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CAPTAIN SAZARAC
CHAPTER Xlll—continued.
—l6
“I could not stand wl’ ’em, sir. They
threatened me. They have freed Mr.
jarvls from the brig—he found drink
at once for ’em —”
“Jarvis!" Sazarac was upon the
companion-stairs, leaving them all in
an astounded silence. The empty chair
of the jester, to De Almonaster’s eyes,
seemed to hold a grinning, ragged
u: ->.re! of the rue Royale . . • anci
beyond the health drunk to him, the
■feast vas untouched. The admiral of
Carta genu hitched his sword-belt
higher, nodded to them, and stole
above. Clark was at his heels, and
once aft. took the wheel from old
Bohon. .
"Now, then," said the master, what
do vou know, Bohon?"
“it is the strange silence, sir. The
ship is flat as a dead ship. Black M
cliel had charge o’ the watch, but t
is as if every soul had vamehed after
they gave me the last sounding,
had the lead out because we made out
a spit o’ land once at dusk, you re
member.”
“Beluche, you will come with me to
see to this. The older men, surely the
Baratarians, are not with thft levee
renegades we shipped along 1
"It i' plunder they came for, sir,
grunted the admiral. “First, we must
get to the arms room."
“They are watching that, sir,” whis
pered Clark. “They smuggled ten
muskets from some concealment, but
they lack nowder.”
“Name o’ the devil!*’ blustered the
admiral." “Come! Lafitte’s name with
the old bullies! No more o’ this Saza
rac, I say!”
De Almonaster was with the two
as they passed the mainmast. Then
another figure slipped to them fr6m
the shadows. “It lias come quick, sir,”
Nez Coupe whispered. “They must
rid the ship o’ the English woman,
they say; and then ask you a fair
word for a prize. If not that, death to
Sazarac —” ■
“They need not wait —” laughed
Sazarac. “Come —death to the first
three men that show! Then a fair
word to the rest! Monsieur de Al
monaster, your pistols ready? Come,
down the after-companion and to the
arms room. How many are. there of
us to lie trusted at the first?”
“I say you must be Jean Lafitte,
sir,” growled Beluche. “Jean o’ the
Black I’etral for tills night. Old bul
lies will come roaring to you, once this
clatter o’ Sazarac and the English
woman Is done among ’em!”
“Well, then—Lafitte,” he smiled.
“Come, you all, with Jean again!”
“The arms room,” Bohon moved like
a shadow down the passage. “Once
sure o’ that, clear ’em to the deck and
drive ’em howling! Burke and Crack
ley to be shot on sight, eh?”
"Aye,” retorted Jolianness. “Then
we'll have the older bullies —they will
balk, once they see the mettle in La
fitte's men.”
“Come," said the commander. “In
Silence—”
A dim lantern showed the deck
benms over their heads as they crept
along the waist. The arms locker was
on the starboard side. Beside the
door a figure beckoned to them in the
shadows. It must be one of Nez
Coupe’s loyal ones; the little band
stole on past the stowage rooms. Mon
sieur Sazarac had even turned to
speak to the shadowy sentinel, when
there came a rush of bare feet from
cither side. A hoarse shout broke.
Steel rang on steel, a pistol exploded In
the narrow passage. The rush caught
the party with an impact that left no
chance for weapons. A burly form
hurled to Sazarac’s shoulders, another
dragged at his legs. De Almonaster
broke his rapier at a vain thrust and
ttent down under blows and curses.
The affair was over with surprising
Quickness. There must have been
thirty mutineers roaring, struggling in
t>e passageway. Along they dragged
• e prisoners, and none fought back
now - f° r was useless.
