Part 22 (1/2)
Indeed, a new direction was given to Elsie's thoughts by the so at Courtenay in a manner which betokened a certain displeasure The Spaniard's cultivated cynicisated by a more powerful sentiment It seeh spirits, for, in very truth, the e of those harer ht errant In his heart he was vowing to rescue this fair lady froly with his lips:
”If a husbande, Miss Maxwell”
Elsie dared nothad suddenly poured its miraculous waters over her Incidents unimportant in themselves, utterances which seemed to have no veiled intent at the ti conviction Christobal suspected her of flirting with Courtenay, and disapproved of it as strongly as she herself had condeh not a little dismayed, she resolved to carry the war into the eneluiven you a shock, or is it that you are surprised at my levity?”
”I am neither shocked nor surprised, Miss Maxwell I have not lived fifty years in this Vale of Tears without being prepared for the unexpected”
”Does that imply that you are disillusioned?”
”By no'There is no fool like an old fool,' you know”
”Oh, please don't speak of age in that way You are far fro an antiquity Why, within the past twenty-four hours I have come to look on you as a sort of elder brother, who can be indulgent even while he chides”
Courtenay found hi what had caused this flash of rapiers But, so far as he was concerned, the proceedings of the Indians put a stop to any further share in the conversation The canoe had drifted closer to the shi+p It was about eighty yards distant when the Indian as on his feet suddenly whirled a sling, and sent a stone crashi+ng through theof the music-rooh nearly half a pound, just missed Tolleiven by Suarez, but failed, nevertheless, to dodge quickly enough
The captain raised a double-barreled fowling-piece, the only gun on board, and fired point blank at the savages But the woorously, and the shot splashed in the water on all sides of the canoe, though a howl and a series of violent contortions showed that one, at least, of the pellets had stung the wizened Indian whom Suarez believed to be a newcoes were too precious to be wasted at an ie--but the undeniable fact reressive For a little tiunshot faintly thrown back by the nearest wall of rock; the regular plash of the paddles as the canoe sped shorewards was distinctly audible They watched the tiny craft until it vanished round the wooded point which concealed Otter Creek Then, to add to the sense of loneliness and peace conveyed by the placid bay and the green slopes beyond, a big whale rolled into view in the h in air
Theof a hammer broke the silence which had fallen on the watchers froines Had he not vowed that thearotten the cannibals and their threats ere he was at the foot of the engine-room ladder Courtenay and Tollemache joined him; Christobal went to the saloon to visit his patients; Elsie was left with Mr
Boyle, who forthwith fell into a doze, being worn out by the fresh air and the excite followed Courtenay to the one doorway in the shi+p which he could not enter, trotted back to find Elsie She greeted him with enthusiasm
”Hail, friend,” she said ”You, at least, are not jealous if I speak to yourwisdom Now, since you and I are persons of leisure, tell me, Joey, e shall do tospoken to He awaited developments
”It seems to me, Joey,” she continued, ”that Gulielmo Frascuelo is the one person on board who claims our attention There is a mystery to be solved Bound up in it are my poor Isobel, that beast, Ventana, and a drunken coal-trimmer An odd assortment to rub shoulders, don't you think?”
Joey still reserved his opinion When the girl went to the forecastle by cliht she was , and all ell She had not previously visited the quarters set apart for the crew Puzzled by the large number of small cabins with names of subordinate officers painted on them, she paused and cried loudly:
”Are you there, Frascuelo? May I speak to you?”
An exclamation of surprise, a somewhat forcible exclamation, too, answered her from an inner berth Frascuelo had heard frolishwoman on board, but he did not know that she spoke Spanish fluently He answered her question politely enough in the next breath, and the dog indicated the right door by hopping inside
Frascuelo was reclining on a lower bunk His injured leg ell on the way towards recovery, but the wound and its resultant confineer which was hisinquiries as to his progress, he showed such eagerness for news that Elsie told him briefly what had caused the latest uproar She cheered hiineer, and then led hiht inforard you as most unfortunate,” she said ”I have been told you are here by accident--that you never e at all Is that true?”
Frascuelo, delighted to have secured a sympathetic listener, poured forth his sorrows volubly He bore no ill-will against the captain he said He knerong to draw a knife on the chief officer, as his tale was an unlikely one, and he ought to have trusted to a more orderly recital of the facts to obtain credence
”But I was thatup in ht somebody, whatever the consequences”
”Can you tell ainst you that you should be thrown into the hold and nearly killed? That was a strange thing to do, especially as you came aboard too late for your work”
”Ah, that is the point, senorita You see, we trih the hatch was the man who had taken my place I see no reason to doubt that it was he who , and I knoho did that”