II II 
 
 K 
 
 K R. STOCKTON 
 
° S \ 5- ^ '• . K 
 
.X*^ yy * 
 
 FOR USE ONLY IN 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION 
 
 »i_ A /->oo n^., airvC 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
"Oh, Kate!" said Dickory, "you should have seen that 
 wonderful pirate fight." 
 
 (See page 350.) 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 tEDtie Romance of a J^irate'fi? aDaugtjter 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANK R. STOCKTON 
 
 f IlufitrateU hy ^. f . teller 
 anb 
 
 {). ^. potter 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 1902 
 
Copyright, 1901, 1902 
 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 February, 1902 
 
 i 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. 
 
 Two YOUNG PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A 
 
 FISH 
 
 
 1 
 
 II. 
 
 A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 a 
 
 11 
 
 III. 
 
 The two clocks . . 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 IV. 
 
 On the quarter-deck 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 V. 
 
 An unsuccessful errand 
 
 
 
 48 
 
 VI. 
 
 A pair of shoes and stockings 
 
 
 
 61 
 
 VII. 
 
 Kate plans 
 
 
 
 70 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Ben Greenway is convinced thai 
 pirate 
 
 ' Bonnet 
 
 IS A 
 
 79 
 
 IX. 
 
 DiCKORY sets forth . 
 
 
 
 103 
 
 X. 
 
 Captain Christopher Vince . 
 
 
 
 . 117 
 
 XI. 
 
 Bad weather .... 
 
 
 
 . 133 
 
 XIL 
 
 Face to face .... 
 
 
 
 . 138 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Captain Bonnet goes to church 
 
 
 
 . 147 
 
 XIV. 
 
 A girl to the front 
 
 
 
 . 161 
 
 XV. 
 
 The Governor of Jamaica 
 
 
 
 . 165 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A question of etiquette 
 
 
 
 . 173 
 
 XVII. 
 
 An ornamented beard . 
 
 
 
 . 187 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 I HAVE no right; I AM A PIRATE 
 
 
 
 . 194 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The NEW FIRST lieutenant 
 
 
 
 . 203 
 
 XX. 
 
 One north, one south 
 
 
 
 217 
 
 XXI. 
 
 A projected marriage . 
 
 
 
 . 223 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Blade to blade .... 
 
 
 
 . 230 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 The address of the letter . 
 
 
 
 245 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Belize 
 
 
 
 251 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 CHAPTER PAQB 
 
 XXV. Wise Mr. Delaplaine 263 
 
 XXVI. DiCKORY STRETCHES HIS LEGS .... 276 
 
 XXVII. A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 280 
 
 XXVIII. Lucilla's SHIP 295 
 
 XXIX. Captain Ichabod 308 
 
 XXX. Dame Charter makes a friend . . . 320 
 
 XXXI. Mr. Delaplaine leads a boarding party . 330 
 
 XXXII. The delivery of the letter .... 341 
 
 XXXIII. Blackbeard gives Greenway some difficult 
 
 WORK 357 
 
 XXXIV. Captain Thomas of the Royal James . . 364 
 XXXV. A chapter of happenings 373 
 
 XXXVI. The tide decides 381 
 
 XXXVII. Bonnet and Greenway part company . . 392 
 
 XXXVIII. Again Dickory was there .... 399 
 
 XXXIX. The blessings which come from the death 
 
 of the wicked 405 
 
 XL. Captain Ichabod puts the case . . . 409 
 
 VI 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTEATIOKS 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 "Oh, Kate !" said Dickory, "you should have seen that 
 wonderful pirate fight " . . . . Frontispiece 
 
 "If you talk to me like that I will cut you down where 
 
 you stand ! " 46 
 
 "He is my father !" said Kate 134 
 
 "Haste ye! haste ye," cried Dickory, "they will leave 
 
 you behind " 155 
 
 "Take that," he feebly said, "and swear that it shall be 
 
 delivered" 241 
 
 Kate and her father in the warehouse .... 260 
 
 Lucilla rescues Dickory 337 
 
 In an instant Dickory was there 403 
 
 Vll 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 TWO YOUNG PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A FISH 
 
 ) 
 
 HE montli was September and 
 the place was in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Bridgetown, in 
 the island of Barbadoes. The 
 I tT^ seventeenth century was not seventeen years old, 
 but the girl who walked slowly down to the river 
 bank was three years its senior. She carried a 
 fishing-rod and line, and her name was Kate 
 Bonnet. She was a bright-faced, quick-moving 
 young person, and apparently did not expect to 
 catch many fish, for she had no basket in which 
 to carry away her finny prizes. Nor, apparently, 
 did she have any bait, except that which was 
 upon her hook and which had been affixed there 
 by one of the servants at her home, not far away. 
 In fact. Mistress Kate was too nicely dressed and 
 her gloves were too clean to have much to do with 
 
 1 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 fish or bait, but she seated herself on a little rock 
 in a shady spot not far from the water and threw 
 forth her line. Then she gazed about her; a 
 little up the river and a good deal down the river. 
 
 It was truly a pleasant scene which lay be- 
 fore her eyes. Not half a mile away was the 
 bridge which gave this English settlement its 
 name, and beyond the river were woods and cul- 
 tivated fields, with here and there a little bit of 
 smoke, for it was growing late in the afternoon, 
 when smoke meant supper. Beyond all this the 
 land rose from the lower ground near the river 
 and the sea, in terrace after terrace, until the 
 upper stretches of its woodlands showed clear 
 against the evening sky. 
 
 But Mistress Kate Bonnet now gazed stead- 
 ily down the stream, beyond the town and the 
 bridge, and paid no more attention to the scenery 
 than the scenery did to her, although one was 
 quite as beautiful as the other. 
 
 There was a bunch of white flowers in the 
 hat of the young girl ; not a very large one, and 
 not a very small one, but of such a size as might 
 be easily seen from the bridge, had any one hap- 
 pened to be crossing about that time. And, in 
 fact, as the wearer of the hat and the white flow- 
 ers still continued to gaze at the bridge, she saw 
 some one come out upon it with a quick, buoyant 
 step, and then she saw him stop and gaze stead- 
 ily up the river. At this she turned her head, 
 and her eyes went out over the beautiful land- 
 
 2 
 
TWO PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A FISH 
 
 scape and the wide terraces rising above each 
 other towards the sky. 
 
 It is astonishing* how soon after this a young 
 man, dressed in a brown suit, and very pleasant 
 to look upon, came rapidly walking along the 
 river bank. This was Master Martin Newcombe, 
 a young Englishman, not two years from his na- 
 tive land, and now a prosperous farmer on the 
 other side of the river. 
 
 It often happened that Master Newcombe, at 
 the close of his agricultural labours, would put 
 on a good suit of clothes and ride over the bridge 
 to the town, to attend to business or to social 
 duties, as the case might be. But, sometimes, 
 not willing to encumber himself with a horse, he 
 walked over the bridge and strolled or hurried 
 along the river bank. This was one of the times 
 in which he hurried. He had been caught by 
 the vision of the bunch of white flowers in the 
 hat of the girl who was seated on the rock in the 
 shade. 
 
 As Master Newcombe stepped near, his spir- 
 its rose, as they had not always risen, as he 
 approached Mistress Kate, for he perceived 
 that, although she held the handle of her rod 
 in her hand, the other end of it was lying on 
 the ground, not very far away from the bait and 
 the hook which, it was very plain, had not been 
 in the water at all. She must have been think- 
 ing of something else besides fishing, he thought. 
 But he did not dare to go on with that sort of 
 
 3 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 thinking in the way he would have liked to do 
 it. He had not too great a belief in himself, 
 though he was very much in love with Kate 
 Bonnet. 
 
 '^ Is this the best time of day for fishing, 
 Master Newcombe ? ' ' she said, without rising or 
 offering him her hand. '^ For my part, I don't 
 believe it is. ' ' 
 
 He smiled as he threw his hat upon the 
 ground. ^ ^ Let me put your line a little farther 
 out.'' And so saying, he took the rod from her 
 hand and stepped between her and the bait, which 
 must have been now quite hot from lying so long 
 in a bit of sunshine. He rearranged the bait 
 and threw the line far out into the river. Then 
 he gave her the rod again. He seated himself 
 on the ground near-by. 
 
 " This is the second time I have been over 
 the bridge to-day, ' ' he said, ^ ' and this morning, 
 very early, I saw, for the first time, your father 's 
 ship, which was lying below the town. It is a 
 fine vessel, so far as I can judge, being a lands- 
 man. ' ' 
 
 * ^ Yes, ' ' said she, * ^ and I have been on board 
 of her and have gone all over her, and have seen 
 many things which are queer and strange to me. 
 But the strangest thing about her, to my mind, 
 being a landswoman, is, that she should belong 
 to my father. There are many things which 
 he has not, which it would be easy to believe he 
 would like to have, but that a ship, with sails 
 
 4 
 
TWO PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A FISH 
 
 and anchors and hatchways, should be one of 
 these things, it is hard to imagine." 
 
 Young Newcombe thought it was impossible 
 to imagine, but he expressed himself discreetly. 
 
 ^' It must be that he is going to engage in 
 trade," he said; '^ has he not told you of his 
 intentions! " 
 
 ^^ Not much," said she. ^^ He says he is 
 going to cruise about among the islands, and 
 when I asked him if he would take me, he 
 laughed, and answered that he might do so, but 
 that I must never say a word of it to Madam 
 Bonnet, for if she heard of it she might change 
 his plans." 
 
 The wicked young man found himself almost 
 wishing that the somewhat bad-tempered Madam 
 Bonnet might hear of and change any plan 
 which might take her husband's daughter from 
 this town, especially in a vessel; for vessels 
 were always terribly tardy when any one was 
 waiting for their return. And, besides, it 
 often happened that vessels never came back 
 at all. 
 
 *' I shall take a little trip with him even if 
 we don't go far; it would be ridiculous for my 
 father to own a ship, and for me never to sail 
 in her. ' ' 
 
 ^' That would not be so bad," said Master 
 Martin, feeling that a short absence might be 
 endured. Moreover, if a little pleasure trip were 
 to be made, it was reasonable enough to suppose 
 
 5 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 that other i)eoi)le, not belonging to the Bonnet 
 family, might be asked to sail as guests. 
 
 *' What my father expects to trade in," said 
 she contemplatively gazing before her, ^^ I am 
 sure I do not know. It cannot be horses or cat- 
 tle, for he has not enough of them to make such 
 a venture profitable. And as to sugar-cane, or 
 anything from his farm, I am sure he has a good 
 enough market here for all he has to sell. Cer- 
 tainly he does not produce enough to make it 
 necessary for him to buy a ship in order to carry 
 them away." 
 
 * ^ It is opined, ' ' said Martin, ' ' by the people 
 of the town, that Major Bonnet intends to be- 
 come a commercial man, and to carry away to 
 the other islands, and perhaps to the old coun- 
 try itself, the goods of other people." 
 
 *^ Now that would be fine! " said Mistress 
 Kate, her eyes sparkling, *^ for I should then 
 surely go with him, and would see the world, 
 and perhaps London." And her face flushed 
 with the prospect. 
 
 IMartin's face did not flush. *^ But if your 
 father 's ship sailed on a long voyage, ' ' he said, 
 with a suspicion of apprehension, ' ^ he would not 
 sail with her; he would send her under the 
 charge of others." 
 
 The girl shook her head. ' ^ When she sails, ' ' 
 said she, '^ he sails in her. If vou had heard him 
 talking as I have heard him, you would not doubt 
 that. And if he sails, I sail." 
 
 6 
 
TWO PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A FISH 
 
 Martin's soul grew quite sad. There were 
 very good reasons to believe that this dear girl 
 might sail away from Bridgetown, and from 
 him. She might come back to the town, but she 
 might not come back to him. 
 
 ^' Mistress Kate," said he, looking very ear- 
 nestly at her, '' do you know that such speech 
 as this makes my heart sink! You know I love 
 you, I have told you so before. If you were 
 to sail away, I care not to what port, this world 
 would be a black place for me." 
 
 * ^ That is like a lover, ' ' she exclaimed a little 
 pertly ; ^ ' it is like them all, every man of them. 
 They must have what they want, and they must 
 have it, no matter who else may suffer." 
 
 He rose and stood by her. 
 
 ^' But I don't want you to suffer," he said. 
 ' ^ Do you think it would be suffering to live with 
 one who loved you, who would spend his whole 
 life in making you happy, who would look upon 
 you as the chief thing in the world, and have 
 no other ambition than to make himself worthy 
 of you? " 
 
 She looked up at him with a little smile. 
 
 ^ ^ That would, doubtless, be all very pleasant 
 for you, ' ' she said, ^ ' and in order that you might 
 be pleased, you would have her give up so much. 
 That is the way with men! Now, here am I, 
 born in the very end of the last century, and 
 having had, consequently, no good out of that, 
 and with but seventeen years in this century, 
 
 7 
 
I^J^TE BONNET 
 
 and most of it passed in girlhood and in school ; 
 and now, when the world might open before me 
 for a little, here you come along and tell me 
 all that you would like to have, and that you 
 would like me to give up. ' ' 
 
 ^' But you should not think,'' said he, and 
 that was all he said, for at that moment Kate 
 Bonnet felt a little jerk at the end of her line, 
 and then a good strong pull. 
 
 ^' I have a fish! " she cried, and sprang to 
 her feet. Then, with a swoop, she threw into 
 the midst of the weeds and wild flowers a strug- 
 gling fish which Martin hastened to take from 
 the hook. 
 
 * * A fine fellow ! " he cried, ' ' and he has ar- 
 rived just in time to make a dainty dish for your 
 supper. ' ' 
 
 * ' Ah, no ! " she said, winding the line about 
 her rod ; " if I were to take that fish to the house, 
 it would sorely disturb Madam Bonnet. She 
 would object to my catching it; she would object 
 to having it prepared for the table; she would 
 object to having it eaten, when she had arranged 
 that we should eat something else. No, I will 
 give it to you. Master Newcombe ; I suppose in 
 your house you can cook and eat what you 
 please. ' ' 
 
 ^' Yes," said he; ^' but how delightful it 
 would be if we could eat it together. ' ' 
 
 ^^ Meaning," said she, *^ that I should never 
 eat other fish than those from this river. No, 
 
 8 
 
TWO PEOPLE, A SHIP, AND A FISH 
 
 sir; that may not be. I have a notion that the 
 first foreign fish I shall eat will be found in the 
 island of Jamaica, for my father said, that possi- 
 bly he might first take a trip there, where lives 
 my mother 's brother, whom we have not seen for 
 a long time. But, as I told you before, nobody 
 must know this. And now I must go to my 
 supper, and you must take yours home with 
 you. ' ' 
 
 ^ * And I am sure it will be the sweetest fish, ' ' 
 he said, '' that was ever caught in all these wa- 
 ters. But I beg, before you go, you will promise 
 me one thing.'' 
 
 * ' Promise you ! ' ' said she, quite loftily. 
 
 * ' Yes, ' ' he answered ; ' ' tell me that, no mat^ 
 ter where you go, you will not leave Bridgetown 
 without letting me know of it? '' 
 
 *^ I will not, indeed,'' said she; ^' and if it 
 is to Jamaica we go, perhaps my father— but no, 
 I don't believe he will do that. He will be too 
 much wrapped up in his ship to want for com- 
 pany to whom he must attend and talk." 
 
 ' ' Ah ! there would be no need of that ! ' ' said 
 Newcombe, with a lover's smile. 
 
 She smiled back at him. 
 
 * ^ Good-night ! ' ' she said, * * and see to it that 
 you eat your fish to-night while it is so fresh. ' ' 
 Then she ran up the winding path to her home. 
 
 He stood and looked after her until she had 
 disappeared among the shrubbery, after which 
 he walked away. 
 
 2 9 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 a 
 
 I should have said more than I did/' he 
 reflected ; ^ ^ seldom have I had so good a chance 
 to speak and urge my case. It was that con- 
 founded ship. Her mind is all for that and not 
 for me.'' 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 : ■■■..•.■•'•i 
 
 L-*'- 
 
 
 F 
 
 A JOB STEDE BONNET, the 
 
 father of Kate, whose mother 
 had died when the child was 
 but a year old, was a middle- 
 aged Englishman of a fair estate, in the island 
 of Barbadoes. He had been an officer in the 
 army, was well educated and intelligent, and 
 now, in vigorous middle life, had become a con- 
 firmed country gentleman. His herds and his 
 crops were, to him, the principal things on earth, 
 with the exception of his daughter ; for, although 
 he had married for the second time, there were 
 a good many things which he valued more than 
 his wife. And it had therefore occasioned a good 
 deal of surprise, and more or less small talk 
 among his neighbours, that Major Bonnet should 
 want to buy a ship. But he had been a soldier 
 in his youth, and soldiers are very apt to change 
 their manner of living, and so, if Major Bonnet 
 had grown tired of his farm and had determined 
 
 11 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 to go into commercial enterprises, it was not, per- 
 haps, a very amazing thing that a military man 
 who had turned planter should now turn to be 
 something else. 
 
 Madam Bonnet had heard of the ship, al- 
 though she had not been told anything about 
 her step-daughter taking a trip in her, and if she 
 had heard she might not have objected. She 
 had regarded, in an apparently careless manner, 
 her husband 's desire to navigate the sea ; for, no 
 matter to what point he might happen to sail, 
 his ship would take him away from Barbadoes, 
 and that would very well suit her. She was get- 
 ting tired of Major Bonnet. She did not believe 
 he had ever been a very good soldier; she was 
 positively sure that he was not a good farmer; 
 and she had the strongest kind of doubt as to 
 his ability as a commercial man. But as this 
 new business would free her from him, at least 
 for a time, she was well content; and, although 
 she should feel herself somewhat handicapped 
 by the presence of Kate, she did not intend to 
 allow that young lady to interfere with her plans 
 and purposes during the absence of the head of 
 the house. So she went her way, saying nothing 
 derisive about' the nautical life, except what she 
 considered it necessary for her to do, in order 
 to maintain her superior position in the house- 
 hold. 
 
 Major Bonnet was now very much engaged 
 and a good deal disturbed, for he found that 
 
 12 
 
A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 projected sailing, even in one's own craft, is not 
 always smooth sailing. He was putting his ves- 
 sel in excellent order, and was fitting her out 
 generously in the way of stores and all manner 
 of nautical needfuls, not forgetting the guns 
 necessary for defence in these somewhat dis- 
 ordered times, and his latest endeavours were 
 towards the shipping of a suitable crew. Sea- 
 faring men were not scarce in the port of Bridge- 
 town, but Major Bonnet, now entitled to be 
 called '^ Captain," was very particular about 
 his crew, and it took him a long time to collect 
 suitable men. 
 
 As he was most truly a landsman, knowing 
 nothing about the sea or the various intricate 
 methods of navigating a vessel thereupon, he was 
 compelled to secure a real captain— one who 
 would be able to take charge of the vessel and 
 crew, and who would do, and have done, in a 
 thoroughly seamanlike manner, what his nom- 
 inal skipper should desire and ordain. 
 
 This absolutely necessary personage had 
 been secured almost as soon as the vessel had 
 been purchased, before any of the rest of the 
 crew had signed ship 's articles ; and it was un- 
 der his general supervision that the storing and 
 equipment had been carried on. His name was 
 Sam Loftus. He was a big man with a great 
 readiness of speech. There were, perhaps, some 
 things he could not do, but there seemed to be 
 nothing that he was not able to talk about. As 
 
 13 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 has been said, tlie rest of the crew came in slowly, 
 but they did come, and Major Bonnet told his 
 daughter that when he had secured four more 
 men, it was his intention to leave port. 
 
 * ^ And sail for Jamaica 1 ' ^ she exclaimed. 
 
 *' Oh, yes," he said, with an affectionate 
 smile, ^^ and I will leave you with your Uncle 
 Delaplaine, where you can stay while I make 
 some little cruises here and there. '^ 
 
 ' ^ And so I am really to go ? ' ' she exclaimed, 
 her eyes sparkling. 
 
 ^^ Eeally to go," said he. 
 
 *' And what may I pack up? " she asked, 
 thinking of her stejD-mother. 
 
 ^ ' Not much, ' ' he said, ^ ' not much. We will 
 be able to find at Spanish Town something 
 braver in the way of apparel than anything you 
 now possess. It will be some days before we 
 sail, and I shall have quietly conveyed on board 
 such belongings as you need. ' ' 
 
 She was very happy, and she laughed. 
 
 '^ Yours will be an easily laden ship," said 
 she, '^ for you take in with you no great store 
 of goods for traffic. But I suppose you design 
 to pick up your cargo among the islands where 
 3^ou cruise, and at a less cost, perchance, than 
 it could be procured here! " 
 
 ^ ^ Yes, yes, ' ^ he said ; ' ' you have hit it fairly, 
 my little girl, you have hit it fairly. ' ' 
 
 New annoyances now began to beset Major 
 Bonnet. What his daughter had remarked in 
 
 14 
 
A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 pleasantry, the people of the town began to talk 
 about unpleasantly. Here was a good-sized 
 craft about to set sail, with little or no cargo, 
 but with a crew apparently much larger than her 
 requirements, but not yet large enough for the 
 desires of her owner. To be sure, as Major 
 Bonnet did not know anything about ships, he 
 was bound to do something odd when he bought 
 one and set forth to sail upon her, but there 
 were some odd things which ought to be looked 
 into ; and there were people who advised that the 
 attention of the colonial authorities should be 
 drawn to this ship of their farmer townsman. 
 Major Bonnet had such a high reputation as a 
 good citizen, that there were few people who 
 thought it worth while to trouble themselves 
 about his new business venture, but a good many 
 disagreeable things came to the ears of Sam 
 Loftus, who reported them to his employer, and 
 it was agreed between them that it would be 
 wise for them to sail as soon as they could, 
 even if they did not wait for the few men they 
 had considered to be needed. 
 
 Early upon a cloudy afternoon. Major Bon- 
 net and his daughter went out in a small boat 
 to look at his vessel, the Sarah Williams, which 
 was then lying a short distance below the town. 
 
 ^' Now, Kate," said the good Major Bonnet, 
 when they were on board, ^^ I have fitted up a 
 little room for you below, which I think you will 
 find comfortable enough during the voyage to 
 
 15 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Jamaica. I will take you with me when I return 
 to the house, and then you can make up a little 
 package of clothes which it will be easy to con- 
 vey to the river bank when the time shall come 
 for you to depart. I cannot now say just when 
 that time will arrive; it may be in the daytime 
 or it may be at night, but it will be soon, and I 
 will give you good notice, and I will come up 
 the river for you in a boat. But now I am very 
 busy, and I will leave you to become acquainted 
 with the Sarah Williams, which, for a few 
 days, will be your home. I shall be obliged to 
 row over to the town for, perhaps, half an hour, 
 but Ben Greenway will be here to attend to any- 
 thing you need until I return. ' ' 
 
 Ben Greenway was a Scotchman, who had for 
 a long time been Major Bonnet's most trusted 
 servant. He was a good farmer, was apt at car- 
 penter work, and knew a good deal about ma- 
 sonry. A few months ago, any one living in that 
 region would have been likely to say, if the sub- 
 ject had been brought up, that without Ben 
 Greenway Major Bonnet could not get along at 
 all, not even for a day, for he depended upon 
 him in so many ways. And yet, now the master 
 of the estate was about to depart, for nobody 
 knew how long, and leave his faithful servant 
 behind. The reason he gave was, that Ben could 
 not be spared from the farm ; but people in gen- 
 eral, and Ben in particular, thought this very 
 poor reasoning. Any sort of business which 
 
 16 
 
A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 made it necessary for Major Bonnet to separate 
 himself from Ben Greenway was a very poor 
 business, and should not be entered upon. 
 
 The deck of the Sarah Williams presented 
 a lively scene as Kate stood upon the little quar- 
 ter-deck and gazed forward. The sailors were 
 walking about and sitting about, smoking, talk- 
 ing, or coiling things away. There were people 
 from the shore with baskets containing fruit and 
 other wares for sale, and all stirring and new 
 and very interesting to Miss Kate as she stood, 
 with her ribbons flying in the river breeze. 
 
 ^' Who is that young fellow! " she said to 
 Ben Greenway, who was standing by her, '' the 
 one with the big basket! It seems to me I have 
 seen him before. ' ' 
 
 '^ Oh, ay! " said Ben, ^^ he has been on the 
 farm. That is Dickory Charter, whose father 
 was drowned out fishing a few years ago. He 
 is a good lad, an' boards all ships comin' in or 
 goin' out to sell his wares, for his mither leans 
 on him now, having no ither. ' ' 
 
 The youth, who seemed to feel that he was 
 being talked about, now walked aft, and held up 
 his basket. He was a handsome youngster, light- 
 ly clad and barefooted; and, although not yet 
 full grown, of a strong and active build. Kate 
 beckoned to him, and bought an orange. 
 
 '' An' how is your mither, Dickorv^f '' said 
 Ben. 
 
 '^ Right well, I thank you,'' said he, and 
 
 IT 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 gazed at Kate, who was biting a hole in her 
 orange. 
 
 Then, as he turned and went away, having 
 no reason to expect to sell anything more, Kate 
 remarked to Ben : ^ ' That is truly a fine-looking 
 young fellow. He walks with such strength and 
 ease, like a deer or a cat. ' ^ 
 
 ^' That comes from no' wearin' shoes,'' said 
 Ben ; ^ ^ but as for me, I would like better to wear 
 shoes an' walk mair stiffly." 
 
 Now there came aft a sailor, who touched his 
 cap and told Ben Greenway that he was wanted 
 below to superintend the stowing some cases of 
 the captain's liquors. So Kate, left to herself, 
 began to think about what she should pack 
 into her little bundle. She would make it very 
 small, for the fewer things she took with her 
 the more she would buy at Spanish Town. But 
 the contents of her package did not require much 
 thought, and she soon became a little tired stay- 
 ing there by herself, and therefore she was glad 
 to see young Dickory, with his orange-basket, 
 walking aft. 
 
 ^^ I don't want any more oranges," she said, 
 when he was near enough, ^^ but perhaps you 
 mav have other fruit? " 
 
 He came up to her and put down his basket. 
 ** I have bananas, but perhaps you don't like 
 them? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, I do ! " she answered. 
 
 But, without offering to show her the fruit, 
 
 18 
 
A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 Dickory continued: *^ There ^s one thing I don't 
 like, and that's the men on board your ship.'' 
 
 *^ What do you mean? " she asked, amazed. 
 
 '^ Speak lower," he said; and, as he spoke, 
 he bethought himself that it might be well to 
 hold out towards her a couple of bananas. 
 
 *^ They're a bad, hard lot of men," he said. 
 * ' I heard that from more than one person. You 
 ought not to stay on this ship." 
 
 ^* And what do you know about it, Mr. Im- 
 pudence ? ' ' she asked, with brows uplifted. ' ' I 
 suppose my father knows what is good for me. ' ' 
 
 ' ^ But he is not here, ' ' said Dickory. 
 
 Kate looked steadfastly at him. He did not 
 seem as ruddy as he had been. And then she 
 looked out upon the forward deck, and the 
 thought came to her that when she had first no- 
 ticed these men it had seemed to her that they 
 were, indeed, a rough, hard lot. Kate Bonnet 
 was a brave girl, but without knowing why she 
 felt a little frightened. 
 
 ^^ Your name is Dickory, isn't if? " she said. 
 
 He looked up quickly, for it pleased him to 
 hear her use his name. '' Indeed it is," he an- 
 swered. 
 
 '' Well, Dickory," said she, '' I wish you 
 would go and find Ben Greenway. I should like 
 to have him with me until my father comes 
 back." 
 
 He turned, and then stopped for an instant. 
 He said in a clear voice: ^' I will go and get 
 
 19 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the shilling changed.'' And then he hurried 
 away. 
 
 He was gone a long time, and Kate could 
 not understand it. Surely the Sarah Williams 
 was not so big a ship that it would take all this 
 time to look for Ben Greenwav. But he did 
 come back, and his face seemed even less ruddy 
 than when she had last seen it. He came up 
 close to her, and began handling his fruit. 
 
 '^ I don't want to frighten you," he said, 
 ^^ but I must tell you about things. I could not 
 find Ben Greenway, and I asked one of the men 
 about him, feigning that he owed me for some 
 fruit, and the man looked at another man and 
 laughed, and said that he had been sent for in 
 a hurry, and had gone ashore in a boat." 
 
 ^' I cannot believe that," said Kate; '^ he 
 would not go away and leave me." 
 
 Dickorv could not believe it either, and could 
 offer no explanation. 
 
 Kate now looked anxiously over the water 
 towards the town, but no father was to be seen. 
 
 ^ ' Now let me tell you what I found out, ' ' said 
 Dickorv, ^^ vou must know it. These men are 
 wicked robbers. I slipped quietly among them 
 to find out something, with my shilling in my 
 hand, ready to ask somebody to change, if I 
 was noticed." 
 
 ^^ AVell, what next! " laying her hand on his 
 arm. 
 
 '' Oh, don't do that! " he said quickly; "' bet- 
 
 20 
 
A FRUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 ter take hold of a banana. I spied that Big Sam, 
 who is sailing-master, and a black-headed fellow 
 taking their ease behind some boxes, smoking, 
 and I listened with all sharpness. And Sam, he 
 said to the other one— not in these words, but 
 in language not fit for you to hear— what he 
 would like to do would be to get off on the next 
 tide. And when the other fellow asked him why 
 he didn't go then and leave the fool— meaning 
 your father— to go back to his farm. Big Sam 
 answered, with a good many curses, that if he 
 could do it he would drop down the river that 
 very minute and wait at the bar until the water 
 was high enough to cross, but that it was im- 
 possible because they must not sail until your 
 father had brought his cash-box on board. It 
 would be stupid to sail without that cash-box. ' ' 
 
 *^ Dickory," said she, ^^ I am frightened; I 
 want to go on shore, and I want to see my father 
 and tell him all these things. ' ' 
 
 " But there is no boat,'' said Dickory; 
 *^ every boat has left the ship." 
 
 ^ ^ But you have one, ' ' said she, looking over 
 the side. 
 
 ^^ It is a poor little canoe," he answered, 
 ^^ and I am afraid they would not let me take 
 you away, I having no orders to do so." 
 
 Kate was about to open her mouth to make 
 an indignant reply, when he exclaimed, ^^ But 
 here comes a boat from the town; perhaps it is 
 your father! " 
 
 21 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 She sprang to the rail. *^ No, it is not,'' she 
 exclaimed ; ^ ' it holds but one man, who rows. ' ' 
 
 She stood, without a word, watching the ap- 
 proaching boat, Dickory doing the same, but 
 keeping himself out of the general view. The 
 boat came alongside and the oarsman handed up 
 a note, which was presently brought to Kate by 
 Big Sam, young Dickory Charter having in the 
 meantime slipped below with his basket. 
 
 ^' A note from your father. Mistress Bon- 
 net,'' said the sailing-master. And as she read 
 it he stood and looked upon her. 
 
 ^^ My father tells me," said Kate, speaking 
 decidedly but quietly, ^^ that he will come on 
 board very soon, but I do not wish to wait for 
 him. I will go back to the town. I have affairs 
 which make it necessary for me to return imme- 
 diately. Tell the man who brought the note that 
 I will go back with him." 
 
 Big Sam raised his eyebrows and his face 
 assumed a look of trouble. 
 
 '^ It grieves me greatly. Mistress Bonnet," 
 he said, ^^ but the man has gone. He was or- 
 dered not to wait here. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Shout after him ! ' ' cried Kate ; ^ * call him 
 back ! ' ' 
 
 Sam stepped to the rail and looked over the 
 water. '^ He is too far away," he said, ^' but 
 I will try." And then he shouted, but the man 
 paid no attention, and kept on rowing to shore. 
 
 *' I thought it was too far," he said, ^' but 
 
 22 
 
A FKUIT-BASKET AND A FRIEND 
 
 your father will be back soon ; he sent that mes- 
 sage to me. And now, fair mistress, what can 
 we do for you! Shall it be that we send you 
 some supper f Or, as your cabin is ready, would 
 you prefer to step down to it and wait there for 
 your father! '^ 
 
 '' No,'' said she, ^' I will wait here for my 
 father. I want nothing. ' ' 
 
 So, with a bow he strode away, and presently 
 Dickory came back. She drew near to him and 
 whispered. ^^ Dickory,'' she said, ^^ what shall 
 I do? Shall I scream and wave my handker- 
 chief ! Perhaps they may see and hear me from 
 the town. ' ' 
 
 '^ No," said Dickory, *^ I would not do that. 
 The night is coming on, and the sky is cloudy. 
 And besides, if you make a noise, those fellows 
 might do something." 
 
 ' ' Oh, Dickory, what shall I do ? " 
 
 '' You must wait for your father," he said; 
 ** he must be here soon, and the moment you 
 see him, call to him and make him take you to 
 shore. You should both of you get away from 
 this vessel as soon as you can." 
 
 For a moment the girl reflected. * ^ Dickory, ' ' 
 said she, '' I wish you would take a message 
 for me to Master Martin Newcombe. He may 
 be able to get here to me even before my father 
 
 arrives. ' ' 
 
 Dickorv Charter knew Mr. Newcombe, and 
 he had heard what many people had talked 
 
 23 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 about, tliat lie was courting Major Bonnet's 
 daughter. The day before Dickory would not 
 have cared who the young planter was courting, 
 but this evening, even to his own surprise, he 
 cared very much. He was intensely interested 
 in Kate, and he did not desire to help Martin 
 Newcombe to take an interest in her. Besides, 
 he spoke honestly as he said: *^And who would 
 there be to take care of you? No, indeed, I will 
 not leave vou. ' ' 
 
 ** Then row to the town,'' said she, '' and 
 have a boat sent for me. ' ' 
 
 He shook his head. ^ ^ No, ' ' he said, ^ ^ I will 
 not leave you." 
 
 Her eyes flashed. ^ ' You should do what you 
 are commanded to do! " and in her excitement 
 she almost forgot to whisper. 
 
 He shook his head and left her. 
 
 24 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE TWO CLOCKS 
 
 T was already beginning to 
 grow dark. She sat, and she sat; 
 she waited, and she waited ; and at 
 last she wept, but very quietly. Her father did 
 not come; Ben Greenway was not there; and 
 even that Charter boy had gone. A man came 
 aft to her; a mild-faced, elderly man, with fur- 
 ther offers of refreshment and an invitation to 
 go below out of the night air. But she would 
 have nothing ; and as she sadly waited and gently 
 wept, it began to grow truly dark. Presently, 
 as she sat, one arm leaning on the rail, she heard 
 a voice close to her ear, and she gave a great 
 start. 
 
 ^^ It is only Dickory," whispered the voice. 
 
 Then she put her head near him and was 
 glad enough to have put her arms around his 
 neck. 
 
 ^^ I have heard a great deal more,'' whis- 
 3 25 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 pered Dickory ; * ^ these men are dreadful. They 
 do not know what keeps your father, although 
 they have suspicions which I could not make out ; 
 but if he does not come on board by ten o 'clock 
 they will sail without him, and without his cash- 
 box/' 
 
 ^^ And what of me? ** she almost cried, 
 '' what of me! '' 
 
 ^' They will take you with them,'' said he; 
 * ' that 's the only thing for them to do. But don 't 
 be frightened, don't tremble. You must leave 
 this vessel." 
 
 '' But how! "she said. 
 
 ^' Oh! I will attend to that," he answered, 
 ^' if you will listen to me and do everything I 
 tell you. We can 't go until it is dark, but while 
 it is light enough for you to see things I will 
 show you what you must do. Now, look down 
 over the side of the vessel." 
 
 She leaned over and looked down. He was 
 apparently clinging to the side with his head 
 barely reaching the top of the rail. 
 
 * ^ Do you see this bit of ledge I am standing 
 on ! "he asked. ^ ' Could you get out and stand 
 on this, holding to this piece of rope as I do! " 
 
 ^^ Yes," said she, ^^ I could do that." 
 
 ^^ Then, still holding to the rope, could you 
 lower yourself down from the ledge and hang to 
 it with your hands! " 
 
 ^^ And drop into your boat! " said she. 
 ' ' Yes, I could do that.^' ' 
 
 20 
 
THE TWO CLOCKS 
 
 * * No, ' ' said he, ' ^ not drop into my boat. It 
 would kill you if you fell into the boat. You 
 must drop into the water. '^ 
 
 She shuddered, and felt like screaming. 
 
 * * But it will be easy to drop into the water ; 
 you can't hurt yourself, and I shall be there. 
 My boat will be anchored close by, and we can 
 easily reach it." 
 
 * ^ Drop into the water ! ' ' said poor Kate. 
 
 ^' But I will be there, you know," said Dick- 
 ory. 
 
 She looked down upon the ledge, and then 
 she looked below it to the water, which was idly 
 flapping against the side of the vessel. 
 
 ^ ^ Is it the only way ! ' ' said she. 
 
 ** It is the only way," he answered, speak- 
 ing very earnestly. '' You must not wait for 
 your father; from what I hear, I fear he has 
 been detained against his will. By nine o'clock 
 it will be dark enough." 
 
 ^^ And what must I do? " she said, feeling 
 cold as she spoke. 
 
 '^ Listen to every word," he answered. 
 ** This is what vou must do. You know the 
 sound of the bell in the tower of the new 
 church? " 
 
 ^ ^ Oh, yes, ' ' said she, ^ ^ I hear it often. ' ' 
 
 ' * And vou will not confound it with the bell 
 in the old church? " 
 
 ^* Oh, no! " said she; ^' it is very different, 
 and generally they strike far a]3art." 
 
 27 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ^* Yes,'' said he, ^^ tlie old one strikes first; 
 and when you hear it, it will be quite dark, and 
 you can slip over the rail and stand on this 
 ledge, as I am doing ; then keep fast hold of this 
 rope and you can slip farther down and sit on 
 the ledge and wait until the clock of the new 
 church begins to strike nine. Then you must get 
 off the ledge and hang by your two hands. When 
 you hear the last stroke of nine, you must let 
 go and drop. I shall be there." 
 
 ^^ But if you shouldn't be there, Dickoryl 
 Couldn't you whistle, couldn't you call gently? " 
 
 ^^ No," said Dickory; *^ if I did that, their 
 sharp ears would hear and lanterns would be 
 flashed on us, and perhaps things would be cast 
 down upon us. That would be the quickest way 
 of getting rid of you. ' ' 
 
 '^ But, Dickory," she said, after a moment's 
 silence, " it is terrible about my father and Ben 
 Greenway. Why don 't they come back 1 What 's 
 the matter with them? " 
 
 He hesitated a little before answering. 
 
 ^^ From what I heard, I think there is some 
 trouble on shore, and that 's the reason whv vour 
 father has not come for you as soon as he ex- 
 pected. But he thinks you safe with Ben Green- 
 way. Now what we have to do is to get away 
 from this vessel ; and then if she sails and leaves 
 your father and Ben Greemvay, it will be a good 
 thing. These fellows are rascals, and no honest 
 person should have to do with them. But now 
 
 28 
 
THE TWO CLOCKS 
 
 I must get out of sight, or somebody will come 
 and spoil everything." 
 
 Big Sam did come aft and told Kate he 
 thought she would come to injury sitting out in 
 the night air. But she would not listen to him, 
 and only asked him what time of night it was. 
 He told her that it was not far from nine, and 
 that she would see her father very soon, and 
 then he left her. 
 
 ^^ It would have been a terrible thing if he 
 had come at nine," she said to herself. Then 
 she sat very still waiting for the sound of the 
 old clock. 
 
 Hickory Charter had not told Miss Kate Bon- 
 net all that he had heard when he was stealthily 
 wandering about the ship. He had slipped down 
 into the chains near a port-hole, on the other 
 side of which Big Sam and the black-haired 
 man were taking supper, and he heard a great 
 deal of talk. Among other things he heard a 
 bit of conversation which, when expurgated of 
 its oaths and unpleasant expressions, was like 
 this : 
 
 ^ ^ You are sure you can trust the men 1 ' ' said 
 Black-hair. 
 
 '' Oh, yes! " replied the other, ^^ they're all 
 right. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Then why don 't you go now 1 At any time 
 officers may be rowing out here to search the 
 vessel. ' ' 
 
 ** And well they might. For what needs an 
 
 29 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 old farmer with an empty vessel, a crew of sev- 
 enty men, and ten guns? He is in trouble, you 
 may wager your life on that, or he would be 
 coming to see about his girl.'' 
 
 *^ And what will you do about her*? " 
 
 ^^ Oh, she'll not be in the way," answered 
 Big Sam with a laugh. " If he doesn 't take her 
 off before I sail, that's his business. If I am 
 obliged to leave port without his cash-box, I will 
 marry his daughter and become his son-in-law— 
 I don't doubt we can find a parson among all 
 the rascals on board— then, perhaps, he will 
 think it his duty to send me drafts to the dif- 
 ferent ports I touch at. ' ' 
 
 At this good joke, both of them laughed. 
 
 ^^ But I don't want to go without his cash- 
 box, ' ' continued Big Sam, ^ ' and I will wait un- 
 til high-tide, which will be about ten o 'clock. It 
 would be unsafe to miss that, for I must not be 
 here to-morrow morning. But the long-boat will 
 be here soon. I told Roger to wait until half- 
 past nine, and then to come aboard with old Bon- 
 net or without him, if he didn't show himself 
 by that time. ' ' 
 
 ^ * But, after all, ' ' said the black-haired man, 
 ^^ the main thing is, will the men stand by 
 you? " 
 
 '^ You needn't fear them," said the other 
 with an aggravated oath, ^ ' I know every rascal 
 of them. ' ' 
 
 ** Now, then," said Dickory Charter to him- 
 
 30 
 
THE TWO CLOCKS 
 
 self as he slipped out of the chains, ^' she goes 
 overboard, if I have to pitch her over. ' ' 
 
 Nothing had he heard about Ben Greenwa}^. 
 He did not believe that the Scotchman had de- 
 serted his young mistress ; even had he been sent 
 for to go on shore in haste, would he leave with- 
 out speaking to her. More than that, he would 
 most likely have taken her with him. 
 
 But Dickory could not afford to give much 
 thought to Ben Green way. Although a good 
 friend to both himself and his mother, he was 
 not to be considered when the safety of Mistress 
 Kate Bonnet was in question. 
 
 The minutes moved slowly, very slowly in- 
 deed, as Kate sat, listening for the sound of the 
 old clock, and at the same time listening for 
 the sound of approaching footsteps. 
 
 It was now so dark that she could not have 
 seen anybody without a light, but she could hear 
 as if she had possessed the ears of a cat. 
 
 She had ceased to expect her father. She 
 was sure he had been detained on shore; how, 
 she knew not. But she did know he was not 
 coming. 
 
 Presently the old clock struck, one, two— In 
 a moment she was climbing over the rail. In 
 the darkness she missed the heavy bit of rope 
 which Dickory had showed her, but feeling about 
 she clutched it and let herself down to the ledge 
 below. Her nerves were quite firm now. It was 
 necessary to be so very particular to follow 
 
 31 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Dickory 's directions to the letter, that her nerves 
 were obliged to be firm. She slipped still farther 
 down and sat sideways upon the narrow ledge. 
 So narrow that if the vessel had rolled she could 
 not have remained upon it. 
 
 There she waited. 
 