Tue mutineers, a howling, disorderly
Pack, took the prisoners aft, and there,
o' tie quarter-deck, as one waiting
-r e ,lon or done him, stood John
r ' Apparently he was drunk, or
PParentJy he was posing ... ft
kiW no moment. Monsieur Sazarac
w ’, /' In one black look and then
would face hit no more.
er J" m modore!” yelled the brawl
-8 ‘ ii,e Emperor o’ the Bottle, who
turn "m " ° uld yet slee P ln old Bony’s
0e !, Turn in t°’t, Mad Joh D !”
ac im “ ester ralsed an unsteady hand
bet w ° s heak, and then thought
i n „ . ‘ lf B was plait he was try
frh 'm ct the part of a swaggering
f- captain and making an absurd
or it by a curious doleful hu
-11 appeared that the Jester
a ' , t 0 speak > to make effort at
ev- ' lp of the evil spe'” had
' • ®nd then his gesture
e Ee, himself, turned away,
j *?ure by the port quarter-rail,
r, . , English woman had come
p. T ' ark ’ th e frightened English
e i ... ,' <re " as first a Jeer and then
dmg to see her.
th ls._ then?” she cried
By Charles Tenney Jackson
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merxill Company
“We are taken, Mademoiselle,” re
turned the master quietly. “That is
all there is to it.” He turned sternly
to John Crackley whose leer upon the
English woman boded no good for her.
“I demand safety for this lady. Let
her return to her cabin. Do you un
derstand me—respect in all things?”
“Eh?” grunted the other. “We’ll
see to that. Mates —” he glanced uncer
tainly at Ills fellows upon whom there
had come n curious silence at the enp
tain’s assumption of authority, eveu at
this pass: “The woman —now —”
His voice was cut short by the tre
mendous explosion of a huge pistol
upon the poop-deck above them all.
A single figure was there, an unkempt,
grotesque man who now was peering
curiously into the inuzzle of his smok
ing weapon. Every eye had been
drawn to him with a start.
Jarvis’ pale face, framed In his long,
matted black hair, turned down to
them.
“You see, I missed It—” he said
plaintively.
“Jarvis,” Burke, the deserter,
croaked, “what’s that?”
“The cabin skylight—at ten paces.
Name o’ God! If lamto be commo
dore, I will need practice. Some of
you kindly reload my pistol.”
There was a shout of amazed laugh
ter from them. The deck lamp showed
the English woman staring up at him;
behind her, the prisoners of the quar
terdeck. He came to the low rail and
looked down.
Not at the lady who once looked
back at him on the Esplanade. She
might have been an unseen spectator
over the footlights, and lie the chief
player at the center of the stage, tak
ing his cue from an invisible prompter.
Neither did his old friends of the
rue Royale, and of the smugglers’
wine-shops of years agone, appear to
It Was Plain Ho Was Trying to Enact
the Part of a Swaggering Frigate
Captain.
exist in his eye. He shrugged, with
an open palm down to the conspir
ators.
“Ho—Commodore!” They bawled
up at him. “The word, Jarvis!”
The eye of Sazarac was coldly upon
him. But to this friend of his old
days, as irredeemable as these, he had
the same blank stare as he had for
Louise Lestron. As if they were not
there —as If she was a mere ghost
and he looking through her to the
evil pack behind her.
Mademoiselle Lestron turned to the
man she knew as Gaspar Sazarac, the
gamester of Chartres street. “And
this has come to you because of me,
Monsieur?”
“It Is worth a thousand mutinies.
Never fear —the Spaniards hereabout
are not all cutthroats. You—the ward
of Carr, who Is the secret agent of
their king . . . why, what have
you to fear from them, Mademoiselle
Lestron ?”
But old Beluche shook his head. It
might be well at the Spaniards’ hands
for Mademoiselle Lestron of Quebec,
and for the Count de Almonaster of
New Orleans, descended from a line
of Castilian viceroys of Louisiana;
but for Jean Lafltte; for Beluche, of
the Cartagenlan rebels; Johanness,
and the others who had harried the
Mexican trade routes for thirty years
—there was quick death in any port
of New Spain for them all I
But she could not know. When the
longboat was ready, and the crew
made way silently for her, she turned
to Sazarac with a sudden timid soft
ness :
“Monsieur, something Is due you
from me! Could I not appeal to them
could you not regain command and
sail with them—if I wa.- put adrift?”
