FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155  
156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   >>   >|  
coffee," he said, indicating a boat alongside. "The peons tell me the next lot's coming down, but if we ship it, we'll miss the tide." "You can close the hatches. The coffee must wait." "It's high-grade stuff and brings top price. I sure don't like to leave it to spoil." "We must risk that," Kit said quietly. "There's another thing; Pedro, the clerk, reckons they're fighting near Salinas and the president's not popular in that neighborhood. Looks as if you might have some trouble to take the old man to the mission." "It's possible," said Kit. "I'm going to try. Have everything ready for us to get off to-night." Mayne lifted his hand to his cap. "Very well, sir. We'll start as soon as there's water enough." He went away, but Kit knew what he meant. The captain had done his duty by indicating obstacles, but he approved his new master's resolve and owned his authority. Kit was persuaded he would have Mayne's loyal help and went back to Adam's room. When it was getting dark, Adam moved his head as the engines began to throb and the propeller churned noisily in the shallow water. It stopped after a few turns and steam blew off. "Finlay's giving her a trial spin," Adam remarked, in a very faint voice. "I see you've got things fixed and I'm ready to start." He stopped and shut his eyes for a minute or two, and Kit did not know if he was conscious or not. Then he resumed in a strained whisper: "All's ready; ring for full-speed. I'm going to meet my wife." He drew a hard breath, sighed, and did not speak again. An hour afterwards, Mayne met Kit coming out of the room, and glancing at his face took off his cap. "I guess it hits you hard and I'll miss him, too," he said. "I'll not get another master like the Buccaneer." He went off to give some orders and Kit sat down, feeling very desolate. When the tide had risen and flowed past, oily smooth, under the full moon, the windlass began to rattle and the cable clanged. The anchor came up and when the engines shook the ship Mayne pulled the whistle-line and a long blast rolled across the woods. Next moment a rocket soared and burst in a shower of colored lights. "Vanhuyten and Askew's signal! The head of the house is making his last trip," the captain remarked. The echoes sank, the colored lights burned out, and the measured beat of engines jarred upon the silence as the _Rio Negro_ went to sea. For a time the land breeze blew the steam of the swamps af
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155  
156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
engines
 

lights

 

colored

 
remarked
 

master

 

captain

 

stopped

 

coming

 

indicating

 

coffee


glancing

 
alongside
 

feeling

 
desolate
 
flowed
 

orders

 

Buccaneer

 

whisper

 

strained

 

resumed


conscious

 

sighed

 

breath

 

windlass

 

echoes

 
burned
 

measured

 

making

 

signal

 

jarred


breeze

 

swamps

 
silence
 

Vanhuyten

 

shower

 

anchor

 

clanged

 

rattle

 

pulled

 

whistle


moment
 
rocket
 

soared

 

rolled

 

smooth

 
lifted
 

brings

 
president
 
popular
 

neighborhood