 Then there came, sharper and clearer out of 
 the darkness in the direction of the town, the 
 first stroke of nine o'clock from the tower of 
 the new church. Before the second stroke had 
 sounded she was hanging by her two hands 
 from the ledge. She hung at her full length; 
 she put her feet together; she hoped that she 
 would go down smoothly and make no splash. 
 Three — four — five — six — seven — eight — 
 nine— and she let her fingers slip from the ledge. 
 Down she went, into the darkness and into the 
 water, not knowing where one ended and the 
 other began. Her eyes were closed, but they 
 might as well have been open ; there was nothing 
 for her to see in all that blackness. Down she 
 went, as if it were to the very bottom of black 
 air and black water. And then, suddenly she 
 felt an arm around her. 
 
 Dickory was there! 
 
 She felt herself rising, and Dickory was ris- 
 ing, still with his arm around her. In a moment 
 her head was in the air, and she could breathe. 
 Now she felt that he was swimming, with one 
 arm and both legs. Instinctively she tried to 
 help him, for she had learned to swim. They 
 
 • 32 
 
THE TWO CLOCKS 
 
 went on a dozen strokes or more, with much la- 
 bour, until they touched something hard. 
 
 ^' My boat," said Dickory, in the lowest of 
 whispers ; ' ' take hold of it. ' ' 
 
 Kate did so, and he moved from her. She 
 knew that he was clambering into the boat, al- 
 though she could not see or hear him. Soon he 
 took hold of her under her arms, and he lifted 
 with the strength of a young lion, yet so slowly, 
 so warily, that not a drop of water could be heard 
 dripjDing from her garments. And when she was 
 drawn up high enough to help herself, he pulled 
 her in, still warily and slowly. Then he slipped 
 to the bow and cast off the rope with which the 
 canoe had been anchored. It was his only rope, 
 but he could not risk the danger of pulling up 
 the bit of rock to which the other end of it was 
 fastened. Then, with a jDaddle, worked as si- 
 lently as if it had *been handled by an Indian, 
 the canoe moved away, farther and farther, into 
 the darkness. 
 
 ' ' Is all well with you ! ' ■ said Dickory, think- 
 ing he might now safely murmur a few words. 
 
 ^^ All well," she murmured back, " except 
 that this is the most uncomfortable boat I ever 
 sat in! " 
 
 ^ ^ I expect you are on my orange basket, ' ' he 
 said ; ' ' perhaps you can move it a little. ' ^ 
 
 Now he paddled more strongly, and then he 
 stopped. 
 
 * ^ Where shall I take you, Mistress Bonnet 1 ' ' 
 
 33 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 lie asked, a little louder than he had dared to 
 speak before. 
 
 Kate heaved a sigh before she answered ; she 
 had been saying her prayers. 
 
 *^ I don't know, you brave Dickory,'' she 
 answered, ^' but it seems to me that you can't 
 see to take me anywhere. Everything is just 
 as black as pitch, one way or another." 
 
 ^' But I know the river," he said, '' with 
 light or without it. I have gone home on nights 
 as black as this. Will you go to the town? " 
 
 ^' I would not know where to go to there," 
 she answered, '^ and in such a plight." 
 
 ^ ' Then to your home, ' ' said he. ^ ^ But that 
 will be a long row, and you must be very cold. ' ' 
 
 She shuddered, but not with cold. If her 
 father had been at home it would have been all 
 right, but her step-mother would be there, and 
 that would not be all right. She would not know 
 what to say to her. 
 
 ^^ Oh, Dickory," she said, ^^ I don't know 
 where to go." 
 
 ^' I know where you can go," he said, be- 
 ginning to paddle vigorously, '' I will take you 
 to my mother. She will take care of you to- 
 night and give you dry clothes, and to-morrow 
 you may go where you will." 
 
 34 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 ^ the time approached when 
 Big Sam intended to take the 
 Sarah Williams out of port, it 
 seemed really necessary that Mistress Kate Bon- 
 net should descend from the exposed quarter- 
 deck and seek shelter from the night air in the 
 captain 's cabin or in her own room ; and, as she 
 had treated him so curtly at his last interview 
 with her, he sent the elderly man with the mild 
 countenance to tell her that she really must go 
 below, for that he, Big Sam, felt answerable to 
 her father for her health and comfort. But when 
 the elderly man and his lantern reached the 
 quarter-deck, there was no Mistress Kate there, 
 and, during the rapid search which ensued, there 
 was no Mistress Kate to be found on the ves- 
 sel. 
 
 Big Sam was very much disturbed ; she must 
 have jumped overboard. But what a wild young 
 woman to do that upon such little provocation, 
 
 36 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 for liow sliould she know that he was about to 
 run away with her father 's vessel ! 
 
 '^ This is a bad business/' he said to the 
 black-haired man, '^ and who would have 
 thought it? '' 
 
 *' I see not that/' said Black Paul, ^^ nor 
 why you should trouble yourself about her. She 
 is gone, and you are well rid of her. Had she 
 stayed aboard with us, every ship in the colony 
 might have been cruising after us before to- 
 morrow's sun had gone down." 
 
 But this did not quiet the cowardly soul of 
 Big Sam. 
 
 ^^ Now I shall tell you," said he, ^^ exactly 
 what happened. A little before dark she went 
 ashore in a boat which was then leaving the 
 ship. I allowed her to do this because she was 
 very much in earnest about it, and talked sharp- 
 ly, and also because I thought the town was the 
 best place for her, since it was growing late and 
 her father did not seem to be coming. Now, if 
 the old man comes on board, that's what hap- 
 pened; but if he does not come on board, the 
 devil and the fishes know what happened, and 
 they may talk about it if they like. But if any 
 man says anything to old Bonnet except as I 
 have ordered, then the fishes shall have another 
 feast. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ And now, what I have to say to you, ' ' said 
 Black Paul, ^ ^ is, that you should get away from 
 here without waiting for the tide. If one of these 
 
 36 
 
ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 rascals drops overboard and swims ashore, he 
 may get a good reward for news of the murder 
 committed on this vessel, and there isn't any 
 reason to think, so far as I know, that the Sarah 
 Williams can sail any faster than two or three 
 other vessels now in the harbour/' 
 
 a There's sense in all that," said Big Sam 
 as he walked forward. But he suddenly stopped, 
 hearing, not very far away, the sound of oars. 
 
 Now began the body and soul of Big Sam 
 to tremble. If the officers of the law, having 
 disposed of Captain Bonnet, had now come to 
 the ship, he had no sufficient tale to tell them 
 about the disappearance of Mistress Kate Bon- 
 net; nor could he resist. For why should the 
 crew obey his orders ? They had not yet agreed 
 to receive him as their captain, and, so far, they 
 had done nothing to set themselves against the 
 authorities. It was a bad case for Big Sam. 
 
 But now the ship was hailed, and the voice 
 which hailed it was that of Captain Bonnet. And 
 the soul of 3ig Sam upheaved itself. 
 
 In a few minutes Bonnet was on board, with 
 a big box and the crew of the long-boat. Speak- 
 ing rapidly, he explained to Big Sam the situ- 
 ation of affairs. The authorities of the port had 
 indeed sadly interfered with him. They had 
 heard reports about the unladen vessel and the 
 big crew ; and, although they felt loath to detain 
 and to examine a fellow-townsman, hitherto of 
 good report, they did detain him and they did 
 
 37 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 examine him, and they would have gone imme- 
 diately to the ship had it not been so dark. 
 
 But under the circumstances they contented 
 themselves with the assurance of the respectable 
 Mr. Bonnet that he would appear before them 
 the next morning and give them every oppor- 
 tunity of examining his most respectable ship. 
 Having done this, they retired to their beds, and 
 the respectable Bonnet immediately boarded his 
 vessel. 
 
 ^' Now," cried Captain Bonnet, ^^ where is 
 my daughter? I hope that Ben Greenway has 
 caused her to retire to shelter 1 ' ' 
 
 *^ Your daughter! " exclaimed Big Sam, be- 
 fore any one else could speak, ^ ^ she is not here. 
 It was still early twilight when she told me she 
 would wait no longer, and desired to be sent 
 ashore in a boat. This request, of course, I im- 
 mediately granted, feeling bound thereto, as she 
 was your daughter, and that I was, in a measure, 
 under her orders. ' ' 
 
 Captain Bonnet stood, knitting his brows. 
 
 ^^ Well, well! " he presently cried, with an 
 air of relief, '^ it is better so. Her home is the 
 best place for her, as matters have turned out. 
 And now," said he, turning to Big Sam, ^^ call 
 the men together and set them to quick work. 
 Pull up your anchors and do whatever else is 
 necessary to free the ship ; then let us away. We 
 must be far out of sight of this island before 
 to-morrow's sunrise." 
 
 38 
 
ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 As Big Sam passed Black Paul lie winked 
 and whispered : ' ' The old fool is doing exactly 
 what I would have done if he hadn't come 
 aboard. This suits my plan as if he were trying 
 his best to please me." 
 
 In a very short time the cable was slipped, 
 for Big Sam had no notion of betraying the de- 
 parture of the vessel by the creaking of a cap- 
 stan; and, with the hoisting of a few sails and 
 no light aboard except the shaded lamp at the 
 binnacle, the Sarah Williams moved down the 
 river and out upon the sea. 
 
 ^^ And when are you going to take the com- 
 mand in your hands ? ' ' asked Black Paul of Big 
 Sam. 
 
 *^ To-morrow, some time,'' was the answer, 
 ^ ' but I must first go around among the men and 
 let them know what's coming." 
 
 ^' And how about Ben Greenway! Has the 
 old man asked for him yet 1 ' ' 
 
 ' ' No, ' ' said the other ; ' ^ he thinks, of course, 
 that the Scotchman has gone ashore with the 
 young woman. What else could he do, being 
 a faithful servant! To-morrow I shall set 
 Greenway free and let him tell his own tale 
 to his master. But I shall tell my tale first, 
 and then he can speak or not speak, as he 
 chooses ; it will make no difference one way or 
 another. ' ' 
 
 Soon after dawn the next morning Captain 
 Bonnet was out of his hammock and upon deck. 
 
 39 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 « 
 
 He looked about him and saw nothing but sea, 
 sea, sea. 
 
 Big Sam approached him. ' ^ I forgot to tell 
 you," said he, ^* that yesterday I shut up that 
 Scotchman of yours, for, from his conduct, I 
 thought that he had some particular reason for 
 wanting to go on shore; and, fearing that if he 
 did so he would talk about this vessel, and so 
 make worse the trouble I was sure you were in, 
 I shut him up as a matter of precaution and 
 forgot to mention him to you last night." 
 
 ^' You stupid blockhead! " roared Mr. Bon- 
 net, * ' how like an ass you have acted ! Not for 
 a bag of gold would I have taken Ben Grreenway 
 on this cruise; and not for a dozen bags would 
 I have deprived my family of his care and serv- 
 ice. You ought to be thrown into the sea ! Ben 
 Greenway here! Of all men in the world, Ben 
 Green way here ! ' ' 
 
 *^ I only thought to do you a service," said 
 Big Sam. 
 
 * ^ Service ! ' ' shouted the angry Bonnet. But 
 as it was of no use to say anything more upon 
 this subject, he ordered the sailing-master to 
 send to him, first, Ben Greenway, and then to 
 summon to him, no matter where they might be 
 or what they might be doing, the whole crew. 
 
 The other, surprised at this order, objected 
 that all of the men could not leave their posts, 
 but Bonnet overruled him. 
 
 ^^ Send me the whole of them, every man 
 
 40 
 
ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 jack. The fellow at the wheel will remain here 
 and steer. As for the rest, the ship will take 
 care of itself for a space." 
 
 '' What can that old fool of a farmer intend 
 to do? '^ said Big Sam, as he went away; ^^ he 
 is like a child with a toy, and wants to see his 
 crew in a bunch.'' 
 
 Presently came Ben Greenway in a smothered 
 rage. 
 
 ^^ An' I suppose, sir," said he without salu- 
 tation, ' ' that ye have gi 'en orders about the care 
 o ' the cows and the lot o ' poultry that I engaged 
 to send to the town to-day! " 
 
 '^ Don't mention cows or poultry to me! " 
 cried Bonnet. '' I am a more angry man than 
 you are, Ben Greenway, and as soon as I have 
 time to attend to it, I shall look into this matter 
 of your shutting uj), and shall come down upon 
 the wrongdoers like sheeted lightning." 
 
 ^ ^ "WTiat a fearful rage ye 're in. Master Bon- 
 net, " said Ben. '' I never saw the like o' it. 
 If ye 're really angrier than I am, I willna revile ; 
 leavin' it to ve to do the revilin' wha are so 
 much better qualified. An' so it wasna accident 
 that I was shut up in the ship's pantry, leavin' 
 Mistress Kate to gang hame by hersel', an' to 
 come out this mornin ' findin ' the ship at sea an ' 
 ye in command! " 
 
 ^ ' Say no more, Ben, ' ' cried Bonnet. ^ ' I am 
 more sorry to see you here than if you were 
 any other man I know in this world. But I can- 
 4 41 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 not put you off now, nor can I talk further about 
 it, being very much pressed with other matters. 
 Now here comes my crew. ' ' 
 
 Ben Greenway retired a little, leaning against 
 the rail. 
 
 *^ An' this is his crew! '' he muttered; '^ a 
 lot o' unkempt wild beasts, it strikes me. May- 
 hap he has gathered them togither to convert 
 their souls, an' he is about to preach his first 
 sermon to them." 
 
 Now all the mariners of the Sarah Williams 
 were assembled aft and Captain Bonnet was 
 standing on his quarter-deck, looking out upon 
 them. He was dressed in a naval uniform, to 
 which was added a broad red sash. In his belt 
 were two pairs of big pistols, and a stout sword 
 hung by his side. He folded his arms ; he knit- 
 ted his brows, and he gazed fiercely about to see 
 if any one were absent, although if any one had 
 been absent he would not have known it. His 
 eyes flashed, his cheeks were flushed, and it was 
 plain enough to all that he had something im- 
 portant to say. 
 
 ^^ My men/' he cried, in a stalwart voice 
 which no one there had ever heard him use be- 
 fore, ^' my men; look upon me and you will not 
 see what you expect to see ! Here is no planter, 
 no dealer in horses and fat cattle, no grower of 
 sugar-cane! Instead of that," he yelled, draw- 
 ing his sword and flourishing it above his head, 
 *' instead of that I am pirate Bonnet, the new 
 
 42 
 
ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 terror of the sea ! You, my men, my brave men, 
 you are not the crew of the good merchantman, 
 the Sarah Williams, you are pirates all. You 
 are the pirate crew of the pirate ship Revenge. 
 That is now the name of this vessel on which 
 you sail, and you are all pirates, who henceforth 
 shall sail her. 
 
 ^ ^ Now look aloft, every man of you, and you 
 will see a skull and bones, under which you sail, 
 under which you fight, under which you gain 
 great riches in coins, in golden bars, and in fine 
 goods fit for kings and queens ! ' ' 
 
 As he spoke, every rascal raised his eyes 
 aloft, and there, sure enough, floated the black 
 flag with the skull and bones— the terrible ''Jolly 
 Roger ' ' of the Spanish Main, and which Bonnet 
 himself had hoisted before he called together his 
 crew. 
 
 For the most part the men were astounded, 
 and looked blankly the one upon the other. They 
 knew they had been shipped to sail upon some 
 illegal cruise, and that they were to be paid high 
 wages by the wealthy Bonnet; but that this 
 worthy farmer should be their pirate captain had 
 never entered their minds, they naturally sup- 
 posing that their future commander would not 
 care to show himself at Barbadoes, and that he 
 would be taken on board at some other port. 
 
 As for Big Sam, he was more than astounded 
 —he was stupefied. He had well known the char- 
 acter of the ship from the time that Bonnet had 
 
 43 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 taken him into liis service, and lie it was wlio 
 had mainly managed the fitting-up of the vessel 
 and the shipping of her crew. He did not know 
 whom Bonnet intended to command the ship, but 
 from the very beginning he had intended to com- 
 mand her himself. But he had been too late. 
 He had not gone among the men as he had 
 expected to do soon after setting sail, and here 
 this country bumpkin had taken the wind out 
 of his sails and had boldly announced that he 
 himself was the captain of the pirate ship Re- 
 venge. 
 
 The men now began to talk among them- 
 selves; and as Bonnet still stood, his sword 
 clutched in his hand and his chest heaving with 
 the excitement of his own speech, there arose 
 from the crew a cheer. Some of them had known 
 a little about Stede Bonnet and some of them 
 scarcely anything at all, except that he was able 
 to pay them good wages. Now he had told them 
 that he was a pirate captain, and each of them 
 knew that he himself was a pirate, or was wait- 
 ing for the chance to become one. 
 
 And so they cheered, and their captain's 
 chest heaved higher, and the soul of the luckless 
 Big Sam collapsed, for he knew that after that 
 cheer there was no chance for him ; at least, not 
 now. 
 
 * * Now go, my boys, ' ' shouted Bonnet, ^ ' back 
 to your places, every one of you, and fall to your 
 duty; and in honour of that black flag which 
 
ON THE QUARTER-DECK 
 
 floats above you, each one of you shall drink a 
 glass of grog.'' 
 
 With another shout the crew hurried for- 
 ward, and Stede Bonnet stood upon the quarter- 
 deck, the pirate captain of the iDirate ship Re- 
 venge. 
 
 And now stepped up to his master that good 
 Presbyterian, Ben Greenway. 
 
 '^ An' ye call yoursel' a pirate, sir! " said he, 
 '^ an' ye go forth upon the sea to murder an' 
 to rob an' to prepare your soul for hell! " 
 
 Mr. Bonnet winked a little. 
 
 '^ You speak strongly, Ben," said he, ^' but 
 that might have been expected from a man of 
 your fashion of thinking. But let me tell you 
 •again, my good Ben Greenway, that I was no 
 party to your being on this vessel. Even now, 
 when my soul swells within me with the pride 
 of knowing that I am a sovereign of the seas 
 and that I owe no allegiance to any man or any 
 government and that my will is my law and is 
 the law of every man upon this vessel— even 
 now, Ben Greenway, it grieves me to know that 
 you are here with me. But the first chance I 
 get I shall set you ashore and have you sent 
 home. Thou art not cut out for a pirate, and 
 as no other canst thou sail with me." 
 
 Ben Greenway looked at him steadfastly. 
 
 '^ Master Stede Bonnet," said he, ^^ ye are no 
 more fit to be a bloody pirate than I am. Ye 
 oversee your plantation weel, although I hae 
 
 45 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 often been persuaded that ye knew no' as mncli 
 as ye think ye do. Ye provide weel for your 
 family, although ye tak' no' the pleasure therein 
 ye might hae ta'en had ye been content wi' ane 
 wife, as the Holy Scriptures tell us is enough 
 for ony mon, an' je hae sufficient judgment to 
 tak' the advice o' a judgmatical mon about your 
 lands an ' your herds ; but when it comes to your 
 ca'in' yoursel' a pirate captain, it is enough to 
 make a deceased person chuckle by the absurdity 
 o'it." 
 
 ^' Ben Greenway," exclaimed Major Bonnet, 
 * ^ I don 't like your manner of speech. ' ' 
 
 ^* 0' course ye don't," cried Ben; *' an' I 
 didna expect ye to like it; but it is the solemn 
 truth for a' that." 
 
 ^' I don't want any of your solemn truths," 
 said Bonnet, '' and as soon as I get a chance I 
 am going to send you home to your barnyard 
 and your cows." 
 
 ^^ No' so fast, Master Bonnet, no' so fast," 
 answered Ben. "I hae ta'en care o' ye for 
 mony years; I hae kept ye out o' mony a bad 
 scrape both in buyin' an' sellin', an' I am sure 
 ye never wanted takin' care o' mair than ye do 
 now; an' I'm just here to tell ye that I am no' 
 goin' back to Barbadoes till ye do, an' that I am 
 goin' to stand by ye through your bad luck and 
 through your good luck, in your sin an' in your 
 repentance. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Ben Greenway, ' ' cried Captain Bonnet, as 
 
 46 
 
If YOU talk to me like that I will cut you down where 
 
 you stand ! " 
 
ON THE QUAETER-DECK 
 
 lie waved his sword in the air, ^^ if you talk to 
 me like that I will cut you down where you 
 stand! You forget that you are not talking to 
 a country gentleman, but to a ]Dirate, a pirate of 
 the seas! " 
 
 Ben grinned, but seeing the temper his mas- 
 ter was in, thought it wise to retire. 
 
 47 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 what seemed a very long 
 time to Kate Bonnet, Dick- 
 cry Charter paddled bravely 
 through the darkness. She was relieved of 
 the terror and the uncertainty which had fallen 
 upon her during the past few hours, and she 
 was grateful to the brave young fellow who 
 had delivered her from the danger of sailing 
 out upon the sea with a crew of wicked scoun- 
 drels who were about to steal her father's ship, 
 and her heart should have beaten high with 
 gratitude and joy, but it did not. She was 
 very cold, and she knew not whither young 
 Dickory was taking her. She did not believe 
 that in all that darkness he could possibly know 
 where he was going ; at any moment that dread- 
 ful ship might loom up before them, and lights 
 might be flashed down upon them. But all of 
 a sudden the canoe scraped, grounded, and 
 
 stopped. 
 
 48 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 '' What is that! '' she cried. 
 
 ^ ' It is our beach, ' ' said Dickory, and almost 
 at that moment there came a call from the dark- 
 ness beyond. 
 
 ^^ Dickory! '^ cried a woman's voice, ^^ is 
 that you 1 ' ' 
 
 " It is my mother, ' ' said the boy ; ' ' she has 
 heard the scraping of my keel. ' ' 
 
 Then he shouted back, ^ ' It is Dickory ; please 
 show me a light, mother! '^ 
 
 Jumping out, Dickory pulled the canoe high 
 up the shelving shore, and then he helped Kate 
 to get out. It was not an easy job, for she could 
 see nothing and floundered terribly; but he 
 seemed to like it, and half led, half carried her 
 over a considerable space of uneven ground, un- 
 til he came to the door of a small house, where 
 stood an elderly woman with a lantern. 
 
 ^' Dickory! Dickory! " shouted the woman, 
 *^ what is that you are bringing home! Is it a 
 great fish! '^ 
 
 * ^ It is a young woman, ' ' said the boy, ^ ^ but 
 she is as wet as a fish.'' 
 
 ^' Woman! " cried good Dame Charter. 
 ^^ A^rhat mean you, Dickory, is she dead! " 
 
 ^^ Not dead. Mother Charter," said Kate, 
 who now stood, unassisted, in the light of the 
 lantern, ^^ but in .woeful case, and more like 
 to startle you than if I were the biggest fish. 
 I am Mistress Kate Bonnet, just out of the river 
 between here and the town. No, I will not enter 
 
 49 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 your house, I am not fit; I will stand here and 
 tell my tale. ' ^ 
 
 ^^ Dickory! '' shouted Dame Charter, ^^ take 
 the lantern and run to the kitchen cabin, where 
 ye '11 make a fire quickly." 
 
 Away ran Dickory, and standing in the dark- 
 ness, Kate Bonnet told her tale. It was not a 
 very satisfactory tale, for there was a great 
 part of it which Kate herself did not under- 
 stand, but it sufficed at present for the good 
 dame, who had known the girl when she was 
 small, and who was soon busily engaged in 
 warming her by her fire, refreshing her with 
 food, and in fortifying her against the effects 
 of her cold bath by a generous glass of rum, 
 made, the good woman earnestly asserted, from 
 sugar-cane grown on Master Bonnet's planta- 
 tion. 
 
 Early the next morning came Dickory from 
 the kitchen, where he had made a fire (before 
 that he had been catching some fish), and on 
 a rude bench by the house door he saw Kate 
 Bonnet. When he perceived her he laughed ; but 
 as she also laughed, it was plain she was not 
 offended. 
 
 This pretty girl was dressed in a large blue 
 gown, belonging to the stout Dame Charter, and 
 which was quite as much of a gown as she had 
 any possible need for. Her head was bare, for 
 she had lost her hat, and she wore neither shoes 
 nor stockings, those articles of apparel having 
 
 50 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 been so shrunken by immersion as to make it 
 impossible for her to get them on. 
 
 * ^ Thy mother is a good woman, ' ^ said Kate, 
 *' and I am so glad you did not take me to the 
 town. I don 't wonder you gaze at me ; I must 
 look like a fright. ^ ^ 
 
 Dickory made no answer, but by the way in 
 which he regarded her, she knew that he saw 
 nothing frightful in her face. 
 
 * ^ You have been very good to me, ' ' said she, 
 rising and making a step towards him, but sud- 
 denly stopping on account of her bare feet, ^ ^ and 
 I wish I could tell you how thankful I am to 
 you. You are truly a brave boy, Dickory; the 
 bravest I have ever known. ' ' 
 
 His brows contracted. ^^ Why do you call 
 me a boy? '^ he interrupted. ^^ I am nineteen 
 years old, and you are not much more than 
 that. ' ' 
 
 She laughed, and her white teeth made him 
 ready to fall down and worship her. 
 
 *' You have done as much,'' said she, ^' as 
 any man could do, and more. ' ' 
 
 Then she held out her hand, and he came and 
 took it. 
 
 ^ * Truly you are a man, ' ' she said, and look- 
 ing steadfastly into his face, she added, ^' how 
 very, very much I owe you! '' 
 
 He didn't say anything at all, this Dickory; 
 just stood and looked at her. As many a one 
 has been before, he was more grateful for the 
 
 51 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 danger out of which he had plucked the fair 
 young woman than she was thankful for the de- 
 liverance. 
 
 Just then Dame Charter called them to break- 
 fast. When they were at the table, they talked 
 of what was to be done next ; and as, above every- 
 thing else. Miss Kate desired to know where her 
 father was and why he hadn't come aboard the 
 Sarah Williams, Dickory offered to go to the 
 town for news. 
 
 ^^ I hate to ask too much, after all you have 
 done," said the girl, '' but after you have seen 
 my father and told him everything, for he must 
 be in sore trouble, would you mind rowing to 
 our house and bringing me some clothes? Mad- 
 am Bonnet will understand what I need; and 
 she too will want to know what has become 
 of me.'' 
 
 ^' Of course I will do that," cried Dickory, 
 grateful for the chance to do her service. 
 
 ^' And if you happen to see Mr. Newcombe 
 in the town, will you tell him where I am! " 
 
 Now Dickory gave no signs of gratitude for 
 a chance to do her service, but his mother spoke 
 quickly enough. 
 
 ^^ Of course he will tell Master Newcombe," 
 said she, *^ and anybody else you wish should 
 know. ' ' 
 
 In ten minutes Dickory was in his canoe, pad- 
 dling to the town. When he was out of the little 
 inlet, on the shore of which lay his mother's 
 
 52 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 cottage, he looked far up and down the broad 
 river, but he could see nothing of the good ship 
 Sarah Williams. 
 
 '' I am glad they have gone," said Dickory 
 to himself, '' and may they never come back 
 again. It is a pit}^ that Major Bonnet should 
 lose his ship, but as things have turned out, it 
 is better for him to lose it than to have it." 
 
 When he had fastened his canoe to a little 
 pier in the town with a rope which he borrowed, 
 having now none of his own, Dickory soon heard 
 strange news. The man who owned the rope told 
 him that Major Bonnet had gone off in his ves- 
 sel, which had sailed out of the harbour in the 
 night, showing no light. And, although many 
 people had talked of this strange proceeding, no- 
 body knew whether he had gone of his own free 
 will or against it. 
 
 ^^ Of course it was against his will," cried 
 Dickory. ^' The ship was stolen, and they have 
 stolen him with it. The wretches ! The beasts ! ' ' 
 And then he went up into the town. 
 
 Some men were talking at the door of a 
 baker's shop, and the baker himself, a stout 
 young man, came out. 
 
 ^ ^ Oh, yes, ' ' said he, ' ' we know now what it 
 means. The good Major Bonnet has gone off 
 pirating; he thinks he can make more money 
 that way than by attending to his plantation. 
 The townspeople suspected him last night, and 
 now they know what he is." 
 
 53 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 At tliis moment Master Dickory jumped upon 
 the baker, and both went down. When Dickory 
 got up, the baker remained where he was, and 
 it was plain enough to everybody that the nerves 
 and muscles of even a vigorous young man were 
 greatly weakened by the confined occupation of 
 a baker. 
 
 Dickory now went further to ask more, and he 
 soon heard enough. The respectable Major Bon- 
 net had gone away in his own ship with a savage 
 crew, far beyond the needs of the vessel, and if 
 he had not gone pirating, what had he gone for ? 
 And to this question Dickory replied every time : 
 ** He went because he was taken away.'' He 
 would not give up his faith in Kate Bonnet's 
 father. 
 
 * ^ And Grreenway, ' ' the people said. ^ ^ Why 
 should they take him! He is of no good on a 
 ship. ' ' 
 
 On this, Dickory 's heart fell further. He had 
 been troubled about the Scotchman, but had 
 tried not to think of him. 
 
 * ^ The scoundrels have stolen them both, with 
 the vessel," he said; and as he spoke his soul 
 rose upward at the thought of what he had done 
 for Kate ; and as that had been done, what mat- 
 tered it after all what had happened to other 
 people! 
 
 Five minutes afterward a man came running 
 through the town with the news that old Bon- 
 net's daughter. Miss Kate, had also gone away 
 
 54 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 in the ship. She was not at home ; she was not 
 in the town. 
 
 * ' That settles it ! ' ' said some people. ' ' The 
 black-hearted rascal! He has gone of his own 
 accord, and he has taken Greenway and his fair 
 young daughter with him.'' 
 
 '^ And what do you think of that? '' said 
 some to the doubter Dickory. 
 
 *^ I don't believe a word of it! " said he; 
 and not wishing on his own responsibility to tell 
 what he knew of Mistress Kate Bonnet, he rowed 
 up the river towards the Bonnet plantation to 
 carry her message. On his way, whom should 
 he see, hurrying along the road by the river 
 bank coming towards the town and looking hot 
 and worried, but Mr. Martin Newcombe. At the 
 sight of the boat he stopped. 
 
 ' * Ho ! young man, ' ' he cried, ^ ' you are from 
 the town; has anything fresh been heard about 
 Major Bonnet and his daughter! " 
 
 Now here was the best and easiest oppor- 
 tunity of doing the third thing which Kate had 
 asked him to do; but his heart did not bound 
 to do it. He sat and looked at the man on the 
 river bank. 
 
 ^^ Don't you hear me? " cried Newcombe. 
 ^^ Has anybody heard further from the Bon- 
 nets? " 
 
 Dickory still sat motionless, gazing at New- 
 combe. He didn't want to tell this man anv- 
 thing. He didn't want to have anything to do 
 
 55 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 with him. He hesitated, but he could not forget 
 the third thing he had been asked to do, and who 
 had asked him to do it. Whatever happened, 
 he must be loyal to her and her wishes, and so 
 he said, with but little animation in his voice, 
 *' Major Bonnet's daughter did not go with 
 him. ' ' 
 
 Instantly came a great cry from the shore. 
 *' Where is she? Where is she! Come closer 
 to land and tell me everything ! ' ' 
 
 This was too much ! Dickory did not . like 
 the tone of the man on shore, who had no right 
 to command him in that fashion. 
 
 ^ ^ I have no time to stop now, ' ' said he ; '^ I 
 am carrying a message to Madam Bonnet. ' ' 
 
 And so he paddled away, somewhat nearer 
 the middle of the river. 
 
 Martin Newcombe was wild; he ran and he 
 bounded on his way to the Bonnet house; he 
 called and he shouted to Dickory, but appar- 
 ently that young person was too far away to hear 
 him. When the canoe touched the shore, almost 
 at the spot where the fair Kate had been fishing 
 with a hook lying in the sun, Newcombe was 
 alreadv there. 
 
 " Tell me," he cried, '' tell me about Miss 
 Kate Bonnet! What has befallen her! If 
 she did not go with her father, where is she 
 now? '' 
 
 ' ^ I have come, ' ' said Dickory sturdily, as he 
 fastened his boat with the borrowed rope, ' ' with 
 
 66 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 a message for Madam Bomiet, and I camiot talk 
 with anybody until I have delivered it. ' ' 
 
 Madam Bonnet saw the two persons hurrying 
 towards her house, and she came out in a fine 
 fury to meet them. 
 
 '' Have you heard from my runaway hus- 
 band," she cried, '' and from his daughter! I 
 am ashamed to hear news of them, but I suppose 
 I am in duty bound to listen." 
 
 Dickory did not hesitate now to tell what he 
 knew, or at least part of it. 
 
 ^ ' Your daughter— ' ' said he. 
 
 ^^ She is not my daughter," cried the lady; 
 ' ' thank Heaven I am spared that disgrace. And 
 from what hiding-place does she and her sire 
 send me a message! " 
 
 Dickory 's face flushed. 
 
 ^^ I bring no message from a hiding-place," 
 he said, ' ' nor any from your husband. He went 
 to sea in his ship, but Mistress Kate Bonnet left 
 the vessel before it sailed, and her clothes having 
 been injured by water, she sent me for what a 
 young lady in her station might need, supposing 
 rightly that you would know what that might 
 be." 
 
 "' Indeed I do! " cried Madam Bonnet. 
 '^ What she needs are the clouts of a fish-girl, 
 and a stick to her back besides." 
 
 *^ Madam! " cried Newcombe, but she heed- 
 ed him not; she was growing more angry. 
 
 ' ' A fine creature she is, ' ' exclaimed the lady, 
 5 57 
 
I^^TE BONNET 
 
 ^^ to run away from my house in this fashion, 
 and treat me with such contumely, and then to 
 order me to send her her fine clothes to deck 
 herself for the eyes of strangers ! ' ' 
 
 ^' But, young man,'' cried Newcombe, 
 '^ where is she! Tell that without further de- 
 lay. Where is she! '' 
 
 *^ I don't care where she is! " interrupted 
 Madam Bonnet. ^ ' It matters not to me whether 
 she is in the town, or sitting waiting for her finery 
 on the bridge. If she didn't go with her father 
 (cowardly sneak that he is), that gives her less 
 reason to stay away all night from her home, 
 and send her orders to me in the morning. No, 
 I will have none of that! If my husband's 
 daughter wants anything of me, let her come 
 here and ask for it, first giving me the reason 
 of her shameful conduct." 
 
 ** Madam! " cried Newcombe, ** I cannot 
 listen to such speech, such " 
 
 ^^ Then stop your ears with your thumbs," 
 she exclaimed, ^' and you will not hear it." 
 
 Then turning to Dickory: ^' Now, go you, 
 and tell the young woman who sent you here 
 she must come in sackcloth and ashes, if she 
 can get them, and she must tell me her tale and 
 her father 's tale, without a lie mixed up in them ; 
 and when she has done this, and has humbly 
 asked my pardon for the foul affront she has 
 put upon me, then it will be time enough to talk 
 of fine clothes and fripperies. ' ' 
 
 68 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ERRAND 
 
 Newcombe now expostulated with much 
 temper, but Dickory gave him little chance to 
 speak. 
 
 ' ^ I carry no such message as that, ^ ^ he said. 
 ^' Do you truly mean that you deny the young 
 lady the apparel she needs, and that I am to tell 
 her that? '' 
 
 ^ ^ Get away from here ! ' ' cried Madam Bon- 
 net, with her face in a blaze. " I send her no 
 message at all; and if she comes here on her 
 knees, I shall spurn her, if it suit me. ' ' 
 
 If Dickory had waited a little he might have 
 heard more, but he did not wait; he quickly 
 turned, and away he went in his boat. And 
 away went Martin Newcombe after him. But 
 as the younger man was barefooted, the other 
 one could not keep up with him, and the canoe 
 was pushed off before he reached the water's 
 edge. 
 
 '^ Stop, you young rascal! " cried New- 
 combe. ^' Where is Kate Bonnet! Stop! and 
 tell me where she is ! ' ' 
 
 Troubled as he was at the tale he was going 
 to tell, Dickory laughed aloud, and he paddled 
 down the river as few in that region had ever 
 paddled before. 
 
 Madam Bonnet went into her house, and if 
 she had met a maid-servant, it might have been 
 bad for that poor woman. She was not troubled 
 about Kate. She knew the young man to be 
 Dickory Charter, and she was quite sure that her 
 
 69 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 step-daughter was in his mother 's cottage. Why 
 she happened to be there, and what had become 
 of the recreant Bonnet, the equally recreant 
 young woman could come and tell her whenever 
 she saw fit. 
 
 60 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A PAIR OF SHOES AND STOCKINGS 
 
 HE tide was running down, and Dick- 
 ory made a swift passage to the town. 
 Seeing on the pier the man from 
 whom he had borrowed the rope, he stopped to 
 return him his property, and thinking that the 
 good people of the town should know that, no 
 matter what had befallen Major Bonnet, his 
 daughter had not gone with him and was safe 
 among friends, he mentioned these facts to the 
 man, but with very few details, being in a hurry 
 to return with his message. 
 
 Before he turned into the inlet, Dickory was 
 called from the shore, and to his surprise he saw 
 his mother standing on the bank in front of a 
 mass of bushes, which concealed her from her 
 house. 
 
 '' Come here, Dickory,'' she said, '' and tell 
 me what you have heard! " 
 
 Her son told his doleful tale. 
 
 ^ ^ I fear me, mother, ' ' he said, ^ ' that Major 
 
 61 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Bonnet's ship has gone on some secret and bad 
 business, and that he is mixed up in it. Else 
 why did he desert his daughter! And if he in- 
 tended to take her with him, that was worse." 
 
 *^ I don't know, Dickory," said good Dame 
 Charter reflectively ; ^ * we must not be too quick 
 to believe harm of our fellow-beings. It does 
 look bad, as the townspeople thought, that Major 
 Bonnet should own such a ship with such a 
 strange crew, but he is a man who knows his 
 own business, and may have had good reason 
 for what he has done. He might have been sail- 
 ing out to some foreign part to bring back a rich 
 cargo, and needed stout men to defend it from 
 the pirates that he might meet with on the seas. ' ' 
 
 ** But his daughter, mother," said Dickory; 
 ** how could he have left her as he did? That 
 was shameful, and even you must admit it." 
 
 ** Not so fast, Dickory," said she; '' there 
 are other ways of looking at things than the way 
 in which we look at them. He had intended to 
 take Mistress Kate on a little trip ; she told me 
 that herself. And most likely, having changed 
 his mind on account of the suspicions in the town, 
 he sent word to her to return to her home, which 
 message she did not get. ' ' 
 
 Dickory considered. 
 
 *' Yes, mother," he said, '* it might have 
 been that way, but I don't believe that he went 
 of his own accord, and I don't believe that he 
 would take Ben Greenway with him. I think, 
 
 62 
 
A PAIR OF SHOES AND STOCKINGS 
 
 mother, that they were both stolen with* the 
 ship. - ' 
 
 ' ' That might be, ' ' said his mother, ' ' but we 
 have no right to take such a view of it, and to 
 impart it to his daughter. If he went away of 
 his own accord, everything will doubtless be 
 made right, and we shall know his reasons for 
 what he has done. It is not for us to make up 
 our minds that Major Bonnet and good Ben 
 Greenway have been carried off by wicked men, 
 for this would be sad indeed for that fair girl to 
 believe. So remember, Dickory, that it is our 
 duty always to think the best of everything. And 
 now I will go through the underbrush to the 
 house, and when you get there yourself you must 
 tell your story as if you had not told it to me. ' ' 
 
 Before Dickory had reached his mother's 
 cottage Mistress Kate Bonnet came running to 
 meet him, and she did not seem to be the same 
 girl he had left that morning. Her clothes had 
 been dried and smoothed; even her hat, which 
 had been found in the boat, had been made 
 shapely and wearable, and its ribbons floated in 
 the breeze. Dickory glanced at her feet, and as 
 he did so, a thrill of strange delight ran through 
 him. He saw his own Sunday shoes, with silver 
 buckles, and he caught a glimpse of a pair of 
 brown stockings, which he knew went always 
 with those shoes. 
 
 ^^ I am quite myself again,'' she said, notic- 
 ing his wide eyes, ** and your mother has been 
 
 .63 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 good enough to lend me a pair of your slioes and 
 stockings. Mine are so utterly ruined, and I 
 could not walk barefooted. ' ' 
 
 Dickory was so filled with pride that this fair 
 being could wear his shoes, and that she was 
 wearing them, that he could only mumble some 
 stupid words about being so glad to serve her. 
 And she, wise girl, said nothing about the quan- 
 tities of soft cotton-wool which Dame Charter 
 had been obliged to stutf into the toes before 
 they would stay upon the small feet they cov- 
 ered. 
 
 ^^ But my father," cried Kate, ^' what of 
 him ? Where is he ? " 
 
 Now Dame Charter was with them, her eyes 
 hard fixed upon her son. 
 
 Dickory, mindful of those eyes, told her what 
 he had to tell, saying as little as possible about 
 Major Bonnet— because, of course, all that he 
 knew about him was mere hearsay— but dilating 
 with much vigour upon the shameful conduct of 
 Madam Bonnet ; for the young lady ought surely 
 to know what sort of a woman her father's wife 
 really was, and what she might expect if she 
 should return to her house. He could have said 
 even more about the interview with the angry 
 woman, but his mother's eyes were upon him. 
 
 Kate heard everything without a word, and 
 then she burst into tears. 
 
 ' * My father, ' ' she sobbed, ^ ^ carried away, or 
 gone away, and one is as bad as the other ! ' ' 
 
 64 
 
A PAIR OF SHOES AND STOCKINGS 
 
 ^^ Dickoiy," said Dame Charter, '' go cut 
 some wood ; there is none ready for the kitchen. ' ' 
 
 Dickory went away, not sorry, for he did not 
 know how to deport himself with a young lady 
 whose heart was so sorely tried. He might have 
 discovered a way, if he had been allowed to do 
 so ; but that would not have been possible with 
 his mother j)resent. But, in spite of her sorrow, 
 his heart sang to him that she was wearing his 
 shoes and stockings ! Then he cheerfully brought 
 down his axe upon the wood for the dinner's 
 cooking. 
 
 Dame Charter led the weeping girl to the 
 bench, and they talked long together. There was 
 no optimist in all the British colonies, nor for 
 that matter in those belonging to France or 
 SiDain, or even to the Dutch, who was a more 
 conscientious follower of her creed than Dame 
 Charter. She sat bv Kate and she talked to her 
 until the girl stopped sobbing and began to see 
 for herself that her father knew his own business, 
 and that he had most certainly sent her a message 
 to go on shore, which had not been delivered. 
 
 As to poor Ben Greenway, the good woman 
 was greatly relieved that her son had not men- 
 tioned him, and she took care not to do it herself. 
 She did not wish to strain her optimism. Kate, 
 having so much else upon her mind, never 
 thought of this good man. 
 
 AATien Dickory came back, he first looked to 
 see if Kate still wore his shoes and stockings, 
 
 65 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 and then he began to ask what there was that he 
 might now do. He would go again to the town 
 if he might be of use. But Kate had no errand 
 for him there. Dickory had told her how he 
 had been with Mr. Newcombe at her home, and 
 therefore there was no need of her sending him 
 another message. 
 
 '^ I don't know where to go or where to 
 send, ' ' she said simply ; ^ ^ I am lost, and that is 
 all of it." 
 
