The Lady and the Pirate by Emerson Hough (ebook reader library TXT) đ
- Author: Emerson Hough
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âThe morning papers, very likely, Peterson,â said I. âThe baseball scores.â
âWill you halt, now?â called the officer.
âNo,â I answered, through the megaphone. âYou have no authority to halt us. Whatâs your paper, and who is it for?â
âWire from Calvin Davidson, Natchez, charging John Doe with running off with his boat.â
âThis is not his boat,â I answered, âbut my own, and I am not John Doe. We are on our way to the coast, and not under any jurisdiction of yours.â
He stood up and drew a paper from his pocket, and began to read. In reply I pulled the whistle cord and drowned his voice; while at the same time I gave the engineer orders for full speed. Shaking his fist, he fell astern.
None the less, I was a bit thoughtful. After all, the Mississippi River, wide as it was, ran within certain well defined banks from which was no escaping. We were three hundred miles or more from the high seas, and passing between points of continuous telegraphic communication; so that a hue and cry down the river might indeed mean trouble for us. Moreover, even as I turned to pick up the courseâfor I had myself taken the wheelâI saw the figure of Aunt Lucinda on the after deck. She was on the point of heaving overboard a bottleâI heard it splash, saw it bob astern. âNow, the devil will be to pay,â thought I. But, on second thought, I slowed down, so that distinctly I saw the officer, also slowing down, stoop over and take the bottle aboard his launch.
âAhoy, the launch!â I hailed. He put a hand at his ear as I megaphoned him. âTake this message for Mr. Calvin Davidson,â I hailed. He nodded that he heard. ââThat to-night John Doe will wear his waistcoat, the one with the pink stripes. Do you get me?â
Apparently he did not get me, for he sat down suddenly and mopped his face. We left him so. And for aught I could know, he took back ashore material for a newspaper story, which bade fair to be better for the newspapers than for us on board the Belle HelĂšne; for, up and down the river, the wires might carry the news that a crazy man had been guilty of piracy, highway robbery, abduction, I know not how many other crimes; and to arrest him on his mad career they might enlist all the authorities, municipal, county, state and even national. âJohn Doe,â said I to myself, âif I really were you, methinks I should make haste.â None the less I smiled; for, if I were John Doe only, then Calvin Davidson had no idea who had stolen his chartered yacht, and who was about to disport in his most cherished waistcoat! The situation pleased me very much. âLâOlonnois,â said I, âcome hither, my hearty.â
âAye, aye, Sir,â replied that worthy. âWhat is it, Black Bart?â
âNothing, except I was just going to say that I enjoy it very much, this being a pirate.â
âSo do I,â said he. âAnâ let any pursue us at their peril!â
CHAPTER XVIII IN WHICH IS DISCUSSION OF TWO AUNTIESLâOLONNOIS was still all for training the stern-chaser Long Tom (the Belle HelĂšneâs brass yacht cannon) on the enemy, and came to me presently breathing defiance. ââF I only had any chain shot in the locker,â said he, âbeshrew me, but I would pay him well for this! Heâs got my Auntie Helenâs auntie scared silly.â
âAnd how about your Auntie Helena herself?â I asked of him. Thus far, he had been guilty of no nepotism whatever, and had treated his auntie as any other captive maiden, perchance fallen into his ruthless hands.
âWell, she ainât so scared as she is mad, nearâs I can see,â was his reply. âShe sat there when I first drove âem down-stairs, lookinâ at me, anâ she says, âJimmy,â says she, âwhatâs all this foolishness?â Anâ she reaches out her hand, anâ she offers me candyâshe makes awful nice fudges, too. She knew that wasnât fair! But I says to her. âWoman, cease all blandishments, for now you are in our power!â Anâ I liked that, fer I been in her power long enough. Then she set down, anâ nearâs I can tell, she got to thinking things over. I know herâsheâll try to get away.â
âShe has tried to do so, my good leftenant, is trying now. She and her Auntie Lucinda have thrown over I know not how many bottles carrying messages. It were only by mere chance yon varlet could escape coming over some of them. Add this to the fact that yon varlet has got the kingâs navy after us, and marry! methinks we have full work cut out for us. Not that stout heart should falter, good leftenant, eh?â
âWe follow Black Bart the Avenger,â said LâOlonnois, folding his arms and frowning heavily. âBut say,â he added, âwhat seems funny to me is, you and my Auntie Helen must of known each other before now.â
âNot at all, not at allâthat is, but casually, and long years since. It had long since escaped my mind.â I felt myself flushing sadly.
