FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113  
114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>   >|  
Gregory slowly, "I'm for the fight. We've got some weapons now, and hang me if I'm going to strike to a set of treacherous pirates like this." The captain grasped his hand and began smoking. "Quiets the pain a bit," he whispered. "An ugly wound; but I don't think the kris was poisoned." "Why, Strong," said the first-mate sympathetically, "we ought to give up and escape." "My dear Gregory, I'm quite a cripple; but if you and the others will stand by me, we'll stick to the ship till she sinks, if we have such bad luck as that; and if she doesn't sink, we'll save her." "I'll answer for it they will stand by you," said the mate, and going to the window he lowered himself down, and told those below how matters stood. "Now, major," he said, "what do you say?" "Say, sor!" whispered the major; "why, there isn't anything to say. I've paid for my passage and the passages of the wife and daughter to Hong-Kong, and does Captain Strong think I'm going to let them finish the voyage in a scrap of an open boat. No, sor; fight, sor, fight, of course." "Will you stand by us, my lads?" said Mr Gregory. "Will we stand by you, sir!" growled Small. "Why, of course we will. I want to make J Small, his mark, on some of their brown carkidges. Don't you, boys?" A low whispered growl came in reply, a sound that was as full of fight as if it had been uttered by some fierce beast. "That will do then," said the first-mate. "You slip up there first, Billy Widgeon, and you others go next. Stop: Billy, send down a table-cloth." "Table-cloth, sir?" "Yes, to tie the dog in; we mustn't leave him." Widgeon went up, his mates followed one by one, for the cotton rope stood the strain, and then a big white table-cloth was dropped into the boat. "Now, Bruff, my lad, you've got to go up like a bundle. Will you go quietly, or are you going to betray us?" The dog made no resistance, but allowed himself to be stowed in the middle of the cloth, which was tied up bundle-wise, the end of the sheet-rope was attached, a signal made, and the animal drawn up and in at the cabin-window without his uttering a sound. A minute more and the rope came down. "Can you bear it round you, my lad?" whispered Gregory to Morgan. "I'll bear anything," was the calm reply; and he did not wince as the rope was secured about his chest. Then a signal was given, and he was drawn up, to be dragged in at the cabin-window with his wound bl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113  
114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
whispered
 

Gregory

 

window

 
bundle
 

Widgeon

 

signal

 

Strong

 

dragged

 

Morgan


secured

 

uttered

 
fierce
 

quietly

 
attached
 
betray
 

stowed

 

middle

 

allowed


resistance

 

animal

 

minute

 

uttering

 

dropped

 

cotton

 

strain

 
escape
 

poisoned


sympathetically

 

cripple

 

strike

 

treacherous

 

pirates

 
slowly
 

weapons

 

captain

 

Quiets


smoking

 

grasped

 

voyage

 

finish

 
growled
 
carkidges
 

Captain

 

matters

 

answer


lowered
 

daughter

 
passages
 
passage