 " Oh, no," cried Dame Charter, ^^ not that! 
 You are with good friends, and here you can 
 stay just as long as you like. ' ' 
 
 ** Indeed she can! " said Dickory, as if he 
 were making a response in church. 
 
 His mother looked at him and said nothing. 
 And then she took Kate out into a little grove 
 behind the house to see if she could find some 
 ripe oranges. 
 
 It was a fair property, although not large, 
 which belonged to the Widow Charter. Her 
 husband had been a thriving man, although a 
 little inclined to speculations in trade which were 
 entirely out of his line, and when he met his 
 death in the sea he left her nothing but her home 
 and some inconsiderable land about it. Dickory 
 had been going to a grammar-school in the town, 
 and was considered a fair scholar, but with his 
 father's death all that stopped, and the boy was 
 obliged to go to work to do what he could for 
 his mother. And ever since he had been doing 
 
 66 
 
A PAIR OF SHOES AND STOCKINGS 
 
 what he could, without regard to appearances, 
 thinking only of the money. 
 
 But on Sunday, when he rowed his mother to 
 church, he wore good clothes, being especially 
 proud of his buckled shoes and his long brown 
 hose, which were always of good quality. 
 
 They were eating dinner when oars were 
 heard on the river, and in a moment a boat swung 
 around into the inlet. In the stern sat Master 
 Martin Newcombe, and two men were rowing. 
 
 Now Dickory Charter swore in his heart, al- 
 though he was not accustomed to any sort of 
 blasphemy; and as Miss Kate gazed eagerly 
 through the open window, our young friend nar- 
 rowly scrutinized her face to see if she were glad 
 or not. She was glad, that was plain enough, 
 and he went out sullenly to receive the arriving 
 interloper. 
 
 When they were all standing on the shore, 
 Kate did not think it worth while to ask Master 
 Newcombe how he happened to know where she 
 was. But the young man waited for no ques- 
 tions ; he went on to tell his story. When he re- 
 lated that it was a man fishing on a pier who had 
 told him that young Mistress Kate Bonnet was 
 stopping with Dame Charter, Kate wondered 
 greatly, for as Dickory had met Master New- 
 combe, what need had there been for the latter to 
 ask questions about her of a stranger! But she 
 said nothing. And Dickory growled in his soul 
 that he had ever spoken to the man on the pier, 
 
 67 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 except to thank him for the rope he had bor- 
 rowed. 
 
 Martin Neweombe's story went on, and he 
 told that, having been extremely angered by the 
 conduct and words of Madam Bonnet, he had 
 gone into the town and made inquiries, hoping 
 to hear something of the whereabouts of Mistress 
 Kate. And, having done so, by means of the 
 very obliging person on the pier, he had deter- 
 mined that the daughter of Major Bonnet should 
 have her rights ; and he had gone to his own law- 
 yer, who assured him that being a person of 
 recognised respectability, possessing property, 
 he was fully authorized, knowing the wishes of 
 Mistress Kate Bonnet, to go to her step-mother 
 and demand that those wishes be complied with ; 
 and if this very reasonable request should be 
 denied, then the lawj^er would take up the mat- 
 ter himself, and would see to it that reasonable 
 raiment and the necessities of a young iady 
 should not be withheld from her. 
 
 With these instructions, Newcombe had gone 
 to Madam Bonnet and had found that much dis- 
 turbed lady in a state of partial collapse, which 
 had followed her passion of the morning, and 
 who had declared that nothing in the world would 
 please her better than to get rid of her husband 's 
 daughter and never see her again. And if the 
 creature needed clothes or anything else which 
 belonged to her, a maid should pack them up, 
 and anybody who pleased might take them to 
 
 68 
 
A PAIR OF SHOES AND STOCKINGS 
 
 any place, provided she heard no more about 
 them or their owner. 
 
 In all this she spoke most truthfully, for 
 she hated her step-daughter, both because she 
 was a fine young woman and much regarded 
 by her father, and because she had certain rights 
 to the estate of said father, which his present 
 wife did not wish to recognise, or even to think 
 about. So Martin Newcombe was j)erfectly wel- 
 come to take away such things as would render 
 it unnecessary for the girl to now return to the 
 home in which she had been born. Martin had 
 brought the box, and here he was. 
 
 It was not long before Newcombe and the 
 lady of his love were walking away through the 
 little plantation, in order that they might speak 
 by themselves. Dickory looked after them and 
 frowned, but he bravely comforted himself by 
 thinking that he had been the one into whose 
 arms she had dropped, through the blackness of 
 the night and the blackness of the water, know- 
 ing in her heart that he would be there ready 
 for her, and also by the thought that it was 
 his shoes and stockings that she wore. Dame 
 Charter saw this frown on her son's face, but 
 she did not guess the thoughts which were in 
 his mind. 
 
 69 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 KATE PLANS 
 
 T was nearly an hour before 
 Kate and Mr. Newcombe re- 
 turned, and when they came 
 back they did not look happy. Dickory observed 
 their sad visages, but the sight did not make 
 him sad. Kate took Dame Charter by the hand 
 and led her to the bench. 
 
 '^ You have been so kind to me,'' she said, 
 ** that I have almost come to look upon you as 
 a mother, even though I have known you such 
 a little while, and I want to tell you what I have 
 been talking about, and what I think I am going 
 to do." 
 
 Mr. Newcombe now stood by, and Dickory 
 also. His mother was not quite sure that this 
 was the right place for him, but as he had al- 
 ready done so much for the young lady, there 
 was, perhaps, no reason why he should be de- 
 barred from hearing what she had to say. 
 
 This gentleman," said Kate, indicating 
 
 70 
 
 a 
 
KATE PLANS 
 
 Martin Newcombe, '^ sympathizes with me very 
 greatly in my present unfortunate position : hav- 
 ing no home to which I can go, and having no 
 relative belonging to this island but my father, 
 who is sailing upon the seas, I know not where ; 
 and therefore, in his great kindness, has offered 
 to marry me and to take me to his home, which 
 thereafter would be my home, and in which I 
 should have all comforts and rights/' 
 
 Now Dickory's face was like the sky before 
 a shower. His mother saw it out of the corner 
 of her eye, but the others did not look at him. 
 
 ^' This was very kind and very good," con- 
 tinued Kate. 
 
 ^^ Not at all, not at all," interrupted Master 
 Newcombe, '^ except that it was kind and good 
 to myself; for there is nothing in this world 
 which you need and want as much as I need 
 and want you. ' ' 
 
 At this Dickory's brow grew darker. 
 
 ** I believe all you say," said Kate, ^^ for I 
 am sure you are an honest and a true man, but, 
 as I told you, I cannot marry you ; for, even had 
 I made up my mind on the subject, which I have 
 not, I could not marry any one at such a time 
 as this, not knowing my father's will upon the 
 subject or where he is." 
 
 The sun broke out on Dickory's countenance 
 without a shower ; his mother noticed the change. 
 
 ^' But as I must do something," Kate went 
 on, ^^ a plan came to me while Mr. Newcombe 
 
 71 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 was talking to me, and I have been thinking of 
 it ever since, and now, as I speak, I am becoming 
 fully determined in regard to it; that is, if I 
 can carry it out. It often happens," she said, 
 with a faint smile, ' ' that when people ask advice 
 they become more and more strengthened in 
 their own opinion. My opinion, and I may say 
 my plan, is this : When my father told me he was 
 going away in his ship, he agreed to take me with 
 him on a little voyage, leaving me with my 
 mother's brother at the island of Jamaica, not 
 far from Spanish Town. In purposing this he 
 thought, no doubt, that it would be far better for 
 me to be with my own blood, if his voyage should 
 be long, rather than to live with one who is no 
 relative of mine, and does not wish to act like 
 one. This, then, being my father's intention, 
 which he was prevented, by reasons which I 
 know not of, from carrying out, I shall carry it 
 out myself with all possible dispatch, and go to 
 my uncle in Jamaica by the earliest vessel which 
 sails from this port. Not only as this is my 
 natural refuge in my trouble, but as my father 
 intended to go there when he thought of having 
 me with him, it may be a part of his plan to 
 go there any way, even though I be not with 
 him ; and so I may see him, and all may be well. ' ' 
 Clouds now settled heavily on the faces of 
 each of the young men, and even the ordinarily 
 bright sky of Dame Charter became somewhat 
 overcast; although, in her heart, she did not be- 
 
 72 
 
KATE PLANS 
 
 lieve that anybody in this world could have de- 
 vised a better plan, under the circumstances, 
 than this forsaken Mistress Kate Bonnet. 
 
 ^' Now there is my plan," said Kate, with 
 something of cheerfulness in her voice, ''if it 
 so be I can carry it out. Do either of you know, ' ' 
 glancing at the young men impartially, but ap- 
 parently not noticing the bad weather, " if in a 
 reasonable time a vessel will leave here for Ja- 
 maica! " 
 
 Dickory knew well, but he would not answer ; 
 Kate had no right to put such a thing upon him. 
 Newcombe, however, did not hesitate. "It is 
 very hard for me to say, ' ' he made reply, ' ' but 
 there is a merchantman, the King and Queen, 
 which sails from here in three days for Jamaica. 
 I know this, for I send some goods ; and I wish. 
 Mistress Bonnet, that I could say something 
 against your sailing in her, but I cannot; for, 
 since you will not let me take care of you, your 
 uncle is surely the best one in the world to do 
 it; and as to the vessel, I know she is a safe 
 one. ' ' 
 
 " But you could not go sailing away in any 
 vessel by yourself,'' cried Dame Charter, " no 
 matter how safe she mav be. ' ' 
 
 " Oh, no! " cried Kate; " and the more we 
 talk about our plan the more fully it reveals 
 itself to me in all its various parts. I am going 
 to ask you to go with me, my dear Dame Char- 
 ter," and as she spoke she seized both of the 
 6 73 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 hands of the other. ^' I have funds of my own 
 which are invested in the town, and I can afford 
 the expense. Surely, my good friend, you will 
 not let me go forth alone, and all unused to 
 travel! Leaving me safely with my uncle, you 
 could return when the ship came back to Bridge- 
 town. ' ' 
 
 Dame Charter turned upon the girl a look of 
 kind compassion, but at the same time she knit 
 her brows. 
 
 ' * Right glad would I be to do that for you, ' ' 
 she said, ^^ but I cannot go away and leave my 
 son, who has only me." 
 
 '^ Take him with you," cried Kate. ^* Two 
 women travelling to unknown shores might read- 
 ily need a protector, and if not, there are so many 
 things which he might do. Think of it, my dear 
 Dame Charter; to my uncle's home in Jamaica 
 is the only place to which I can go, and if you 
 do not go with me, how can I go there! " 
 
 Dame Charter now shed tears, but they were 
 the tears of one good woman feeling for the mis- 
 fortunes of another. 
 
 *^ I will go with you, my dear young lady," 
 she said, ^ ' and I will not leave you until you are 
 in your uncle's care. And, as to my boy here— " 
 
 Now Dickory spoke from out of the blazing 
 noontide of his countenance. 
 
 * ^ Oh, I will go ! " he cried. ^ ^ I do so greatly 
 want to see Jamaica. ' ' 
 
 "Without being noticed, his mother took him 
 
 74 
 
KATE PLANS 
 
 by the hand; she did not know what he might 
 be tempted to say next. 
 
 Mr. Newcombe stood very doleful. And well 
 he might ; for if his lady-love went away in this 
 fashion, there was good reason to suppose that 
 he might never see her again. But Kate said 
 no word to comfort him— for how could she in 
 this company!— and began to talk rapidly about 
 her preparations. 
 
 '^ I suppose until the ship shall sail I may 
 stay with you ? ' ^ addressing Dame Charter. 
 
 ^^ Stay here? " exclaimed the good dame. 
 *^ Of course you can stay here. We are like one 
 family now, and we will all go on board ship 
 together. ' ' 
 
 Kate walked to the boat with Mr. Newcombe, 
 he having offered to undertake her business in 
 town and at her father's house, and to see the 
 owners of the King and Queen in regard to pas- 
 sage. 
 
 Dickory stood radiant, speaking to no one. 
 Master Martin Newcombe was the lover of Mis- 
 tress Kate Bonnet, but he, Dickory, was going 
 with her to Jamaica ! 
 
 The following days fled rapidly. Long-vis- 
 aged Martin Newcombe, whose labours in behalf 
 of his lady were truly labours of love, as their 
 object was to help her to go where his eyes could 
 no longer feast upon her, and from which place 
 her voice would no longer reach him, went, with 
 a bitter taste in his mouth, to visit Madam Bon- 
 
 • 75 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 net, to endeavour to persuade her to deliver to 
 lier step-daughter such further belongings as 
 that young lady was in need of. 
 
 That forsaken person was found to be only 
 too glad to comply with this request, hoping ear- 
 nestly that neither the property nor its owner 
 should ever again be seen by her. She was in 
 high spirits, believing that she was a much better 
 manager of the plantation than her eccentric 
 husband had ever been, and she had already en- 
 gaged a man to take the place of Ben Greenway, 
 who had been a sore trouble to her these many 
 years. She was buoyed up and cheered by the 
 belief that the changes she was making would 
 be permanent, and that she would live and die 
 the owner of the plantation. She alone, in all 
 Bridgetown and vicinity, had no doubts what- 
 ever in regard to her husband's sailing from 
 Barbadoes in his own ship, and with' a redun- 
 dancy of rascality below its decks. The respect- 
 ability and good reputation of Major Bonnet did 
 not blind her eyes. She had heard him talk about 
 the humdrum life on shore and the reckless 
 glories of the brave buccaneers, but she had 
 never replied to these remarks, fearing that she 
 might feel obliged to object to them, and she did 
 not tell him how, in late years, she had heard him 
 talk in his sleep about standing, with brandished 
 sword, on the deck of a pirate ship. It was her 
 dream, that his dreams might all come true. 
 
 So Kate's baggage was put on board the 
 
 Y6 
 
KATE PLANS 
 
 King and Queen, a very humble vessel consider- 
 ing her sounding name, and Dame Charter 's few 
 belongings were conveyed to the vessel in Dick-^ 
 ory's canoe, the cottage being left in charge of 
 a poor and well-pleased neighbour. 
 
 When the day came for sailing, our friends, 
 with not a few of the townspeople, were gathered 
 upon the deck, where Kate at first looked about 
 for Dickory, not recognising at the moment the 
 well-dressed young fellow who had taken his 
 place. His Sunday costume became him well, 
 and he was so bravelv decked out in the matter 
 of shoes and stockings that Kate did not recog- 
 nise him. 
 
 To every one Mistress Kate Bonnet made 
 clear that she was going to her uncle's house 
 in Jamaica, where she expected to meet her 
 father ; and many were the good wishes bestowed 
 upon her. When the time drew near when the 
 anchor should be heaved, Kate withdrew to one 
 side with Mr. Newcombe. ' ' You must believe, ' ' 
 said she kindly, ' ' that everything between us is 
 just as it was when we used to sit on the shady 
 bank and look out over the ripples of the river. 
 There will be waves instead of ripples for us to 
 look over now, but there will be no change either 
 the one way or the other.'' 
 
 Then they shook hands fervently ; more than 
 that would have been unwarrantable. 
 
 The King and Queen dropped down the 
 stream, and Master Newcombe stood sadly on 
 
 77 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the pier, while Kate Bonnet waved her hand- 
 kerchief to him and to her friends. Dame Char- 
 ter sat and smiled at the town she was leaving 
 and at the long stretches of the river before her. 
 She knew not to what future she was going, but 
 her heart was uplifted at the thought that a new 
 life was opening before her son. In her little 
 cottage and in her little fields there was no future 
 for him, and now to what future might he not 
 be sailing ! 
 
 As for Dickory, he knew no more of his fu- 
 ture than the sea-birds knew what was going to 
 happen to them ; he cared no more for his future 
 than the clouds cared whether they were moving 
 east or west. His life was like the sparkling 
 air in which he moved and breathed. He stood 
 upon the deck of the vessel, with the wind filling 
 the sails above, while at a little distance stood 
 Kate Bonnet, her ribbons floating in the breeze. 
 He would have been glad to sing aloud, but he 
 knew that that would not be proper in the pres- 
 ence of the ladies and the captain. And so he 
 let his heart do his singing, which was not heard, 
 except by himself. 
 
 78 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 BEN GREENWAY IS CONVINCED THAT BONNET 
 
 IS A PIRATE 
 
 the 
 did 
 
 name o 
 ye ever 
 
 corn- 
 think 
 
 becomin' a pirate, Master 
 
 Bonnet? '' said Ben Greenway as they stood 
 together. ^^ Ye 're so little fitted for a wicked 
 life. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Out upon you, Ben Greenway ! ' ' exclaimed 
 the captain, beginning to stride up and down the 
 little quarter-deck. ^^ I will let you know that 
 when the time comes for it, I can be as wicked 
 as anybody.'' 
 
 * ^ I doubt that, ' ' said Ben sturdily. ^ ^ Would 
 ve cut down an' murder the innocent? Would 
 ye drive them upon an unsteady plank an ' make 
 them walk into the sea 1 Could ye raise thy great 
 sword upon the widow an' the orphan? " 
 
 ^^ No more of this disloyal speech," shouted 
 Bonnet, ^^ or I will put you upon a wavering 
 plank and make you walk into the sea. 
 
 79 
 
 ?> 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Now Greenway laughed. 
 
 ** An' if ye did," he said, '* ye would next 
 jump upon the plank yoursel' an' slide swiftly 
 into the waves, that ye might save your old friend 
 an ' servant, knowin ' he canna swim. ' ' 
 
 ^^ Ben Greenway,'' said Bonnet, folding his 
 arms and knitting his brows, ' ' I will not suffer 
 such speech from you. I would sooner have on 
 board a Presbyterian parson." 
 
 ^ ^ An ' a happier fate couldna befall ye, ' ' said 
 Ben, ^ ^ for ye need a parson mair than ony mon 
 I know." 
 
 Bonnet looked at him for a moment. 
 
 '^ You think so! " said he. 
 
 '' Indeed I do," said Ben, with unction. 
 
 n There now," cried Bonnet, ^* I told you, 
 Ben, that I could be wicked upon occasion, and 
 now you have acknowledged it. Upon my word, 
 I can be wickeder than common, as you shall 
 see when good fortune helps us to overhaul a 
 prize. ' ' 
 
 The Eevenge had been at sea for about a week 
 and all had gone well, except she had taken no 
 prizes. The crew had been obedient and fairly 
 orderly, and if they made fun of their farmer- 
 captain behind his back, they showed no disre- 
 spect when his eyes were upon them. The fact 
 was that the most of them had a very great re- 
 spect for him as the capitalist of the ship 's com- 
 pany. 
 
 Big Sam had early begun to sound the tem- 
 
 80 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 per of the men, but they had not cared to listen 
 to him. Good fare they had and generous treat- 
 ment, and the less they thought of Bonnet as a 
 navigator and commander, the more they thought 
 of his promises of rich spoils to be fairly divided 
 with them when they should capture a Spanish 
 galleon or any well-laden merchantman bound 
 for the marts of Europe. In fact, when such 
 good luck should befall them, they would greatly 
 prefer to find themselves serving under Bonnet 
 than under Big Sara. The latter was known as 
 a greedy scoundrel, who would take much and 
 give little, being inclined, moreover, to cheat his 
 shipmates out of even that little if the chance 
 came to him. Even Black Paul, who was an old 
 comrade of Big Sam— the two having done much 
 wickedness together— paid no heed to his pres- 
 ent treasons. 
 
 * ^ Let the old fool alone, ' ' he said ; ^ ^ we fare 
 well, and our lives are easy, having three men 
 to do the work of one. So say I, let us sail on 
 and make merry with his good rum ; his money- 
 chest is heavy yet." 
 
 *^ That's what I'm thinking of," said the 
 sailing-master. ^^ Why should I be coursing 
 about here looking for prizes with that chest 
 within reach of my very arm whenever I choose 
 iti " 
 
 Black Paul grinned and said to himself : ^ * It 
 is your arm, old Sam, that I am afraid of." 
 Then aloud : ^ ^ No, let him go. Let us profit by 
 
 81 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 our good treatment as long as it lasts, and then 
 we will talk about the money-box.'^ 
 
 Thus Big Sam found that his time had not 
 arrived, and he swore in his soul that his old 
 shipmate would some day rue that he had not 
 earlier stood by him in his treacherous schemes. 
 
 So all went on without open discontent, and 
 Bonnet, having sailed northward for some days, 
 set his course to the southeast, with some hun- 
 dred and fifty eyes wide open for the sight of a 
 heavy-sailing merchantman. 
 
 One morning they sighted a brig sailing 
 southward, but as she was of no great size and 
 not going in the right direction to make it prob- 
 able that she carried a cargo worth their while, 
 thev turned westward and ran towards Cuba. 
 Had Captain Bonnet known that his daughter 
 was on the brig which he thus disdained, his 
 mind would have been far different; but as it 
 was, not knowing anything more than he could 
 see, and not understanding much of that, he kept 
 his westerly course, and on the next day the 
 lookout sighted a good-sized merchantman bear- 
 ing eastward. 
 
 Now bounded every heart upon the swiftly 
 coursing vessel of the planter-pirate. There 
 were men there who had shared in the taking of 
 many a prize ; who had shared in the blood and 
 the cruelty and the booty; and their brawny 
 forms trembled with the old excitement of the 
 sea-chase ; but no man 's blood ran more swiftly, 
 
 82 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 no man's eyes glared more fiercely, tlian those 
 of Captain Bonnet as he strapped on his pistols 
 and felt of his sword-hilt. 
 
 * * Ah, ye needna glare so ! ' ' said Ben Green- 
 way, close at his side. ^^ Ye are no pirate, an' 
 ye canna make yourseP believe ye are ane, an' 
 that ye shall see when the guns begin to roar 
 an' the sword-blades flash. Better get below an' 
 let ane o' these hairy scoundrels descend into 
 hell in your place." 
 
 Captain Bonnet turned with rage upon Ben 
 Greenway, but the latter, having spoken his mind 
 and given his advice, had retired. 
 
 Now came Big Sam. '^ 'Tis an English 
 brig," he said, '' most likely from Jamaica, 
 homeward bound ; she should be a good prize. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet winced a little at this. He would 
 have preferred to begin his career of piracy by 
 capturing some foreign vessel, leaving English 
 prizes for the future, when he should have be- 
 come better used to his new employment. But 
 sensitiveness does not do for pirates, and in a 
 moment he had recovered himself and was as 
 bold and bloody-minded as he had been when he 
 first saw the now rapidly approaching vessel. 
 All nations were alike to him now, and he be- 
 longed to none. 
 
 ^ ^ Fire some guns at her, ' ' he shouted to Big 
 Sam, ^ ^ and run up the Jolly Eoger ; let the ras- 
 cals see what we are." 
 
 The rascals saw. Down came their flag, and 
 
 83 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 presently their vessel was steered into the wind 
 and lay to. 
 
 ^^ Shall we board her? '' cried Big Sam. 
 
 " Ay, board her! '' shouted back the infuri- 
 ated Bonnet. ^^ Enn the Revenge alongside, 
 get out your grappling-irons, and let every 
 man with sword and pistols bound upon her 
 deck. ' ^ 
 
 The merchantman now lay without headway, 
 gently rolling on the sea. Down came the sails 
 of the Revenge, while her motion grew slower 
 and slower as she approached her victim. Had 
 Captain Bonnet been truly sailing the Revenge, 
 he would have run by with sails all set, for not 
 a thought had he for the management of his 
 own vessel, so intent he was upon the capture 
 of the other. But fortunately Big Sam knew 
 what was necessary to be done in a nautical 
 manoeuvre of this kind, and his men did not all 
 stand ready with their swords in their hands to 
 bound upon the deck of the merchantman. But 
 there were enough of Pirate Bonnet's crew 
 crowded alongside the rail of the vessel to in- 
 spire terror in any peaceable merchantman. 
 And this one, although it had several carronades 
 and other guns upon her deck, showed no dis- 
 position to use them, the odds against her being 
 far too great. 
 
 At the very head of the long line of ruffians 
 upon the deck of the Revenge stood Ben Green- 
 way; and, although he held no sword and wore 
 
 84: 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 no pistol, liis eyes flashed as brightly as any 
 glimmering blade in the whole ship's company. 
 
 The two vessels were now drawing very near 
 to each other. Men with grappling-irons stood 
 ready to throw them, and the bow of the well-* 
 steered pirate had almost touched the side of the 
 merchantman, when, with a bound, of which no 
 one would have considered him capable, the good 
 Ben Greenway jumped upon the rail and sprang 
 down upon the deck of the other vessel. This 
 was a hazardous feat, and if the Scotchman had 
 known more about nautical matters he would not 
 have essayed it before the two vessels had been 
 fastened together. Ignorance made him fearless, 
 and he alighted in safety on the deck of the mer- 
 chantman at the very instant when the two ves- 
 sels, having touched, separated themselves from 
 each other for the space of a yard or two. 
 
 There was a general shout from the deck of 
 the pirate at this performance of Ben Grreenway. 
 Nobody could understand it. Captain Bonnet 
 stood and veiled. 
 
 ' ' What are you about, Ben Greenway % Have 
 you gone mad? Without sword or pistol, you'll 
 iDe-" 
 
 The astonished Bonnet did not finish his sen- 
 tence, for his power of speech left him when he 
 saw Ben Greenway hurry up to the captain of 
 the merchantman, who was standing unarmed, 
 with his crew about him, and warmly shake that 
 dumfounded skipper by the hand. In their sur- 
 
 85 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 prise at what they beheld the pirates had not 
 thrown their grapnels at the proper moment, and 
 now the two vessels had drifted still farther 
 aiDart. 
 
 Presently Ben Greenway came hurrying to 
 the side of the merchantman, dragging its cap- 
 tain by the hand. 
 
 *^ Master Bonnet! Master Bonnet! '^ he 
 cried; ^' this is your old friend, Abner Mar- 
 chand, o^ our town; an' this is his good ship 
 the Amanda. I knew her when I first caught 
 sight o' her figure-head, havin' seen it so often 
 at her pier at Bridgetown. An' so, now that 
 ye know wha it is that ye hae inadvertently 
 captured, ye may ca' off your men an' bid them 
 sheathe their frightful cutlasses. ' ' 
 
 At this, a roar arose from the pirates, who, 
 having thrown some of their grappling-irons 
 over the gunwale of the merchantman, were now 
 pulling hard upon them to bring the two vessels 
 together, and Captain Bonnet shouted back at 
 Ben : ' ^ What are you talking about, you drivel- 
 ling idiot; haven't you told Mr. Marchand that 
 I am a pirate ? " 
 
 ^^ Indeed I hae no'," cried Ben, ^' for I 
 don't believe ye are ane; at least, no' to your 
 friends an' neebours. " 
 
 To this Bonnet made a violent reply, but it 
 was not heard. The two vessels had now touched 
 and the crowd of yelling pirates had leaped upon 
 the deck of the Amanda. Bonnet was not far 
 
 86 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 behind his men, and, sword in hand, he rushed 
 towards the sjDot where stood the merchant cap- 
 tain with his crew hustling together behind him. 
 As there was no resistance, there was so far no 
 fighting, and the pirates were tmnbling over each 
 other in their haste to get below and find out 
 what sort of a cargo was carried by this easy 
 prize. 
 
 Captain Marchand held out his hand. 
 ^^ Good-day to you, friend Bonnet,'' he said. 
 ^ ^ I had hoped that you would be one of the first 
 friends I should meet when I reached port at 
 Bridgetown, but I little thought to meet you be- 
 fore I got there. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet was a little embarrassed by the pe- 
 culiarity of the situation, but his heart was true 
 to his new career. 
 
 ^' Friend Marchand," he said, ^^ I see that 
 you do not understand the state of affairs, and 
 Ben Greenway there should have told you the 
 moment he met you. I am no longer a planter 
 of Barbadoes ; I am a pirate of the sea, and the 
 Jolly Roger floats above my ship. I belong to 
 no nation; my hand is against all the world. 
 You and your ship have been captured by me 
 and my men, and your cargo is my prize. Now, 
 what have you got on board, where do you hail 
 from, and whither are you bound ! ' ' 
 
 Captain Marchand looked at him fixedly. 
 
 ^^ I sailed from London with a cargo of do- 
 mestic goods for Kingston; thence, having dis- 
 
 87 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 posed of most of my cargo, I am on my way 
 to Bridgetown, where I hope to sell the re- 
 mainder. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Your goods will never reach Bridgetown, ' ' 
 cried Bonnet; ^^ they belong now to my men 
 and me.'' 
 
 ^^ What! '' cried Ben Greenway, ** ye speak 
 wi'out sense or reason. Hae ye forgotten that 
 this is Mr. Abner Marchand, your fellow-vestry- 
 man an ' your senior warden 1 An ' to him do ye 
 talk o' takin' awa' his goods an' legal chattels? " 
 
 Bonnet looked at Greenway with indignation 
 and contempt. 
 
 ^^ Now listen to me," he yelled. ^' To the 
 devil with the vestry and da—" the Scotch- 
 man 's eyes and mouth were so rounded with hor- 
 ror that Bonnet stopped and changed his form 
 of expression—" confound the senior warden. 
 I am the pirate Bonnet, and regard not the 
 Church of England. ' ' 
 
 Nor your friends 1 " interpolated Ben. 
 Nor friends nor any man," shouted Bon- 
 net. 
 
 ^ ^ Abner Marchand, I am sorry that your ves- 
 sel should be the first one to fall into my power, 
 but that has happened, and there is no help for 
 it. My men are below ransacking your hold for 
 the goods and treasure it may contain. When 
 your cargo, or what we want of it, is safe upon 
 my ship, I shall burn your vessel, and you and 
 your men must walk the plank." 
 
 88 
 
 i 6 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 At this dreadful statement, Ben Greenway 
 staggered backward in speechless dismay. 
 
 " Yes, '^ cried Bonnet, ^' that shall I do, for 
 there is naught else I can do. And then you 
 shall see, you doubting Greenway, whether I am 
 a pirate or no." 
 
 To all this Captain Marchand said not a 
 word. But at this moment a woman's scream 
 was heard from below, and then there was an- 
 other scream from another woman. Captain 
 Marchand started. 
 
 *' Your men have wandered into my cabin, '* 
 he exclaimed, *' and they have frightened my 
 passengers. Shall I go and bring them up, 
 Major Bonnet! They will be better here." 
 
 '^ Ay, ay! " cried the pirate captain, sur- 
 prised that there should be female passengers 
 on board, and Marchand, followed by Ben 
 Greenway, disappeared below. 
 
 ^' Confound women passengers," said Bon- 
 net to himself ; ' ' that is truly a bit of bad luck. ' ^ 
 
 In a few minutes Marchand was back, bring- 
 ing with him a middle-aged and somewhat pudgy 
 woman, very pale ; a younger woman of exceed- 
 ing plainness, and sobbing steadfastly ; and also 
 an elderly man, evidently an invalid, and wear- 
 ing a long dressing-gown. 
 
 '* These," said Captain Marchand, *' are 
 
 Master and Madam Ballinger and daughter, of 
 
 York in England, who have been sojourning in 
 
 Jamaica for the health of the gentleman, but are 
 
 7 89 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 now sailing with me to Barbadoes, hoping the 
 air of our good island may be more salubrious 
 for the lungs." 
 
 Captain Bonnet had never been in the habit 
 of speaking loudly before ladies, but he now felt 
 that he must stand by his character. 
 
 ^' You cannot have heard," he almost shout- 
 ed, ' ^ that I am the pirate Bonnet, and that your 
 vessel is now my prize. ' ' 
 
 At this the two ladies began to scream vig- 
 orously, and the form of the gentleman trembled 
 to such a degree that his cane beat a tattoo upon 
 the deck. 
 
 '^'Yes," continued Bonnet, ^^ when my men 
 have stripped this ship of its valuables I shall 
 burn her to the water's edge, and, having re- 
 moved you to my vessel, I shall shortly make 
 you walk the plank." 
 
 Here the younger lady began to stiffen her- 
 self out as if she were about to faint in the arms 
 of Captain Marchand, who had suddenly seized 
 her; but her great curiosity to hear more kept 
 her still conscious. Mrs. Ballinger grew very 
 red in the face. 
 
 ^ ^ That cannot be, ' ' she cried ; * ^ you may do 
 what you please with our belongings and with 
 Captain Marchand 's ship, but my husband is too 
 sick a man to walk a plank. You have not no- 
 ticed, perchance, that his legs are so feeble that 
 he could scarce mount from the cabin to the deck. 
 It would be impossible for him to walk a plank ; 
 
 90 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 and as for my daughter and myself, we know 
 nothing about such a thing, and could not, out 
 of sheer ignorance. ' ' 
 
 For a moment a shadow of perjolexity fell 
 upon Captain Bonnet's face. He could readily 
 perceive that the infirm Mr. Ballinger could not 
 walk a i^lank, or even mount one, unless some one 
 went with him to assist him, and as to his wife, 
 she was evidently a termagant; and, having 
 sailed his ship and floated his Jolly Roger in 
 order to get rid of one termagant, he was greatly 
 annoyed at being brought thus, face to face, with 
 another. He stood for a moment silent. The old 
 gentleman looked as if he would like to go down 
 to his cabin and cover up his head with his blan- 
 ket "until all this commotion should be over ; the 
 daughter sobbed as she gazed about her, taking 
 in every jDoint of this most novel situation ; and 
 the mother, with dilated nostrils, still glared. 
 
 In the midst of all this varying disturbance 
 Captain Marchand stood quiet and unmoved, 
 ajDi^arently paying no attention to any one except 
 his old neighbour and fellow-vestryman, Stede 
 Bonnet, upon whose face his eyes were steadily 
 fixed. 
 
 Ben Greenway now approached the pirate 
 captain and led him aside. 
 
 ^^ Let your men make awa' wi' the cargo as 
 they please— I doubt if it be more than odds an' 
 ends, for such are the goods they bring to 
 Bridgetown— an' let them cast off an' go their 
 
 91 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 way, an' ye an' I will return to Bridgetown in 
 the Amanda an' a' may yet be weel, this bit o' 
 folly bein' forgotten." 
 
 It might have been supposed that Bonnet 
 would have retaliated upon the Scotchman for 
 thus advising him, in the very moment of tri- 
 umph, to give up his piratical career and to go 
 home quietly to his plantation, but, instead of 
 that, he paused for a moment 's reflection. 
 
 ^' Ben Greenway," said he, " there is good 
 sense in what you say. In truth, I cannot bring 
 myself to put to death my old friend and neigh- 
 bour and his helpless passengers. As for the 
 . ship, it will do me no more good burned than 
 unburned. And there is another thing, Ben 
 Greenway, which I would fain do, and it just 
 came into my mind. I will write a letter to my 
 wife and one to my daughter Kate. There is 
 much which I wish them to know and which I 
 have not yet been able to communicate. I will 
 allow the Amanda to go on her way and I 
 will send these two letters by her captain. They 
 shall be ready presently, and you, Ben, stand 
 by these people and see that no harm comes to 
 them. ' ' 
 
 At this moment there were loud shouts and 
 laughter from below, and Captain Marchand 
 came forward. 
 
 ' ' Friend Bonnet, ' ' he said, ^ ' your men have 
 discovered my store of spirits; in a short time 
 they will be drunk, and it will then be unsafe for 
 
 92 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 these, my passengers. Bid them, I pray you, 
 to convey the liquors aboard your ship. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Well said ! ' ' cried Bonnet. ' ' I would not 
 lose those spirits/' And, stepping forward, he 
 spoke to Big Sam, who had just appeared on 
 deck, and ordered the casks to be conveyed on 
 board the Revenge. 
 
 The latter laughed, but said : ^ ' Ay, ay, sir ! ' * 
 
 Returning to Captain Marchand, Bonnet 
 said: ^^ I will now step on board my ship and 
 write some letters, which I shall ask you to take 
 to Bridgetown with you. I shall be ready by the 
 time the rest of your cargo is removed. ' ' 
 
 '^ Oh, don't do that! '' cried Ben; '^ there is 
 surely pen an' paper here, close to your hand. 
 Go down to Captain Marchand 's cabin an' write 
 your letters. ' ' 
 
 *^ No, no," cried Bonnet, ^^ I have my own 
 conveniences." And with that he leaped on 
 board the Revenge. 
 
 *^ That's a chance gone," said Ben Green- 
 way to Captain Marchand, ^' a good chance gone. 
 If we could hae kept him on board here an' 
 down in your cabin, I might hae passed the 
 word to that big miscreant, the sailing-master, 
 to cast off an ' get awa ' wi ' that wretched crowd. 
 The scoundrels will be glad to steal the ship, an' 
 it will be the salvation o ' Master Bonnet if they 
 do it." 
 
 ^ ' If that's the case, ' ' said Captain Marchand, 
 * ^ why should we resort to trickery 1 If his men 
 
 93 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 want his ship and don't want him, why can't 
 we seize him when he comes on board with his 
 letters, and then let his men know that they are 
 free to go to the devil in any way they please! 
 Then we can convey Major Bonnet to his home, 
 to repentance, perhaps, and a better life.'' 
 
 ^^ That's good," said Ben, ^^ but no' to pun- 
 ishment. Ye an' I could testify that his head 
 is turned, but that, when kindness to a neebour 
 is concerned, his heart is all right." 
 
 * ^ Ay, ay, ' ' said the captain, ^ ' I could swear 
 to that. And now we must act together. When 
 I put my hand on him, you do the same, and 
 give him no chance to use his sword or pistols. ' ' 
 
 The captain of the pirates sat down in his 
 well-furnished little room to write his letters, 
 and the noise and confusion on deck, the swear- 
 ing and the singing and the shouting to be heard 
 everywhere, did not seem to disturb him in the 
 least. He was a man whose mind could thor- 
 oughly engage itself with but one thing at a 
 time, and the fact that his men were at work 
 sacking the merchantman did not in the least 
 divert his thoughts from his pen and paper. 
 
 So he quietly wrote to his wife that he had 
 embraced a pirate's life, that he never expected 
 to become a planter again, and that he left to 
 her the enjoyment and management of his estate 
 in Barbadoes. He hoped that, his absence hav- 
 ing now relieved her of her principal reason for 
 discontent with her lot, she would become happy 
 
 94 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 and satisfied, and would allow those about her 
 to be the same. He expected to send Ben Green- 
 way back to her to help take care of her affairs, 
 but if she should need further advice he advised 
 her to speak to Master Newcombe. 
 
 The letter to his daughter was ditferent; it 
 was very affectionate. He assured her of his sor- 
 row at not being able to take her with him and 
 to leave her at Jamaica, and he urged her at the 
 earliest possible moment to go to her uncle and 
 to remain there until she heard from him or saw 
 him— the latter being probable, as he intended 
 to visit Jamaica as soon as he could, even in dis- 
 guise if this method were necessary. He alluded 
 to the glorious career upon which he was enter- 
 ing, and in which he expected some day to make 
 a great name for himself, of which he hoped she 
 would be proud. 
 
 When these letters were finished Bonnet hur- 
 ried to the side of the vessel and looked upon 
 the deck of the Amanda. 
 
 Captain Marchand and Greenway had been 
 waiting in anxious expectation for the return of 
 Bonnet, and wondering how in the world a man 
 could bring his mind to write letters at such a 
 time as this. 
 
 '' Take these letters, Ben,'' he said, leaning 
 over the rail, ^' and give them to Captain Mar- 
 chand. ' ' 
 
 Ben Green wav at first declined to take the 
 letters which Bonnet held out to him, but the 
 
 95 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 latter now threw them at his feet on the deck, 
 and, running forward, he soon found himself in 
 a violent and disorderly crowd, who did not seem 
 to regard him at all; booty and drink were all 
 they cared for. Presently came Big Sam, giving 
 orders and thrusting the men before him. He 
 had not been drinking, and was in full possession 
 of his crafty senses. 
 
 a i']2row off the grapnels," exclaimed Big 
 Sam, ^^ and get up the foresel! " And then he 
 perceived Bonnet. With a scowl upon his face 
 Big Sam muttered : ^ ^ I thought you were on the 
 merchantman, but no matter. Shove her off, I 
 say, or I '11 break your heads. ' ' 
 
 The grapnels were loosened; the few men 
 who were on duty shoved desperately; the fore- 
 sail went up, and the two vessels began to sepa- 
 rate. But they were not a foot apart when, with 
 a great rush and scramble, Ben Greenway left 
 the merchantman and tumbled himself on board 
 the Revenge. 
 
 Bonnet rushed up to him. ^* You scoundrel! 
 You rascal, Ben Greenway, what do you mean*? 
 I intended you to go back to Bridgetown on that 
 brig. Can I never get rid of you? " 
 
 *^ No' till ye give up piratinV' said Ben with 
 a grin. ' ' Ye may split open my head, an ' throw 
 overboard my corpse, but my live body stays 
 here as long as ye do. " 
 
 With a savage growl Bonnet turned away 
 from his faithful adherent. Things were getting 
 
 96 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 very serious now and lie could waste no time on 
 personal quarrels. Great holes and splits had 
 been discovered in the heads of the barrels of 
 spirits, and the precious liquor was running over 
 the decks. This was the work of the sagacious 
 Big Sam, who had the strongest desire to get 
 away from the Amanda before the pirate crew 
 became so drunk that they could not manage the 
 vessel. He was a deep man, that Big Sam, and 
 at this moment, although he said nothing about 
 it, he considered himself the captain of the pirate 
 ship which he sailed. 
 
 For a time Bonnet hurried about, not know- 
 ing what to do. Some of the men were quarrel- 
 ling about the booty; others trying to catch the 
 rum as it flowed from the barrels ; others howl- 
 ing out of pure devilishness, and no one paying 
 him any respect whatever. Big Sam was giving 
 orders ; a few sober men were obeying him, and 
 Captain Stede Bonnet, with his faithful servant, 
 Ben Greenway, seemed to be entirely out of place 
 amid this horrible tumult. 
 
 ^' I told ye," said Ben, ^^ ye had better stayed 
 on board that merchantman an' gone back like 
 a Christian to your ain hame an ' family. It will 
 be no safe place for ye, or for me neither, when 
 that black-hearted scoundrel o' a Big Sam gets 
 time to attend to ve.'' 
 
 ^^ Black-hearted? '^ inquired Bonnet, but 
 without any surprise in his voice. 
 
 ^ ^ Ay, ' ' said Ben, ' ' if there 's ony thing black- 
 er 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 er than his heart, only Satan himseP ever looked 
 at it. It was to be sailin' this ship on his own 
 account that he's had in his villainous soul ever* 
 since he came on board ; an ' I can tell ye, Master 
 Bonnet, that it won't be long now before he's 
 doin' it. I had me eye on him when he was on 
 board the Amanda, an' I saw that the scoundrel 
 was goin' to separate the ships." 
 
 ^^ That was my will," said Bonnet, " al- 
 though I did not order it." 
 
 Ben gave a little grunt. ^^ Ay," said he, 
 *' hopin' to leave me behind just as he was hop- 
 in' to leave ye behind. But neither o' ye got 
 your wills, an' it'll be the de'il that'll have a 
 hand in the next leavin' behind that's likely to 
 be done. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet made no reply to these remarks, hav- 
 ing suddenly spied Black Paul. 
 
