confidence, had set a tremendous pace. We followed In the track of the sound, and, for the most part, kept In sight of the elusive shidow of the eternmnst boat. Often, in a densur belt of fog, tho sounds of rowing became muffled almost to ex tinction; or we seemed to hear them ull round and, startled, checked our speed. Dark apparitions of boats would surge up on all sides in a most inexplicable way; to the right; to the left; even coming from behind. They appeared real, unmistakable, and, before we had time to dodge them, vanished utterly. Then we had to spurt desperately after the grind of the oars, caught, just in time, In an unexpected di rection. And then we lost them. We pulled frantically. Scraphlna hud been urging us, "Faster! faster!" From time to time I would ask her, "Can you see them?" "Not yet," she answered curtly. The perspiration poured down my face. Cas tro's panting was like the wheessing of bellows at my back. Suddenly, In a despairing tone, she said: "Stop! I can neither see nor hear any thing now." We feathered our oars at once, snd fell to listening with lowered heads. The ripple of the boat's way expired slowly. A great white stillness hung slumborously over the sea. It was Inconceivable. We pulled once or twice with extreme energy for a few minutes nfter imaginary whistles or shouts. Once 1 heard them passing our bow. Hut it was useless; we stopped, and the moon, from within the nilstinehs of an Immense halo, looked dreamily upon our hcuils. Castro grunted "Hero Is nn end of your plan, Senor lon Juan." CHAPTER II. A distant tumult arose suddenly, snd as suddenly ceased for a space of a breath or two. "Now, Castro," 1 shouted. "11a! Uueno!" We gave way with a vigor that seemed to lift the dingey out of tho water. Tho uproar gathered volume and fierceness. From the first It was a hand to hand contest, engaged in suddenly, as If the us sailants had at once managed to board in a body, and, us it were, In one unani mous spring. No shots had been fired. Too fax to hear tho blows, and seeing nothing us yet of the ship, we seemed to be hastening towards a deadly struggle of voices, of shadows with leathern throats; every cry heard in battle was there rage, encouragement, fury, hate and pain. And those of pain were amusingly distinct They were yells; they were howls. And suddenly, as we approachod tho ship, but lie fore we could make out any sign of It, wo came upon a boat. We hud to swerve to clear It. It Sopmed to have dropped out of the fight In utter dis array; it lay with no oars out, and full of men who writhed and tumbled over each other, shrieking as if they had been flayed. Above the writhing figures In the middle of the boat, a tall man, upright in the sternshects, raved awful Imprecations and shook his fists above his head. The blunt dingey foamed past that vision within an oar's length, no more, making straight for the clamor of the fight. The last puff of wind must havo thinned the fog In tho ship's track; for, standing up, face forward to pull stroke, I saw it come out, stern on to us, from truck to water line, mistily tall and motionless, but re sounding with the most fierco and des perate noises. A cluster of empty bouts clung low to Its port side, raft-liko and vague on tho water. We heard now, mingled with the fury and hate of shouts reverberating from t he placid sails, mighty thuds and crashes, as if It had been a combat with clubs und battlo axes. As I headed for 't, a big boat, full of men with many oars, shot across our bow and vanished around the ship's counter In tho twinkling of an eye. The defenders, engaged on the port side, were going to bo taken In the rear. Wo were then so close to the counter that the cries of "Death, death," rang over our heads. A voice on the poop said furiously in English, "Stand fast, men." Next moment wc, too, rounded the quarter only twenty feet be hind the big boat, but witli a slightly wider sweep. I said, "Have the pistols ready, Seru phina." And she answered quite steadily: "They are ready, Juan." No sooner around than we were upon thorn. We were upon tliem so fast that I had barely tho time to fling away my oar and close my grip on tho butt of the pistols Scraphlna pressed Into my hand from behind. Castro, loo, had dropped Ills oar, and turning us swift us a cat, crouched In tho bows. I saw his good arm darting out towurds their boat. They had cast a grapnel cleverly and swung ebreast of tho main chains were grimly busied in boarding the undefended sido in silence. Olio hud already his leg ovtr t lie shlp'3 rail and below him three more wero clambering resolutely, one above tho other. Tho rest of them, standing up in a body with their faces to the ship, were so oblivious of everything In their purpose that they staggered all together to the shock of the dingey, heavily, as It tho earth had reeled under them. Castro knew what he was doing. I saw his only hand hop along the gunwale, dragging our cockleshell forward very swiftly. The tottering Spaniards turned their heads, and for a moment we looked at each other In silence. I was too excited to shout; the surprise seemed to havo deprived them of their senses, and they all had the same grin of toeth closed upon the naked blades of their knives, the same stupid stare fastened upon my eyes. I pulled the trigger in the nearest face, and the terrific din of the fight going on above ua was overpowered by the re port of the pistol, as If by a clap of thun der. The man's gaping mouth dropped the knife, and he stood stiffly long enough for the thought, "I've missed him," to flash through my mind before he tumbled clean out of the bout without touching anything, like a wooden dummy tipped by