âIâll tell her thatâI knew she was mistaken. I was sure she was.â
âNo! No! Jimmy, youâll tell her nothing of the kind. I only meantâââ
âWell, she remembers you, Iâm almost sure, anâ so does Aunt Lucinda. Aunt Lucinda, why Iâve heard her back home tell Auntie Helena about as good fish in the sea, anâ she mustnât bother over a man thatâs poor. Was it you, Black Bart? And are you poor?â
âAs I stand before you now, Jimmy LâOlonnois, Iâm the poorest beggar in the world,â said I. âI have risked my all on one hazard. If I win, I shall be rich beyond compare. If I fail, I shall be poor indeed.â
âShe knows that. She knows youâre poor, all right. I heard Aunt Lucinda tell her often. She said you was rich once, anâ lost it all, speculatinâ in a mine or something; anâ what was the use marryinâ a man who hadnât anything? I donât know, but I think that was why Aunt Lucinda worked up this trip with Mr. Davidson. Heâs got money to burnâlook at this yacht, anâ everythingâanâ I know him and Auntie Lucinda, anyhow, have got it doped out that him anâ Auntie Helenâs goinâ to get marriedâeven if they ainât now, so farâs I know. Anyhow, our takinâ the ship has broke up something. But say, now, Black Bartâââ
âWell, my good leftenantâââ
âI got a idea!â
âIndeed?â
âYep. Looka here, nowâwhy donât you just do like the pirate book says?â
âHow is that?â
âMarry the captive maid your own self?â
I felt my color rise yet more.
âWhy, now, that happened right along in them daysâpirate chief, he takes a beautiful maiden captive, anâ after makinâ all his prisoners walk the plank but just her, he offers his hand anâ fortune. Anâ lots of times, somehow, the beautiful maiden she married the ruthless pirate chief, anâ they lived happy ever after. Why donât you?â
âI hadnât thought of that, Jimmy,â I said, most mendaciously; âbut the idea has some merit. In fact, weâve already started in by taking the beautiful maiden captive, and, mayhap, yon varlet yet shall walk the plank, or swear a solemn oath never to wear such waistcoats as these again. But one thing lacks.â
âWhat?â
âThe maidenâs consent!â
âNo, it donât! They never ast âemâthey just married âem, that was all. Anâ every time, they lived happy ever after. Anâ they founded families thatâââ
âJimmy!â I raised a hand. âThat will do.â
âWell, anyhow, I wouldnât pay any attention to Aunt Lucinda about it. Sheâs strong for yon varlet, for heâs got the dough.â
âAnd isnât your Auntie Helena alsoâbut no, on second thought, I will not ask you thatâââ
âWhy no, sure notâitâs better to demand it of her own fair lips, anâ not take no for a answer. They always live happy ever after.â
ââOf course, Jimmy.â
ââAnd so would you.â
âI know it! I know it!â
âWell, then, why just donât you?â
âGood leftenant, Black Bart will take your counsel into full advisement. Later, we shall see. Meantime, we must have a care for our good shipâs safety, for none may tell what plans yon varlet may be laying to circumvent us.â
So saying, I sought out Peterson and asked him for his maps and charts.
There was, as I found by consulting these, a deep bayou, an old river bed, that ran inland some thirty miles, apparently tapping a rich plantation country which was not served by the regular river boats.
âDo you know anything about this old channel, Peterson?â I inquired.
âNothing at all except from hearsay and what you see here,â he replied. âI donât know whether or not it has a bar at either end, but likely enough it has at both, though we might crowd through.â
âAnd how about the gasoline supply?â
âEnough to get us in, at least. And, I say, hereâs a sort of plantation post-office marked. Thereâs just a bare chance we could get a drum or so in there. I donât think we can, though.â
âWhatâs she drawing now as she runs, Peterson?â
âFour feet two inches. Sheâs a shade low by the stern. Weâve quite a lot of supplies aboard, this early in the cruise. But I donât suppose weâve got enough.â
âWell, Peterson,â said I, âwater leaves no trail. If thereâs no one watching when we open up this next bend, run for the bayou, and weâll see if we can get under cover. Of course, itâs all a mistake about Mr. Davidsonâs wiring on to have us stoppedâthough we canât blame him, since he hasnât any idea who it is that has run away with the boat. But now, it suits me better to double in here, and let the chase try to find us on the main river; if there is any chase. You see, I donât want to disturb the ladies unduly, and they might not understand it all if we were overhauled and asked to explain our change in the ownership.â
âQuite right, sir, and very good. I catch the idea. But, sirâââ
He hesitated.
âYes?â
âWell, sir, if I might be so bold, what are your plans about the two ladies?â
âI have none which will effect your navigation of the boat, Peterson.â
The old man flushed a shade. âExcuse me, Mr. Harry. I know youâll do nothing out of the way. But the old henâI beg pardonâââ
âYou mean the revered aunt, Peterson.â
âYes, sir, the revered aunt. Well, sir, the revered aunt, dash her!â--â
âYes, dash her starry toplights, Peterson; and even if need be, shiver her timbers! Go onâââ
âWhy, sheâs been tryinâ to pull off a weddinâ on this boat ever since we left Mackinaw.â
âWhy not? You mean that Mr. Davidson and the revered aunt were getting on well?â
âOh, no, bless your heart, no! It was the young lady, Miss Emory. And sheâââ
I raised my hand. âNever mind, Peterson. We canât discuss that at all. But now, Iâm minded to give my friend Mr. Davidson a little game of follow-my-leader. And just to show how weâll do that, weâll begin with a preliminary go at hide-and-seek. Take the chance, Peterson, and run into the bayou. Iâll put off the small boat for soundings. If we can get gas, and can get in, and can get out unnoticed, maybe we can run by New Orleans in the night, and none the wiser.â
âAnd where then, Mr. Harry?â
âPeterson, the high seas have no bridges, and if they had, I should not cross them yet. Perhaps if I did, I then should burn them behind me.â
âSheâs a mortal fine young woman, Mr. Harry, a mortal fine
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