 ^^ Look here," said he, stepping up to that 
 sombre-hued j)ersonage, ' ' can you sail a ship ! ' ' 
 
 The other looked at Bonnet in astonishment. 
 *' I should say so," said he. ^^ I have com- 
 manded vessels before now. ' ' 
 
 *^ Here then," said Bonnet, ^' I want a sail- 
 ing-master. I am not satisfied with this Big 
 Sam. I am no navigator myself, but I want a 
 better man than that fellow to sail my ship 
 for me." 
 
 Black Paul looked hard at him but made no 
 answer. 
 
 *^ He thinks he is sailing the ship for him- 
 
 98 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 self, ' ' said Bonnet, ^ ^ and it would be a bad day 
 for you men if he did. ' ' 
 
 '' That indeed would it,'' said Black Paul; 
 *^ a close-fisted scoundrel, as I know him to 
 be." 
 
 '^ Quick then," said Bonnet; ^^ now you're 
 my sailing-master; and after this, when we di- 
 vide the prizes, you take the same share that 
 I do. As to these goods from the Amanda, I 
 will have no part at all; I give them all to you 
 and the rest, divided according to rule. 
 
 ^ ' Go you now among the men, and speak first 
 to such as have taken the least liquor; let them 
 know that it was Big Sam that broke in the hogs- 
 heads, which, but for that, would have been sold 
 and divided. Go quickly and get about you a 
 half-dozen good fellows." 
 
 . i i Ye 're gettin ' wickeder and wickeder, ' ' said 
 Ben when Black Paul had hurried away; ^' the 
 de'il himsel' couldna hae taught ye a craftier 
 trick than that. Weel ye kenned that that black 
 fellow would fain serve under a free-handed fool 
 than a stingy knave. Ay, sir, your education's 
 progressin'! " 
 
 At this moment Big Sam came hurrying by. 
 Not wishing to excite suspicion. Bonnet addressed 
 him a question, but instead of answering the 
 burly pirate swore at him. '^ I'll attend to your 
 business, ' ' said he, ^ ' as soon as I have my sails 
 set ; then I '11 give you two leather-headed lands- 
 men all the hoisting and lowering you'll ever 
 
 99 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ask for. ' ' Then with another explosion of oaths 
 he passed on. 
 
 Bonnet and Ben stood waiting with much im- 
 patience and anxiety, but presently came Black 
 Paul with a party of brawny pirates following 
 him. 
 
 '^ Come now," said Bonnet, walking boldly 
 aft towards Big Sam, who was still cursing and 
 swearing right and left. Bonnet stepped up to 
 him and touched him on the arm. '' Look ye," 
 said he, ^' you're no longer sailing-master on this 
 ship; I don't like your ways or your fashions. 
 Step forward, then, and go to the lo 'castle where 
 you belong; this good mariner," pointing to 
 Black Paul, " will take your place and sail the 
 Kevenge. ' ' 
 
 Big Sam turned and stood astounded, star- 
 ing at Bonnet. He spoke no word, but his face 
 grew dark and his great eyebrows were drawn 
 together. His mouth was half open, as if he 
 were about to veil or swear. Then suddenly his 
 right hand fell upon the hilt of his cutlass, and 
 the great blade flashed in the air. He gave one 
 bound towards Bonnet, and in the same second 
 the cutlass came down like a stroke of lightning. 
 But Bonnet had been a soldier and had learned 
 how to use his sword ; the cutlass was caught on 
 his quick blade and turned aside. At this mo- 
 ment Black Paul sprung at Big Sam and seized 
 him by the sword arm, while another fellow, tak- 
 ing his cue, grabbed him by the shoulder. 
 
 100 
 
BEN CONVINCED BONNET IS A PIRATE 
 
 *^ Now some of you fellows,'' shouted Bon- 
 net, ^ ' seize him by the legs and heave him over- 
 board! '' 
 
 This order was obeyed almost as soon as it 
 was given; four burly pirates rushed Big Sam 
 to the bulwarks, and with a great heave sent him 
 headforemost over the rail. In the next instant 
 he had disappeared— gone, passed out of human 
 sight or knowledge. 
 
 '^ Now then, Mr. Paul— not knowing your 
 other name '' 
 
 *^ Which it is Bittern,'' said the other. 
 
 '^ You are now sailing-master of this ship; 
 and when things are straightened out a bit you 
 can come below" and sign articles with me. ' ' 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," said Black Paul, and calling 
 to the men he gave orders that they go on with 
 the setting of the main-topsail. 
 
 ^' Now, truly," said Ben, '^ I believe that 
 ye 're a pirate. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet looked at him much pleased. ^ ' I told 
 you so, my good Ben. I knew that the time would 
 come when you would acknowledge that I am a 
 true pirate; after this, you cannot doubt it any 
 
 more. ' ' 
 
 a 
 
 Never again. Master Bonnet," said Ben 
 Greenway, gravely shaking his head, ^' never 
 again! " 
 
 The brig Amanda, with full sails -and an 
 empty hold, bent her course eastward to the 
 
 101 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 island of Barbadoes, and the next morning, when 
 the drunken sailors on board the Revenge were 
 able to look about them and consider things, 
 they found their vessel speeding towards the 
 coast of Cuba, and sailed by Black Paul Bit- 
 tern. 
 
 102 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 R. FELIX DELAPLAINE, 
 merchant and planter of Span- 
 ish Town, the capital of Ja- 
 maica, occupied a commodious house in the sub- 
 urbs of the town, twelve miles up the river from 
 Kingston, the seaport, which establishment was 
 somewhat remarkable from the fact that there 
 were no women in the family. Madam Dela- 
 plaine had been dead for several years, and as 
 her husband's fortune had steadily thriven, he 
 now found himself jDOssessor of a home in which 
 he could be as independent and as comfortable 
 as if he had been the president and sole mem- 
 ber of a club. 
 
 Being of a genial disposition and disposed 
 to look most favourably upon his possessions 
 and surrounding conditions, Mr. Delaplaine had 
 come to be of the opinion that his lot in life was 
 one in which improvement was not to be expected 
 and scarcely to be desired. He had been per- 
 fectly happy with his wife, and had no desire 
 
 103 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 to marry anotlier, wlio could not possibly equal 
 her; and, having no children, he continually 
 thanked his happy stars that he was free from 
 the troubles and anxieties which were so often 
 brought ujDon fathers by their sons and their 
 daughters. 
 
 Into this quiet and self-satisfied life came, 
 one morning, a great surj)rise in the shape of a 
 beautiful young woman, who entered his office 
 in Spanish Town, and who stated to him that 
 she was the daughter of his only sister, and that 
 she had come to live with him. There was an 
 elderly dame and a young man in company with 
 the beautiful visitor, but Mr. Delaplaine took no 
 note of them. With his niece 's hands in his own, 
 gazing into the face so like that young face in 
 whose company he had grown from childhood 
 to manhood, Mr. Delaplaine saw in a flash, that 
 since the death of his wife until that moment 
 he had never had the least reason to be content 
 with the world or to be satisfied with his lot. This 
 was his sister's child come to live with him! 
 
 When Mr. Delaplaine sufficiently recovered 
 his ordinary good sense to understand that there 
 were other things in this world besides the lovely 
 niece who had so suddenly appeared before him, 
 he remembered that she had a father, and many 
 questions were asked and answered ; and he was 
 told who Dame Charter was, and why her son 
 came with her. Then the uncle and the niece 
 walked into the garden, and there talked of 
 
 104 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 Major Bonnet. Little did Kate know upon this 
 subject, and nothing could her uncle tell her; 
 but in many and tender words she was assured 
 that this was her home as long as she chose to 
 live in it, and that it was the most fortunate 
 thing in the world that Dame Charter had come . 
 with her and could stay with her. Had this not 
 been so, where could he have found such a guard- 
 ian angel, such a chaperon, for this tender 
 niece? As for the young man, it was such rare 
 good luck that he had been able to accompany 
 the two ladies and give them his protection. He 
 was just the person, Mr. Delaplaine believed, 
 who would be invaluable to him either on the 
 plantation or in his counting-house. In any 
 case, here was their home; and here, too, was 
 the home of his brother-in-law, Bonnet, when- 
 ever he chose to give up his strange fancy for 
 the sea. It was not now to be thought of that 
 Kate or her father, or either one of them, should 
 go back to Barbadoes to live with the impossible 
 Madam Bonnet. 
 
 If her father 's vessel were in the harbour and 
 he were here with them, or even if she had had 
 good tidings from him, Kate Bonnet would have 
 been a very happy girl, for her present abode 
 was vastly different from any home she had ever 
 known. Her uncle's house on the highlands be- 
 yond the town lay in a region of cooler breezes 
 and more bracing air than that of Barbadoes. 
 Books and music and the general air of refine- 
 8 105 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ment recalled her early life with her mother, and 
 with the exception of the anxiety about her 
 father, there were no clouds in the bright blue 
 skies of Kate Bonnet. But this anxiety was a 
 cloud, and it was spreading. 
 
 When the Amanda moved away from the side 
 of the pirate vessel Revenge she hoisted all sail, 
 and got away over the sea as fast as the pre- 
 vailing wind could take her. When she passed 
 the bar below Bridgetown and came to anchor. 
 Captain Marchand immediately lowered a boat 
 and was rowed up the river to the recent resi- 
 dence of Major Stede Bonnet, and there he de- 
 livered two letters— one to the wife of that gen- 
 tleman, and the other for his daughter. Then 
 the captain rowed back and went into the town, 
 where he annoyed and nearly distracted the citi- 
 zens by giving them the most cautious and ex- 
 purgated account of the considerate and friendly 
 manner in which the Amanda had been relieved 
 of her cargo by his old friend and fellow-vestry- 
 man, Major Bonnet. 
 
 Captain Marchand had been greatly im- 
 pressed by the many things which Ben Green- 
 way had said about his master's present most 
 astounding freak, and hoping in his heart that 
 repentance and a suitable reparation might soon 
 give this hitherto estimable man an opportunity 
 to return to his former place in society, he said 
 as little as he could against the name and fame 
 
 106 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 of this once respected fellow-citizen. When he 
 communicated with the English owners of his 
 now departed cargo, he would know what to say 
 to them, but here, safe in harbour with his ves- 
 sel and his passengers, he preferred to wait for 
 a time before entirely blackening the character 
 of the man who had allowed him to come here. 
 Like the faithful Ben Greenway, he did not yet 
 believe in Stede Bonnet's piracy. 
 
 Madam Bonnet read her letter and did not 
 like it. In fact, she thought it shameful. Then 
 she opened and read the letter to her step- 
 daughter. This she did not like either, and she 
 put it away in a drawer ; she would have nothing 
 to do with the transmission of such an epistle 
 as this. Most abominable when contrasted with 
 the scurrilous screed he had written to her. 
 
 Day after day passed on, and Kate Bonnet 
 arose each morning feeling less happy than on 
 the day before. But at last a letter came, brought 
 by a French vessel which had touched at Bar- 
 badoes. This letter was to Kate from Martin 
 Newcombe. It was a love-letter, a very earnest, 
 ardent love-letter, but it did not make the young 
 girl happy, for it told her very little about her 
 father. The heart of the lover was so tender 
 that he would say nothing to his lady which 
 might give her needless pain. He had heard 
 what Captain Marchand had told and he had not 
 understood it, and could only half believe it. 
 
 107 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Kate must know far more about all this painful 
 business than he did, for her father 's letter would 
 tell her all he wished her to know. Therefore, 
 why should he discuss that most distressing and 
 perplexing subject, which he knew so little about 
 and which she knew all about. So he merely 
 touched upon Major Bonnet and his vessel, and 
 hoped that she might soon write to him and tell 
 him what she cared for him to know, what she 
 cared for him to tell to the people of Bridge- 
 town, and what she wished to repose confiden- 
 tially to his honour. But whatever she chose to 
 say to him or- not to say to him, he would have 
 her remember that his heart belonged to her, 
 and ever would belong, no matter what might 
 happen or what might be said for good or for 
 bad, on the sea or the land, by friends or ene- 
 mies. 
 
 This was a rarely good love-letter, but it 
 plunged Kate into the deepest woe, and Dickory 
 saw this first of all. He had brought the letter, 
 and for the second time he saw tears in her 
 eyes. The absence of news of Major Bonnet 
 was soon known to the rest of the family, and 
 then there were other tears. It was perfectly 
 plain, even to Dame Charter, that things had 
 been said in Bridgetown which Mr. Newcombe 
 had not cared to write. 
 
 ^ * No, Dame Charter, ' ' said Kate, * * I cannot 
 talk to you about it. My uncle has already spoken 
 words of comfort, but neither you nor he know 
 
 108 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 more than I do, and I must now think a little 
 for myself, if I can." 
 
 So saying, she walked out into the grounds 
 to a spot at a little distance where Dickory 
 stood, reflectively gazing out over the landscape. 
 
 ' ' Dickory, ' ' said the girl, ^ ' my mind is filled 
 with horrible doubts. I have heard of the talk 
 in Bridgetown before we left, and now here is 
 this letter from Mr. Newcombe from which I 
 cannot fail to see that there must have been other 
 talk that he considerately refrains from telling 
 me." 
 
 ^ ' He should not have written such a letter, ' ' 
 exclaimed Dickory hotly ; ^ ^ he might have known 
 it would have set you to suspecting things. ' ' 
 
 *^ You don't know what you are talking 
 about, you foolish boy, ' ' said she ; ' ^ it is a very 
 proper letter about things you don't under- 
 stand. ' ' 
 
 She stepped a little closer to him as if she 
 feared some one might hear her. ^' Dickory," 
 said she, ^' he did not put that thing into my 
 mind ; it was there already. That was a dreadful 
 ship, Dickory, and it was filled with dreadful 
 men. If he had not intended to go with them 
 he would not have put himself into their power, 
 and if he had not intended to be long away he 
 would not have planned to leave me here with 
 my uncle." 
 
 * * You ought not to think such a thing as that 
 for one minute," cried Dickory. ^* I would not 
 
 109 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 think so about my mother, no matter what hap- 
 j)ened! " 
 
 She smiled slightly as she answered. ^^ I 
 would my father were a mother, and then I need 
 not think such things. But, Dickory, if he had 
 but written to me ! And in all this time he might 
 have written, knowing how I must feel." 
 
 Dickory stood silent, his bosom heaving. 
 Suddenly he turned sharply towards her. ^ ' Of 
 course he has written, ' ' said he, ^ ^ but how could 
 his letter come to you? We know not where he 
 has sailed, and besides, who could have told him 
 you had already gone to your uncle! But the 
 people at Bridgetown must know things. I be- 
 lieve that he has written there.'' 
 
 ^^ Why do you believe that? '' she asked 
 eagerly, with one hand on his arm. 
 
 ' ' I think it, ' ' said Dickory, his cheeks a little 
 ruddier in their brownness, ^^ because there is 
 more known there than Master Newcombe chose 
 to put into his letter. If he has not written, 
 how should they know morel " 
 
 She now looked straight into his eyes, and as 
 he returned the gaze he could see in her pupils 
 his head and his straw hat, with the clear sky be- 
 yond. 
 
 '' Dickory," she said, ^* if he wrote to any- 
 body he also wrote to me, and that letter is still 
 there. ' ' 
 
 '' That is what I believe," said he, ** and I 
 have been believing it. ' ' 
 
 110 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 ^* Then why didn't you say so to me, you 
 wretched boy! '^ cried Kate. ^' You ought to 
 have known how that would have comforted me. 
 If I could only think he has surely written, my 
 heart would bound, no matter what his letter 
 told; but to be utterly dropped, that I cannot 
 bear. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' You have not been dropped, ' ' he exclaimed, 
 ' ' and you shall know it. Kate, I am going ' ' 
 
 * ' Nay, nay, ' ' she exclaimed, ^ ' you must not 
 call me that! '' 
 
 * ^ But you call me Dickory, ' ' he said. 
 
 *^ True, but you are so much younger." 
 
 ^ ' Younger ! " he exclaimed in a tone of con- 
 tempt, not for the speaker but for the word she 
 had spoken. ^ ^ Eleven months ! ' ' 
 
 She laughed a little laugh ; her nature was so 
 full of it that even now she could not keep it back. 
 
 ^' You must have been making careful com- 
 putation,'' she said, ^^ but it does not matter; 
 you must not call me Kate, and I shall keep on 
 calling you Dickory ; I could not help it. Now, 
 where is it you were about to say you were 
 going! " 
 
 * ^ If you think me old enough, ' ' said he, * ^ I 
 am going to Barbadoes in the King and Queen. 
 She sails to-morrow. I shall find out about 
 everything, and I shall get your letter, then I 
 shall come back and bring it to you." 
 
 ^' Dickory! " she exclaimed, and her eyes 
 glowed. 
 
 Ill 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 There was silence for some moraents, and 
 then he spoke, for it was necessary for him to 
 say something, although he would have been per- 
 fectly content to stand there speechless, so long 
 as her eyes still glowed. 
 
 ^^ If I don't go,'' said he, '' it may be long 
 before you hear from him; having written, he 
 will wait for an answer." 
 
 She thought of no difficulties, no delays, no 
 dangers. ^' How happy you have made me, 
 Dickory ! ' ' she said. ^ ' It is this dreadful igno- 
 rance, these fearful doubts of which I ought to 
 be ashamed. But if I get his letter, if I know 
 he has not deserted me! " 
 
 * ^ You shall get it, ' ' he cried, ^ ' and you shall 
 know. ' ' 
 
 ^ * Dickory, ' ' said she, ^ ^ you said that exactly 
 as you spoke when you told me that if I let my- 
 self drop into the darkness, you would be there." 
 
 ^ ^ And you shall find me there now, ' ' said he ; 
 ** always, if you need me, you shall find me 
 there! " 
 
 Dame Charter had been standing and watch- 
 ing this interview, her foolish motherly heart 
 filled with the brightest, most unreasonable 
 dreams. And why should she not dream, even 
 if she knew her dreams would never come true? 
 In a few short weeks that Dickory boy had grown 
 to be a man, and what should not be dreamed 
 about a man! 
 
 As Kate ran by the open door towards her 
 
 112 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 uncle's apartments, Dame Charter rose up, sur- 
 prised. 
 
 '^ What have you been saying to her, Dick- 
 ory 1 ' ' she exclaimed. ^ ' Do you know something 
 we have not heard? Have you been giving her 
 news of her father ? ' ' 
 
 ^' No,'' said the son, who had so lately been 
 a boy, ^^ I have no news to give her, but I am 
 going to get news for her." 
 
 She looked at him in amazement; then she 
 exclaimed: ^* You! " 
 
 * ' Yes, ' ' he said, ^ ' there is no one else. And 
 besides I would not want any one else to do it. 
 I am going to Bridgetown in the brig which 
 brought us here; it is a little sail, and when I 
 get there I will find out everything. No matter 
 what has happened, it will break her heart to 
 think that her father deserted her without a 
 word. I don't believe he did it, and I shall go 
 and find out." 
 
 ^^ But, Dickory," she said, with anxious, up- 
 raised face, '^ how can you get back! Do you 
 know of any vessel that will be sailing this 
 way! " 
 
 He laughed. 
 
 '' Get back? If I go alone, dear mother, you 
 may be sure I shall soon get back. Craft of all 
 kinds sail one way or another, and there are many 
 ways in which I can get back not thought of in 
 ordinary passage. When any kind of a vessel 
 sails from Jamaica, I can get on board of her, 
 
 113 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 whetlier slie takes passengers or not. I can sleep 
 on a bale of goods or on the bare deck; I can 
 work with the crew, if need be. Oh! you need 
 not doubt that I shall speedily come back." 
 
 They talked long together, this mother and 
 this son, and it was her golden dreams for him 
 that made her invoke Heaven's blessings upon 
 him and tell him to go. She knew, too, that it 
 was wise for her to tell him to go and to bless 
 him, for it would have been impossible to with- 
 stand him, so set was he in his purpose. 
 
 ' ' I tell you. Dame Charter, ' ' said Mr. Dela- 
 plaine an hour later, ^^ this son of yours should 
 be a great credit and pride to you, and he will 
 be, I stake my word upon it. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' He is now, ' ' said the good woman quietly. 
 
 '^ I have been pondering in my brain," said 
 he, ^' what I should do to relieve my niece of 
 this burden of anxiety which is weighing upon 
 her. I could see no way, for letters would be of 
 no use, not knowing where to send them, and it 
 would be dreary, indeed, to sit and wait and sigh 
 and dream bad dreams until chance throws some 
 light upon this grievous business, and here steps 
 up this young fellow and settles the whole mat- 
 ter. "When he comes back, Dame Charter, I shall 
 do well for him ; I shall put him in my counting- 
 house, for, although doubtless he would fain live 
 his young life in the fields and under the open 
 sky, he will find the counting-house lies on the 
 road to fortune, and good fortune he deserves. ' ' 
 
 114 
 
DICKORY SETS FORTH 
 
 If that loving mother could have composed 
 this speech for Master Delaplaine to make she 
 could not have suited it better to her desires. 
 
 When the King and Queen was nearly ready 
 to sail, Dickory Charter, having been detained 
 by Mr. Delaplaine, who wished the young man 
 to travel as one of importance and plentiful re- 
 sources, hurried to the house to take his final in- 
 structions from Mistress Kate Bonnet, in whose 
 service he was now setting forth. It might have 
 been supposed by some that no further instruc- 
 tions were necessary, but how could Dickory 
 know that? He was right. Kate met him before 
 he reached the house. 
 
 ^' I am so glad to see you again before you 
 sail," she said. '' One thing was forgotten: 
 You may see my father ; his cruise may be over 
 and he may be, even now, preparing for me to 
 come back to Bridgetown. If this be so, urge 
 him rather to come here. I had not thought of 
 your seeing him, Dickory, and I did not write 
 to him, but you will know what to say. You 
 have heard that woman talk of me, and you well 
 know I cannot go back to my old home. ' ' 
 
 '' Oh, I will sav all that! '' he exclaimed. 
 * ^ It will be the same thing as if you had written 
 him a long letter. And now I must run back, 
 for the boat is ready to take me down the river 
 to the port." 
 
 ^^ Dickory," said she, and she put out her 
 hand— he had never held that hand before— 
 
 115 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 n 
 
 you are so true, Dickory, you are so noble; 
 you are going— ' ' it was in her mind to say ^ ' you 
 are going as my knight-errant, ' ' but she deemed 
 that unsuitable, and she changed it to— '' you are 
 going to do so much for me." 
 
 She stopped for a moment, and then she said: 
 
 *^ You know I told you you should not call me 
 
 Kate, being so much younger ;. but, as you are 
 
 so much younger, you may kiss me if you like. ' ' 
 
 ^^Like!" 
 
 116 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 T was truly surprising to see 
 the change which came over 
 the spirits of our young Kate 
 Bonnet when she heard that the King and Queen 
 had sailed from Kingston port. She was gay, 
 she was talkative, she sang songs, she skipped 
 in the paths of the garden. One might have 
 supposed she was so happy to get rid of the 
 young man on the brig which had sailed away. 
 And yet, the news she might hear when that 
 young man came back was likely to be far 
 worse than any misgivings which had entered 
 her mind. Kate's high spirits delighted her 
 uncle. This child of his sister had grown more 
 lovely than even her mother had ever been. 
 
 Now came days of delight which Kate had 
 never dreamed of. She had not known that there 
 were such shops in Spanish Town, which, al- 
 though a youngish town, had already drawn to 
 itself the fashion and the needs of fashion of that 
 prosperous colony. With Dame Charter, and 
 
 117 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 often also witli her uncle in company, this bright 
 young girl hovered over fair fabrics which were 
 spread before her; circled about jewels, gems, 
 and feathers, and revelled in tender colours as 
 would a butterfly among the blossoms, dipping 
 and tasting as she flew. 
 
 There were some fine folk in Spanish Town, 
 and with this pleasant society of the capital Mr. 
 Delaplaine renewed his previous intercourse and 
 Kate soon learned the pleasures of a colonial 
 social circle, whose attractions, brought from 
 afar, had been warmed into a more cheerful glow 
 in this bright West Indian atmosphere. 
 
 To add to the brilliancy of the new life into 
 which Kate now entered, there came into the 
 port an English corvette— the Badger— for re- 
 fitting. From this welcome man-of-war there 
 flitted up the river to Spanish Town gallant offi- 
 cers, young and older ; and in their flitting they 
 flitted into the drawing-room of the rich mer- 
 'chant Delaplaine, and there were some of them 
 who soon found that there were no drawing- 
 rooms in all the town where thev could talk 
 with, walk with, and perchance dance with such 
 a fine girl as Mistress Kate Bonnet. 
 
 Kate greatly fancied gallant partners, wheth- 
 er for walking or talking or dancing, and among 
 such, those which came from the corvette in the 
 harbour pleased her most. 
 
 Those were not bright days for Dame Char- 
 ter. Do what she would, her optimism was grow- 
 
 118 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 ing dim, and what helped to dim it was Kate's 
 gaiety. It did not comfort her at all when Kate 
 told her that she was so light-hearted because she 
 knew that Dickory would bring her good news. 
 
 a Truly, too many fine young men here," 
 thought Dame Charter, ^ ' while Dickory is away, 
 and all of them together are not worth a curl 
 on his head. ' ' 
 
 But, although her dreams were dimmed, she 
 did not cease dreaming. A stout-hearted woman 
 was Dickory 's mother. 
 
 But it was not long before there were other 
 people thereabout who began to feel that their 
 prospects for present enjoyment were beginning 
 to look a little dim, for Captain Christopher 
 Vince, having met Mistress Kate Bonnet at an 
 entertainment at the Governor's house, was 
 greatly struck by this young lady. Each officer 
 of the Badger who saw their captain in company 
 with the fair one to whom their gallant attentions 
 had been so freely offered, now felt that in love 
 as well as in accordance with the regulations of 
 the service, he must give place to his captain. 
 Moreover, when that captain took upon himself, 
 the very next day, to call at the residence of Mr. 
 Delaplaine, and repeated the visit upon the next 
 day and the following, the crestfallen young fel- 
 lows were compelled to acknowledge that there 
 were other houses in the town where it might 
 be better worth their while to spend their leisure 
 hours. 
 
 119 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Captain Vince was not a man to be lightly 
 interfered with, whether he happened to be en- 
 gaged in the affairs of Mars or Cupid. He was 
 of a resolute mind, and of a person more than 
 usually agreeable to the female eye. He was 
 about forty years of age, of an excellent English 
 family, and with good expectations. He consid- 
 ered himself an admirable judge of women, but 
 he had never met one who so thoroughly satis- 
 fied his aesthetic taste as this fair niece of the 
 merchant Delaplaine. She had beauty, she had 
 wit, she had culture, and the fair fabrics of Span- 
 ish Town shops gave to her attractions a setting 
 which would have amazed and entranced Master 
 Newcombe or our good Dickory. The soul of 
 Captain Vince was fired, and each time he met 
 Kate and talked with her the fire grew brighter. 
 
 He had never considered himself a marrying 
 man, but that was because he had never met any 
 one he had cared to marry. Now things were 
 changed. Here was a girl he had known but for 
 a few days, and already, in his imagination, he 
 had placed her in the drawing-rooms of the Eng- 
 lish home he hoped soon to inherit, more beauti- 
 ful and even more like a princess than any noble 
 dame who was likely to frequent those rooms. 
 In fancy he had seen her by his side, walking 
 through the shaded alleys of his grand old gar- 
 dens; he had looked proudly upon her as she 
 stood by him in the assemblages of the great ; in 
 fact, he had fallen suddenly and absolutely in 
 
 120 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 love with her. When he was away from her he 
 could not quite understand this condition of 
 things, but when he was with her again he un- 
 derstood it all. He loved her because it was 
 absolutely impossible for him to do anything 
 else. 
 
 Naturally, Captain Vince was very agreeable 
 to Mistress Kate, for she had never seen such 
 a handsome man, taking into consideration his 
 uniform and his bearing, and had never talked 
 with one who knew so well what to say and how 
 to say it. Comparing him with the young officers 
 who had been so fond of making their way to 
 her uncle's house, she was glad that they had 
 ceased to be such frequent visitors. 
 
 The soul of j\Ir. Delaplaine was agitated by 
 the admiration of his niece which Captain Vince 
 took no trouble to conceal. The worthy merchant 
 would gladly have kept Kate with him for years 
 and years if she would have been content to stay, 
 but this could not be expected ; and if she mar- 
 ried, from what other quarter could come such 
 a brilliant match as this? What his brother-in- 
 law might think about it he did not care ; if Kate 
 should choose to wed the captain, such an eccen- 
 tric and untrustworthy person should not be per- 
 mitted to interfere with the destinv that now 
 appeared to open before his daughter. These 
 thoughts were not so idle as might have been 
 supposed, for the captain had already said things 
 to the merchant, in which the circumstances of 
 9 121 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the former were made plain and liis hopes fore- 
 shadowed. If the captain were not prepared to 
 leave the service, this rich merchant thought, 
 why should not he make it possible for him to 
 do so, for the sake of his dear niece! 
 
 With these high ambitions in his mind, the 
 happily agitated Mr. Delaplaine did not hesitate 
 to say some playful words to Kate concerning 
 the captain of the Badger; and these having 
 been received quietly, he was emboldened to go 
 on and say some other words more serious. 
 
 Then Kate looked at him very steadfastly and 
 remarked: ^* But, uncle, you have forgotten 
 Master Newcombe. ' ' 
 
 The good Delaplaine made no answer, for his 
 emotions made it impossible for him to do so, 
 but, rising, he went out, and at a little distance 
 from the house he damned Master Newcombe. 
 
 Days passed on and the captain's attentions 
 did not wane. Mr. Delaplaine, who was a man 
 of honour expecting it in others, made up his 
 mind that something decisive must soon be said ; 
 while Kate began greatly to fear that something 
 decisive might soon be said. She was in a diffi- 
 cult position. She was not engaged to Martin 
 Newcombe, but had believed she might be. The 
 whole affair involved a question which she did 
 not want to consider. And still the captain came 
 every day, generally in the afternoon or evening. 
 
 But one morning he made his appearance, 
 coming to the house quite abruptly. 
 
 122 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 *^ I am glad to find you by yourself," said 
 lie, '' for I have some awkward news.'' 
 
 Kate looked at him surprised. 
 
 ^' I have just been ordered on duty," he con- 
 tinued, ^^ and the order is most unwelcome. A 
 brig came in last night and brought letters, and 
 the Governor sent for me this morning. I have 
 just left him. The cruise I am about to take 
 may not be a long one, but I cannot leave port 
 without coming here to you and speaking to you 
 of something which is nearer to my heart than 
 any thought of service, or in fact of anything 
 else. ' ' 
 
 *^ Speaking to my uncle, you mean," said 
 Kate, now much disturbed, for she saw in the 
 captain 's eyes what he wished to talk of. 
 
 ^' Away with uncles! " he exclaimed; ^^ we 
 can speak with them by-and-bye ; now my words 
 are for you. You may think me hasty, but we 
 gentlemen serving the king cannot afford to 
 wait; and so, without other pause, I say, sweet 
 Mistress Kate, I love you, better than I have ever 
 loved woman ; better than I can ever love another. 
 Nay, do not answer; I must tell you everything 
 before you reply. ' ' And to the pale girl he spoke 
 of his family, his prospects, and his hopes. In 
 the warmest colours he laid before her the life 
 and love he would give her. Then he went quick- 
 ly on :' ^ This is but a little matter which is given 
 to my charge, and it may not engage me long; 
 I am going out in search of a pirate, and I shall 
 
 123 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 make short work of him. The shorter, having 
 such good reason to get quickly back. 
 
 ^^ In fact, he is not a real pirate anyway, 
 being but a country gentleman tiring of his rural 
 life and liking better to rob, burn, and murder 
 on the high seas. He has already done so* much 
 damage, that if his evil career be not soon put 
 an end to good people will be afraid to voyage 
 in these waters. So I am to sail in haste after 
 this fellow Bonnet; but before '' 
 
 Kate 's face had grown so white that it seemed 
 to recede from her great eyes. " He is my 
 father,'* said she, ^' but I had not heard until 
 now that he is a pirate ! ' ' 
 
 The captain started from his chair. 
 *^ What! '' he cried, '^ your father? Yes, I see. 
 It did not strike me until this instant that the 
 names are the same.'' 
 
 Kate rose, and as she spoke her voice was not 
 full and clear as it was wont to be. ^ ' He is my 
 father," she said, '' but he sailed away without 
 telling me his errand ; but now that I know every- 
 thing, I must — " If she had intended to say 
 she must go, she changed her mind, and even 
 came closer to the still astounded captain. ' * You 
 say that you will make short work of his vessel ; 
 do you mean that you will destroy it, and will 
 you kill him? " 
 
 Captain Vince looked down upon her, his face 
 filled with the liveliest emotions. ^* My dear 
 young lady, ' ' he said, and then he stopped as if 
 
 124 
 
He is my father ! " said Kate. 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 not knowing what words to use. But as lie 
 looked into her eyes fixed upon his own and wait- 
 ing for his answer, his love for her took pos- 
 session of him and banished all else. '^ Kill 
 him,'' he exclaimed, *^ never! He shall be as 
 safe in my hands as if he were walking in his 
 own fields. Kill your father, dearest? Loving 
 you as I do, that would be impossible. I may 
 take the rascals who are with him, I may string 
 them up to the yard-arm, or I may sink their 
 pirate ship with all of them in it, but your father 
 shall be safe. Trust me for that ; he shall come 
 to no harm from me. ' ' 
 
 She stepped a little way from him, and some 
 of her colour came back. For some moments 
 she looked at him without speaking, as if she did 
 not exactly comprehend what he had said. 
 
 ^' Yes, my dear," he continued, " I must 
 crush out that piratical crew, for such is my 
 duty as well as my wish, but your father I shall 
 take under my protection ; so have no fear about 
 him, I beg you. With his ship and his gang 
 of scoundrels taken away from him, he can no 
 longer be a pirate, and you and I will deter- 
 mine what we shall do with him." 
 
 '' You mean," said Kate, speaking slowly, 
 *' that for my sake you will shield my father 
 from the punishment which will be dealt out to 
 his companions ! ' ' 
 
 He smiled, and his face beamed upon her. 
 *' What blessed words," he exclaimed. *^ Yes, 
 
 125 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 for your sake, for your sweet, dear sake I will 
 do anything; and as for this matter, I assure 
 you there are so many ways " 
 
 * ' You mean, ' ' she interrupted, ' ^ that for my 
 sake you will break your oath of ojSice, that you 
 will be a traitor to your service and your king! 
 That for my sake you will favour the fortunes 
 of a pirate whom you are sent out to destroy! 
 Mean it if you please, but you will not do it. 
 I love my father, and would fain do anything 
 to save him and myself from this great calamity, 
 but I tell you, sir, that for my sake no man shall 
 do himself dishonour ! ' ' 
 
 Without power to say another word, nor to 
 keep back for another second the anguish which 
 raged within her, she fled like a bird and was 
 gone. 
 
 The captain stretched out his arms as if he 
 would seize her; he rushed to the door through 
 which she had passed, but she was gone. He 
 followed her, shouting to the startled servants 
 who came ; he swore, and demanded to see their 
 mistress ; he rushed through rooms and corridors, 
 and even made as if he would mount the stairs. 
 Presentlv a woman came to him, and told him 
 that under no circumstances could Mistress Bon- 
 net now be seen. 
 
 But he would not leave the house. He called 
 for writing materials, but in an instant threw 
 down the pen. Again he called a servant and 
 sent a message, which was of no avail. Dame 
 
 126 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 Charter would have gone down to hnn, but Kate 
 was in her arms. For several minutes the furi- 
 ous officer stood by the chair in which Kate had 
 been sitting; he could not comprehend the fact 
 that this girl had discarded and had scorned him. 
 And yet her scorn had not in the least dampened 
 the violence of his love. As she stood and spoke 
 her last bitter words, the grandeur of her beauty 
 had made him speechless to defend himself. 
 
 He seized his hat and rushed from the house ; 
 hot, and with blazing eyes, he appeared in the 
 counting-room of Mr. Delaplaine, and there, to 
 that astounded merchant, he told, with brutal 
 cruelty, of his orders to destroy the pirate Bon- 
 net, his niece's father; and then he related the 
 details of his interview with that niece herself. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine 's countenance, at first shocked 
 and pained, grew gradually sterner and colder. 
 Presently he spoke. ^ ^ I will hear no more such 
 words, Captain Vince, ' ' he said, * ^ regarding the 
 members of my family. You say my niece knows 
 not what fortune she trifles with; I think she 
 does. And when she told you she would not 
 accept the offer of your dishonour, I commend 
 her every word. ' ' 
 
 Captain Vince frowned black as night, and 
 clapped his hand to his sword-hilt ; but the pale 
 merchant made no movement of defence, and the 
 captain, striking his clinched fist against the 
 table, dashed from the room. Before he reached 
 his ship he had sworn a solemn oath : he vowed 
 
 127 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 that he would follow that pirate ship ; he would 
 kill, burn, destroy, annihilate, but out of the 
 storm and the fire he would pick unharmed the 
 father of the girl who had entranced him and 
 had spurned him. He laughed savagely as he 
 thought of it. With that dolt of a father in his 
 hands, a man wearing always around his neck 
 the hangman's noose, he would hold the card 
 which would give him the game. What Mistress 
 Kate Bonnet might say or do; what she might 
 like or might not like ; what her ideas about hon- 
 our might be or might not be, it would be a very, 
 different thing when he, her imperious lover, 
 should hold the end of that noose in his hand. 
 She might weep, she might rave, but come what 
 would, she was the man's daughter, and she 
 would be Lady Vince. 
 
 So he went on board the Badger, and he 
 cursed and he commanded and he raged ; and his 
 officers and his men, when the hurried violence 
 of his commands gave them a chance to speak 
 to each other, muttered that they pitied that pi- 
 rate and his crew when the Badger came up with 
 them. 
 
 Clouds settled down upon the home of Mr. 
 Delaplaine. There were no visitors, there was 
 no music, there seemed to be no sunshine. The 
 beautiful fabrics, the jewels, and the feathers 
 were seen no more. It was Kate of the broken 
 heart who wandered under the trees and among 
 the blossoms, and knew not that there existed 
 
 128 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 such things as cooling shade and sweet fra- 
 grance. She could not be comforted, for, al- 
 though her uncle told her that he had had in- 
 formation that her father's ship had sailed 
 northward, and that it was, therefore, likely that 
 the corvette would not overtake him, she could 
 not forget that, whatever of good or evil befell 
 that father, he was a pirate, and he had de- 
 serted her. 
 
 So they said but little, the uncle and the 
 niece, who sorrowed quietly. 
 
 Dame Charter was in a strange state of mind. 
 During the frequent visits of Captain Vince she 
 had been apprehensive and troubled, and her 
 only comfort was that the Badger had merely 
 touched at this port to refit, and that she must 
 soon sail away and take with her her captain. 
 The good woman had begun to expect and to 
 hope for the return of Dickory, but later she had 
 blessed her stars that he was not there. He was 
 a fiery boy, her brave son, but it would have 
 been a terrible thing for him to become involved 
 with an officer in the navy, a man with a long, 
 keen sword. 
 
 Now that the captain had raged himself away 
 from the Delaplaine house her spirits rose, and 
 her great fear was that the corvette might not 
 leave port before the brig came in. If Dickory 
 should hear of the things that captain had said 
 —but she banished such thoughts from her mind, 
 she could not bear them. 
 
 129 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 After some days the corvette sailed, and the 
 Governor spoke well of the diligence and ardour 
 which had urged Captain Vince to so quickly 
 set out upon his path of duty. 
 
 *^ When Dickory comes back," said Dame 
 Charter to Kate, " he may bring some news to 
 cheer your poor heart, things get so twisted in 
 the telling." 
 
 Kate shook her head. ^' Dickory cannot tell 
 me anything now," she said, '' that I care to 
 know, knowing so much. My father is a pirate, 
 and a king's ship has gone out to destroy him, 
 and what could Dickory tell me that would cheer 
 mel " 
 
 But Dame Charter 's optimism was beginning 
 to take heart again and to spread its wings. 
 
 ^^ Ah, my dear, you don't know what good 
 things do in this life continually crop up. A 
 letter from your father, possibly withheld by 
 that wicked Madam Bonnet— which is what 
 Dickory and I both think— or some good words 
 from the town that your father has sold his ship, 
 and is on his way home. Nobody knows what 
 good news that Dickory may bring with him. ' ' 
 
 The poor girl actually smiled. She was 
 young, and in the heart of youth there is always 
 room for some good news, or for the hope of 
 them. 
 
 But the smile vanished altogether when she 
 went to her room and wrote a letter to Martin 
 Newcombe. In this letter, which was a long one, 
 
 130 
 
CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER VINCE 
 
 she told her lover how troubled she had been. 
 That she had nothing now to ask him about the 
 bad news he had, in his kindness, forborne to 
 tell her, and that when he saw Dickory Charter 
 he might say to him from her that there was no 
 need to make any further inquiries about her 
 father; she knew enough, and far too much — 
 more, most likely, than any one in Bridgetown 
 knew. Then she told him of Captain Vince and 
 the dreadful errand of the corvette Badger. 
 
 Having done this, Kate became as brave as 
 any captain of a British man-of-war, and she 
 told her lover that he must think no more of her ; 
 it was not for him to pay court to the daughter of 
 a pirate. And so, she blessed him and bade him 
 farewell. 
 
 When she had signed and sealed this letter 
 she felt as if she had torn out a chapter of her 
 young life and thrown it upon the fire. 
 
 131 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 BAD WEATHER 
 
 HEN Dickory Charter, sailed 
 away from the island of Ja- 
 maica, his reason, had it been called 
 upon, would have told him that he had a good 
 stout brig under him on which there were peo- 
 ple and ropes and sails and something to eat 
 and drink. But in those moments of paradise 
 he did not trouble his reason very much, and 
 lived in an atmosphere of joy which he did 
 not attempt to analyze, but was content to 
 breathe as if it had been the common air about 
 him. He was going away from every one he 
 loved, and yet never before had he been so 
 happy in going to any one he loved. He cared 
 to talk to no one on board, but in company with 
 his joy he stood and gazed westward out over 
 the sea. 
 
 He was but little younger than she was, and 
 yet that difference, so slight, had lifted him from 
 things of earth and had placed him in that para- 
 dise where he now dwelt. 
 
 132 
 
BAD WEATHER 
 
 So passed on the hours, so rolled the waves, 
 and so moved the King and Queen before the 
 favouring breeze. 
 
 It was on the second day out that the breeze 
 began to be less favouring, and there were signs 
 of a storm ; and, in spite of his preoccupied con- 
 dition, Dickory was obliged to notice the hurried 
 talk of the officers about him, he occupying a 
 point of vantage on the quarter-deck. Presently 
 he turned and asked of some one if there was 
 likelihood of bad weather. The mate, to whom 
 he had spoken, said somewhat unpleasantly, 
 ** Bad weather enough, I take it, as we may all 
 soon know ; but it is not wind or rain. There is 
 bad weather for you! Do you see that? '' 
 
 Dickory looked, and saw far away, but still 
 distinct, a vessel under full sail with a little 
 black spot floating high above it. 
 
 He turned to the man for explanation. ^ * And 
 what is that? '' he said. 
 