He smiled; but It was as If he did
not care to look upon her. He was as
THE DANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA,
one who had been givtn to see a beau
tiful vision, and before It' had com.e
an evil jester, a mocking voice to still
the faint good he had sought.
De Almonaster had been w'atehlng.
He followed her ns the captain led
the way. Near the rail the girl put
her hand to Sazarac’s sleeve. \ -
“I am bewildered, Monsieur! It is
as If you had given up much for me!”
“I have, given much up for you,” he
answered quietly. “The wreck of
years—wild evil, Infamy, which—God
willing—you shall never know!”
She looked back at Count de Al
monaster. His face was averted, hut
lie must have heard. He Was even a
trifle cold to her as he helped her to
the ladder.
On his honor De Almonaster would
not speak his old boy’s love to her
when her ever-questing eyes were go
ing to the gamester, Sazarac—the mys
tery of Sazarac, the lure of Sazarnc’s
promise that he would claim what he
had won across Maspero’s gaming
table. She thought It very odd, even
at this moment . . . the withdraw
ing of the two gentlemen from her In
terest, as if each was waiting, watch
ing, for the other to conclude Ills play.
Two rapiers drawn but withheld, per
hnps, for the opponent to tie his shoe.
And with a sigh she followed. But
ner last glance Back showed a glimpse
down through the open skylight to
the cabin of the emperor. The lamps
were very bright there. She saw a
slouched figure In the chair of the
host. A pale tall man eating and
drinking greedily as If with a rare
appetite’ fob the viands of the em
peror’s stores. He Jammed Ills faded
velvet cap closer over his eyes, and
.then his hand found something by the
plate that had been next to Sazarac’s
—her own.
If was a bracelet which she remem
bered had become disengaged when she
drank the health to the chair of the
missing guest. The man lifted the gold
trinket, examined it under the light—
and kissed it. Then he fell to eating with
rather the manners of the barroom.
The Emperor of the Bottle was In.the
chair of Sazarac . . . but after all,
as was the way with him, when what
he v anted was nt his grasp, he could
not take it. It was the' same case as
when he could not hit a window with
Ills pistol at ten paces, or swagger ids
sword without the point catching in a
hole of his stocking. He never would
aim Carefully enough, or wear his
sword high enough ... or love
ruthlessly enough.
Outside tie heard tlie splash of the
oars wal iH take Her away.
The 1 ‘ ; u tHe emperor’s
suite eo e 'MW .’escending to
the longboat. There was a mutter
when Johanness swung from the rail.
But when old Gorgio, Hie sullen Cata
lan cutthroat of other days, the most
bloody-minded of all the Black Hetnil’3
vanished crew, strode to the ladder,
there was a yell.
“The old rib-sticker! He leaves us,
mates!’’
Gorgio eyed them with fierce dis
dain. “I sail with men," he growled:
“no pothouse lawyers! Who, o’ ye all,
ever put foot across a bloody deck,
save Black Mike. Who, o’ ye louts,
sailed the old days with Jean and
Pierre?”
There was a mutter, half amused,
half of resentment, both from the ex
iles In the longboat and from the mu
tineers crowded at the rail. It sud
denly appeared oddly clear to De Al
monaster that not once, during the
affair, had the name of Jean Lafltte
been upon the lips of the most unruly
of them all. It struck the count as
very strange; he glanced at the girl
on the seat before lilm. wondering
why the air had not rung with the
most notorious name of the decades.
Jean Lafltte himself, standing upright
In the bow, silently watching the dim
mysterious shore of savage Campeche,
with Its unconquered Indians, and
still more ruthless Spanish captains
holding every point of refuge, must
have wondered.
