Part 35 (2/2)
PIRATES OR SMUGGLERS? HOW TO PROVE IT
”Pirates, Cinder!”
Mike was down at the gate waiting for Vince to co's work; and as soon as Vince came within earshot he fired off the word that he had been dreaht--
”Pirates!”
”Where?” cried Vince, looking sharply round and out to sea
”Get out! You knohat I lers”
Vince stared at hi
”Well, you've got it this time,” he said, ”if you mean the cave”
”And I do,” said Mike quietly ”Pirates; and that's some of the plunder and booty they took froo So nohose will it be?”
”Stop apreternaturally serious; ”let's be certain who it was Let me see: there was Paul Jones, and Blackbeard, and the Buccaneers What do you say to its having belonged to the Buccaneers?”
”Ah! you ht that he never knew of s on the island, but that there was a story about pirates having a cave here, and going out in their vessel to plunder the outward and horunted Vince, with a sceptical look
”And look here: he said the people had a superstitious belief that the pirates used to sail towards the Crag, and then disappear”
”What!” cried Vince eagerly
”Disappear quite suddenly”
”Behind that line of rocks when they sailed into the little cove, Mike?”
”To be sure Now, then, why don't you laugh and sneer?” cried Mike
”Does it sound so stupid now?”
”I don't know,” said Vince, beginning to be dubious again
”Then I do,” said Mike war sort of chap as you are There's the cave, and there's all the plunder in it--just such stuff as the pirates would get out of a shi+p homeward bound”
”Yes; but why did they leave it there and not sell it?”
”I know,” cried Mike excitedly: ”because one day they went out and attacked a shi+p so as to plunder her, and found out all at once that it was a man-o'-war; and as soon as the man-o'-war's captain found out that they were pirates he had all the guns double-shotted, and gave the order to fire a broadside, and sank the pirate”
”That's the way,” said Vince, laughing; ”and the pirate captain ran up the rigging with a hammer and some tin-tacks, and nailed the colours to the h,” said Mike ”You're disappointed because you didn't find it out first There it all is, as plain as plain The people used to think the pirate vessel disappeared, because she sailed out of sight and used to lie in hiding till they wanted to attack another shi+p