 ^^ It is a pirate ship,^' said the other, his face 
 hardening as he spoke, ^^ and it will soon be 
 firing at us to heave to.*' 
 
 At that moment there was a flash at the bow 
 of the approaching vessel, a little smoke, and 
 then the report of a cannon came over the water. 
 
 Without, further delay, the captain and crew 
 of the King and Queen went to work and hove 
 to their brig. 
 
 Young Dickory Charter also hove to. He 
 did not know exactly why, but his dream stopped 
 
 133 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 sailing over a sea of delight. They stood motion- 
 less, their sails flapping in the wind. 
 
 ^^ Pirates! " he thought to himself, cold 
 shivers running through him., ^^ is this brig to 
 be taken 1 Am I to be taken 1 Am I not to go to 
 Barbadoes, to Bridgetown, her home I Am I not 
 to take her back the good news which will make 
 her happy! Are these things possible! '' 
 
 He stared over the water, he saw the swiftly 
 approaching vessel, he could distinguish the skull 
 and bones upon the black flag which flew above 
 her. 
 
 These things were possible, and his heart fell ; 
 but it was not with fear. Dickory Charter was 
 as bold a fellow as ever stood on the deck in a 
 sea fight, but his heart fell at the thought that 
 he might not be going to her old home, and that 
 he might not sail back with good news to her. 
 
 As the swift-sailing pirate ship sped on, Ben 
 Greenway came aft to Captain Bonnet, and a 
 grievous grin was on the Scotchman's face. 
 
 *^ Good greetings to ye, Master Bonnet," said 
 he, ^^ ye 're truly good to your old friends an' 
 neebours an' pass them not by, even when your 
 pockets are burstin' wi' Spanish gold." 
 
 A minute before this Captain Stede Bonnet 
 had been in a very pleasant state of mind. It 
 was only two days ago that he had captured a 
 Spanish ship, from which he got great gain, in- 
 cluding considerable stores of gold. Everything 
 
 134 
 
BAD WEATHER 
 
 of value had been secured, the tall galleon had 
 been burned, and its crew had been marooned 
 on a barren spot on the coast of San Domingo. 
 The spoils had been divided, at least every man 
 knew what his share was to be, and the officers 
 and the crew of the Revenge were in a well-con- 
 tented state of mind. In fact. Captain Bonnet 
 would not have sailed after a little brig, certainly 
 unsuited to carry costly cargo, had it not been 
 that his piratical principle made it appear to him 
 a point of conscience to prey upon all mercantile 
 craft, little or big, which might come in his way. 
 Thus it was, that he was sailing merrily after 
 the King and Queen, when Ben Greenway came 
 to him with his disturbing words. 
 
 ^^ What mean you? " cried Bonnet. *' Know 
 you that vessel ? ' ' 
 
 *^ Ay, weel," said Ben, ^^ it is the King and 
 Queen, bound, doubtless, for Bridgetown. I 
 tell ye. Master Bonnet, that it was a great deal o ' 
 trouble an^ expense ye put yerseP to when ye 
 went into your present line o' business on this 
 ship. Ye could have stayed at hame, where she 
 is owned, an' wi' these fine fellows that ve have 
 gathered thegither, ye might have robbed your 
 neebours right an' left wi'out the trouble o' goin' 
 to sea." 
 
 ^ ^ Ben Greenway, ' ' roared the captain, * * I 
 will have no more of this. Is it not enough for 
 me to be annoyed and worried by these everlast- 
 ing ships of Bridgetown, which keep sailing 
 
 135 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 across my bows, no matter in what direction I 
 go, without hearing your jeers and sneers regard- 
 ing the matter ? I tell you, Ben Greenway, I will 
 not have it. I will not suffer these paltry vessels, 
 filled, perhaps, with the grocers and cloth deal- 
 ers from my own town, to interfere thus with the 
 bold career that I have chosen. I tell you, Ben 
 Greenway, I'll make an example of this one. I 
 am a pirate, and I will let them know it— these 
 fellows in their floating shops. It will be a fair 
 and easy thing to sink this tub without more 
 ado. I'd rather meet three Spanish ships, even 
 had they naught aboard, than one of these right- 
 eous craft commanded by my most resjDectable 
 friends and neighbours. ' ' 
 
 Black Paul, the sailing-master, had ap- 
 proached and had heard the greater part of these 
 remarks. 
 
 '^ Better *board her and see what she carries," 
 said he, ^^ before we sink her. The men have 
 been talking about her and, many of them, fa- 
 vour not the trouble of marooning those on board 
 of her. So, say most of us, let's get what we 
 can from her, and then quickly rid ourselves of 
 her one way or another." 
 
 '' 'Tis well! " cried Bonnet, ^^ we can riddle 
 her hull and sink her." 
 
 ^ ' Wi ' the neebours on board I ' ' asked Green- 
 way. 
 
 Captain Bonnet scowled blackly. 
 
 *^ Ben Greenway," he shouted, ** it would 
 
 136 
 
BAD WEATHER 
 
 serve you right if I tied you hand and foot and 
 bundled you on board that brig, after we have 
 stripped her, if haply she have anything on 
 board we care for. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' An ' then sink her ! ' ' asked the Scotchman. 
 
 '^ Ay, sink her! '' replied Bonnet. *' Thus 
 would I rid myself of a man who vexes me every 
 moment that I lay my eyes on him, and, more- 
 over, it would please you ; for you would die in 
 the midst of those friends and neighbours you 
 have such a high regard for. That would put 
 an end to your cackle, and there would be no 
 gossip in the town about it.'^ 
 
 The sailing-master now came aft. The vessel 
 had been put about and was slowly approaching 
 the brig. '' Shall we make fast? " asked Black 
 Paul. ^ ' If we do we shall have to be quick about 
 it; the sea is rising, and that clumsy hulk may 
 do us damage. '^ 
 
 For a moment Captain Bonnet hesitated, he 
 was beginning to learn something of the risks 
 and dangers of a nautical life, and here was real 
 danger if the two vessels ran nearer each other. 
 Suddenly he turned and glared at Greenway. 
 ^' Make fast! " he cried savagely, '^ make fast! 
 if it be only for a minute. '^ 
 
 ^^ Do ye think in your heart,'' asked the 
 Scotchman grimly, '^ that ye 're pirate enough 
 for that! " 
 
 10 137 
 
CHAPTEE XII 
 
 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ITH her head to the wind the 
 pirate vessel Eevenge bore 
 down slowly upon the King 
 and Queen, now lying to and awaiting her. 
 The stiff breeze was growing stiller and the 
 sea was rising. The experienced eye of Paul 
 Bittern, the sailing-master of the pirate, now 
 told him that it would be dangerous to ap- 
 proach the brig near enough to make fast to 
 her, even for the minute which Captain Bon- 
 net craved— the minute which would have been 
 long enough for a couple of sturdy fellows to 
 toss on board the prize that exasperating human 
 indictment, Ben Greenway. 
 
 '^ We cannot do it,'' shouted Black Paul to 
 Bonnet, ^^ we shall run too near her as it is. 
 Shall we let fly at short range and riddle her 
 hull! '' 
 
 Captain Bonnet did not immediately answer ; 
 the situation puzzled him. He wanted very much 
 
 138 
 
FACE TO FACE 
 
 to put the Scotchman on board the brig, and 
 after that he did not care what happened. But 
 before he could speak, there appeared on the rail 
 of the King and Queen, holding fast to a shroud, 
 the figure of a young man, who put his hand to 
 his mouth and hailed : 
 
 i i Throw me a line ! Throw me a line ! ' ' 
 
 Such an extraordinary request at such a time 
 naturally amazed the pirates, and they stood 
 staring, as they crowded along the side of their 
 vessel. 
 
 ' ' If you are not going to board her, ' ' shout- 
 ed Dickory again, ' ' throw me a line ! ' * 
 
 Filled with curiosity to know what this 
 strange proceeding meant, Black Paul ordered 
 that a line be thrown, and, in a moment, a tall 
 fellow seized a coil of light rope and hurled it 
 through the air in the direction of the brig ; but 
 the rope fell short, and the outer end of it dis- 
 appeared beneath the water. Now the spirit of 
 Black Paul was up. If the fellow on the brig 
 wanted a line he wanted to come aboard, and if 
 he wanted to come aboard, he should do so. So 
 he seized a heavier coil and, swinging it around 
 his head, sent it, with tremendous force, towards 
 Dickory, who made a wild grab at it and 
 caught it. 
 
 Although a comparatively light line, it was a 
 long one, and the slack of it was now in the water, 
 so that Dickory had to pull hard upon it before 
 he could grasp enough of it to pass around his 
 
 139 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 body. He had scarcely done this, and had made 
 a knot in it, before a lurch of the brig brought a 
 strain on the rope, and he was incontinently 
 jerked overboard. 
 
 The crew of the merchantman, who had not 
 had time to comprehend what the young fellow 
 was about to do, would have grasped him had he 
 remained on the rail a moment longer, but now 
 he was gone into the sea, and, working vigor- 
 ously with his legs and arms, was endeavouring 
 to keep his head above water while the pirates 
 at the other end of the rope pulled him swiftly 
 towards their vessel. 
 
 Grreat was the excitement on board the Re- 
 venge. Why should a man from a merchant- 
 man endeavour, alone, to board a vessel which 
 flew the Jolly Roger! Did he wish to join the 
 crew! Had they been ill-treating him on board 
 the brig! Was he a criminal endeavouring to 
 escape from the officers of the law! It was im- 
 possible to answer any of these questions, and 
 so the swarthy rascals pulled so hard and so 
 steadily upon the line that the knot in it, which 
 , Dickory had not tied properly, became a slip- 
 Ivnot, and the poor fellow's breath was nearly 
 squeezed out of him as he was hauled over the 
 rough water. When he reached the vessel 's side 
 there was something said about lowering a lad- 
 der, but the men who were hauling on the line 
 were in a hurry to satisfy their curiosity, so up 
 came Dickory straight from the water to the 
 
 140 
 
FACE TO FACE 
 
 rail, and that jDroceeding so increased the squeez- 
 ing that the poor fellow fell upon the deck 
 scarcely able to gasp. When the rope was loos- 
 ened the half-drowned and almost breathless 
 Dickory raised himself and gave two or three 
 deep breaths, but he could not speak, despite the 
 fact that a dozen rough voices were asking him 
 who he was and what he wanted. 
 
 With the water pouring from him in streams, 
 and his breath coming from him in putfs, he 
 looked about him with great earnestness. 
 
 Suddenly a man rushed through the crowd of 
 pirates and stooped to look at the person who 
 had so strangely come aboard. Then he gave a 
 shout. ^' It is Dickory Charter,'' he cried, 
 ' ' Dickory Charter, the son o ' old Dame Charter ! 
 Ye Dickory! an' how in the name o' all that's 
 blessed did ye come here 1 Master Bonnet ! Mas- 
 ter Bonnet! " he shouted to the captain, who 
 now stood by, ^^ it is young Dickory Charter, of 
 Bridgetown. He was on board this vessel before 
 we sailed, wi' Mistress Kate an' me. The last 
 time I saw her he was wi ' her. ' ' 
 
 '^ What! " exclaimed Bonnet, ^' with my 
 daughter! " 
 
 ** Ay, ay! " said Greenway, ^^ it must have 
 been a little before she went on shore." 
 
 *^ Young man! " cried Bonnet, stooping to- 
 wards Dickory, ^' when did you last see my 
 daughter? Do you know anything of her? " 
 
 The young man opened his mouth, but he 
 
 141 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 could not yet do much in the way of speaking, 
 but he managed to gasp, ^^ I come from her, I 
 am bringing you a message/' 
 
 ^^ A message from Kate! " shouted Bonnet, 
 now in a state of wild excitement. " Here you, 
 Greenway, lift up the other arm, and we will take 
 him to my cabin. Quick, man ! Quick, man ! he 
 must have some spirits and dry clothes. Make 
 haste now ! A message from my daughter ! ' ' 
 
 '^ If that's so," said Greenway, as he and 
 Bonnet hurried the young man aft, * ^ ye 'd better 
 no' be in too great haste to get his message out 
 o ' him or ye '11 kill him wi ' pure recklessness. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet took the advice, and before many min- 
 utes Dickory was in dry clothes and feeling the 
 inspiriting influence of a glass of good old rum. 
 Now came Black Paul, wanting to know if he 
 should sink the brig and be done with her, for 
 they couldn't lie by in such weather. 
 
 '^ Don't you fire on that ship! " yelled Bon- 
 net, ^* don't you dare it! For all I know, my 
 daughter may be on board of her. ' ' 
 
 At this Dickorv shook his head. ^ ^ No, ' ' said 
 he, ^^ she is not on board." 
 
 ^^ Then let her go," cried Bonnet, ^^ I have 
 no time to fool with the beggarly hulk. Let her 
 go ! I have other business here. And now, sir, ' ' 
 addressing Dickory, ** what of my daughter! 
 You have got your breath now, tell me quickly ! 
 What is your message from her I When did 
 you sail from Bridgetown? Did she expect me 
 
 142 
 
FACE TO FACE 
 
 to overhaul that brig! How in the name of all 
 the devils could she expect that! '' 
 
 ^^ Come, come now, Master Bonnet! '^ ex- 
 claimed the Scotchman, '^ ye are talkin' o' your 
 daughter, the good an' beautiful Mistress Kate, 
 an' no matter whether ye are a pirate or no, ye 
 must keep a guard on your tongue. An' if ye 
 think she knew where to find ye, ye must con- 
 sider her an angel an ' no ' to be spoken o ' in the 
 same breath as de 'ils. ' ' 
 
 " I didn't sail from Bridgetown," said Dick- 
 ory, '' and your daughter is not there. I come 
 from Jamaica, where she now is, and was bound 
 to Bridgetown to seek news of you, hoping that 
 you had returned there." 
 
 ' ^ Which, if he had, ' ' said Ben, who found it 
 very difficult to keep quiet, ^^ ye would hae been 
 under the necessity o ' givin ' your message to his 
 bones hangin ' in chains. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet looked savagely at Ben, but he had no 
 time even to curse. 
 
 '^ Jamaica! " he cried, '^ how did she get 
 there! Tell me quickly, sir— tell me quickly! 
 Do you hear! " 
 
 Dickory was now quite recovered and he told 
 his story, not too quickly, and with much atten- 
 tion to details. Even the account of the unusual 
 manner in which he and Kate had disembarked 
 from the pirate vessel was given without curtail- 
 ment, nor with any attention to the approving 
 grunts of Ben Greenway. When he came to 
 
 143 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 speak of the letter which Mr. Newcombe had 
 written her, and which had thrown her into such 
 despair on account of its shortcomings, Captain 
 Bonnet burst into a fury of execration. 
 
 ^^ And she never got my letter! '' he cried, 
 ^^ and knew not what had hapjDened to me. It 
 is that wife of mine, that cruel wild-cat ! I sent 
 the letter to my house, thinking, of course, it 
 would find my daughter there. For where else 
 should she be! " 
 
 ^' An' a maist extraordinary wise mon ye 
 were to do that," said Ben Greenway, '^ for ye 
 might hae known, if ye had ever thought o' it 
 at all, that the place where your wife was, was 
 the place where your daughter couldna be, an' 
 ye no' wi' her. If ye had spoke to me about 
 it, it would hae gone to Mr. Newcombe, an ' then 
 ye'd hae known that she'd be sure to get it." 
 
 At this a slight cloud passed over Dickory's 
 face, and, in spite of the misfortunes which had 
 followed upon the non-delivery of her father's 
 letter, he could not help congratulating himself 
 that it had not been sent to the care of that man 
 Newcombe. He had not had time to formulate 
 the reasons why this proceeding would have been 
 so distasteful to him, but he wanted Martin New- 
 combe to have nothing to do with the good or 
 bad fortune of Mistress Kate, whose champion 
 he had become and whose father he had found, 
 and to whom he was now talking, face to face. 
 
 The three talked for a long time, during 
 
FACE TO FACE 
 
 wliich Black Paul liad put the vessel about upon 
 her former course, and was sailing swiftly to the 
 north. As Dickory went on, Bonnet ceased to 
 curse, but, over and over, blessed his brother- 
 in-law, as a good man and one of the few worthy 
 to take into his charge the good and beautiful. 
 Stede Bonnet had always been very fond of his 
 daughter, and, now, as it became known to him 
 into what desperate and direful condition his 
 reckless conduct had thrown her, he loved her 
 more and more, and grieved greatly for the 
 troubles he had brought upon her. 
 
 ' ^ But it '11 be all right now, ' ' he cried, ^ * she 's 
 with her good uncle, who will show her the most 
 gracious kindness, both for her mother's sake 
 and for her own ; and I will see to it that she be 
 not too heavy a charge upon him. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ As for ye, Dickory, ' ' exclaimed Greenway, 
 ** ye 're a brave boy an' will yet come to be an' 
 honour to yer mither 's declining years an ' to the 
 memory o' your father. But how did ye ever 
 come to think o' boardin' this nest o' sea-de'ils, 
 an' at such risk to your life! " 
 
 ^' I did it," said Dickory simply, ^^ because 
 Mistress Kate 's father was here, and I was bound 
 to come to him wherever I should find him, for 
 that was my main errand. They told me on the 
 brig that it was Captain Bonnet's ship that was 
 overhauling us, and I vowed that as soon as she 
 boarded us I would seek him out and give him 
 her message ; and when I heard that the sea was 
 
 14:5 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 getting too heavy for you to board us, I deter- 
 mined to come on board if I could get hold of a 
 line. ' ^ 
 
 ^^ Young man,'^ cried Bonnet, rising to his 
 full height and swelling his chest, ^' I bestow 
 upon you a father ^s blessing. More than that '^ 
 —and as he spoke he pulled open a drawer of a 
 small locker— ^^ here's a bag of gold pieces, and 
 when you take my answer you shall have another 
 like iV 
 
 But Dickory did not reach out his hand for 
 the money, nor did he say a word. 
 
 ^' Don't be afraid,'' cried Bonnet. ^' If you 
 have any religious scruples, I will tell you that 
 this gold I did not get by piracy. It is part of 
 my private fortune, and came as honestly to me 
 as I now give it to you." 
 
 But Dickory did not reach out his hand. 
 
 Now up spoke Ben Greenway: ^' Look ye, 
 boy, ' ' said he, ' ' as long as there 's a chance left 
 o ' gettin ' honest gold on board this vessel, I pray 
 ye, seize it, an ' if ye 're afraid o ' this gold, think- 
 in ' it may be smeared wi ' the blood o ' fathers an ' 
 the tears o' mithers, I'll tell ye ane thing, an' 
 that is, that Master Bonnet hasna got to be so 
 much o' a pirate that he willna tell the truth. 
 So I'll tak' the money for ye, Dickory, an' I'll 
 keep it till ye 're ready to tak ' it to your mither ; 
 an' I hope that will be soon." 
 
 146 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 HE pirate vessel Revenge was 
 now bound to the coast of the 
 Carolinas and Virginia, and 
 perhaps even farther north, if her wicked for- 
 tune should favour her. The growing commerce 
 of the colonies offered great prizes in those days 
 to the piratical cruisers which swarmed up and 
 down the Atlantic coast. To lie over for a time 
 off the coast of Charles Town was Captain Bon- 
 net ^s immediate object, and to get there as soon 
 as possible was almost a necessity. 
 
 The crew of desperate scoundrels whom he 
 had gathered together had discovered that their 
 captain knew nothing of navigation or the man- 
 agement of a ship, and there were many of them 
 who believed that if Black Paul had chosen to 
 turn the vessel's bows to the coast of South 
 America, Bonnet would not have known that 
 they were not sailing northward. Thus they had 
 lost all respect for him, and their conduct was 
 kept within bounds only by the cruel punish- 
 
 147 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ments whicli lie inflicted for disobedience or gen- 
 eral bad conduct, and which were rendered pos- 
 sible by the dissensions and bad feelings among 
 the men themselves ; one clique or faction being 
 always ready to help punish another. Conse- 
 quently, the landsman pirate would speedily 
 have been tossed overboard and the command 
 given to another, had it not been that the men 
 were not at all united in their opinions as to who 
 that other should be. 
 
 There was also another very good reason 
 for Bonnet's continuance in authority; he was 
 a good divider, and, so far, had been a good 
 provider. If he should continue to take prizes, 
 and to give each man under him his fair share of 
 the plunder, the men were likely to stand by him 
 until some good reason came for their changing 
 their minds. So with floggings and irons, on 
 deck and below, and with fair winds filling the 
 sails above, the Revenge kept on her way ; and, 
 in spite of the curses and quarrels and threats 
 which polluted the air through which the stout 
 ship sailed, there was always good-natured 
 companionship wherever the captain, Dickory, 
 and Ben Greenway found themselves together. 
 There seemed to be no end to the questions which 
 Bonnet asked about his daughter, and when he 
 had asked them all he began over again, and 
 Dickory made answer, as he had done before. 
 
 The young fellow was growing very anxious 
 at this northern voyage, and when he asked ques- 
 
 148 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 tions they always related to the probability of 
 his getting back to Jamaica with news from the 
 father of Mistress Kate Bonnet. The captain 
 encouraged the hopes of an early return, and 
 vowed to Dickory that he would send him to 
 Spanish Town with a letter to his daughter just 
 as soon as an opportunity should show itself. 
 
 When the Revenge reached the mouth of 
 Charles Town harbour she stationed herself 
 there, and in four days captured three well-laden 
 merchantmen; two bound outward, and one go- 
 ing in from England. 
 
 Thus all went well, and with willing hands to 
 man her yards and a proudly strutting captain 
 on her quarter-deck, the pirate ship renewed her 
 northward course, and spread terror and made 
 prizes even as far as the New England coast; 
 and if Dickory had had any doubts that the late 
 reputable planter of Bridgetown had now become 
 a veritable pirate he had many opportunities of 
 setting himself right. Bonnet seemed to be grow- 
 ing proud of his newly acquired taste for ra- 
 pacity and cruelty. Merchantmen were .reckless- 
 ly robbed and burned, their crews and passen- 
 gers, even babes and women, being set on shore 
 in some desolate spot, to perish or survive, the 
 pirate cared not which, and if resistance were 
 offered, bloody massacres or heartless drownings 
 were almost sure to follow, and, as his men cov- 
 eted spoils and delighted in cruelty, he satisfied 
 them to their heart's content. 
 
 149 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ^* I tell you, Dickory Charter," said lie, one 
 day, ^^ when you see my daughter I want you 
 to make her understand that I am a real pirate, 
 and not playing at the business. She's a brave 
 girl, my daughter Kate, and what I do, she 
 would have me do well and not half-heartedly, 
 to make her ashamed of me. And then, there is 
 my brother-in-law, Delaplaine. I don't believe 
 that he had a very high opinion of me when I 
 was a plain farmer and planter, and I want him 
 to think better of me now. A bold, fearless pirate 
 cannot be looked upon with disrespect. ' ' 
 
 Dickory groaned in his heart that this man 
 was the father of Kate. 
 
 Turning southward, rounding the cape of 
 Delaware, the Revenge ran up the bay, seeking 
 some spot where she might take in water, casting 
 anchor before a little town on the coast of New 
 Jersey. Here, while some of the men were tak- 
 ing in water, others of the crew were allowed to 
 go on shore, their captain swearing to them that 
 if they were guilty of any disorder they should 
 suffer for it. ^^ On my vessel," he swore, ^' I 
 am a pirate, but when I go on shore I am a gen- 
 tleman, and every one in my service shall be- 
 have himself as a gentleman. I beg of you to 
 remember that." 
 
 Agreeable to this principle. Captain Bonnet 
 arrayed himself in a fine suit of clothes, and 
 without arms, excepting a genteel sword, and 
 carrying a cane, he landed with Ben Greenway 
 
 150 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 and Dickory, and proceeded to indulge himself 
 in a promenade up the main street of the 
 town. 
 
 The citizens of the place, terrified and amazed 
 at this bold conduct of a vessel fearlessly flying 
 a black flag with the skull and bones, could do 
 nothing but await their fate. The women and 
 children, and many of the men, hid themselves 
 in garrets and cellars, and those of the people 
 who were obliged to remain visible trembled and 
 prayed, but Captain Stede Bonnet walked bold- 
 ly up the right-hand side of the main street wav- 
 ing his cane in the air as he spoke to the people, 
 assuring them that he and his men came on an 
 errand of business, seeking nothing but some 
 fresh water and an opportunity to stretch their 
 legs on solid ground. 
 
 ^^ If you have meat and drink," he cried, 
 ^^ bestow it freely upon my men, tired of the 
 unsavoury food on shipboard, and if they trans- 
 gress the laws of hospitality then I, their cap- 
 tain, shall be your avenger; we want none of 
 your goods or money, having enough in our well- 
 laden vessel to satisfy all your necessities, if ye 
 have them, and to feel it not." 
 
 The men strolled along the street, swarmed 
 into the two little taverns, soon making away 
 with their small stores of ale and spirits, and 
 accepting everything eatable offered them by the 
 shivering citizens; but as to violence there was 
 none, for every man of the rascally crew bore 
 
 151 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 enmity against most of the others, and held him- 
 self ready for a chance to report a shipmate or to 
 break his head. 
 
 Black Paul was a powerful aid in the preser- 
 vation of order among the disorderly. Conflicts 
 between factions of the crew were greatly feared 
 by him, for the schemes which happy chance 
 had caused to now revolve themselves in his 
 master mind would have been sadly interfered 
 with by want of concord among the men of the 
 Revenge. 
 
 Captain Bonnet, followed at a short distance 
 by Dickory and Ben, was interested in every- 
 thing he saw. A man of intelligence and consid- 
 erable reading, it pleased him to note the pecu- 
 liarities of the people of a country which he had 
 never visited. The houses, the shops, and even 
 the attire of the citizens, were novel and well 
 worthy of his observation. He looked over gar- 
 den walls, he gazed out upon the fields which 
 were visible from the upper end of the street, 
 and when he saw a man who was able to com- 
 mand his speech he asked him questions. 
 
 There was a little church, standing back from 
 the thoroughfare, its door wide open, and this 
 was an instant attraction to the pirate captain, 
 who opened the gate of the yard and walked 
 up to it. 
 
 ' ' That I should ever again see Master Stede 
 Bonnet goin' into a church was something I 
 didna dream o', Dickory, '' said Ben Greenway, 
 
 152 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 ^^ it will be a meeracle, an' I doubt if he dares to 
 pass the door wi ' his sins an ' his plunders on his 
 head. ' ' 
 
 But CajDtain Bonnet did pass the door, rever- 
 entially removing his hat, if not his crimes, as 
 he entered. In but few ways it resembled the 
 houses of worship to which he had been accus- 
 toimed in his earlier days, and he gazed eagerly 
 from side to side as he slowly walked up the cen- 
 tral aisle. Dickory was about to follow him, but 
 he was suddenly jerked back by the Scotchman, 
 who forcibly drew him away from the door. 
 
 ^ ^ Look ye, ' ' whispered Ben, speaking quick- 
 ly, under great excitement, " look ye, Dickory, 
 Heaven has sent us our chance. He's in there 
 safe an' sound, an' the good angels will keep his 
 mind occupied. I'll quietly close the door an' 
 turn the key, then I'll slip around to the back, 
 an' if there be anither door there, I'll stop it 
 some way, if it be not already locked. Now, 
 Dickory boy, make your heels fly ! I noticed, be- 
 fore we got here, that some o ' the men were mak- 
 in' their way to the boats ; dash ye amang them, 
 Dickory, an' tell them that the day they've been 
 longin' for, ever since they set foot on the ves- 
 sel, has now come. Their captain is a x)risoner, 
 an' they are free to hurry on board their vessel 
 an' carry awa wi' them a' their vile plunder." 
 
 ^^ What! " exclaimed Dickory, speaking so 
 earnestly that the Scotchman pulled him farther 
 away from the church, ^' do you mean that you 
 11 153 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 would leave Captain Bonnet here by himself, in 
 a foreign town! " 
 
 '' No' a bit o' it/' said Ben, '' I'll stay wi' 
 him an ' so will you. Now run, Dickory ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ Ben! " exclaimed the other, ^^ you don't 
 know what you are talking about! Captain 
 Bonnet would be seized and tried as a pirate. 
 His blood would be on your head, Ben! " 
 
 ^' I canna talk about that now," said Ben 
 impatiently, ^' ye think too much o' the man's 
 body, Dickory, an' I am considerin' his soul." 
 
 '^ And I am considering his daughter," said 
 Dickory fearlessly ; ^ ^ do you suppose I am going 
 to heljD to have her father hanged! " and with 
 these words he made a movement towards the 
 door. 
 
 The eager Scotchman seized him. '^ Dick- 
 ory, bethink yoursel'," said he. ^^ I don't want 
 to hang him, I want to save him, body an' soul. 
 We will get him awa' from here after the ship 
 has gone, he will be helpless then, he canna be 
 a pirate a minute longer, an' he will give up an' 
 do what I tell him. We can leave before there 
 is ony talk o' trial or hangin'. Run, Dickory, 
 run! Ye 're sinfully losin' time. Think o' his 
 soul, Dickory; it's his only chance! " 
 
 With a great jerk Dickory freed himself 
 from the grasp of the Scotchman. 
 
 ^ ^ It is Kate Bonnet I am thinking of ! "he ex- 
 claimed, and with that he bolted into the church. 
 
 The captain was examining the little pulpit. 
 
 154 
 
Haste ye ! haste ye," cried Dickory, "they will leave you 
 
 behind." 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 ^^ Haste ye! haste ye! " cried Dickory, ^^ your 
 men are all hurrying to the boats, they will leave 
 you behind if they can; that's what they are 
 after. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet turned quickly. He took in the situ- 
 ation in a second. With a few bounds he was out 
 of the church, nearly overturning Ben Green- 
 way as he passed him. Without a word he ran 
 down the street, his cane thrown away, and his 
 drawn sword in his hand. 
 
 Dickory 's warning had not come a minute 
 too soon; one boat full of men was pulling to- 
 wards the ship, and others were hurrying in the 
 direction of an empty boat which awaited them 
 at the pier. Bonnet, with Dickory close at his 
 heels, ran with a most amazing rapidity, while 
 Greenway followed at a little distance, scarcely 
 able to maintain the speed. 
 
 ^ ^ What means this 1 ' ' cried Bonnet, now no 
 longer a gentleman, but a savage pirate, and as 
 he spoke he thrust aside two of the men who were 
 about to get into the boat, and jumped in him- 
 self. " What means this? '' he thundered. 
 
 Black Paul answered quietly: ^^ I was get- 
 ting the men on board, ' ' he said, " so as to save 
 time, and I was coming back for you. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet glared at his sailing-master, but he 
 did not swear at him, he was too useful a man, 
 but in his heart he vowed that he would never 
 trust Paul Bittern again, and that as soon as he 
 could he would get rid of him. 
 
 155 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 But when he reached the ship, three men out 
 of each boat 's crew, selected at random to repre- 
 sent the rest, were tied up and flogged, the blows 
 being well laid on by scoundrels very eager to 
 be brutal, even to their own shipmates. 
 
 ^' Ah! Dickory, Dickory,'' cried Ben Green- 
 way, as they were sailing down the bay, " ye 
 have loaded your soul wi' sin this day; I fear 
 ye '11 never rise from under it. Whatever vile 
 deeds that Major Bonnet may henceforth be 
 guilty o' ye '11 be responsible for them a', Dick- 
 ory, for every ane o' them." 
 
 *^ He's bad enough, Ben," said the other, 
 ^' and it's many a wicked deed he may do yet, 
 but I am going to carry news of him to his daugh- 
 ter if I can ; and what 's more, I am not going to 
 stay behind and be hanged, even if it is in such 
 good com^Dany as Major Bonnet and you, Ben 
 Greenway. ' ' 
 
 Whatever should happen on the rest of that 
 voyage; whether the well-intentioned treachery 
 of Ben Greenway, or the secret villainies of the 
 crew, should prevail ; whether disaster or success 
 should come to the planter pirate, Dickory Char- 
 ter resolved in his soul that a message from her 
 father should go to Kate Bonnet, and that he 
 should carry it. 
 
 The spirits of Dickory rose very much as 
 the bow of the Revenge was pointed southward. 
 Every mile that the pirate vessel sailed brought 
 
 156 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHUKCH 
 
 him nearer to the delivery of his message— a 
 message which, while it told of her father 's wick- 
 ed career, still told her of his safety and of his 
 steadfast affection for her. Indirectly, the bring- 
 ing of such a message, and the story of how the 
 bearer brought it, might have another effect, 
 which, although he had no right to expect, was 
 never absent from Dickory's soul. This ardent 
 young lover did not believe in Master Martin 
 Newcombe. He had no good reason for not be- 
 lieving in him, but his want of faith did not 
 depend upon reason. If lovers reasoned too 
 much, it would be a sad world for many of 
 them. 
 
 When the Revenge stopped in her progress 
 towards the heavenly Island of Jamaica, or at 
 least that island which was the abode of an angel, 
 and anchored off Charles Town harbour. South 
 Carolina, Dickory fumed and talked impatient- 
 ly to his friend Ben Greenway. Why a man, 
 even though he were a pirate, and therefore of 
 an avaricious nature, should want more booty, 
 when his vessel was already crowded with valu- 
 able goods, he could not imagine. 
 
 But Ben Greenway could very easily imag- 
 ine. ^ ^ When the spirit o ' sin is upon ye, ' ' said 
 the Scotchman, ^^ the more an' more wicked 
 ye 're likely to be ; an ' ye must no ' forget, Dick- 
 ory, that every new crime he commits, an' a' 
 the property he steals, an' a' the unfortunate 
 people he maroons, will hae to be answered for 
 
 157 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 by ye, Dickory, when the time comes for ye to 
 stand up an' say what ye hae got to say about 
 your ain sins. If ye had stood by me an' helped 
 to cut him short in his nefarious career, he 
 might now be beginnin ' a new life in some small 
 coastin' vessel bound for Barbadoes." 
 
 Dickory gave an impatient kick at the mast 
 near which he was standing. ^* It would have 
 been more likely," said he, '' that before this 
 he would have begun a new life on the gallows 
 with you and me alongside of him, and how do 
 you suppose you would have got rid of the sin on 
 your soul when you thought of his orphan daugh- 
 ter in Jamaica f ' ' 
 
 ' ' Your thoughts are too much on that daugh- 
 ter,'' snapped Greenway, *^ an' no' enough on 
 her father's soul." 
 
 ' ' I am tired of her father 's soul, ' ' said Dick- 
 ory. *' I wonder what new piece of mischief 
 they are going to do here; there are no ships 
 to be robbed? " 
 
 Dickory did not know very much, or care 
 very much about the sea and its commerce, and 
 some ships to be robbed soon made their ap- 
 pearance. One was a large merchantman, with 
 a full cargo, and the other was a bark, north- 
 ward bound, in ballast. The acquisition of the 
 latter vessel put a new idea into Captain Bon- 
 net's head. The Kevenge was already over- 
 loaded, and he determined to take the bark as a 
 tender to relieve him of a portion of his cargo 
 
 158 
 
CAPTAIN BONNET GOES TO CHURCH 
 
 and to make herself useful in the business of ma- 
 rooning and such troublesome duties. 
 
 Being now commander of two vessels, which 
 might in time increase to a little fleet, Captain 
 Bonnet's ideas of his own importance as a ter- 
 ror of the sea increased rapidly. On the Revenge 
 he was more despotic and severe than ever be- 
 fore, while the villain who had been chosen to 
 command the tender, because he had a fair 
 knowledge of navigation, was informed that if 
 he kept the bark more than a mile from the flag- 
 ship, he would be sunk with the vessel and all 
 on board. The loss of the bark and some men 
 would be nothing compared to the maintenance 
 of discipline, quoth the planter pirate. 
 
 Bonnet's ambition rose still higher and 
 higher. He was not content with being a re- 
 lentless pirate, bloody if need be, but he longed 
 for recognition, for a position among his fellow- 
 terrors of the sea, which should be worthy of 
 a truly wicked reputation. A pirate bold, he 
 would consort with pirates bold. So he set sail 
 for the Gulf of Honduras, then a great rendez- 
 vous for piratical craft of many nations. If the 
 father of Kate Bonnet had captured and burned 
 a dozen ships, and had forced every sailor and 
 passenger thereupon to walk a plank, he would 
 not have sinned more deeply in the eyes of Dick- 
 ory Charter than he did by thus ruthlessly, in- 
 humanly, hard-heartedly, and altogether shame- 
 fully ignoring and pitilessly passing by that 
 
 159 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 island on which dwelt an angel, his own daugh- 
 ter. 
 
 But Bonnet declared to the young man that 
 it would now be dangerous foi; him and his ship 
 to approach the harbour of Kingston, generally 
 the resort of British men-of-war, but in the wa- 
 ters of Honduras he could not fail to find some 
 quiet merchant ship by which he could send a 
 message to his daughter. Ay! and in which— 
 and the pirate's eye glistened with parental joy 
 as this thought came into his mind— he might, 
 disguised as a plain gentleman, make a visit to 
 Mistress Kate and to his good brother-in-law, 
 Delaplaine. 
 
 So Dickory was now to be satisfied, and even 
 to admit that there might be some good common 
 sense in these remarks of that most uncommon 
 pirate. Captain Bonnet. 
 
 So the Eevenge, with her tender, sailed 
 southward, through the fair West-Indian waters 
 and by the fair West-Indian isles, to join herself 
 to the piratical fleet generally to be found in the 
 waters of Honduras. 
 
 160 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A GIRL TO THE FRONT 
 
 HE days were getting very long 
 at Spanish Town, although 
 there were no more hours of 
 sunlight than was usual at the season; and 
 even the optimism of Dame Charter was 
 scarcely able to brighten her own soul, much 
 less that of Kate Bonnet, who had almost for- 
 gotten what it was to be optimistic. Poor Mr. 
 Delaplaine, whose life had begun to cheer up 
 wonderfully since the arrival of his niece and her 
 triumphant entry into the society of the town, 
 became more gloomy than he had been since the 
 months which followed the death of his wife. 
 Over and over did he wish that his brother-in- 
 law Bonnet had long since been shut up in some 
 place where his eccentricities could do no harm 
 to his fellow-creatures, especially to his most 
 lovely daughter. 
 
 Mistress Kate Bonnet was not a girl to sit 
 quietly under the tremendous strain which bore 
 upon her after the departure of the Badger. 
 
 161 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 How could she be contented or even quiet at any 
 moment, when at that moment that heartless 
 Captain Vince might have his sword raised 
 above the head of her unfortunate father! 
 
 ^^ Uncle,'' she said, ^' I cannot bear it any 
 longer, I must do something." 
 
 ^' But, my dear,'' he asked, looking down 
 upon her with infinite affection, ^ ' what can you 
 do! We are here upon an immovable island, 
 and your father and Captain Vince are sailing 
 upon the sea, nobody knows where." 
 
 * ^ I thought about it all last night, ' ' said Kate, 
 *^ and this is what I will do. I will go to the 
 Governor; I will tell him all about my father. 
 I do not think it will be wrong even to tell him 
 why I think his mind has become unsettled, for 
 if that woman in Bridgetown has behaved wick- 
 edly, her wickedness should be known. Then I 
 will ask him to give me written authority to take 
 my father wherever I may find him, and to bring 
 him here, where it shall be decided what shall 
 be done with him; and I am sure the decision 
 will be that he must be treated as a man whose 
 mind is not right, and who should be put some- 
 where where he can have nothing to do with 
 ships. ' ' 
 
 This was all quite childish to Mr. Delaplaine, 
 but for Kate's dear sake he treated her scheme 
 seriously. 
 
 '' But tell me, my dear," said he, ^^ how 
 are you going to find your father, and in 
 
 162 
 
A GIRL TO THE FRONT 
 
 what way can you bring him back here with 
 you? '' 
 
 ''• The first thing to do," said Kate, ^^ is to 
 hire a ship ; I know that my little property will 
 yield me money enough for that. As for bring- 
 ing him back, that's for me to do. With my 
 arms around his neck he cannot be a pirate 
 captain. And think of it, uncle! If my arms 
 are not soon around his neck, it may be the 
 hangman's rope which will be there. That is, 
 if he is not killed by that revengeful Captain 
 Vince. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine was troubled far more than he 
 had yet been. His sorrowing niece believed that 
 there was something which might be done for 
 her father, but he, her practical uncle, did not 
 believe that anything could be done. And, even 
 if this were possible, he did not wish to do it. 
 If, by some unheard-of miracle, his niece should 
 be enabled to carry out her scheme, she could 
 not go alone, and thoughts of sailing upon the 
 sea, and the dangers from pirates, storms, and 
 wrecks, were very terrible to the quiet merchant. 
 He could not encourage this night-born scheme 
 of his niece. 
 
 '' But there is one thing I can do,'' cried 
 Kate, '' and I must do it this very day. I must 
 go to the Governor's house, and I pray you, 
 uncle, that you will go with me. I must tell him 
 about my father. I must make him do something 
 which shall keep that Captain Vince from sail- 
 
 163 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ing after him and killing him. How I wish I 
 had thought of all this before. But it did not 
 come to me.'' 
 
 It was not half an hour after that when Kate 
 and her uncle entered the grounds of the Gov- 
 ernor's mansion. 
 
 164 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE GO^rERNOR OF JAMAICA 
 
 HE Governor of Jamaica was 
 much interested in the visit of 
 Kate Bonnet, whom he saw 
 alone in a room adjoining the public apartments. 
 He had met her two or three times before, and 
 had been forced to admit that the young girls 
 of Barbadoes must be jDretty and piquant in an 
 extraordinary degree, and he had not wondered 
 that his friend. Captain Vince, should have 
 spoken of her in such an enthusiastic manner. 
 
 But now she was different. Her sorrow had 
 given her dignity and had added to her beauty. 
 She quickly told her tale, and he started upright 
 in his chair as he heard it. 
 
 *^ Do you mean,'' he exclaimed, ^^ that that 
 pirate, after whom I sent the Badger, is your 
 father ? It amazes me ! The similarity of names 
 did not strike me; I never imagined any con- 
 nection between you and the captain of that 
 pirate ship.'' 
 
 165 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ^ ' That's what Captain Vince said when I last 
 saw him, ' ' remarked Kate. 
 
 *' it must have astounded him to know it," 
 exclaimed the Governor, ^' and I wonder, know- 
 ing it, that he consented to obey my orders ; and 
 had I been in his place I would have preferred 
 to be dismissed from the service rather than to 
 sail after your father and to destroy him. If 
 I had known what I know now, my orders to 
 Captain Vince would have been very different 
 from what they were. I would have told him 
 to caj)ture your father, and to bring him here to 
 me. It cannot be that he is in his right mind ! ' ' 
 
 Now Kate was weeping; the terrible words 
 ^' destroy him,'' and the assurance that if she 
 had thought sooner of appealing to the Governor, 
 much misery, or at least the thought of misery, 
 might have been spared her, so affected her that 
 she could not control herself. 
 
 The Governor did not attempt to console 
 her. Her sorrow was natural, and it was her 
 right. 
 
 When she looked up again she spoke about 
 what she had come to ask him for ; the author- 
 ity to bring back her father wherever she might 
 find him, and to defend him from the attacks 
 of all persons, whoever they might be, until she 
 reached Jamaica. And then she told him how 
 she would seek for her father on every sea. 
 