“Monsieur Sazarac!” the girl cried
suddenly, as If, with her own courage,
to Inspire hope in all the castaways,
“I am glad to go I I have a feeling
that these are now true men all 1—
for whatever venture lies ahead, I
have no fear!”
The watching mutineers had been so
silent that her clear voice carried far.
It reached the lone banqueter at the
emperor's table.
“Sazarac,” he muttered. “Still
Saz-a-rnc. I, too, have my honor—he
can still play Sazarac—the elegant
and chivalrous Sazarac—to the end."
For In that one thing the Jester had
ruled the outlaw crew. He had so
berly and stubbornly pleaded and in
sisted; he had even pointed his rusty,
empty horse pistol at their grinning
heads and ordained that the English
woman must not be told the truth of
Sazarac. He had sat in their council
to plead for her life and the honor
of his friend when he knew the mutiny
could not be averted. He had won.
and he had sent her away . . .
still under the spell of Sazarac, the
protecting arm of Sazarac.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
CROWDEDfI
pJAVA MS
Women Carrying Rice: Java.
(Preparer! by the National Geographic §£
clety, Washington, I>. C.)
While the Netherlands are celebrat
. ing the silver jubilee of their ruler
upd the peace and well-being of the
kingdom in war-torn Europe, one may
well, turn half around the world to
the beautiful island of Java, queen of
Dutch possessions, which lias contrib
uted so heavily to the country’s pros
perity.
Distance does Java an injustice. The
Westerner, seeing on Ids map this
slender island lying off the southeast
ern point of Asia, might well compare
It lo our own Long Island which It
resembles in shape. Hut Java Is a
giant, equaling in area the entire state
of New York.
Volcano-made in the first place, and
constantly being remade by them,
Java lias more volcanoes than any
area of its size in the world. Esti
mates of the active and extinct crat
ers range from 100 to 100. Every
where in .Tavn, in the huge crater
lakes, in fissures that now are river
beds, even in ancient temples, half
finished when interrupted by some
fiery convulsion, are evidences of cat
aclysmic forces —such turbulent forces
I ns nrtw are In continuous hysteria in
the Valley of the Ten Thousand
Smokes In Alaska —and break their
crusted surface cage intermittently In
Java.
Java Is fifth in size of the Dutch
islands; tfut It Is probably best known,
and for good reason. Enthusiastic
observers have called It “the garden
spot of the world." Its soil is con
stantly enriched by Its active vol
canoes, it is well watered, and four
out of every five acres of Its surface
are cultivated. Even mountain peaks
10,000 feet high are girdled by unbrok
en fields up to half their height, above
which forests still hold sway.
Java, with its 50,000 square miles
of area, has a population of about
35,000.000 —ohe-third that of the Unit
ed States which is 70 times ns large.
Compared with other geographical
units of its size, It Is probably the
most populous as well ns the most
prosperous region In the world. Most
of the inhabitants live In villages. Al
though It has only four cities as large
or larger than Reading, Pa., the dens
ity of population for the Island ns a
■ whole Is close to 700 per square mile
i —greater than that of Belgium, the
i most crowded country In Europe, or
1 Shantung, the most heavily populated
' province In Chinn.
Luxuriance of Vegetation.
The deep rich soil of this favored
island supports a vegetation which, ln
luxuriance and variety. Is unsurpassed
by that of any otiier region of similar
area, and ever since the Dutch estab
lished their first settlement on tbe
Island, In 1595, a golden harvest of
agricultural products has been year
ly garnered to swell the granaries of
the colonists and the revenues of the
home government.