the heel. His headlong full sent the water flying high over the stern of the dingey. With the second barrel I took a Ions; shot at the man sitting, uinused, astride of the rail tibove. I saw him double up suddenly snd fall inboard sideways, but the fellow fol lowing him made a convulsive effort, and leaped out of sight onto the deck of the eh I p. I dropped the discharged weapon and tired the first barrel of the other at tho upper of the two nun clinging halfway up the ship's side. To that one shot they both vanished ns If by enchantment, the fellow I had hit knocking off his friend below. The crash of their fall was fol lowed by a great yell. leaving Scraphina with Castro, and ticking the remaining pair of pistols In my bell, I swarmed up the rope. The mooa the lights of several hint Inn lis, I ho fcl.ire from the open doors, initialed violently in the steamy fog between the IiIk'i bulwarks of the ship. I tut the character of the con test was changing, even us 1 pau-ed on the rail to get my bearings. The fellow who hud leaped on hoard to escape my shot hail hotted across the deck to ills friends on the other side, yelling: "Fly, ll. ! The heretics are coming, shoot. Ing from tho sea. All is hint. Fly, oh, lly!" 1 needn't re hi to how 1 had my arms shaken off In the churucter of u sivlor. Hut 1 got uny amount of pi also at lust, though 1 was terribly out of breath at the very last gasp, as you might say. A man. Sin loth-faced, well knit, very dated and buoyunt, began talking to me endlessly. He was mighty happy, und anyhow he could talk to me, because I was past doing anything but taking a moment's rest. He said I had come in ttie nick of time und was quite the best of fellows. "If you had a fancy to be called the archbishop of Canterbury, we'd 'your grace you. I am the mate, Sebright. You dont think they'd come back for another taste? Tho blessed old dock's afloat. Thai's mjr little dodge, boiling water for those Dagos, If they come. So I got the cook to lire up and we put tho suction hose of the fire pump Into the boiler, and we tilled the cop pers and kettles. Not a bad notion, eh? Hut ten times ns much wouldn't have been enough, and the hose burst at the third stroke, so that oniy one boat got anything to speak of. Hut Ixn-d, It dropped out of the ruck us If It had been swept with lnngrldge. Squealed like a litter of pigs, didn't they?" A id then I managed to tell him mime thing of Scraphina that lie would listen to. "What, what?" he said. "Oil, heaven and earth! There's your girl. Of iKiurse. Hey, bo'sun, rig a whip and chair on the yardarm to take a woman on hoard. Hear a hand. A woman! yes, a woman. Con found it, don't lose your wits, man. liok over the starboard rail and you will see a woman alongside with a Dago in a small boat. Let the Da sc. r;ra: IT. t '.- Z, ' . the gentleman here say's he's a good sort. Now, do you understand?" He talked to mo a good deal more; I old me that they laid made a prisoner "a tail comical chap, wears bis hair like nn old aunt of mine, a hunch of curls Happing on each side of bis face" and then s:ild that he must go and report to Captain Wil liams. The name struck nn;. 1 suid: "Is this ship the Lion?" "Aye, ae. That's It. It is," several sea men answered together, casting curious glances from I heir wolk. "Tell your captain my name Is Kemp," I shouted after Sebright with what strength of lung I bad. What luck! Williams was the jolly little ship's captain I was to have dined with on the day of execution on Kingston Point the day I had been kidnaped. It seemed ages ago. I wanted to get to tho side to look after Scruphinu, but I simply couldn't remember bow to stand. I sat on the hatch, looking at the seamen. They were clearing the ropes, collecting the lamps, picking up knives, handspikes, ciowhurs, swabbing the- decks Willi squttHhy flaps. A bare-footed, bare-armed fellow, holding a bundle of brass-billed cutlasses under his arm, had lost himself In the con templation of my person. "Whero are you bound to?" I inquired at large, and everybody showed a friendly alncrlty In answer. "Havana." "Havana, sir." "Havana's our next port. Aye, Itnvnna." I heard a loud "Alas!" sighed out behind me. A distracted, stricken voice repeated twice in Spanish: "oh, my groutness; oil, my greatness." Then, shlverlngly, in a tone of profound self-communion, "I have a greatly pare lied throat,"' it suid. Harshly Jovial voices answered: "Stow your lingo and come before the captain. Step olimg." A prisoner, conducted aft, talkd reluo tantly into the light between two short, buttling suitors. Disheveled black hair like a damaged peruke, mournful, yellow face, enormous stag's eyes straining down on me. I recognized Manuel-del-Popolo. At the same moment he sprang back, strleklng, This is a miracle of the devil of the devil." The sailor fell to tugging at his arms savagely, asking "What's come to your and after a short struggle that shook his tatters and his raven locks tempestuously, like a gust of wind, he submitted to be walked up, repeating: "Is it you, senor? Is It you? Is It your" One of his shoulders was bare from neck to elbow; at every step one of his knees and part of a lean thigh protruded their nakedness through a large rent; a strip of grimy, blood-stained linen, torn right down to the waist, dangled solemnly In front of his legs. There was a horrible raw patch amongst the roots of his hair Just above Ids temple; there was blood in his, nostrils, tho stamp of excessive ungulsh on bis feutures, a sort of guarded despair In his eye. His voice sank while he said again, twice: "Is It you? Is It you?" And then, for the last time, "is it you?" ho rcjieated la a whisper. (To be Continued.)