 The Governor sat and pondered. The father 
 of such a girl should be saved from the terrible 
 
 166 
 
THE GOVERNOR OF JAMAICA 
 
 fate awaiting him, if the thing could possibly be 
 done. And yet, what a difficult, almost hopeless 
 thing it was to do. To find a pirate, a fierce and 
 bloody pirate, and bring him back unharmed to 
 his daughter's arms and to reasonable restraint. 
 
 He spoke earnestly. ^^ What you propose," 
 he said, ^' you cannot do. It would be impossi- 
 ble for you to find your father ; and if you did, 
 no matter who might be with you, and no matter 
 how successful you might be with him, his crew 
 would not let him go. But there is one thing 
 which might be done. The Badger will report 
 at different stations, and her course and present 
 cruising ground might be discovered. Thus I 
 might send a despatch to Captain Vince, order- 
 ing him not to harm your father, but to take him 
 prisoner, and to bring him here to be dealt with. ' ' 
 
 Kate sprang to her feet. 
 
 *^ An order to Captain Vince! " she ex- 
 claimed, ^^ an order to withhold his hand from 
 my father! Ah, sir, your goodness is great, this 
 is far more than I had dared to expect ! When 
 I last saw Captain Vince he left me in a great 
 rage, but, knowing that he would respect your 
 order, I would dare his rage. If his revengeful 
 hand should be withheld from my father I would 
 fear nothing." 
 
 ^ ' I beg you to be seated, ' ' said the Governor, 
 ^ ' and let me assure you, that in offering to send 
 this order to Captain Vince I do not in the least 
 expect you to take it. But there is one thing I 
 
 167 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 do not understand. Why should the captain 
 have left you in a great rage! Perhaps I have 
 not a right to ask this, but it seems to me to have 
 some bearing upon his alacrity in setting forth 
 in pursuit of the Revenge. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ I fear, ' ' said Kate, ' ' that this may be true ; 
 I do not deem it improper for me to say to 
 you, sir, that Captain Vince made me an offer 
 of marriage, and that in order to induce me to 
 accejDt it he offered, should he come up with the 
 Revenge, to s]3are my father and to let him go 
 free, visiting the punishment he was sent to in- 
 flict upon the rest of the people in the ship. ' ' 
 
 ^' I am surprised," said the Governor, ^^ to 
 hear you say that; such an action would have 
 been direct disobedience to his orders. It would 
 have been disloyalty, which not even the pos- 
 session of your fair hand could justify. And 
 you refused his offer? " 
 
 *^ That did I," said Kate, her face flushing 
 at the recollection of the unpleasant interview 
 with the captain ; ^ ^ I cared not for him, and even 
 had I, I would not have consented to wed a man 
 who offered me his dishonour as a bribe for 
 doing so. Not even for my father's life would 
 I become the bride of such a one ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ Well spoken, Mistress Bonnet,'' exclaimed 
 the Governor, ^ ^ your heart, though a tender, is a 
 stout one. But this you tell me of Oaptain Vince 
 is very bad; he is a vindictive man and will 
 have what he wants, even without regard to the 
 
 168 
 
THE GOVERNOR OF JAMAICA 
 
 means by wliicli lie may get it. I am glad to 
 know what you have told me, Mistress Bonnet, 
 and if I had known it betimes I would not have 
 sent, in pursuit of your father, a man whose 
 anger had been excited against his daughter. 
 But now I shall despatch orders to Captain 
 Vince which shall be very exact and peremptory. 
 After he has received them he will not dare to 
 harm your father, and would cause him to be 
 brought here as I command.'' 
 
 ^' From my heart I thank you, sir," cried 
 Kate, ' ' give me the orders and I will take them, 
 or I will " 
 
 ^^ Nay, nay," said the Governor, ^^ such 
 offices are not for you, but I will give the matter 
 my present attention. On any day a vessel may 
 enter the port with news of the Badger, and on 
 any day a vessel may clear from Kingston, i)os- 
 sibly for Bridgetown, where I imagine the 
 Badger will first touch. Rely upon me, my dear 
 young lady, my order shall go to Captain Vince 
 by the very earliest opportunity." 
 
 Kate rose and thanked him warmly. '' This 
 is much to do, your Excellency, for one poor 
 girl," she said. 
 
 ^' It is but little to do," said the Governor, 
 ' ' and that girl be yourself. ' ' 
 
 With that he rose, offered Kate his arm, and 
 conducted her to her uncle. 
 
 When Mr. Delaplain^ was made acquainted 
 with the result of the interview, both his grati- 
 13 169 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 tude and surprise were great. He compre- 
 hended far better than Kate could the extent of 
 the favour which the Governor had offered to 
 bestow. It was, indeed, extraordinary to com- 
 mute what was really a sentence of death against 
 a notorious and dangerous pirate for the sake 
 of a beautiful and pleading woman. An ambi- 
 tious idea shot through the merchant's brain. 
 The Governor was a widower ; he had met Kate 
 before. Was there any other lady on the is- 
 land better fitted to preside over the guberna- 
 torial household? But, although a man of high 
 position could not wed the daughter of a pirate, 
 a pirate, evidently of an unsound mind, could 
 be adjudged demented, as he truly was, and 
 thus the shadow of his crime be lifted from him. 
 This was a great deal to think in a very short 
 time, but the good merchant did it, and the fer- 
 vour of his thankfulness was greatly increased 
 by his rapid reflections. 
 
 As they were on their way home Kate's eyes 
 were bright, and her step lighter than it had 
 been of late. ^' Now, uncle," said she, ^' you 
 know we shall not wait for any chance ship 
 which may take the Governor's despatch. We 
 shall engage a swift vessel ourselves, by which 
 the orders may be carried. And, uncle, when 
 that ship sails I must go in her. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ You ! ' ' cried Mr. Delaplaine, ^ ' you go in 
 search of the Badger and Captain Vince ? That 
 
 can never " 
 
 170 
 
THE GOVERNOR OF JAMAICA 
 
 ^^ But remember, uncle," cried Kate, ^^ it is 
 just as likely that I shall meet my father's ship 
 as any other, and then we can snap our fingers 
 at all orders and all captains. My father shall 
 be brought here and the good Governor will 
 make him safe, and free him, as he best knows 
 how, from the terrible straits into which his dis- 
 turbed reason has led him." 
 
 Her uncle would not darken Kate's bright 
 hopes, ill-founded though he thought them. To 
 look into those sparkling eyes again was a joy 
 of which he would not deprive himself, if he 
 could help it. 
 
 ^^ Suppose he should capture our vessel," 
 she exclaimed; '^ what a grand thing it would 
 be for him, all unknowing, to spring upon our 
 deck and instantly be captured by me. After 
 that, there would be no more pirate's life for 
 him! " 
 
 When Dame Charter heard what had hap- 
 pened at the Governor's house and had listened 
 to the recital of Kate's glowing schemes, her 
 eyes did not immediately glisten with joy. 
 
 *^ If you go. Mistress Kate," said she, '^ in 
 search of your father or that wicked Captain 
 Vince, I go with you, but I cannot go without 
 my Dickory. It is full time to expect his re- 
 turn, although, as he was to depend upon so 
 many chances before he could come back, his 
 absence may, with good reason, continue longer, 
 and I could not have him come back and find 
 
 171 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 his mother gone, no man knows where. For in 
 such a quest, what man could know 1 ' ' 
 
 ^^ Oh, Dickory will be here soon! ^' cried 
 Kate; '^ any ship which comes sailing towards 
 the harbour may bring him/' 
 
 The Governor of Jamaica was a man of great 
 experience, and with a fairly clear insight into 
 the ways of the wicked. When Kate and her 
 uncle had left him and he paced the floor, with 
 the memory of the beautiful eyes of the pirate's 
 daughter as they had been uplifted to his own, 
 he felt assured that he could see rightly into the 
 designs of the unscrupulous Captain Vince. Of 
 what avail would it be for him to kill the father 
 of the girl who had rejected him? It would be 
 an atrocious but temporary triumph scarcely to 
 be considered. But to capture that father; to 
 disregard the laws of the service and the orders 
 of his superiors, which he had already proposed 
 to do» to communicate with Kate and to hold up 
 before her terror-stricken eyes the life of her 
 father, to be ended in horror or enjoyed in peace 
 as she might decide— that would be Vince, as 
 the Governor knew him. 
 
 The Governor knew well his man, and those 
 were the designs and intentions of Captain Chris- 
 topher Vince of his Majesty's corvette the Bad- 
 ger. 
 
 172 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 ROUDLY sailed the Revenge 
 and her attendant bark into 
 the waters of Honduras Gulf, 
 and proudly stood Captain Stede Bonnet upon 
 hi^ quarter-deck, dressed in a handsome uni- 
 form which might have been that of a cap- 
 tain or admiral in the royal navy; one hand 
 caressed his ornate sword-hilt, while the other 
 was thrust into the bosom of his gilt-embroidered 
 coat. A newly fashioned Jolly Roger, in which 
 the background was very black and the skull 
 and cross-bones ghastly white, flew from his 
 masthead. 
 
 As night came on there could be seen, twink- 
 ling far away upon the horizon, a beacon light, 
 which in those days was kept burning for the 
 benefit of the piratical craft which made a ren- 
 dezvous of the waters off Belize, then the com- 
 mercial centre for the vessels of the ' ' free com- 
 panions. ^' Having supposed, in his unnautical 
 mind, that his entrance into the Gulf of Hondu- 
 
 173 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ras meant the end of his present voyage, and 
 not wishing to lower his own feeling of impor- 
 tance by asking too many questions of his in- 
 feriors, Captain Bonnet had bedecked himself 
 a day too soon, and there were some jeers 
 and sneers among his crew when he descend- 
 ed to his cabin to take off his fine clothes. 
 But his self-complacency was well armoured, 
 and he did not hear the jokes of which he was 
 the subject, especially by the little clique of 
 which Black Paul was the centre. But the sail- 
 ing-master knew his business, and the Revenge 
 was safely, though slowly, sailed among the coral- 
 reefs and islands until she dropped anchor off 
 Belize. Early in the morning the now dignified 
 and pompous Captain Bonnet, of that terror of 
 the seas, the pirate craft Revenge, again arrayed 
 himself in a manner befitting his position, and 
 stationed himself on the quarter-deck, where he 
 might be seen by the eyes of all the crews of the 
 other pirate vessels anchored about them and by 
 the glasses of their officers. 
 
 Apart from a general desire to show himself 
 in the ranks of his fellow-pirates and to receive 
 from them the respect which was due to a man 
 of his capabilities and general merits, Stede Bon- 
 net had a particular reason for his visit to this 
 port and for surrounding himself with all the 
 pomp and circumstance of high piratical rank. 
 He had been informed that a great man, a hero 
 and chief among his fellows— in fact, the dean 
 
 174 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 of the piratical faculty, and known as ^' Black- 
 beard," the most desperate and reckless of all 
 the pirates of the day— was now here. 
 
 To meet this most important sea-robber and 
 to receive from him the hand of fellowship had 
 been Bonnet's desire and ambition since he had 
 heard that it was possible. 
 
 The morning was advanced and the Revenge 
 was rolling easily at her anchorage, but Bonnet 
 was somewhat uncertain as to the next step he 
 ought to take. He wanted to see Blackbeard as 
 soon as iDossible, but it would certainly hh a 
 breach of etiquette entirely inconsistent with his 
 present position for him to go to see him. He 
 was the latest comer, and thought it was the part 
 of Blackbeard to make the first visit. 
 
 Paul Bittern now came aft. ^' The men are 
 getting very restless,'' he said; ^' they want to 
 go on shore. They'd all go if I'd let 'em." 
 
 Captain Bonnet gave his sailing-master a 
 lofty glare. 
 
 ^^ If I should let them, you mean, sir. I am 
 sorry I cannot break you of the habit of forget- 
 ting that I command this ship. Well, sir, you 
 may tell them that they cannot go. I am expect- 
 ing a visit from the renowned Blackbeard, now 
 in this port, and I wish to welcome him with 
 all respect and a full crew." 
 
 Black Paul smiled disagreeably^. ^ ' I will tell 
 you, sir, that you cannot keep these men on board 
 much longer with the town of Belize within a 
 
 175 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 row of lialf a mile. They Ve been at sea too long 
 for that. , There '11 be a mutiny, sir, if I go for- 
 ward with that message of yours. It will be 
 prudent to let some of them go ashore now and 
 others later in the day. I will go in the first 
 boat and see to it that the men come back with 
 me. And, by the way, it would not be a bad 
 thing if I touch at Blackbeard's vessel and in- 
 form him that you are here; I don't suppose 
 he knows the Revenge, nor her captain neither." 
 
 '^ I doubt that, Bittern," said Bonnet, *' I 
 doubt it very much. I assure you that I am 
 known froni one end of this coast to the other, 
 and Captain Blackbeard is not an ignorant man. 
 So you can go ashore and take some of the men, 
 stopj)ing at Blackbeard 's ship. And, by the 
 way, I want you to go by that bark of ours and 
 give her the old black Roger I used to fly. I 
 forgot to send it to her, and a man might as well 
 not own and command two vessels if he get not 
 the credit of it. ' ' 
 
 When Black Paul had gone to execute his 
 orders, Ben Greenway heaved a heavy sigh. 
 ^^ Now I begin to fear. Master Bonnet, that the 
 day ' your salvation has really gone by. AAHien 
 ye not only murder an' rob upon the high seas, 
 but keep consort with other murderers an' rob- 
 bers, then I fear ye are indeed lost. But I shall 
 stand by ye. Master Bonnet, I shall stand by ye ; 
 an' if ever I find there is the least bit o' ye to 
 be snatched from the flames, I'll snatch it! " 
 
 1Y6 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 a 
 
 I don't like that sort of talk, Ben Green- 
 way," cried Bonnet, '' especially at this time 
 when my soul swells with content at the success 
 which has crowned my undertakings. This 
 Blackbeard is a valiant man and a great one, 
 but it is my belief that when we have sat down 
 to compare our notes, it 'will be found that I 
 have captured as many cargoes, burned as many 
 ships, and marooned as many people in my last 
 cruise as he has. ' ' 
 
 " So I suppose,'' said Ben, " that ye think 
 ye hae achieved the right to sink deeper into 
 hell than he can ever hope to do? " 
 
 Bonnet made no answer, but turned away. 
 The Scotchman was becoming more and more 
 odious to him every day, but he would not quar- 
 rel on this most auspicious morning. He must 
 keep his mind unruffled and his head high. He 
 had his own jDlans about Greenway: he was not 
 far from Barbadoes, and when he left the har- 
 bour of Belize it would be of advantage to his 
 peace of mind as well as to the comfort of a 
 faithful old servant if he should anchor for a 
 little while in the river below the town and put 
 Ben Greenway on shore. 
 
 Ben gave no further reason for quarrelling. 
 He was greatly dejected, but he had sworn to 
 himself to stand bv his old master, no matter 
 what might happen, and when he took an oath 
 he meant what he swore. 
 
 Dickory Charter was in much worse case than 
 
 1Y7 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Ben Greenway. He was not mucli of a geo- 
 graphical scholar, but he knew that the Gulf of 
 Honduras was not really very far from the 
 Island of Jamaica, where dwelt, waited, and 
 watched Mistress Kate Bonnet and his mother. 
 If he had known that during the voyage down 
 from the Atlantic coast the Revenge had sailed 
 through the Windward Passage, running in 
 some of her long tacks within less than a day's 
 sail of Jamaica, he would have chafed, fumed, 
 and fretted even more than he did now. 
 
 '^ Captain Bonnet, '^ he cried, '^ if you could 
 but let me go on shore, I might surely find some 
 vessel bound to Kingston, or to any place upon 
 the Island of Jamaica, from which spot I could 
 make my way on foot, even if it were on the 
 opposite end. Thus I could take messages and 
 letters from you to your daughter and Mr. 
 Delaplaine, and ease the minds both of them 
 and my mother, all of whom must now be in 
 most doleful plight, not knowing anything about 
 you or hearing anything from me, and this for 
 so long a time ; then you could remain here with 
 no feelings of haste until you had disposed of 
 your cargoes and had finished your business. '^ 
 
 Captain Bonnet stood loftily with a smile of 
 benignity upon his face. ^ ^ It is a clever plan, ' ' 
 said he, ^^ and you are 'a good fellow, Dickory, 
 but your scheme, though well intentioned, is un- 
 sound. I have too much regard for you to trust 
 you in any vessel sailing from Belize to Kings- 
 
 178 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 ton, where there are often naval vessels. Going 
 from this port, you would be as likely to be 
 strung up to the yard-arm as to be allowed to go 
 ashore. Be patient then, my good fellow; when 
 my affairs are settled here, the Revenge may run 
 up to the coast of Jamaica, where you may be 
 put off at some quiet spot, and all may happen 
 as you have planned, my good Dickory. Even 
 now I am writing a letter, hoping for some such 
 opportunity of sending it to my daughter." 
 
 Dickory sighed in despair. It might take a 
 month or more before Kate 's father could settle 
 his affairs, and how long, how long it had been 
 since his soul had been reaching itself out 
 towards Kate and his mother! 
 
 When the sailing-master set out in the long- 
 boat, crowded with men, he stopped at the bark 
 but did not go too near for fear that some of 
 the crew might jump into his already overloaded 
 boat. 
 
 ^^ You are to run up this rag,'^ cried Black 
 Paul to Clip, the fellow in command ; and so say- 
 ing, he handed up the old Jolly Roger on the 
 blade of an oar. ^ ^ Our noble admiral fears that 
 if you do not that you may be captured by some 
 of these good vessels lying hereabout." 
 
 Clip roared out with a laugh: '' I will attend 
 to the capture as soon as I get out of reach of 
 his guns, which he will not dare to use here, I 
 take it. But I want you to know and him to 
 know that we're not goin' to stay on board and 
 
 179 
 
KATE BONNET 
 in sight of the town. If you go ashore, so go 
 
 we/' 
 
 '' Stay where ye are till orders come to ye,'* 
 shouted Black Paul, \' if ye want to keep the 
 cat off your backs! '' And as he rowed away 
 the men on the bark gave him a cheer and pro- 
 ceeded to lower two boats. 
 
 From nearly every pirate ship in the anchor- 
 age the proceedings of the newly arrived vessels 
 had been watched. No one wanted to board them 
 or in any way to interfere with them until it was 
 found out what they intended to do. The Re- 
 venge was a stranger in that harbour, although 
 her fame was known on not a few pirate decks ; 
 but if she came to Belize to fraternize with the 
 other pirate vessels there gathered together, why 
 didn't she do it! No idea of importance and 
 dignity, which his position imposed upon Cap- 
 tain Stede Bonnet, entered their piratical minds. 
 When the long-boat put forth from the Revenge, 
 a good deal of interest was excited in the an- 
 chored vessels. The great Blackbeard himself 
 stood high upon his deck and surveyed the 
 strangers through a glass. 
 
 The men in the sailing-master's boat rowed 
 steadily towards Blackbeard 's vessel. Bittern 
 knew it well, for he had seen it before, and had 
 even had the honour, so to speak, of having 
 served for a short time under the master pirate 
 of that day. 
 
 As soon as the boat was near enough Black- 
 
 180 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 beard hailed it in a tremendous voice and or- 
 dered tlie stranger to pull up and make fast. 
 This being done, a rope ladder was lowered and 
 Bittern mounted to the deck, being assisted in 
 his passage over the side by a tremendous pull 
 given by Blackbeard. 
 
 The great pirate seemed to be in high good 
 spirits, and very glad to see his visitor. Black- 
 beard was a large man, wide and heavy, and 
 the first impression conveyed by his personality 
 was that of hair and swarthiness. An un- 
 trimmed black beard lay upon his chest, and his 
 long hair hung in masses from under his 
 slouched hat ; his eyes were dark and sparkling, 
 and gleamed like beacon lights from out a mid- 
 night sky; the sleeves of his shirt were rolled 
 up, and his arms seemed almost as hairy as his 
 head; two pairs of pistols were stuck into his 
 belt, and a great cutlass was conveniently tucked 
 up by his side. 
 
 ^ ' Ho, ho ! " he cried, ' ' Black Paul ! And 
 where do you come from, and what are you doing 
 here % And what is the name of that vessel with 
 the brand-new Roger? Has she just gone into 
 the business, that she decks herself out so fine? 
 Come now, sit here and have some brandy and 
 tell me what is the meaning of these two vessels 
 coming into the harbour, and what you have to 
 do with them.'' 
 
 Bittern was delighted to know that his old 
 commander remembered him, and was ready 
 
 181 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 enough to talk with him, for that was the errand 
 he had come upon. 
 
 '' But, captain, '' said he, ^^ I am afraid to 
 wander away from the gunwale, for if I have not 
 my eye upon them, my men will be rowing to 
 the town before I know it. They are mad to be 
 on shore. ' ^ 
 
 Blackbeard made no answer; he stepped to 
 the side of the vessel and looked over. ^' Let 
 go ! " he shouted to the man who held the boat 's 
 rope, ^^ and you rascals row out a dozen strokes 
 from my vessel and keep your boat there; and 
 if you move an oar towards the town I will sink 
 you! " With that he ordered two small guns 
 to be trained upon the boat. 
 
 The boat's crew did not hesitate one second 
 in obeying these orders. They knew by whom 
 they were given, and there was no man in the 
 great body of free companions who would dis- 
 obey an order given by Blackbeard. They rowed 
 to the position assigned them and sat quietly 
 looking into the mouths of the two cannon which 
 were pointed towards them. 
 
 ^' Now then," said Blackbeard, turning to 
 Bittern, '^ I think they'll stay there till they get 
 some other order." 
 
 Between frequent sips at the cup of brandy 
 Bittern told the story of the Revenge, and Black- 
 beard listened with many an oath and many a 
 pound upon his massive knee by his mighty fist. 
 
 *^ Oh, I have heard of him," he cried, ^^ I 
 
 182 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 have heard of him! He has played the devil 
 along the Atlantic coast. He must be a great 
 fellow this— what did you say his name was I " 
 
 ^ ^ Bonnet, ' ' said the other. 
 
 Blackbeard laughed. ^ ^ That suits him well ; 
 he must have clapped his name over the eyes of 
 many a merchant captain! Where did he sail 
 before he hoisted the Jolly Eoger! " 
 
 At this Bittern laughed. ^^ He never sailed 
 anj^where, he is no seaman; and if he were not 
 rich enough to pay others to do his navigatin' 
 for him he would have run his vessel upon the 
 first sand-bar on his way from Bridgetown to 
 the sea. But he pays some good mariner to sail 
 his Revenge, and he now pays me. I am, in fact, 
 the captain of his vessel. ' ' 
 
 ^' You mean," cried Blackbeard, '^ that he 
 knows nothing of navigation? " 
 
 ^ ^ Not a whit, ' ' replied the other ; ^ ' he doesn 't 
 know the backstays from the taffrail. It was 
 only yesterday that he thought he was already 
 in the port of Belize, and dressed himself up 
 like a fighting-cock to meet you." 
 
 ^ ' To meet me ? ' ' roared Blackbeard ; ' ^ what 
 does he want to meet me for, and why don't he 
 come and do it instead of sending you! " 
 
 ^' Not he," said Bittern. '' He is a great 
 man, if not a sailor ; he knows what is politeness 
 on shipboard, and as he is the last comer you 
 must be the first caller. He is all dressed up 
 now, hoping that you will row over to the Re- 
 
 183 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 venge as soon as you know that he is its com- 
 mander. ' ' 
 
 The hairy pirate leaned back and laughed in 
 loud exiDlosions. 
 
 " He is a rare man, truly," he exclaimed, 
 ^' this Captain Nightcap of yours '' 
 
 '' Bonnet," interrupted Bittern. 
 
 ^^ Well, one is as good as the other," cried 
 Blackbeard, ^' and he be well clothed if it be 
 of the right colour. And you started out with 
 him to sail his ship, you rascal? That's a piece 
 of impudence almost as great as his own." 
 
 Bittern did not much like this speech, and 
 wanted to explain that since he had served un- 
 der Blackbeard he had commanded vessels him- 
 self, but he restrained himself and told how Sam 
 Loftus had been tumbled overboard for running 
 afoul his captain, and how he had been appointed 
 to his place. 
 
 Now Blackbeard laughed again, with a great 
 pound upon his knee. '^ He is a man after my 
 own heart," he shouted, ^^ be he sailor or no 
 sailor, this nightcap commander of yours. I 
 know I shall love him ! ' ' And springing to his 
 feet and uttering a resounding oath, he swore 
 that he would visit his new brother that after- 
 noon. 
 
 ^^ Now, away with you! " cried Blackbeard, 
 *^ and tell Sir Nightcap " 
 
 ^' Bonnet," interrupted Bittern. 
 
 *^ Well, Bonnet or Cap, it matters not to me. 
 
 184 
 
A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE 
 
 Row straight back to your ship, and let him know 
 that I shall be there and shall expect to be re- 
 ceived with admiral 's honours. ' ' 
 
 Bittern looked somewhat embarrassed. ^ ^ But, 
 captain, ' ' he said, ' ' my men are on their way to 
 the town, and I fear me they will rebel if I tell 
 them they cannot now go there.'' 
 
 In saying this the sailing-master spoke not 
 only for his men, but for himself. He was very 
 anxious to go ashore ; he had business there ; he 
 wanted to see who were in the place, and what 
 was going on before Bonnet should go to the 
 town. 
 
 ^^ What! " cried Blackbeard, putting his 
 head down like a charging bull. '^ I order you 
 to row back to your vessel and take my message ; 
 and if you do it not I will sink you all in a 
 bunch! Into your boat, sir, and waste not an- 
 other minute. If you are not able to command 
 your men, I will keep you here and give them 
 a coxswain who can." 
 
 Without another word. Bittern scuffled over 
 the side, and, his boat being brought up, he 
 dropped into it. 
 
 '^ Now, men," he said, ^^ I have a message 
 from Captain Blackbeard to the Revenge; bend 
 to it as I steer that way." 
 
 ^' Give my pious regards to your Sir Night- 
 cap," shouted Blackbeard. And then, in a still 
 higher tone, he yelled to them that if they dis- 
 obeyed their coxswain and turned their bow 
 13 185 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 shoreward lie would sink them all to the un- 
 sounded depths of Hades. Without a protest the 
 men pulled vigorously towards the Revenge, 
 while Black Paul, considering it a new affront 
 to be called * ' coxswain ' ' when he was in reality 
 captain, earnestly sent Blackbeard to the same 
 regions to which he had just referred. 
 
 186 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 AN ORNAMENTED BEARD 
 
 T was about the middle of tlie 
 afternoon when a large boat, 
 well filled, was seen approach- 
 ~ ing the Revenge from Black- 
 
 beard 's vessel. As soon as it had become known 
 that this chief of all pirates of that day, this 
 Edward Thatch of England, was really coming 
 on board the Revenge, not one word was uttered 
 among the crew on the subject of going ashore, 
 although they had been long at sea. The shore 
 could wait when Blackbeard was coming. Even 
 to look upon this doughty desperado would be 
 an honour and a joy to the brawny scoundrels 
 who made up the crew of the Revenge. 
 
 It might have been supposed that everything 
 upon Captain Bonnet's vessel had been made 
 ready for the expected advent of Blackbeard, 
 but nothing seemed good enough, nothing seemed 
 as effectively placed and arranged as it might 
 have been; and with execrations and commands. 
 Bonnet hurried here and there, making every- 
 
 187 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 thing, if possible, more sliip-shape than it had 
 been before. 
 
 ^ ^ Stay you two in the background, ' ' he said 
 to Ben Greenway and Dickory ; ' ^ you are both 
 landsmen, and you don't count in a ceremony 
 such as this is going to be. Station your men as 
 I told you. Bittern, and man the yards when it 
 is time.'' 
 
 Captain Bonnet, in his brave uniform and 
 wearing a cocked hat with a feather, his hand 
 upon his sword-hilt, stood up tall and stately. 
 When the boat was made fast and the great pi- 
 rate 's head appeared above the rail, six cannon 
 roared a welcome and Bonnet stepped forward, 
 hand extended and hat uplifted. 
 
 The instant Blackbeard's feet touched the 
 deck he drew from their holsters a pair of pis- 
 tols and fired them in the air. 
 
 '^ Now then," he shouted, ^' we are even, sa- 
 lute for salute, for my pistols are more than 
 equal to the cannon of any other man. How 
 goes it with you, Sir Nightcap— Bonnet, I 
 mean? " And with that he clasped the hand 
 reached out to him in a bone-crushing grasp. 
 
 His fingers aching and his brain astonished, 
 Bonnet could not comprehend what sort of a 
 man it was who stood before him. With hair 
 purposely dishevelled; with his hat more 
 slouched than usual ; with his beard divided into 
 tails, each tied with a different-coloured ribbon ; 
 with half a dozen pistols strung across his breast ; 
 
 188 
 
AN ORNAMENTED BEARD 
 
 with other pistols and a knife or two stuck into 
 his belt; with his great sword by his side, and 
 his eyes gleaming brighter than ever and a gen- 
 eral expression, both in face and figure, of an 
 aggressive impudence, Blackbeard stood on his 
 stout legs, clothed in rough red stockings, and 
 gazed about him. But the captain of the Re- 
 venge did not forget his manners. He welcomed 
 Blackbeard with all courtesy and besought him 
 to enter his poor cabin. 
 
 Blackbeard laughed. ^^ Poor cabin, say you? 
 But I'll tell you this one thing, my valiant Cap- 
 tain Cap ; you have not a poor vessel, not a poor 
 vessel, I swear that to you, my brave captain, 
 I swear that! " 
 
 Then, with no attention to Bonnet's invita- 
 tion. Captain Blackbeard strolled about the 
 deck, examining everything, cursing this and 
 praising that, and followed by Captain Bon- 
 net, Black Paul, and a crowd of admiring 
 pirates. 
 
 Ben Greenway bowed his head and groaned. 
 '^ I doubt if Master Bonnet will ever go to the 
 de'il as I feared he would, for now has the de'il 
 come to him. Oh, Dickory, Dickory ! this master 
 o' mine was a worthy mon an' a good ane when 
 I first came to him, an' a' that I hae I owe to 
 him, for I was in sad case, Dickory, very sad 
 case; but now that he has Apollyon for his 
 teacher, he'll cease to know righteousness alto- 
 gither. ' ' 
 
 189 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Dickory was angry and out of spirits. ' ' He 
 is a vile poltroon, this master of yours/' said 
 he, '' consorting with these bloody pirates and 
 leaving his daughter to pine away her days and 
 nights within a little sail of him, while he struts 
 about at the heel of a dirty freebooter dressed 
 like a monkey ! He doesn 't deserve the daughter 
 he possesses. Oh, that 1 could find a ship that 
 would take me back to Jamaica! And I would 
 take you too, Ben Greenway, for it is a foul 
 shame that a good man should spend his days 
 in such vile company.'' 
 
 Ben shook his head. '' I'll stand by Master 
 Bonnet," he said, ^' until the day comes when 
 I shall bid him fareweel at the door o' hell. I 
 can go no farther than that, Dickory, no farther 
 than that ! ' ' 
 
 From forecastle to quarter-deck, from bow- 
 sprit to taffrail, Blackbeard scrutinized the Re- 
 venge. 
 
 ^ ^ What mean you, dog ? " he said to Bittern, 
 Bonnet being at a little distance; ^^ you tell me 
 he is no mariner. This is a brave ship and well 
 appointed. ' ' 
 
 '^ Ay, ay," said the sailing-master, ^^ it has 
 the neatness of his kitchen or his storehouses; 
 but if his cables were coiled on his yard-arms or 
 his anchor hung up to dry upon the main 
 shrouds, he would not know that anything was 
 wrong. It was Big Sam Loftus who fitted out 
 the Revenge, and I myself have kept everything 
 
 190 
 
AN ORNAMENTED BEARD 
 
 in good order and ship-shape ever since I took 
 command. ' ' 
 
 *' Command! '' growled Blackbeard. '' For 
 a charge of powder I would knock in the side 
 of your head for speaking with such disrespect 
 of the brave Sir Nightcap, ' ' 
 
 The supper in the cabin of the Revenge was 
 a better meal than the voracious Blackbeard had 
 partaken of for many a year, if indeed he had 
 ever sat down to such a sumptuous repast. Be- 
 fore him was food and drink fit for a stout and 
 hungry sea-faring man, and there were wines 
 and dainties which would have had fit place upon 
 the table of a gentleman. 
 
 Blackbeard was in high spirits and tossed 
 off cup after cup and glass after glass of the 
 choicest wine and the most fiery spirits. He 
 clapped his well-mannered host upon the back 
 as he shouted some fragment of a wild sea- 
 song. 
 
 ^* And who is this? " he cried, as they rose 
 from the table and he first caught sight of Ben 
 Greenway. '^ Is this your chaplain! He looks 
 as sanctimonious as an empty rum cask. And 
 that baby boy there, what do you keep him for? 
 Are they for sale! I would like to buy the boy 
 and let him keep my accounts. I warrant he has 
 enough arithmetic in his head to divide the prize- 
 moneys among the men.'' 
 
 ^' He is no slave,'' said Bonnet; '' he came 
 to this vessel to bring me a message from my 
 
 191 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 daughter, but he is an ill-bred stripling, and can 
 neither read nor write. '^ 
 
 ^' Then let^s kill him! ^^ cried Blackbeard, 
 and drawing his pistol he sent a bullet about 
 two inches above Dickory's head. 
 
 At this the men who had gathered themselves 
 at every available point set up a cheer. Never 
 before had they beheld such a magnificent and 
 reckless miscreant. 
 
 Dickory did not start or move, but he turned 
 very pale, and then he reddened and his eyes 
 flashed. Blackbeard swore at him a great ap- 
 probative oath. ^' A brave boy! '' he cried, 
 ^' and fit to carry messages if for nothing else. 
 And what is this nonsense about a daughter! '' 
 said he to Bonnet. ^ ^ We abide no such creatures 
 in the ranks of the free companions ; we drown 
 them like kittens before we hoist the Jollv 
 Roger. ' ' 
 
 When Blackbeard 's boat left the ship's side 
 the departing chieftain fired his pistols in the 
 air as long as their charges lasted, while the 
 motley desperadoes of the Eevenge gave him 
 many a parting yell. Then all the boats of the 
 Revenge were lowered, and every man who could 
 crowd into them left their ship for the shore. 
 Black Paul tried to restrain them, for he feared 
 to leave the Revenge too weakly manned, she 
 having such a valuable cargo ; but his orders and 
 shouts were of no avail, and despairing of stop- 
 ping them the sailing-master went with them; 
 
 192 
 
AN ORNAMENTED BEARD 
 
 and as they pulled wildly towards the town the 
 men of one boat shouted to another, and that one 
 to another, ^' Hurrah for our captain, the brave 
 Sir Nightcap ! Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ The dirty Satan! " exclaimed Dickory, as 
 he gazed after Blackbeard's boat. " I would 
 kill him if I could. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Say not so, Dickory, ' ' said Captain Bonnet, 
 speaking gravely. ^^ That great pirate is not a 
 man of breeding, and he speaks with disesteem 
 alike of friend and enemy, but he is the famous 
 Blackbeard, and we must treat him with honour 
 although he pays us none. ' ' 
 
 ^' I had deemed,'' said Greenway calmly, 
 ^ ^ that ye were goin ' to be the maist unholy sin- 
 ner that ever blackened this fair earth; but not 
 only did ye tell a pious lie for the sake o' good 
 Dickory, but, compared wi' that monstrosity, ye 
 are a saint graved in marble. Master Bonnet, a 
 white and shapely saint.'' 
 
 Blackbeard's boat was not rowed to his ves- 
 sel, but his men pulled steadily shoreward. 
 
 With the wild crew of the Revenge, fresh 
 from sea and their appetites whetted for jovial 
 riot, and with Blackbeard, his war-paint on, 
 to lead them into every turbulent excess, there 
 were wild times in the town of Belize that night. 
 
 193 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 I HAVE NO right; I AM A PIRATE 
 
 Po -^ » e #5. - 
 
 has been made plain, Captain 
 Bonnet of the Revenge was a 
 punctilious man when the rules 
 of society were concerned, be that society official, 
 high-toned, or piratical. Thus it was a positive 
 duty, in his mind, to return Blackbeard's visit 
 on the next day, but until afternoon he was not 
 able to do so on account of the difficulty of get- 
 ting a sober and decently behaved boat's crew 
 who should row him over. 
 
 Black Paul, the sailing-master, had returned 
 to his vessel early in the morning, feeling the ne- 
 cessity of keeping watch over the cargo, but most 
 of the men came over much later, while some of 
 them did not come at all. 
 
 Bonnet was greatly inclined to punish with 
 an unwonted severity this breach of rules, but 
 Black Paul assured him that it was always the 
 custom for the crew of a newly arrived vessel 
 to go ashore and have a good time, and that if 
 they were denied this privilege they would be 
 
 194 
 
I AM A PIRATE 
 
 sure to mutiny, and he might be left without any 
 crew at all. Bonnet grumbled and swore, but, as 
 he was aware there were several things concern- 
 ing a nautical life with which he was not famil- 
 iar, he determined to let pass this trespass. 
 
 Dressed in his finest clothes, and even better 
 than the day before, he was followed into the 
 boat by Ben Greenway, who vowed his captain 
 should never travel without his chaplain, who, 
 if his words were considered, would be the most 
 valuable oflScer on the vessel. 
 
 ^' Come, then, Greenway," said Bonnet; 
 ^^ you have troubled me so much on my own 
 vessel that now, perchance, you may be able to 
 do me some service on that of another. Anyway, 
 I should like to have at least one decent person 
 in my train, who, an you come not, will be 
 wholly missing. And Dickory may come too, if 
 he like it. ' ' 
 
 But Dickory did not like it. He hated the 
 big black pirate, and cared not if he should never 
 see him again, so he stayed behind. 
 
 When Bonnet mounted to the deck of Black- 
 beard's vessel he found there a very different 
 pirate captain from the one who had called upon 
 him the day before. There were no tails to the 
 great black beard, there were few pistols visible, 
 and Captain Bonnet's host received him with a 
 certain salt-soaked, sun-browned, haiiy, and 
 brawny hospitality which did not sit badly upon 
 him. There was meat, there was drink, and then 
 
 195 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the two captains and Greenway walked gravely 
 over the vessel, followed by a hundred eyes, and 
 before long by many a coarse and jeering laugh 
 which Bonnet supposed were directed at sturdy 
 Ben Greenway, deeming it quite natural, though 
 improper, that the derision of these rough fel- 
 lows should be excited by the appearance 
 among them of a prim and sedate Scotch Pres- 
 byterian. 
 
 But that crew of miscreants had all heard of 
 the derisive title which had been given to Bon- 
 net, and now they saw without the slightest diffi- 
 culty how little he knew of the various nautical 
 points to which Blackbeard continually called 
 his attention. 
 
 The vessel was dirty, it was ill-appointed; 
 there was an air of reckless disorder which 
 showed itself everywhere; but, apart from his 
 evident distaste for dirt and griminess, the 
 captain of the Revenge seemed to be very well 
 satisfied with everything he saw. When he 
 passed a small gun pointed across the deck, and 
 with a nightcap hung upon a capstan bar thrust 
 into its muzzle, there was such a great laugh that 
 Bonnet looked around to see what the imprudent 
 Greenway might be doing. 
 
 Many were the nautical points to which 
 Blackbeard called his guest's attention and 
 many the questions the grim pirate asked, but in 
 almost all cases of the kind the tall gentleman 
 with the cocked hat replied that he generally 
 
 196 
 
I AM A PIRATE 
 
 left those things to his sailing-master, being so 
 much occupied with matters of more import. 
 
 Although he found no fault and made no 
 criticisms, Bonnet was very much disgusted. 
 Such a disorderly vessel, such an apparently 
 lawless crew, excited his most severe mental 
 strictures; and, although the great Blackbeard 
 was to-day a very well-behaved person, Bonnet 
 could not understand how a famous and success- 
 ful captain should permit his vessel and his crew 
 to get into such an unseamanlike and disgraceful 
 condition. On board the Revenge, as his sailing- 
 master had remarked, there was the neatness of 
 his kitchen and his store-houses ; and, although 
 he did not always know what to do with the 
 nautical appliances which surrounded him, he 
 knew how to make them look in good order. But 
 he made few remarks, favourable or otherwise, 
 and held himself loftier than before, with an air 
 as if he might have been an admiral entire in- 
 stead of resembling one only in clothes, and with 
 ceremonious and even condescending politeness 
 followed his host wherever he was led, above 
 decks or below. 
 
 Ben Greenway had gone with his master 
 about the ship with much of the air of one who 
 accompanies a good friend to the place of execu- 
 tion. Regardless of gibes or insults, whether 
 they were directed at Bonnet or himself, he 
 turned his face neither to the right nor to the 
 left, and apparently regarded nothing that he 
 
 197 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 heard. But while endeavouring to listen as little 
 as possible to what was going on around him, he 
 heard a great deal ; but, strange to say, the rail- 
 ing and scurrility of the pirates did not appear 
 to have a depressing influence upon his mind. 
 In fact, he seemed in. somewhat better spirits 
 than when he came on board. 
 
 ^ ^ Whatever he may do, whatever he may say, 
 an' whatever he may swear," said the Scotch- 
 man to himself, ^* he is no' like ane of these. 
 Try as he may, he canna descend so low into 
 the blackness o' evil as these sons o' perdition. 
 Although he has done evil beyond a poor mor- 
 tal's computation, he walks like a king amang 
 them. Even that Blackbeard, striving to be de- 
 cent for an hour or two, knows a superior when 
 he meets him." 
 
 When they had finished the tour of the vessel, 
 Blackbeard conducted his guest to his own cabin 
 and invited him to be seated bv a little table. 
 Bonnet sat down, placing his high-plumed cocked 
 hat upon the bench beside him. He did not want 
 anything more to eat or to drink, and he was, 
 in fact, quite ready to take his leave. The ves- 
 sel had not pleased him and had given him an 
 idea of the true pirate's life which he had 
 never had before. On the Revenge he mingled 
 little with the crew, scarcely ever below decks, 
 and his own quarters were as neat and com- 
 modious as if they were on a fine vessel carry- 
 ing distinguished passengers. Dirt and dis- 
 
 198. 
 
I AM A PIRATE 
 
 order, if they existed, were at least not visible 
 to him. 
 
 But, although he had no desire ever to make 
 another visit to the ship of the great Blackbeard, 
 he would remember his position and be polite 
 and considerate now that he was here. More- 
 over, the savage desperado of the day before"' 
 dressed like a monkey and howling like an In- 
 dian, seemed now to be endeavouring to soften 
 himself a little and to lay aside some of his sav- 
 age eccentricities in honour of the captain of that 
 fine ship, the Revenge. So, clothed in a calm 
 dignity. Bonnet waited to hear what his host had 
 further to say. 
 