To the vlsting American perhaps
me of the most noticeable features
tbout Java is tbe distinctly paternal
•haracter of the Dutch colonial admin
stratlon. On landing at Batavia, one
must report directly to the chief of
lollce to obtain permits to travel on
ilie Island. Before these are granted,
ull answers must be given as to
tames, nationality, occupation, age
n<J purpose in visiting Java. During
be traveler’s subsequent wanderings,
ie must hold these permits In readi
ness for inspection by officials, and nt
II times Ids movements are a matter
f some Interest to the authorities. As
i matter of fact the uniform policy
f tbe government has been. In for
■er years, to discourage foreign trnv
i in Netherlands-India. and tbe pres
nt regulations are only a concession
the modern spirit which demands
, e intercourse among the. nations.
To one who halls from a country
K-*r e private Initiative counts for
so much, it Is something of a surprise
to learn that nearly all the land Is
owned by the government. In secur
ing from the native princes by treaty
and purchase the lordship of the land,
live Dutch government also Inherited
(lie right to receive one-fifth of prod
uce and the labor of (lie peasant. This
led to the Introduction, in the year
1832, of what is known as the “culture
system.” This was a device to in
crease the revenues, and cojifdsted In
the exaction of forced labor from the
peasants, who were compelled, under
official supervision, to cultivate tobac
co, coffee, sugar, tea and indigo for
their masters. Tills system of forced
labor has' been greatly modified In re
cent years, and now survives only In
connection with gome of tlje govern
ment coffee plantations.
Coffee No Longer Important.
To most of us, doubtless, the one
agricultural product of Java' which is
-best, known is coffee. 1.1 is something
In the way of a disillusion to learn,
therefore, that the famous ."(govern
ment Java" of bygone days is of much
less Importance ns a product of the
colony than formerly. A destructive
“blight” visited many of the planta
tions some years since. Some districts
were slow in recovering from this, and
meantime tiie coffee planters of Brazil
captured the bulk of the world’s cof
fee trade.
Holland’s Javan subjects are most
ly of Malayan stock; but. situated at
the “gate” of a great worhj highway,
it Is natural that they hawfe received
a considerable admixture of other
blood. There are strains of Ihe Poly
nesian, Mongolian, Portuguese, Hindu
and Arab. Most of the natives are
nominally MohanunedaiiH, but they
lack the fanaticism and strictness of
many of that cult. Holy days are not
observed striclly, pork Is widely con
sumed, and there is little seclusion of
women.
The early culture of Java can '*#
traced to India, and there Is no doubt
that lliis Hindu Influence had the
greatest effect on the religion, lan
guage and literature of the Island.
Climate Wet and Trying,
Lying so close to the equator, the
climate is a trying one to Europeans,
although the style of dress ln use and
the manner of life do much to miti
gate It. The rainy season luls from
October to April, and at all times
showers may be expected. One soon
learns that Java Is a country of early
rising The ordinary business man
has finished his coffee and is at Ids
shop or office by fi a. in. Between 9
and 4 o’clock all Europeans endeavor
to keep Indoors. The midday meal Is
taken between 1 and 2, and fashion
able society does hot bestir itself un
til after 5 o’clock, when driving and
visiting Is in order until 8 or 9 o’clock
when dinner Is served.
The ancient city of Batavia, metrop
olis of Java, Is a grim, time-worn place,
with many warehouses and govern
ment buildings grouped amid the In
tersecting canals. It Is said to be
unhealthy, and Is wholly given over
to commercial Interests. But driving
on clean, well-kept roads for two
miles along canals suggesting Holland
one reaches the modern residential
suburb of Weltevreden vvltti its broad
avenue facing the Konlgsplein. a
great green parade ground, with Its
bordering streets shaded by rows of
tamarind trees. Facing this extensive
park are numerous neat villas built In
the bungalow style, often embowered
In cool foliage, tbe home of active and
retired officials, army officers, plant
ers. ami business and professional
men who go to make up the white
ponulutlon of the capital.
Java was never affected by the tur
bulent pirate empires that held swriy
In the islands a little farther to the
cast. Conditions to Java, therefore,
furnish a good measure of the success
of Dutch control.