 Blackbeard seated himself on the other side 
 of the table, on which he rested his massive arms. 
 Behind him Ben Greenway stood in the door- 
 way. For a few moments Blackbeard sat and 
 gazed at Bonnet, and then he said; '^ Look ye, 
 Stede Bonnet, do you know you are now as 
 much out of place as a red herring would be at 
 the top of the mainmast! '^ 
 
 Bonnet flushed. ^^ I fear, Captain Black- 
 beard, ' ^ he said, ' ' I very much fear me that you 
 are right; this is no place for me. I have paid 
 my respects to you, and now, if you please, I will 
 take my leave. I have not been gratified by the 
 conduct of your crew, but I did not expect that 
 their captain would address me in such discour- 
 teous words. ' ' And with this he reached out his 
 hand for his hat. 
 
 199 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Blackbeard brought down his hand heavily 
 upon the table. 
 
 " Sit where you are! ^' he exclaimed. " I 
 have that to say to you which you shall hear 
 whether you like my vessel, my crew, or me. 
 You are no sailor, Stede Bonnet of Bridgetown, 
 ^nd you don't belong to the free companions, 
 who are all good men and true and can sail the 
 ships they command. You are a defrauder and 
 a cheat; you are nothing but a landsman, a 
 plough-tail sugar-planter! '^ 
 
 At this insult Bonnet rose to his feet and his 
 hand went to his sword. 
 
 '^ Sit down! " roared Blackbeard; '' an you 
 do not listen to me, I'll cut off this parley and 
 your head together. Sit down, sir." 
 
 Bonnet sat down, pale now and trembling 
 with rage. He was not a coward, but on board 
 this ship he must give heed to the words of the 
 desperado who commanded it. 
 
 ^ ^ You have no right, ' ' continued Blackbeard, 
 *^ to strut about on the quarter-deck of that fine 
 vessel, the Revenge; you have no right to hoist 
 above you the Jolly Roger, and you have no 
 right to lie right and left and tell people you 
 are a pirate. A pirate, forsooth! you are no 
 pirate. A pirate is a sailor, and you are no 
 sailor ! You are no better than a blind man led 
 by a dog: if the dog breaks away from him he 
 is lost, and if the sailing-masters you pick up 
 one after another break away from you, you are 
 
 200 
 
I AM A PIRATE 
 
 lost. It is a cursed shame, Stede Bonnet, and 
 it shall be no longer. At this moment, by my 
 own right and for the sake of every man who 
 sails under the Jolly Roger, I take away from 
 you the command of the Revenge. '^ 
 
 Now Bonnet could not refrain from springing 
 to his feet. ' ' Take from me the Revenge ! " he 
 cried, *' my own vessel, bought with my own 
 money! And how say you I am not a pirate? 
 From Massachusetts down the coast into these 
 very waters I have preyed upon commerce, I 
 have taken prizes, I have burned ships, I have 
 made my name a terror. ' ' 
 
 Now his voice grew stronger and his tones 
 more angry. 
 
 ^' Not a pirate! '' he cried. ^^ Go ask the 
 galleons and the merchantmen I have stripped 
 and burned; go ask their crews, now wander- 
 ing in misery upon desert shores, if they be not 
 already dead. And by what right, I ask, do 
 3^ou come to such an one as I am and declare 
 that, having put me in the position of a 
 prisoner on your ship, you will take away my 
 own? '' 
 
 Blackbeard gazed at him with half-closed 
 eyes, a malicious smile upon his face. 
 
 ^^ I have no right,'' he said; ^' I need no 
 right; I am a pirate! '' 
 
 At these words Bonnet's legs weakened under 
 him, and he sank down upon the bench. As he 
 did so he glanced at Ben Greenway as if he were 
 14 201 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the only person on earth to whom he could look 
 for help, but to his amazement he saw before 
 him a face almost jubilant, and beheld the 
 Scotchman, his eyes uplifted and his hands 
 clasped as if in thankful prayer. 
 
 202 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 HEN the boat of the Revenge 
 was pulled back to that vessel 
 Bonnet did not go in it; it 
 was Blackbeard who sat in the stern and held 
 the tiller, while one of his own men sat by him. 
 When Blackbeard stepped on deck he an- 
 nounced, much to the delight of the crew and 
 the consternation of Paul Bittern, that the Re- 
 venge now belonged to him, and that all the 
 crew who were fit to be kept on board such a 
 fine vessel would be retained, and that he him- 
 self, for the present at least, would take com- 
 mand of the ship, would haul down that brand- 
 new bit of woman's work at the masthead and 
 fly in its place his own black, ragged Jolly Roger, 
 dreaded wherever seen upon the sea. At this 
 a shout went up from the crew; the heart of 
 every scoundrel among them swelled with joy at 
 the idea of sailing, fighting, and pillaging under 
 the bloody Blackbeard. 
 
 But the sailing-master stood aghast. He had 
 
 203 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 known very well what was going to happen ; he 
 had talked it all over in the town with Black- 
 beard ; he had drunk in fiery brandy to the suc- 
 cess of the scheme, and he had believed without 
 a doubt that he was to command the Revenge 
 when Bonnet should be deposed. And now 
 where was he ! Where did he stand ! 
 
 Trembling a little, he approached Blackbeard. 
 * ^ And as for me, ' ' he asked ; ' ' am I to command 
 your old vessel! '' 
 
 ^ * You ! ' ' roared Blackbeard, making as if he 
 would jump upon him ; ^ ^ you ! You may fall to 
 and bend your back with the others in the fore- 
 castle, or you can jump overboard if you like. 
 My quarter-master, Richards, now commands my 
 old vessel. Presently I shall go over and settle 
 things on that bark, but first I shall step down 
 into the cabin and see what rare good things Sir 
 Nightcap, the sugar-planter, has prepared for 
 
 me." 
 
 With this he went below, followed by the man 
 he had brought with him. 
 
 It was Dickory, half dazed by what he had 
 heard, who now stepped up to Paul Bittern. The 
 latter, his countenance blacker than it had ever 
 been before, first scowled at him, but in a mo- 
 ment the ferocity left his glance. 
 
 ^ ^ Oho ! " he said, ^ ' here 's a pretty pickle for 
 me and you, as well as for Bonnet and the Scotch- 
 man! " 
 
 *^ Do you suppose," exclaimed Dickory, 
 
 204 
 
THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 '* that what he says is true? That he has 
 stolen this ship from Captain Bonnet, and that 
 he has taken it for his own? '' 
 
 ' ' Suppose ! ' ' sneered the other, ' ' I know it. 
 lie has stolen from me as well as from Bonnet. 
 I should have commanded this ship, and I had 
 made all my plans to do it when I got here. ' ' 
 
 ' ^ Then you are as great a rascal, ' ' said Dick- 
 ory, ^ ' as that vile pirate down below. ' ' 
 
 ' ^ Just as great, ' ' said Bittern, ' ' the only dif- 
 ference being that he has won everything while 
 I have lost everything. ' ' 
 
 " What are we to do? " asked Dickory. *^ I 
 cannot stay here, and I am sure you will not 
 want to. Now, while he is below, can we not 
 slip overboard and swim ashore? I am sure I 
 could do if 
 
 Black Paul grinned grimly. " But where 
 should we swim to? '^ he said. '^ On the coast 
 of Honduras there is no safetv for a man who 
 flees from Blackbeard. But keep your tongue 
 close ; he is coming. ' ' 
 
 The moment Blackbeard put his foot upon 
 the deck he began to roar out his general orders. 
 
 * ^ I go over to the bark, ' ' he said, ^ ' and shall 
 put my mate here in charge of her. After that 
 I go to my own vessel, and when I have settled 
 matters there I will return to this fine ship, where 
 I shall strut about the quarter-deck and live like 
 a prince at sea. Now look ye, youngster, what 
 is your name? " 
 
 205 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ** Charter," replied Dickory grimly. 
 
 ** AVell then, Charter," the pirate continued, 
 * ' I shall leave you in charge of this vessel until 
 I come back, which will be before dark." 
 
 * ^ Me ! ' ' exclaimed Dickory in amazement. 
 
 ^^ Yes, you," said the pirate. ^^ I am sure 
 you don't know anything about a ship any more 
 than your master did, but he got on very well, 
 and so may you. And now, remember, your head 
 shall pay for it if everything is not the same 
 when I come back as it is now. ' ' 
 
 Thereupon this man of piratical business was 
 rowed to the bark, quite satisfied that he left 
 behind him no one who would have the power 
 to tamper with his interests. He knew the crew, 
 having bound most of them to him on the preced- 
 ing night, and he trusted every one of them to 
 obey the man he had set over them and no other. 
 As Dickory would have no orders to give, there 
 would be no need of obedience, and Black Paul 
 would have no chance to interfere with anything. 
 
 When Bonnet had been left by Blackbeard— 
 who, having said all he had to say, hurried up 
 the companion-way to attend to the rest of his 
 plans— the stately naval officer who had so re- 
 cently occupied the bench by the table shrunk 
 into a frightened farmer, gazing blankly at Ben 
 Greenway. 
 
 ^' Think you, Ben," he said in half a voice, 
 '* that this is one of that man's jokes? I have 
 
 206 
 
THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 heard that he has a fearful taste for horrid 
 jokes. '^ 
 
 The Scotchman shook his head. ^' Joke! 
 Master Bonnet, '^ he exclaimed, " it is no joke. 
 He has ta^en your ship from ye; he has ta'en 
 from ye your sword, your pistols, an ' your wick- 
 ed black flag, an ^ he has made evil impossible to 
 ye. He has ta'en from ye the shame an^ the 
 wretched wickedness o ' bein ' a pirate. Think o ' 
 that. Master Bonnet, ye are no longer a pirate. 
 That most devilish o' all demons has presarved 
 the rest o' your life from the dishonour an' the 
 infamy which ye were labourin ' to heap upon it. 
 Ye are a poor mon now. Master Bonnet; that 
 Beelzebub will strip from ye everything ye had, 
 all your riches shall be his. Ye can no longer 
 afford to be a pirate; ye will be compelled to 
 be an honest mon. An' I tell ye that my soul 
 lif teth itsel ' in thanksgivin ' an ' my heart is hap- 
 pier than it has been since that fearsome day 
 when ye went on board your vessel at Bridge- 
 town.'' 
 
 ** Ben," said Bonnet, ^Mt is hard and it is 
 cruel, that in this, the time of my great trouble, 
 you turn upon me. I have been robbed; I have 
 been ruined; my life is of no more use to me, 
 and you, Ben Greenway, revile me while that I 
 am prostrate." 
 
 *^ Revile! " said the Scotchman. ^^ I glory, 
 I rejoice! Ye hae been converted, ye hae been 
 changed, ye hae been snatched from the jaws o' 
 
 207 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 hell. Moreover, Master Bonnet, my soul was re- 
 joiced even before that master de'il came to set 
 ye free from your toils. To look upon ye an' 
 see that, although ye called yourseP a pirate, 
 ye were no like ane o' these black-hearted cut- 
 throats. Ye were never as wicked. Master Bon- 
 net, as ye said ye were! '' 
 
 ^^ You are mistaken, '^ groaned Bonnet; ^^ I 
 tell you, Ben Greenway, you are mistaken ; I am 
 just as wicked as I ever was. And I was very 
 wicked, as you should admit, knowing what I 
 have done. Oh, Ben, Ben! Is it true that I 
 shall never go on board my good ship again 1 ' ' 
 
 And with this he spread his arms upon the 
 table and laid his head upon them. He felt as 
 if his career was ended and his heart broken. 
 Ben Greenway said no more to comfort him, but 
 at that moment he himself was the happiest man 
 on the Caribbean Sea. He seated himself in the 
 little dirty cabin, and his soul saw visions. He 
 saw his master, deprived of all his belongings, 
 and with them of every taint of piracy, and put 
 on shore, accompanied, of course, by his faithful 
 servant. He saw a ship sail, perhaps soon, per- 
 haps later, for Jamaica; he saw the blithe Mis- 
 tress Kate, her soul no longer sorrowing for an 
 erring father, come on board that vessel and sail 
 with him for good old Bridgetown. He saw 
 everything explained, everything forgotten. He 
 saw before the dear old family a life of happiness 
 —perhaps he saw the funeral of Madam Bonnet 
 
 208 
 
THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 —and, better than all, he saw the pirate dead, the 
 good man revived again. 
 
 To be sure, he did not see Dickory Charter 
 returning to his old home with his mother, for 
 he could not know what Blackbeard was going 
 to do with that young fellow; but as Dickory 
 had thought of him when he had escaped with 
 Kate from the Eevenge, so thought he now of 
 Dickory. There were so many other important 
 things which bore upon the situation that he was 
 not able even to consider the young fellow. 
 
 It did not take very long for a man of prac- 
 tical devilishness, such as Blackbeard was, to 
 finish the business which had called him away, 
 and he soon reappeared in the cabin. 
 
 '' Ho there! good Sir Nightcap— an I may 
 freely call you that since now I own you, uni- 
 form, cocked hat, title, and everything else— 
 don't cry yourself to sleep like a baby when its 
 toys are taken away from it, but wake up. I 
 have a bit of liking for you, and I believe that 
 that is because you are clean. Not having that 
 virtue myself, I admire it the more in others, 
 and I thank you from my inmost soul— wherever 
 that may be— for having provided such comely 
 quarters and such fair accommodations for me 
 while I shall please to sail the Revenge. But I 
 shall not condemn you to idleness and cankering 
 thoughts, my bold blusterer, my terror of the 
 sea, my harrier of the coast, my flaunter of the 
 
 Jolly Roger washed clean in the tub with soap ; 
 
 209 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 I shall give yon work to do which shall better 
 suit you than the troublesome trade youVe been 
 trying to learn. You write well and read, I know 
 that, my good Sir Nightcap ; and, moreover, you 
 are a fair hand at figures. I have great work 
 before me in landing and selling the fine cargoes 
 you have brought me, and in counting and di- 
 viding the treasure you have locked in your iron- 
 bound chests. And you shall attend to all that, 
 my reformed cutthroat, my regenerated sea- 
 robber. You shall have a room of vour own, 
 where you can take otf that brave uniform and 
 where you can do your work and keep your 
 accounts and so shall be happier than you ever 
 were before, feeling that you are in your right 
 place. ' ' 
 
 To all this Stede Bonnet did not answer a 
 word ; he did not even raise his head. 
 
 '' And now for you, my chajDlain, " said 
 Blackbeard, suddenly turning toward Ben Green- 
 way, ' ^ what would you like ? Would it suit you 
 better to go overboard or to conduct prayers for 
 my pious crew 1 ' ' 
 
 ^^ I would stay wi' my master,'' said the 
 Scotchman quietly. 
 
 The pirate looked steadily at Greenway. 
 ^ ' Oho ! ' ' said he, ' ' you are a sturdy fellow*, and 
 have a mind to speak from. Being so stiff your- 
 self, you may be able to stiffen a little this rag 
 of a master of yours and help him to understand 
 the work he has to do, which he will bravely do, 
 
 210 
 
THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 I ween, wlien lie finds that to be my clerk is his 
 career. Ha! ha! Sir Nightcap, the pirate of 
 the pen and ink ! " 
 
 Deeply sunk these words into Stede Bonnet's 
 heart, but he made no sign. 
 
 When Blackbeard went back to the Revenge 
 he took with him all of his own effects which he 
 cared for, and he also took the ex-pirate's uni- 
 form, cocked hat, and sword. ' ' I may have use 
 for them," he said, ^' and my clerk can wear 
 common clothes like common people." 
 
 When her new commander reached the Re- 
 venge, Dickory immediately approached him and 
 earnestly besought him that he might be sent to 
 join Captain Bonnet and Ben Greenway. ' ' They 
 are my friends, ' ' said Dickory, ^ ' and I have none 
 here, and I have brought a message to Captain 
 Bonnet from his daughter, and it is urgently 
 necessary that I return with one from him to her. 
 I must instantly endeavour to find a ship which 
 is bound for Jamaica and sail upon her. I have 
 nothing to do with this ship, having come on 
 board of her simply to carry my message, and it 
 behooves me that I return quickly to those who 
 sent me, else injury may come of it. ' ' 
 
 ^^ I like your speech, my boy, I like your 
 speech! " cried Blackbeard, and he roared out 
 a big laugh. *^ ^ Urgently necessary ' you must 
 do this, you must do that. It is so long since 
 I have heard such words that they come to me 
 like wine from a cool vault." 
 
 211 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 At this Dickory flushed hot, but he shut his 
 mouth. 
 
 ^ ' You are a brave fellow, ' ' cried Blackbeard, 
 ' ' and above the common, you are above the com- 
 mon. There is that in your eye that could never 
 be seen in the eye of a sugar-planter. You will 
 make a good pirate.'' 
 
 * * Pirate ! ' ' cried Dickory, losing all sense of 
 prudence. ^^ I would sooner be a wild beast in 
 the forest than to be a pirate ! ' ' 
 
 Blackbeard laughed loudly. ^^ A good fel- 
 low, a brave fellow ! ' ' he cried. ' ' No man who 
 has not the soul of a pirate within him could 
 stand on his legs and speak those words to me. 
 Sail to Jamaica to carry messages to girls? 
 Never! You shall stay with me, you shall be a 
 pirate. You shall be the head of all the pirates 
 when I give up the business and take to sugar- 
 planting. Ha ! ha ! When I take to sugar-plant- 
 ing and merrily make my own good rum ! ' ' 
 
 Dickory was dismayed. ^^ But, Captain 
 Blackbeard, ' ' he said, with more deference than 
 before, ^ ^ I cannot. ' ' 
 
 *' Cannot! " shouted the pirate, *^ you lie, 
 you can. Say not cannot to me ; you can do any- 
 thing I tell you, and do it you shall. And now 
 I am going to put you in your place, and see that 
 you hold it and fill it. An if you please me not, 
 you carry no more messages in this world, nor 
 receive them. Charter, I now make you the first 
 officer of the Revenge under me. You cannot 
 
 212 
 
THE NEW FIRST LIEUTENANT 
 
 be mate because you know nothing of sailing a 
 ship, and besides no mate nor any quarter-master 
 is worthy to array himself as I shall array you. 
 I make you first lieutenant, and you shall wear 
 the uniform and the cocked hat which Sir Night- 
 cap hath no further use for/' 
 
 With that he went forward to speak to some 
 of the men, leaving Dickory standing speechless, 
 with the expression of an infuriated idiot. Black 
 Paul stepped up to him. 
 
 ^' How now, youngster,'' said the ex-sailing- 
 master, '^ first officer, eh? If you look sharp, 
 YOU may find yourself in fine feather. ' ' 
 
 ^' No, I will not," answered Dickory. *^ I 
 will have nothing to do with this black pirate; 
 I will not serve under him, I will not take charge 
 of anything for him. I am ashamed to talk with 
 him, to be on the same ship with him. I serve 
 good people, the best and noblest in the world, 
 and I will not enter any service under him. ' ' 
 
 *^ Hold ve, hold ve! " said Black Paul, '^ vou 
 will not serve the good people you speak of by 
 going overboard with a bullet in your head; 
 think of that, youngster. It is a poor way of 
 helping your friends by quitting the world and 
 leaving them in the lurch." 
 
 At this moment Blackbeard returned, and 
 when he saw Bittern he roared at him : ' ' Out of 
 that, you sea-cat, and if I see you again speak- 
 ing to my lieutenant, I '11 slash your ears for you. 
 In the next boat which leaves this ship I shall 
 
 213 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 send you to one of tlie others; I will have no 
 sneaking schemer on board the Revenge. Get 
 ye for 'ad, get ye for 'ad, or I shall help ye with 
 my cutlass ! ' ' 
 
 And the man who had safely brought two 
 good ships, richly laden, into the harbour of 
 Belize, and who had given Blackbeard the in- 
 formation which made him understand the 
 character of Captain Bonnet and how easy it 
 would be to take possession of his person and 
 his vessels, and who had done everything in his 
 power to enable the black-hearted pirate to se- 
 cure to himself Bonnet's property and crews, 
 and who had only asked in return an actual com- 
 mand where before he had commanded in fact 
 though not in name, fled away from the false 
 confederate to whom he had just given wealth 
 and increased prestige. 
 
 The last words of the unfortunate Bittern 
 sunk quickly and deeply into the heart of Dick- 
 ory. If he should really go overboard with a 
 bullet in his brain, farewell to Kate Bonnet, fare- 
 well to his mother! He was yet a very young 
 man, and it had been but a little while since he 
 had been wandering barefooted over the ships 
 at Bridgetown, selling the fruit of his mother's ' 
 little farm. Since that he had loved and lived 
 so long that he could not calculate the period, 
 and now he was a man and stood trembling at 
 the point where he was to decide to begin life 
 as a pirate or end everything. Before Black- 
 
 214 
 
THE NEW FIEST LIEUTENANT 
 
 beard had turned his lowering visage from his 
 retreating benefactor, Dickory had decided that, 
 whatever might happen, he would not of his own 
 free-will leave life and fair Kate Bonnet. 
 
 '' And so you are to be my first lieutenant,'' 
 said Blackbeard, his face relaxing. ^ ' I am glad 
 of that. There was nothing needed on this ship 
 but a decent man. I have put one on my old 
 vessel, and if there were another to be found in 
 the Gulf of Honduras, I'd clap him on that good- 
 ly bark. Now, sir, down to your berth, and don 
 your naval finery. You're alwavs to wear it; 
 you 're not fit to wear the clothes of a real sailor, 
 and I have no landsman 's toggery on this ship. ' ' 
 
 Dickory bowed— he could not speak— and 
 went below. When next he appeared on deck 
 he wore the ex-Captain Bonnet's uniform and 
 the tall plumed hat. 
 
 ^^ It is for Kate's sweet sake," he said to 
 himself as he mounted the companion-way ; ' ^ for 
 her sake I'd wear anything, I'd do anything, if 
 only I may see her again. ' ' 
 
 When the new first lieutenant showed himself 
 upon the quarter-deck there was a general howl 
 from the crew, and peal after j)eal of derisive 
 laughter rent the air. 
 
 Then Blackbeard stepped quietly forward 
 and ordered eight of the jeerers to be strung up 
 and flogged. 
 
 ^^ I would like you all to remember," said 
 the master pirate, ^ ' that w^ien I appoint an offi- 
 
 215 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 cer on tins ship, tliere is to be no sneering at him 
 nor any want of respect, and it strikes me that 
 I shall not have to say anything more on the sub- 
 ject—to this precious crew, at any rate.'' 
 
 The next day lively times began on board the 
 two rich prizes which the pirate Blackbeard had 
 lately taken. There had been scarcely more hard 
 work and excitement, cursing and swearing when 
 the rich freight had been taken from the mer- 
 chantmen which had originally carried it. Poor 
 Bonnet's pen worked hard at lists and calcula- 
 tions, for Blackbeard was a practical man, and 
 not disposed to loose and liberal dealings with 
 either his men or the tradefolk ashore. 
 
 At times the troubled and harassed mind of 
 the former captain of the Eevenge would have 
 given way under the strain had not Ben Green- 
 way stayed bravely by him; who, although a 
 slow accountant, was sure, and a great help to 
 one who, in these times of hurry and flurry, was 
 extremely rapid and equally uncertain. Black- 
 beard was everywhere, anxious to complete the 
 unloading and disposal of his goods before the 
 weather changed ; but, wherever he went, he re- 
 membered that upon the quarter-deck of his fine 
 new ship, the Revenge, there was one who, know- 
 ing nothing of nautical matters, was above all 
 suspicion of nautical interferences, and who, 
 although having no authority, represented the 
 most powerful nautical commander in all those 
 seas. 
 
 216 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 ONE NORTH, ONE SOUTH 
 
 F our dear Kate Bonnet had 
 really imagined, in her inex- 
 perienced mind, that it would 
 be a matter of days, and perhaps weeks, to pro- 
 cure a vessel in which she, with her uncle and 
 good Dame Charter, could sail forth to save her 
 father, she was wonderfully mistaken. Not a 
 free-footed vessel of anv class came into the har- 
 hour of Kingston. Sloops and barks and ships 
 in general arrived and departed, but they were 
 all bound by one contract or another, and were 
 not free to sail away, here and there, for a short 
 time or a long time, at the word of a maiden's 
 will. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine was a rich man, but he was a 
 prudent one, and he had not the money to waste 
 in wild rewards, even if there had been an oppor- 
 tunity for him to offer them. Kate was discon- 
 certed, disappointed, and greatly cast down. 
 
 The vengeful Badger was scouring the seas 
 15 . 217 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 in search of her father, commissioned to destroy 
 him, and eager in his hot passion to do it; and 
 here was she, with a respite for that father, if 
 only she were able to carry it. 
 
 Day after day Kate waited for notice of a 
 craft, not only one which might bring Dickory 
 back but one which might carry her away. 
 
 The optimism of Dame Charter would not 
 now bear her up, the load which had been put 
 upon it was too big. Everything about her was 
 melancholy and depressed, and Dickory had not 
 come back. So many things had happened since 
 he went away, and so many days had passed, 
 and she had entirely exhausted her plentiful 
 stock of very good reasons why her son had not 
 been able to return to her. 
 
 The Governor was very kind; frequently he 
 came to the Delaplaine mansion, and always he 
 brought assurances that, although he had not 
 heard anything from Captain Vince, there was 
 every reason to suppose that before long he 
 would find some way to send him his commands 
 that Captain Bonnet should not be injured, but 
 should be brought back safely to Jamaica. 
 
 And then Kate would say, with tears in her 
 eyes: ^^ But, your Excellency, we cannot wait 
 for that; we must go, we must deliver ourselves 
 your message to the captain of the Badger. Who 
 else will do it 1 And we cannot trust to chance ; 
 while we are trusting and hoping, my father may 
 die.'' 
 
 218 
 
ONE NORTH, ONE SOUTH 
 
 At such moments Mr. Delaplaine would some- 
 times say in his heart, not daring to breathe such 
 thoughts aloud, ' ' And what could be better than 
 that he should die and be done with it! He is 
 a thorn in the side of the young, the good, and 
 the beautiful, and as long as he lives that thorn 
 will rankle. ' ' 
 
 Moreover, not only did the good merchant 
 harbour such a wicked thought, but Dame Char- 
 ter thought something of the very same kind, 
 though differently expressed. If he had never 
 been born, she would say to herself, how much 
 better it would have been ; but then the thought 
 would come crowding in, how bad that would 
 have been for Dickory and for the plans she was 
 making for him. 
 
 In the midst of all this uncertainty, this anx- 
 iety, this foreboding, almost this des^oair, there 
 came a sunburst which lighted up the souls of 
 these three good people, which made their eyes 
 sparkle and their hearts swell with thankfulness. 
 This happiness came in the shape of a letter from 
 Martin Newcombe. 
 
 The letter was a long one and told many 
 things. The first part of it Kate read to herself 
 and kept to herself, for in burning words it as- 
 sured her that he loved her and would always 
 love her, and that no misfortune of her own nor 
 wrongdoings of others could prevent him from 
 offering her his most ardent and unchangeable 
 affection. Moreover, he begged and imjolored 
 
 219 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 her to accept that affection, to accept it now that 
 it might belong to her forever. Happiness, he 
 said, seemed opening before her; he implored 
 her to allow him to share that happiness with 
 her. The rest of the letter was read most jubi- 
 lantly aloud. It told of news which had come 
 to Newcombe from Honduras Gulf: great news, 
 wonderful news, which would make the heart 
 sing. Major Bonnet was at Belize. He had 
 given up all connection with piracy and was now 
 engaged in mercantile pursuits. This was posi- 
 tively true, for the person who had sent the news 
 to Bridgetown had seen Major Bonnet and had 
 talked to him, and had been informed by him 
 that he had given up his ship and was now an 
 accountant and commission agent doing business 
 at that place. 
 
 The sender of this great news also stated 
 that Ben Greenway was with Major Bonnet, 
 working as his assistant— and here Dame Char- 
 ter sat open-mouthed and her heart nearly 
 stopped beating— young Dickory Charter had 
 also been in the port and had gone away, but 
 was expected ere long to return. 
 
 Kate stood on her tip-toes and waved the let- 
 ter over her head. 
 
 ^^ To Belize, my dear uncle, to Belize! If 
 we cannot get there any other way we must go 
 in a boat with oars. We must fly, we must not 
 wait. Perhaps he is seeking in disguise to es- 
 cape the vengeance of the wicked Vince ; but that 
 
 220 
 
ONE NORTH, ONE SOUTH 
 
 matters not ; we know where he is ; we must fly, 
 uncle, we must fly! '^ 
 
 The opportunities for figurative flying were 
 not wanting. There were no vessels in the port 
 which might be engaged for an indeterminate 
 voyage in pursuit of a British man-of-war, but 
 there was a goodly sloop about to sail in ballast 
 for Belize. Before sunset three passages were 
 engaged upon this sloop. 
 
 Kate sat long into the night, her letter in her 
 hand. Here was a lover who loved her ; a lover 
 who had just sent to her not only love, but life ; 
 a lover who had no intention of leaving her be- 
 cause of her overshadowing sorrow, but who had 
 lifted that sorrow and had come to her again. 
 Ay more, she knew that if the sorrow had not 
 been lifted he would have come to her again. 
 
 The Governor of Jamaica was a man of 
 hearty sympathies, and these worked so strongly 
 in him that when Kate and her uncle came to 
 bring him the good news, he kissed her and 
 vowed that he had not heard anything so cheer- 
 ing for many a year. 
 
 *' I have been greatly afraid of that Vince,'^ 
 he said. ' ' Although I did not mention it, I have 
 been greatly afraid of him ; he is a terrible fellow 
 when he is crossed, and so hot-headed that it is 
 easy to cross him. There were so many chances 
 of his catching your father and so few chances of 
 my orders catching him. But it is all right now ; 
 you will be able to reach your father before 
 
 221 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Vince can possibly get to him, even should he 
 be able to do him injury in his present posi- 
 tion. Your father, my dear, must have been as 
 mad as a March hare to embark upon a career 
 of a pirate when all the time his heart was really 
 turned to ways of peace, to planting, to mercan- 
 tile pursuits, to domestic joys/' 
 
 Here, now, was to be a voyage of conquest. 
 No matter what his plans were ; no matter what 
 he said; no matter what he might lose, or how 
 he might suffer by being taken into captivity 
 and being carried away. Major Stede Bonnet, 
 late of Bridgetown and still later connected with 
 some erratic voyages upon the high seas, was to 
 be taken prisoner by his daughter and carried 
 away to Spanish Town, where the actions of his 
 disordered mind were to be condoned and where 
 he would be safe from all vengeful Vinces and 
 from all temptations of the flaunting skull and 
 bones. 
 
 It was a bright morning when, with a fair 
 wind upon her starboard bow, the sloop Belinda, 
 bearing the jubilant three, sailed southward on 
 her course to the coast of Honduras ; and it was 
 upon that same morning that the good ship Re- 
 venge, bearing the pirate Blackbeard and his 
 handsomely uniformed lieutenant, sailed north- 
 ward, the same fair wind upon her port bow. 
 
 222 
 
 / 
 
 % 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 A PROJECTED MARRIAGE 
 
 TRANGE as it may appear, 
 Dickory Charter was not a 
 very unhappy young fellow 
 as he stood in his fine uniform on the quarter- 
 deck of the Revenge, the fresh breeze ruffling his 
 brown curls when he lifted his heavy cocked hat. 
 True, he was leaving behind him his friends, 
 Captain Bonnet and Ben Greenway, with whom 
 the wayward Blackbeard would allow no word 
 of leave-taking; true, he was going, he knew 
 not where, and in the power of a man noted the 
 new world over for his savage eccentricities ; 
 and true, he might soon be sailing, hour by hour, 
 farther and farther away from the island on 
 which dwelt the angel Kate— that angel Kate and 
 his mother. But none of these considerations 
 could keep down the glad feeling that he was 
 going, that he was moving. Moreover, in answer 
 to one of his impassioned appeals to be set ashore 
 at Jamaica, Blackbeard had said to him that if 
 he should get tired of him he did not see, at that 
 
 223 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 moment, any reason why he should not put him 
 on board some convenient vessel and have him 
 landed at Kingston. 
 
 Dickory did not believe very much in the 
 black-bearded pirate, with his wild tricks and in- 
 human high spirits, but Jamaica lay to the east, 
 and he was going eastward. 
 
 Incited, perhaps, by the possession of a fine 
 ship, manned by a crew picked from his old ves- 
 sel and from the men who had formed the crew 
 of the Revenge, Blackbeard was in better spirits 
 than was his wont, and so far as his nature would 
 allow he treated Dickory with fair good-humour. 
 But no matter what happened, his unrestrained 
 imagination never failed him. Having taken the 
 fancy to see Dickory always in full uniform, he 
 allowed him to assume no other clothes ; he was 
 always in naval full-dress and cocked hat, and 
 his duties were those of a private secretary. 
 
 ^' The only shrewd thing I ever knew your 
 Sir Nightcap to do," he said, '' was to tell me 
 you could not read nor write. He spoke so glibly 
 that I believed him. Had it not been so I should 
 have sent you to the town to help with the shore 
 end of my affairs, and then you would have been 
 there still and I should have had no admiral to 
 write my log and straighten my accounts." 
 
 Sometimes, in his quieter moods, when there 
 was no provocation to send pistol-balls between 
 two sailors quietly conversing, or to perform 
 some other demoniac trick, Blackbeard would 
 
 224 
 
A PROJECTED MARRIAGE 
 
 talk to Dickory and ask all manner of questions, 
 some of which the young man answered, while 
 some he tried not to answer. Thus it was 
 that the pirate found out a great deal more 
 about Dickory 's life, hope, and sorrows than the 
 young fellow imagined that he made known. He 
 discovered that Dickory was greatly interested 
 in Bonnet's daughter, and wished above all other 
 things in this world to get to her and to be with 
 her. 
 
 This was a little out of the common run of 
 things among the brotherhood ; it was their fash- 
 ion to forget, so far as they were able, the family 
 ties which already belonged to them, and to make 
 no plans for any future ties of that sort which 
 they might be able to make. Such a thing amused 
 the generally rampant Blackbeard, but if this 
 Dickory boy whom they had on board really did 
 wish to marrv some one, the idea came into the 
 crafty mind of Blackbeard that he would like to 
 attend to that marrying himself. It pleased 
 him to have a finger in every pie, and now here 
 was a pie in the fingering of which he might 
 take a novel interest. 
 
 This renowned desperado, this bloody cut- 
 throat, this merciless pirate possessed a home— 
 a quiet little English home on the Cornwall coast, 
 where the cheerful woods and fields stretched 
 down almost in reach of the sullen sea. Here 
 dwelt his wife, quiet Mistress Thatch, and here 
 his brawny daughter. Seldom a word came to 
 
 225 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 this rural home from the father, burning and 
 robbing, sinking and slaying out upon the west- 
 ern seas. But from the stores of pelf which so 
 often slipped so easily into his great arms, and 
 which so often slipped just as easily out of them, 
 came now and then something to help the brawn 
 grow upon his daughter's bones and to ease the 
 labours of his wife. 
 
 Eliza Thatch bore no resemblance to a houl'i ; 
 her hair was red, her face was freckled ; she had 
 enough teeth left to do good eating with when 
 she had a chance, and her step shook the timbers 
 of her little home. 
 
 Her father had heard from her a little while 
 ago by a letter she had had conveyed to Belize. 
 His parental feelings, notwithstanding he had 
 told Bonnet he knew no such sentiments, were 
 stirred. When he had finished her letter he 
 would have been well pleased to burn a vessel 
 and make a dozen passengers walk the plank 
 as a memorial to his girl. But this not being 
 convenient, it had come to him that he would 
 marry the wench to the gaily bedecked young- 
 fellow he had captured, and it filled his reckless 
 heart with a wild delight. He drew his cutlass, 
 and with a great oath he drove the heavy blade 
 into the top of the table, and he swore by this 
 mark that his grand plan should be carried out. 
 
 He would sail over to England; this would 
 be a happy chance, for his vessel was unladen 
 and ready for any adventure. He would drop 
 
 226 
 
A PROJECTED MARRIAGE 
 
 anchor in the quiet cove he knew of; he would 
 go ashore by night ; he would be at home again. 
 To be at home again made him shout with pro- 
 fane laughter, the little home he remembered 
 would be so ridiculous to him now. He would 
 see again his poor little trembling wife— she 
 must be gray by now— and he was sure that she 
 would tremble more than ever she did when she 
 heard the great sea oaths which he was accus- 
 tomed to pour forth now. And his daughter, she 
 must be a strapping wench by this time ; he was 
 sure she could stand a slap on the back which 
 would kill her mother. 
 
 Yes, there should be a wedding, a fine wed- 
 ding, and good old rum should water the earth. 
 And he would detail a boat's crew of jolly good 
 fellows from the Revenge to help make things 
 uproarious. This Charter boy and Eliza should 
 have a house of their own, with plenty of money 
 —he had more funds in hand than ever in his life 
 before— and his respectable son-in-law should go 
 to London and deposit his fortune in a bank. 
 It would be royal fun to think of him and Eliza 
 highly respectable and with money in the bank. 
 A quart of the best rum could scarcely have made 
 Blackbeard more hilarious than did this glorious 
 notion. He danced among his crew; he singed 
 beards ; he whacked with capstan bars ; he pushed 
 men down hatchways; he was in lordly spirits, 
 and his crew expected some great adventure, 
 some startling piece of deviltry. 
 
 227 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Of course he did not keep his great design 
 from Dickory— it was too glorious, too tran- 
 scendent. He took his young admiral into his 
 cabin and laid before him his dazzling future. 
 
 Dickory sat speechless, almost breathless. 
 As he listened he could feel himself turn cold. 
 Had any one else been talking to him in this 
 strain he would have shouted with laughter, but 
 people did not laugh at Blackbeard. 
 
 When the pirate had said all and was gazing 
 triumphantly at poor Dickory, the young man 
 gasped a word in answer; he could not accept 
 this awful fate without as much as a wave of 
 the hand in protest. 
 
 '' But, sir," said he, ^^if " 
 
 Blackbeard 's face grew black; he bent his 
 head and lowered upon the pale Dickory, then, 
 with a tremendous blow, he brought down his 
 fist upon the table. 
 
 If Eliza will not have you,'^ he roared; 
 if that girl will not take you when I offer you 
 to her; if she or her mother as much as winks 
 an eyelash in disobedience of my commands, I 
 will take them by the hair of their heads and I 
 will throw them into the sea. If she will not 
 have you,'' he repeated, roaring as if he were 
 shouting through a speaking trumpet in a storm, 
 ^ ' if I thought that, youngster, I would burn the 
 house with both of them in it, and the rum I 
 had bought to make a jolly wedding should be 
 poured on the timbers to make them blaze. Let 
 
 228 
 
 
A PROJECTED MARRIAGE 
 
 no notions like that enter your mind, my boy. 
 If she disobeys me, I will cook her and you shall 
 eat her. Disobey me ! ' ' And he swore at such 
 a rate that he panted for fresh air and mounted 
 ' to the deck. 
 
 It was not a time for Dickorv to make re- 
 marks indicating his disapproval of the pro- 
 posed arrangement. 
 
 As the Revenge sailed on over sunny seas or 
 under lowering clouds, Dickory was no stranger 
 to the binnacle, and the compass always told 
 him that they were sailing eastward. He had 
 once asked Blackbeard where they now were 
 by the chart, but that gracious gentleman of the 
 midnight beard had given him oaths for an- 
 swers, and had told him that if the captain knew 
 where the ship was on any particular hour or 
 minute nobody else on that ship need trouble 
 his head about it. But at last the course of the 
 Revenge was changed a little, and she sailed 
 northward. Then Dickory spoke with one of 
 the mildest of the mates upon the subject of 
 their progress, and the man made known to him 
 that they were now about half-way through the 
 Windward passage. Dickory started back. He 
 knew something of the geography of those seas. 
 
 '^ Why, then,'' he cried, '^ we have passed 
 Jamaica! '' 
 
 ^^ Of course we have," said the man, and if 
 it had not been for Dickorv 's uniform he would 
 have sworn at him. 
 
 229 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 HEN the corvette Badger 
 sailed from Jamaica she 
 moved among the islands of 
 the Caribbean Sea as if she had been a modern 
 vessel propelled by a steam-engine. That which 
 represented a steam-engine in this case was the 
 fiery brain of Captain Christopher Vince of his 
 Majesty's navy. More than winds, more than 
 currents, this brain made its power felt upon the 
 course and progress of the vessel. 
 
 Calling at every port where information 
 might possibly be gained, hailing every sloop or 
 ship or fishing-smack which might have sighted 
 the pirate ship Revenge, with a constant lookout 
 for a black flag. Captain Vince kept his engine 
 steadily at work. 
 
 But it was not in pursuit of a ship that the 
 swift keel of the Badger cut through the sea, 
 this way and that, now on a long course, now 
 doubling back again, like a hound fancying he 
 has got the scent of a hare, then raging wildly 
 
 230 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 when lie finds the scent is false; it was in pur- 
 suit of a woman that every sail was spread, that 
 the lookout swept the sea, and that the hot brain 
 of the captain worked steadily and hard. This 
 English man-of-war was on a cruise to make 
 Kate Bonnet the bride of its captain. The heart 
 of this naval lover was very steady ; it was fixed 
 in its purpose, nothing could turn it aside. 
 Vince 's plans were well-digested ; he knew what 
 he wanted to do, he knew how he was going 
 to do it. 
 
 In the first place he would capture the man 
 Bonnet; all the details of the action were ar- 
 ranged to that end; then, with Kate's father as 
 his prisoner, he would be master of the situa- 
 tion. 
 
 There was nothing noble about this craftily 
 elaborated design; but, then, there was nothing 
 noble about Captain Vince. He was a strong 
 hater and a strong lover, and whether he hated 
 or loved, nothing, good or bad, must stand in 
 his way. With the life or death, the misery or 
 the happiness of the father in his hands, he knew 
 that he need but beckon to the daughter. She 
 might come slowly, but she would come. She 
 was a grand woman, but she was a woman ; she 
 might resist the warm plea of love, but she could 
 not resist the cold commands of that cruel figure 
 of death who stood behind the lover. 
 
 Captain Bonnet was returning from his visit 
 to the New England coast, picking up bits of 
 
 231 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 profit here and there as fortune befell him, when 
 Captain Vince first heard that the Revenge had 
 gone northward. The news was circumstantial 
 and straightforward, and was not to be doubted. 
 Vince raged upon his quarter-deck when he 
 found out how he had been wasting time. North- 
 ward now was pointed the bow of the Badger, 
 and the vengeful Vince felt as if his prey was 
 already in his hands. If Bonnet had sailed up 
 the Atlantic coast he was bound to sail down 
 again. It might be a long cruise, there might 
 be impatient waitings at the mouths of coves 
 and rivers where the pirates were accustomed 
 to take refuge or refit, but the light of the eyes 
 of Kate Bonnet were worth the longest pursuit 
 or the most impatient waiting. 
 
 So, steadily sailed the corvette Badger up the 
 long Atlantic coast, and she passed the capes of 
 the Delaware while Captain Bonnet was examin- 
 ing the queer pulpit in the little bay-side town 
 where his ship had stopped to take in water. 
 
 At the various ports of the northern coast 
 where the Revenge had sailed back and forth 
 outside, the Badger boldly entered, and the tales 
 she heard soon turned her back again to sail 
 southward down the long Atlantic coast. But 
 the heart of Christopher Vince never failed. The 
 vision of Kate Bonnet as he had seen her, stand- 
 ing with glorious eyes denouncing him; as he 
 should see her when, with bowed head and prof- 
 fered hand, she came to him; as all should see 
 
 232 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 her when, in her clear-cut beauty, she stood be- 
 side him in his ancestral home, never left him. 
 
 Off the port of Charles Town, South Carolina, 
 the Badger lay and waited, and soon, from an 
 outgoing bark, the news came to Captain Vince 
 that several weeks before the pirate Bonnet of 
 the Revenge had taken an English ship as she 
 was entering port, and had then sailed south- 
 ward. Southward now sailed the Badger, and, 
 as there was but little wind, Captain Vince swore 
 with an unremitting diligence. 
 
 It was a quiet morning and the Badger was 
 nearing the straits of Florida when a sail was 
 reported almost due south. 
 
 Up came Captain Vince with his glass, and 
 after a long, long look, and another, and another, 
 during which the two vessels came slowly nearer 
 and nearer each other, the captain turned to his 
 first officer and said quietly : ' ^ She flies the skull 
 and bones. She ^s the first of those hellish pirates 
 that we have yet met on this most unlucky 
 cruise. ' ' 
 
 ^^ If we could send her, with her crew on 
 board, ten times to the bottom," said the other, 
 ^^ she would not pay us what her vile fraternity 
 has cost us. But these pirate craft know well 
 the difference between a Spanish galleon and a 
 British man-of-war, and they will always give 
 us a wide berth. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ But this one will not, ' ' said the captain. 
 
 Then again he looked long and earnestly 
 16 233 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 through his glass. * ' Send aft the three men who 
 know the Revenge,'^ said he. 
 
 Presently the men came aft, and one by one 
 they went aloft, and soon came the report, 
 vouched for by each of them : 
 
 '''■ The sail ahead is the pirate Revenge." 
 
 Now all redness left the face of Captain 
 Vince. He was as pale as if he had been afraid 
 that the pirate ship would capture him, but every 
 man on his vessel knew that there was no fear 
 in the soul or the body of the captain of the 
 Badger. Quickly came his orders, clear and 
 sharp; everything had been gone over before, 
 but everything was gone over again. The cor- 
 vette was to bear down upon the pirate, her can- 
 non—great guns for those days, and which could 
 soon have disabled, if they had not sunk, the 
 smaller vessel— were muzzled and told to hold 
 their peace. The man-of-war was to bear down 
 upon the pirate and to capture her by boarding. 
 There was to be no broadside, no timber-splitting 
 cannon balls. 
 
 The wind was light and in favour of the 
 corvette, and slowly the two vessels diminished 
 the few miles between them; but there was 
 enough wind to show the royal colours on the 
 Badger. 
 
 ' * He is a bold fellow, that pirate, ' ' said some 
 of the naval men, "" and he will wait and fight 
 us." 
 
 • ^ He will wait and fight us, ' ' said some of the 
 
 234 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 others, ^' because lie cannot get away; in this 
 wind he is at our jnercy. " 
 
 Captain Vince stood and gazed over the 
 water, sometimes with his glass and sometimes 
 without it. Here now was the end of his fum- 
 ing, his raging, his long and untiring search. 
 All the anxious weariness of long voyaging, all 
 the impatience of watching, all the irritation of 
 waiting had gone. The notorious vessel in which 
 the father of Kate Bonnet had made himself a 
 terror and a scourge was now almost within his 
 reach. The beneficent vessel by which the father 
 of Kate Bonnet should give to him his life's 
 desire was so near to him that he could have 
 sent a musket ball into her had he chosen to fire. 
 It was so near to him that he could now, with 
 his glass, read the word ^' Revenge '' on her 
 bow. His brows were knit, his jaws were set 
 tight, his muscles hardened themselves with 
 energy. 
 
 Again the orders were passed, that when the 
 men of the corvette boarded the pirate they were 
 to cut down the rascals without mercy, and not 
 one of them was to draw sword or pistol against 
 the pirate captain. He would be attended to by 
 their commander. 
 
 Vince knew the story of Stede Bonnet; he 
 knew that early in life he had been in the army, 
 and that it was likelv that he understood the 
 handling of a sword. But he knew also that he 
 himself was one of the best swordsmen in the 
 
 235 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 royal navy. He yearned to cross blades witli tlie 
 man whose blood should not be shed, whose life 
 should be preserved throughout the combat as if 
 he were a friend and not a foe, who should sur- 
 render to him his sword and give to him his 
 daughter. 
 
 ^ ^ They 're a brave lot, those bloody rascals, ' ' 
 said one of the men of the Badger. 
 
 ' ' They Ve a fool of a captain, ' ' said another ; 
 * ^ he knows not the difference between a British 
 man-of-war and a Spanish galleon, but we shall 
 teach him that." 
 
 Slowly they came together, the Revenge and 
 the Badger, the bow of one pointed east and the 
 bow of the other to the west ; from neither vessel 
 there came a word ; the low waves could be heard 
 flapping against their sides. Suddenly there 
 rang out from the man-of-war the order to make 
 fast. The grapnels flew over the bulwarks of 
 the pirate, and in a moment the two vessels were 
 as one. Then, with a great shout, the men of the 
 Badger leaped and hurled themselves upon the 
 deck of the Revenge, and upon that deck and 
 from behind bulwarks there rose, yelling and 
 howling and roaring, the picked men of two 
 pirate crews, quick, furious, and strong as tigers, 
 the hate of man in their eyes and the love of 
 blood in their hearts. Like a wave of massacre 
 they threw themselves against the drilled masses 
 of the Badger's crew, and with yells and oaths 
 and curses and cries the battle raged. 
 
 236 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 With a sudden dash the captain of the man- 
 of-war plunged through the ranks of the com- 
 batants and stood upon the middle of the deck; 
 his quick eyes shot here and there ; wherever he 
 might be, he sought the captain of the pirate 
 ship. In an instant a huge man bounded aft 
 and made one long step towards him. Vast in 
 chest and shoulder, and with mighty limbs, fiery- 
 eyed, hairy, horribly fantastic, Blackbeard stood, 
 with great head lowered for the charge. 
 
 ^^ A sugar-planter? '^ was the swift thought 
 of Vince. 
 
 ^* Are you the captain of this ship? '^ he 
 shouted. 
 
 ^' I am! '' cried the other, and with a curse 
 like bursting thunder the pirate came on and 
 his blade crossed that of Captain Vince. 
 
 Forward and amidships surged the general 
 fight: men plunged, swords fell, blood flowed, 
 feet slipped upon the deck, and roars of blas- 
 phemy and pain rose above the noise of battle. 
 But farther aft the two captains, in a space by 
 themselves, cut, thrust, and trampled, whirling 
 around each other, dashing from this side and 
 that, ever with keen eyes firmly fixed, ever with 
 strong arms whirling down and upward; now 
 one man felt the keen cut of steel and now the 
 other. The blood ran upon rich uniform or 
 stained rough cloth and leather. It was a fight 
 as if between a lioness and a tigress, their dead 
 cubs near-by. 
 
 237 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 As most men in the navy knew, Captain 
 Vince was a most dangerous swordsman. In 
 duel or in warfare, no man yet had been able 
 to stand before him. With skilled arm and eye 
 and with every muscle of his body trained, his 
 sword sought a vital spot in his opponent. There 
 was no thought now in the mind of Vince about 
 disarming the pirate and taking him prisoner; 
 this terrible wild beast, this hairy monster must 
 be killed or he himself must die. Through the 
 whirl and clash and hot breath of battle he had 
 been amazed that Kate Bonnet's father should 
 be a man like this. 
 
 The pirate, his eyes now shrunken into his 
 head, where they glowed like coals, his breath 
 steaming like a volcano, and his tremendous 
 muscles supple and quick as those of a cat, met 
 his antagonist at every point, and with every 
 lunge and thrust and cut forced him to guard. 
 
 Now Vince shut himself in his armour of 
 trained defence; this bounding lion must be 
 killed, but the death-stroke must be cunningly 
 delivered, and until, in his hot rage, the pirate 
 should forget his guard Vince must shield him- 
 self. 
 
 Never had the great Blackbeard met so keen 
 a swordsman; he howled with rage to see the 
 English captain still vigorous, agile, warding 
 every stroke. Blackbeard was now a wild beast 
 of the sea : he fought to kill, for naught else, not 
 even his own life. With a yell he threw himself 
 
 238 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 upon Captain Vince, whose sword passed quick 
 as lightning through the brawny masses of his 
 left shoulder. With one quick step, the pirate 
 pressed closer to Vince, thus holding the impris- 
 oned blade, which stuck out behind his body, and 
 with a tremendous blow of his right fist, in 
 which he held the heavy brazen hilt of his sword, 
 he dashed his enemy backward to the ground. 
 The fall drew the blade from the shoulder of 
 Blackbeard, whose great right arm went up, 
 whose sword hissed in the air and then came 
 down upon the prostrate Vince. Another stroke 
 and the English captain lay insensible and still. 
 
 With the scream of a maddened Indian, 
 Blackbeard sprung into the air, and when his 
 feet touched the deck he danced. He would have 
 hewn his victim into pieces, he would have scat- 
 tered him over the decks, but there was no time 
 for such recreations. Forward the battle raged 
 with tremendous fury, and into the midst of it 
 dashed Blackbeard. 
 
 From the companion-way leading to the cap- 
 tain 's cabin there now appeared a pale young 
 face. It was that of Dickory Charter, who had 
 been ordered by Blackbeard, before the two ves- 
 sels came together, to shut himself in the cabin 
 and to keep out of the broil, swearing that if 
 he made himself unfit to present to Eliza he 
 would toss his disfigured body into the sea. 
 Entirely unarmed and having no place in the 
 fight, Dickory had obeyed, but the spirit of a 
 
 239 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 young man which burned within him led him to 
 behold the greater part of the conflict between 
 Blackbeard and the English captain. Being a 
 young man, he had shut his eyes at the end of 
 it, but when the pirate had left he came forth 
 quietly. The fight raged forward, and here he 
 was alone with the fallen figure on the deck. 
 
 As Dickory stood gazing downward in awe — 
 in all his life he had never seen a corjDse— the 
 man he had supposed dead opened his eyes for a 
 moment and gazed with dull intelligence, and 
 then he gasped for rum. Dickory was quickly 
 beside him with a tumbler of spirits and water, 
 which, raising the fallen man's head, he gave 
 him. In a few moments the eyes of Captain 
 Vince opened wider, and he stared at the young 
 man in naval uniform who stood above him. 
 ** Who are you? '' he said in a low voice, but 
 distinct, ^' an English officer? '' 
 
 '^ No," said Dickory, ^' I am no officer and 
 no pirate; I am forced to wear these clothes." 
 
 And then, his natural and selfish instincts 
 pushing themselves before anything else, Dick- 
 ory went on: ^^ Oh, sir, if your men conquer 
 these pirates will you take me— " but as he spoke 
 he saw that the wounded man was not listening 
 to him ; his half-closed eyes turned towards him 
 and he whispered : 
 
 ^^ More spirits! " 
 
 Dickory dashed into the cabin, half-filled a 
 tumbler with rum and gave it to Vince. Pres- 
 
 240 
 
•f-H 
 
 eg 
 
 CO 
 
 -1^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Eh 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 ently his eyes recovered something of their nat- 
 ural glow, and with contracted brow he fixed 
 them upon the stream of blood which was run- 
 ning from him over the deck. 
 
 Suddenly he spoke sharply: ^^ Young fel- 
 low, ' ' he said, ^ ' some paper and a pen, a pencil, 
 anything. Quick! " 
 
 Dickory looked at him in amazement for a 
 moment and then he ran into the cabin, soon 
 returning with a sheet of paper and an English 
 pencil. 
 
 The eyes of Captain Vince were now very 
 bright, and a nervous strength came into his 
 body. He raised himself upon his elbow, he 
 clutched at the paper, and clapping it upon the 
 deck began to write. Quickly his pencil moved ; 
 already he was feeling that his rum-given 
 strength was leaving him, but several pages he 
 wrote, and then he signed his name. Folding 
 the sheet he stopped for a moment, feeling that 
 he could do no more; but, gathering together 
 his strength in one convulsive motion, he ad- 
 dressed the letter. 
 
 ^' Take that,'' he feebly said, '^ and swear 
 . . . that it shall be . . . delivered." 
 
 ^^ I swear,'' said Dickory, as on his knees he 
 took the blood-smeared letter. He hastily slipped 
 it into the breast of his coat, and then he was 
 barely able to move quick enough to keep the 
 Englishman's head from striking the deck. 
 
 * * How now ! ' ' sounded a harsh growl at his 
 
 241 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ear. '^ Get you into your cabin or you will be 
 hurt. It is not time yet for the fleecing of 
 corpses! I am choking for a glass of brandy. 
 Get in and stay there ! ' ' 
 
 In another minute Blackbeard, refreshed, 
 was running aft, the cut through his shoulder 
 bleeding, but entirely forgotten. 
 
 There was no fighting now upon the deck of 
 the Eevenge ; the conflict raged, but it had been 
 transferred to the Badger. The sailors of the 
 man-of-war had fought valiantly and stoutly, 
 even impetuously, but their enemies— picked 
 men from two pirate crews— had fought like 
 wire-muscled devils. Ablaze with fury they had 
 cut down the Badger's men, piling them upon 
 their own fallen comrades ; they had followed 
 the brave fellows with oaths, cutlasses, and pis- 
 tols as, little at a time and fighting all the while, 
 they slowly clambered back into their own ship. 
 The pirates had thrown their grapnels over the 
 bulwarks of the man-of-war ; they had followed, 
 cut by cut, shot by shot, until they now stood 
 upon the Badger, fighting with the same fury 
 that they had just fought upon the blood-soaked 
 Eevenge. Blackbeard was not yet with them — 
 whatever happened, Blackbeard must be re- 
 freshed—but now he sprang into the enemy's 
 ship— that fine British man-of-war, the corvette 
 Badger, which had so bravely sailed down upon 
 his ship to capture her— and led the carnage. 
 
 They were tough men, those British seamen, 
 
 242 
 
BLADE TO BLADE 
 
 tough in heart, tough in arms and body; they 
 fought above decks and they fought below, and 
 they laid many a pirate scoundrel dead ; but they 
 had met a foe which was too strong for them— 
 a pack of brawny, hairy desperadoes, picked 
 from two pirate crews. The first officer now 
 commanding, panting, bleeding, and torn, 
 groaned as he saw that his men could fight 
 no longer, and he surrendered the Badger to 
 the pirates. 
 
 The great Blackbeard yelled with delight. 
 When had any other captain sailing under the 
 Jolly Roger captured a British man-of-war, a 
 first-class corvette of the royal navy 1 His fren- 
 zied joy was so intense that he was on the point 
 of cutting down the officer who was offering him 
 his sword, but he withheld his hand. 
 
 ^^ Go, somebody, and fetch me a glass of his 
 Majesty's rum," he cried, ** and I will drink 
 to his perdition ! ' ' 
 
 The door of a locker was smashed, the spirits 
 were brought, and the great Blackbeard was 
 again refreshed. 
 
 Standing on the quarter-deck where but an 
 hour or two before Captain Christopher Vince 
 had stood commanding his fine corvette as she 
 sailed down upon her pirate enemy, Blackbeard 
 had brought before him all the survivors of the 
 Badger's crew. 
 
 ^' Well, you're a lot of damnable knaves," 
 said he, ^^ and you have cost me many a good 
 
 243 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 man this day. But my crew will now be short- 
 handed, and if any or all of you will turn pirate 
 and ship with me, I will let bygones pass; but, 
 if any of you choose not that, overboard you go. 
 I will have no unwilling rascals in my crew. ' ' 
 
 All but one of the men of the Badger, down- 
 cast, wounded, panting with thirst and loving 
 life, agreed to become pirates and to ship on 
 board the Revenge. 
 
 The first mate would not break his oath of 
 allegiance to the king, and he went overboard. 
 
 244 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER 
 
 HERE was hard and ghastly work 
 that day when the Revenge was 
 cleared after action, and there was 
 lively and interesting work on board the Badger 
 when Blackbeard and his officers went over the 
 captured vessel to discover what new possessions 
 they had won. 
 
 At first Blackbeard had thought to establish 
 himself upon the corvette and abandon the Re- 
 venge. It would have been such a grand thing 
 to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with 
 the Jolly Roger floating over her. But this 
 would have been too dangerous; the combined 
 naval force of England in American waters 
 would have been united to put down such pre- 
 sumption. So the wary pirate curbed his am- 
 bition. 
 
 Everything portable and valuable was 
 stripped from the Badger— her guns would 
 have been taken had it been practicable to ship 
 them to the Revenge in a rising sea— and then 
 
 245 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 she was scuttled, fired, and cast off, and with 
 her dead on board she passed out of commission 
 in the royal navy. 
 
 During the turmoil, the horror and the bring- 
 ing aboard of pillage, Dickory Charter had kept 
 close below deck, his face in his hands and his 
 heart almost broken. It is so easy for young 
 hearts to almost break. 
 
 "When he had seen the British ship come sail- 
 ing down upon them, hope had sprung up bright- 
 ly in his heart; now there was a chance of Ms 
 escaping from this hell of the waves. When the 
 Revenge should be taken he would rush to the 
 British captain, or any one in authority, and tell 
 his tale. It would be believed, he doubted not; 
 even his uniform would help to prove he was no 
 pirate ; he would be taken away, he would reach 
 Jamaica; he would see Kate; he would carry 
 to her the great news of her father. After that 
 his life could take care of itself. 
 
 But now the blackness of darkness was over 
 everything. Those who were to have been his 
 friends had vanished, the ship which was to hav^ 
 given him a new life had disappeared forever. 
 He was on board the pirate ship, bound for the 
 shores of England— horrible shores to him— 
 bound to the shores of England and to Black- 
 beard's Eliza! 
 
 He was not a fool, this Dickory; he had 
 no unwarrantable and romantic fears that in 
 these enlightened days one man could say to 
 
 246 
 
THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER 
 
 another, ** Go you, and marry the woman I 
 have chosen for you.'' There was nothing silly 
 or cowardly about him, but he knew Black- 
 beard. 
 
 Not one ray of hope thrust itself through his 
 hands into his brain. Hope had gone, gone to 
 the bottom, and he was on his storm-tossed way 
 to the waters of another continent. 
 
 But in the midst of his despair Dickory never 
 thought of freeing himself, by a sudden bound, 
 of the world and his woes. So long as Kate 
 should live he must live, even if it were to prove 
 to himself, and to himself only, how faithful to 
 her he could be. 
 
 It was dark when men came tumbling be- 
 low, throwing themselves into hammocks and 
 bunks, and Dickory prepared to turn in. If sleep 
 should come and without dreams, it would be 
 greater gain than bags of gold. As he took off 
 his coat, the letter of the English captain dropped 
 from his breast. Until then he had forgotten 
 it, but now he remembered it as a sacred trust. 
 The dull light of the lantern barely enabled him 
 to discern objects about him, but he stuck the 
 letter into a crack in the woodwork where in 
 the morning he would see it and take proper 
 care of it. 
 
 Soon sleep came, but not without dreams. 
 He dreamed that he was rowing Kate on the 
 river at Bridgetown, and that she told him in 
 a low sweet voice, with a smile on her lips and 
 
 247 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 lier eyes tenderly upturned, that slie would like 
 to row thus with him forever. 
 
 Early in the morning, through an open port- 
 hole, the light of the eastern sun stole into this 
 abode of darkness and sin and threw itself upon 
 the red-stained letter sticking in the crack of the 
 woodwork. Presently Dickory opened his eyes, 
 and the first thing they fell upon was that letter. 
 On the side of the folded sheet he could see the 
 superscription, boldly but irregularly written: 
 ^^ Miss Kate Bonnet, Kingston, Ja.'' 
 
 Dickory sat upright, his eyes hard-fixed and 
 burning. How long he sat he knew not. How 
 long his brain burned inwardly, as his eyes 
 burned outwardly, he knew not. The noise of 
 the watch going on deck roused him, and in a 
 moment he had the letter in his hands. 
 
 All that day Dickory Charter was worth 
 nothing to anybody. Blackbeard swore at him 
 and pushed him aside. The young fellow could 
 not even count the doubloons in a bag. 
 
 ^ ' Go to ! ' ' cried the pirate, blacker and more 
 fantastically horrible than ever, for his bare left 
 shoulder was bound with a scarf of silk and his 
 great arm was streaked and bedabbled with his 
 blood, '^ you are the most cursed coward I have 
 met with in all my days at sea. So frightened 
 out of your wits by a lively brush as that of yes- 
 terday! Too scared to count gold! Never saw 
 I that before. One might be too scared to pray, 
 but to count gold! Ha! ha! " and the bold 
 
 248 
 
THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER 
 
 pirate laughed a merry roar. He was in good 
 spirits; lie had captured and sunk an English 
 man-of-war; sunk her with her English ensign 
 floating above her. How it would have over- 
 joyed him if all the ships, little and big, that 
 plied the Spanish Main could have seen him sink 
 that man-of-war. He was a merry man that 
 morning, the great Blackbeard, triumphant in 
 victory, glowing with the king's brandy, and 
 with so little pain from that cut in his shoulder 
 that he could waste no thought upon it. 
 
 ^^ But Eliza will like it well," continued the 
 merry pirate ; ^ ^ she will lead you with a string, 
 be you bold or craven, and the less you pull at 
 it the easier it will be for my brave girl. Ah! 
 she will dance with joy when I tell her what a 
 frightened rabbit of a husband it is that I give 
 her. Now get away somewhere, and let your 
 face rid itself of its paleness; and should you 
 find a dead man lying where he has been over- 
 looked, come and tell me and I will have him 
 put aside. You must not be frightened any more 
 or Eliza may find that you have not left even 
 the spirit of a rabbit." 
 
 All day Dickory sat silent, his misery pinned 
 into the breast of his coat. *^ Miss Kate Bonnet, 
 Kingston, Ja."— and this on a letter written in 
 the dying moments of an English captain, a high 
 and mighty captain who must have loved as few 
 men love, to write that letter, his life 's blood run- 
 ning over the paper as he wrote. And could a 
 17 249 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 man love thus if lie were not loved? That was 
 the terrible question. 
 
 Sometimes his mind became quiet enough for 
 him to think coherently, then it was easy enough 
 for him to understand everything. Kate had 
 been a long time in Jamaica ; she had met many 
 people; she had met this man, this noble, hand- 
 some man. Dickory had watched him with glow- 
 ing admiration as he stood up before Blackbeard, 
 fighting like the champion of all good against 
 the hairy monster who struck his blows for all 
 that was base and wicked. 
 
 How Dickory 's young heart had gone out in 
 sympathy and fellowship towards the brave Eng- 
 lish captain! How he had hoped that the next 
 of his quick, sharp lunges might slit the black 
 heart of the pirate! How he had almost wept 
 when the noble Englishman went down! And 
 now it made him shudder to think his heart had 
 stood side by side with the heart of Kate 's lover ! 
 He had sworn to deliver the letter of that lover, 
 and he would do it. More cruel than the bloodi- 
 est pirate was the fate that forced him thus to 
 bear the death-warrant of his own young life. 
 
 250 
 
CHAPTEE XXIV 
 
 BELIZE 
 
 HERE were not many captains 
 of merchantmen in the early 
 part of the eighteenth century 
 who cared to sail into the Gulf of Honduras, that 
 body of water being such a favourite resort of 
 pirates. 
 
 But no such fears troubled the mind of the 
 skipper of the brig Belinda, which was now 
 making the best of her way towards the port 
 of Belize. She was a sturdy vessel and carried 
 no prejudices. Sometimes she was laden with 
 goods bought from the pirates and destined to 
 be sold to honest people ; and, again, she carried 
 commodities purchased from those who were 
 their legal owners and intended for the use of 
 the bold rascals who sailed under the Jolly 
 Roger. Then, as now, it was impossible for 
 thieves to steal all the commodities they desired ; 
 some things must be bought. Thus, serving the 
 pirates as well as honest traders, the sloop Be- 
 linda feared not to sail the Gulf of Honduras 
 or to cast anchor by the town of Belize. 
 
 251 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 As the good ship approached her port Kate 
 Bonnet kept steadfastly on deck during most of 
 the daylight, her eyes searching the surface of 
 the water for something which looked like her 
 father's ship, the Revenge. True, Mr. New- 
 combe had written her that Major Bonnet had 
 given up piracy and was now engaged in com- 
 mercial business in the town, but still, if she 
 should see the Revenge, the sight would be of 
 absorbing interest to her. She was a girl of 
 quick observation and good memory, but the 
 town came in view and she had seen no vessel 
 which reminded her of the Revenge. 
 
 As soon as the anchor was dropped, Kate 
 wished to go on shore, but her uncle would not 
 hear of that. He must know something definite 
 before he trusted Kate or himself in such a law- 
 less town as Belize. The captain, who was going 
 ashore, could make inquiries, and Kate must 
 wait. 
 
 In a little room at the back of a large, low 
 storehouse, not far from the pier, sat Stede Bon- 
 net and his faithful friend and servitor, Ben 
 Greenway. The storehouse was crowded with 
 goods of almost every imaginable description, 
 and even the room back of it contained an over- 
 flow of bales, boxes, and barrels. At a small 
 table near a window sat the Scotchman and Bon- 
 net, the latter reading from some roughly writ- 
 ten lists descriptions and quantities of goods, 
 the value of each item being estimated by the 
 
 252 
 
BELIZE 
 
 canny Scotcliman, who set down tlie figures upon 
 another list. Presently Bonnet put down his 
 papers and heaved a heavy sigh, which sigh 
 seemed to harmonize very well with his general 
 appearance. He carried no longer upon him the 
 countenance of the bold officer who, in uniform 
 and flowing feather, trod the quarter-deck of the 
 Revenge, but bore the expression of a man who 
 knew adversity, yet was not able to humble him- 
 self under it. He was bent and borne down, 
 although not yet broken. Had he been broken 
 he could better have accommodated himself to 
 his present case. His clothes were those of the 
 common class of civilian, and there was that 
 about him which indicated that he cared no more 
 for neatness or good looks. 
 
 ^' Ben Greenway,'^ he said, '' this is too 
 much! Now have I reached the depth in my 
 sorrow at which all my strength leaves me. I 
 cannot read these lists. ' ' 
 
 The Scotchman looked up. ^^ Is there no' 
 light enow? " he asked. 
 
 *^ Light! '' said Bonnet; '^ there is no light 
 anywhere; all is murkiness and gloom. The 
 goods which you have been lately estimating are 
 all my own, taken from my own ship by that 
 arch traitor and chief devil, Blackbeard. I have 
 read the names of them to you and I have re- 
 membered manv of them and I have not weak- 
 ened, but now comes a task which is too great 
 for me. These things which follow were all in- 
 
 253 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 tended for my daughter Kate. Silks and satins 
 and cloth of gold, ribbons and fine linen, laces 
 and ornaments, all these I selected for my dear 
 daughter, and by day and by night I have 
 thought of her apparelled in fine raiment, more 
 richly dressed than any lady in Barbadoes. My 
 daughter, my beautiful, my proud Kate! And 
 now what has it all come to ! All these are gone, 
 basely stolen from me by that Blackbeard.'^ 
 
 Ben Greenway looked up. ^ ^ Wha stole from 
 ye, ' ' he said, ^ ^ what ye had already stolen from 
 its rightful owners. An' think ye," he contin- 
 ued, ^^ that your honest daughter Kate would 
 deign to array herseP in stolen goods, no matter 
 how rich they might happen to be! An' think 
 ye she could hold up her head if the good people 
 o' Bridgetown could point at her an' say, ^ Look 
 at the thief's daughter; how fine she is! ' An' 
 think ye that Mr. Martin Newcombe would tak' 
 into his house an' hame a wife wha hadna come 
 honestly by her clothes ! I tell ye. Master Bon- 
 net, that ye should exalt your soul in thankful- 
 ness that ye are no longer a dishonest mon, an' 
 that whatever raiment your daughter may now 
 wear, no' a sleeve or button o' it was purloined 
 an' stolen by her father. ' ' 
 
 ^' Ben Greenway," exclaimed Bonnet, strik- 
 ing his hand upon the table, '^ you will drive 
 me so mad that I cannot read writing! These 
 things are bad enough, and you need not make 
 them worse. ' ' 
 
 254 
 
BELIZE 
 
 ^ ' Bless Heaven, ' ' said the Scotchman, ' ' your 
 conscience is wakin', an' the time may come, if 
 it is kept workin', when ye will forget your 
 plunder an' your blude, your wicked vanity, 
 your cruelty an' your dishonesty, an' mak' 
 yoursel' worthy o' a good daughter an' a quiet 
 hame. An' more than that, I will tak' leave 
 to add, o' the faithful services o' a steadfast 
 friend. ' ' 
 
 ** I cannot forget them, Ben," said Bonnet, 
 speaking without anger. ^' The more you talk 
 about my sins the more I long to do them all 
 over again; the more you say about my vanity 
 and pride, the more I yearn to wear my uniform 
 and wave my naked sword. Ay, to bring it down 
 with blood upon its blade. I am very wicked, 
 Greenway; you never would admit it and you 
 do not admit it now, but I am wicked, and I 
 could prove it to you if fortune would give me 
 opportunity." And Captain Bonnet sat up very 
 straight in his chair and his eyes flashed as they 
 very often had flashed as he trod the deck of 
 the Revenge. 
 
 At this moment there was a knock at the door 
 and the captain of the Belinda came in. 
 
 ^^ Good-day, sir! " said that burly seaman. 
 ^* And this is Captain Bonnet, I am sure, for I 
 have seen him before, though garbed in another 
 fashion, and I come to bring you news. I have 
 just arrived at this port in my sloop, and I bring 
 with me from Kingston your daughter. Mistress 
 
 255 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Kate Bonnet, her uncle, Mr. Delaplaine, and a 
 good dame named Charter. ^ ^ 
 
 Stede Bonnet turned pale as lie had never 
 turned pale before. 
 
 ^^ My daughter! '^ he gasped. '^ My daugh- 
 ter Kate ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Yes, ' ' said the captain ; ' ^ she is on my ship, 
 yearning and moaning to see you.'' 
 
 ^' From Kingston! " murmured Bonnet. 
 
 *' Yes,'' said the other, '' and on fire to see 
 you since she heard you were here. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' Master Bonnet, ' ' exclaimed Ben Greenway, 
 rising, ' ^ we must hasten to that vessel ; perhaps 
 this good captain will now tak' us there in his 
 boat. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet fixed his eyes upon the floor. ^^ Ben 
 Greenway," he said, '^ I cannot. How I have 
 longed to see my daughter, and how, time and 
 again and time and again, I have pictured our 
 meeting ! I have seen her throw herself into the 
 arms of that noble officer, her father; I have 
 heard her, bathed in filial tears, forgive me 
 everything because of the proud joy with which 
 she looked on me and knew I was her father. 
 Greenway, I cannot go ; I have dropped too low, 
 and I am ashamed to meet her. ' ' 
 
 ^' Ashamed that ye are honest! " cried the 
 Scotchman. ^' Ashamed that sin nae longer be- 
 sets ye, an ' that ye are lifted above the thief an ' 
 the cutpurse! Master Bonnet, Master Bonnet, 
 in good truth I am ashamed o' ye." 
 
 256 
 
BELIZE 
 
 i i 
 i i 
 
 Very well, ' ' said the captain of the Belinda, 
 I have no time to waste ; if you will not go to 
 her, she e'en must come to you. I will send my 
 boat for her and the others, and you shall wait 
 for them here." 
 
 '' I will not wait! " exclaimed Bonnet. '^ I 
 don't dare to look into her eyes. Behold these 
 clothes, consider my mean emplo^onent. Shall 
 I abash myself before my daughter! " 
 
 ^' Master Bonnet," exclaimed Greenway, 
 hastily stepping to the doorway through which 
 the captain had departed, ' ' ye shallna tie your- 
 sel' to the skirts o' the de'il; ye shallna run 
 awa' an' hide yoursel' from your daughter wha 
 seeks, in tears an' groans, for her unworthy 
 father. Sit down, Master Bonnet, an' wait here 
 until your good daughter comes." 
 
 The Belinda's captain had intended to send 
 his boat back to his vessel, but now he determined 
 to take her himself. This was such a strange 
 situation that it might need explanation. 
 
 Kate screamed when he made known his er- 
 rand. '^ What! " she cried, '' my father in the 
 town, and did he not come back with you? Is 
 he sick? Is he wounded! Is he in chains? " 
 
 " And my Dickory," cried Dame Charter, 
 '^ was he not there! Has he not yet returned 
 to the town! It must now be a long time since 
 he went awav. " 
 
 ^ ' I know not anything more than I have told 
 you, ' ' said the captain. ' ' And if Mr. Delaplaine 
 
 257 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 and the two ladies will get into my boat, I will 
 quickly take you to the town and show you where 
 you may find Captain Bonnet and learn all you 
 wish to know." 
 
 ^^ And Dickory,'^ cried Dame Charter, ^^ my 
 son Dickory! Did they give you no news of 
 him! '' 
 
 ^ ' Come along, come along, ' ' said the captain, 
 '^ my men are waiting in the boat. I asked no 
 questions, but in ten minutes you can ask a hun- 
 dred if you like. ' ' 
 
 When the little party reached the town it at- 
 tracted a great deal of attention from the rough 
 roisterers who were strolling about or gambling 
 in shady places. When the captain of the Be- 
 linda mentioned, here and there, that these new- 
 comers were the family of Blackbeard's factor, 
 who now had charge of that pirate 's interests in 
 the town, no one dared to treat the elderly gen- 
 tleman, the pretty young lady, or the rotund dame 
 with the slightest disrespect. The name of the 
 great pirate was .. safe protection even when he 
 who bore it was leagues and leagues away. 
 
 At the door of the storehouse Ben Greenway 
 stood waiting. He would have hurried down to 
 the pier had it not been that he was afraid to 
 leave Bonnet; afraid that this shamefaced ex- 
 pirate would have hurried away to hide himself 
 from his daughter and his friends. Kate, run- 
 ning forward, grasped the Scotchman by both 
 hands. 
 
 258 
 
BELIZE 
 
 ** And where is he? " she cried. 
 
 ^ * He is in there, ' ' said Ben, pointing through 
 the storeroom to the open door at the back. In 
 an instant she was gone. 
 
 *^ And Dickory? '' cried Dame Charter. 
 ^^ Oh, Ben Greenway, tell me of my boy.'' 
 
 They went inside and Greenway told every- 
 thing he knew, which was very much, although 
 it was not enough to comfort the poor mother's 
 heart, who could not readily believe that because 
 Dickory had sailed away with a great and pow- 
 erful pirate, that eminent man would be sure to 
 bring him back in safety ; but as Greenway really 
 believed this, his words made some imi3ression 
 on the good dame's heart. She could see some 
 reason to believe that Blackbeard, having now 
 so much property in the town, might make a 
 short cruise this time, and that any day the Re- 
 venge, with her dear son on board, might come 
 sailing into port. 
 
 With his face buried in his folded arms, which 
 rested on the table, Stede Bonnet received his 
 daughter. At first she did not recognise him, 
 never having seen him in such mean apparel ; but 
 when he raised his head, she knew her father. 
 Closing the door behind her, she folded him in 
 her arms. After a little, leaving the window, 
 they sat together upon a bale of goods, which 
 happened to be a rug from the Orient, of won- 
 drous richness, which Bonnet had reserved for 
 the floor of his daughter's room. 
 
 259 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 *^ Never, my dear," lie said, '^ did I dream 
 you would see me in such plight. I blush that 
 you should look at me. ' ' 
 
 ^' Blush! '^ she exclaimed, her own cheeks 
 reddening, ^^ and you an honest man and no 
 longer a freebooter and rover of the seal My 
 heart swells with pride to think that your life 
 is so changed.'^ 
 
 Bonnet sadly shook his head. 
 '' Ah! "he said, '^ you don't know, you can- 
 not understand what I feel. Kate, ' ' he exclaimed 
 with sudden energy, ^ ' I was a man among men ; 
 a chief over many. I was powerful, I was obeyed 
 on every side. I looked the bold captain that 
 I was ; my brave uniform and my sword betok- 
 ened the rank I held. And, Kate, you can never 
 know the pride and exultation with which I stood 
 upon my quarter-deck and scanned the sea, mas- 
 ter of all that might come within my vision. How 
 my heart would swell and my blood run wild 
 when I beheld in the distance a proud ship, her 
 sails all spread, her colours flying, heavily laden, 
 hastening onward to her port. How I would 
 stretch out my arm to that proud ship and say : 
 ' Let down those sails, drop all those flaunting 
 flags, for you are mine ; I am greater than your 
 captain or your king! If I give the command, 
 down you go to the bottom with all your people, 
 all your goods, all your banners and emblazon- 
 ments, down to the bottom, never to be seen 
 
 again! ' " 
 
 260 
 
BELIZE 
 
 Kate shuddered and began to cry. ^' Oh, 
 father ! ' ' she exclaimed, ' ' don 't say that. Sure- 
 ly you never did such things as that ? ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ No, ' ' said he, speaking more quietly, ^ ' not 
 just like that, but I could have done it all had 
 it pleased me, and it was this sense of power 
 that made my heart beat so proudly. I took no 
 life, Kate, if it could be helped, and when I had 
 stripped a ship of her goods, I put her people 
 upon shore before I burned her. ' ' 
 
 Kate bowed her head in her hands. ^^ And 
 of all this you are proud, my father, you are 
 j)roud of it ! " 
 
 ^^ Indeed am I, daughter," said he; ^^ and 
 had you seen me in my glory you would have 
 been proud of me. Perhaps yet ' ' 
 
 In an instant she had clapped her hand over 
 his mouth. '^ You shall not say it! '' she ex- 
 claimed. '^ I have seized upon you and I shall 
 hold you. No more freebooter 's life for you ; no 
 more blood, no more fire. I shall take you away 
 with me. Not to Bridgetown, for there is no 
 happiness for either of us there, but to Spanish 
 Town. There, with my uncle, we shall all be 
 happy together. You will forget the sea and its 
 ships; you will again wander over your fields, 
 and I shall be with you. You shall watch the 
 waving crops; you shall ride with me, as you 
 used to ride, to view your vast herds of cattle— 
 those splendid creatures, their great heads up- 
 lifted, their nostrils to the breeze." 
 
 261 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 a 
 
 Truly, my Kate/' said Bonnet, ** that was 
 a great sight; there were no cattle finer on the 
 island than were mine. ' ' 
 
 *' And so shall they be again, my father," 
 said Kate, her arms around his neck. 
 
 It was then that Ben Greenway knocked 
 upon the door. 
 
 Stede Bonnet's mind had been so much ex- 
 cited by what he had been talking about that he 
 saluted his brother-in-law and Dame Charter 
 without once thinking of his clothes. They 
 looked upon him as if he were some unknown 
 foreigner, a person entirely removed from their 
 customary sphere. 
 
 '^ Was this the once respectable Stede Bon- 
 net! " asked Dame Charter to herself. ^' Did 
 such a man marry my sister ! ' ' thought Mr. Dela- 
 plaine. They might have been surprised had 
 they met him as a pirate, but his appearance as 
 a pirate's clerk amazed them. 
 
 Towards the end of the day Mr. Delaplaine 
 and his party returned to the Belinda, for there 
 was no fit place for them to lodge in the town. 
 Although urged by all, Stede Bonnet would not 
 accompany them. When persuasion had been 
 exhausted, Ben Greenway promised Kate that 
 he would be responsible for her father 's appear- 
 ance the next day, feeling safe in so doing ; for, 
 even should Bonnet's shame return, there was 
 no likely way in which he could avoid his friends. 
 
 262 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 'Z<-MJ''^r-reK-> 
 
 ARLY in the next forenoon 
 Kate and her companions pre- 
 pared to make another visit to 
 the town. Naturally she wanted to be with her 
 father as much as possible and to exert upon him 
 such influences as might make him forget, in a 
 degree, the so-called glories of his pirate life and 
 return with her and her uncle to Spanish Town, 
 where, she believed, this misguided man might 
 yet surrender himself to the rural joys of other 
 days. Nay, more, he and she might hope for 
 still further happiness in a Jamaica home, for 
 Madam Bonnet would not be there. 
 
 As she came up from below, impatient to de- 
 part, Kate noticed, getting over the side, a gentle- 
 man who had just arrived in a small boat. He 
 was tall and good-looking, and very handsomely 
 attired in a rich suit such as was worn at that 
 day by French and Spanish noblemen. A sword 
 with an elaborate hilt was by his side, and on 
 his head a high cocked hat. There was fine lace 
 
 263 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 at his wrists and bosom, and he wore silk stock- 
 ings, and silver buckles on his shoes. 
 
 Kate started at meeting here a stranger, and 
 in such an elaborate attire. She had read of 
 the rich dress of men of rank in Europe, but her 
 eyes had never fallen upon such a costume. The 
 gentleman advanced quickly towards her, hold- 
 ing out his hand. She shrank back. " What 
 did it mean! '' 
 
 Then in a second she saw her father's face. 
 This fine gentleman, this dignified and graceful 
 man, was indeed Stede Bonnet. 
 
 He had been so thoroughly ashamed of his 
 mean attire on the preceding day that he had de- 
 termined not again to meet his daughter and Mr. 
 Delaplaine in such vulgar guise. So, from the 
 resources of the storehouses he had drawn forth 
 a superb suit of clothes sent westward for the 
 governor of one of the French colonies. He ex- 
 cused himself for taking it from Blackbeard's 
 treasure-house, not only on account of the de- 
 mands of the emergency, but because he him- 
 self had taken it before from a merchantman. 
 
 ^^ Father! " cried Kate, ^^ what has hap- 
 pened to you? I never saw such a fine gentle- 
 man. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet smiled with complacency, and re- 
 moved his cocked hat. 
 
 *^ I always endeavour, my dear," said he, 
 ' ^ to dress myself according to my station. Yes- 
 terday, not expecting to see you, I was in a sad 
 
 264 
 
WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 plight. I would have preferred you to meet me 
 in my naval uniform, but as that is now, to say 
 the least, inconvenient, and as I reside on shore 
 in the. capacity of a merchant or business man, 
 I attire myself to suit my present condition. Ah ! 
 my good brother-in-law, I am glad to see you. 
 I may remark," he added, graciously shaking 
 hands with Dame Charter, ^ ' that I left my faith- 
 ful Scotchman in our storehouse in the town, it 
 being necessary for some one to attend to our 
 possessions there. Otherwise I should have 
 brought him with me, my good Dame Charter, 
 for I am sure vou would have found his com- 
 pany acceptable. He is a faithful man and an 
 honest one, although I am bound to say that if 
 he were less of a Presbyterian and more of a man 
 of the world his conversation might sometimes 
 be more agreeable. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine regarded with much earnest- 
 ness and no little pleasure his transformed 
 brother-in-law. Hope for the future now filled 
 his heart. If this crack-brained sugar-planter 
 had really recovered from his mania for piracy 
 and had a fancy for legitimate business, his new 
 station might be better for him than any he had 
 yet known. Sugar-planting was all well enough 
 and suitable to any gentleman, provided Madam 
 Bonnet were not taken with it. She would drive 
 any man from the paths of reason unless he 
 possessed an uncommonly strong brain, and he 
 did not believe that such a brain was possessed 
 18 265 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 by his brother-in-law Bonnet. The good Mr. 
 Delaplaiue rubbed his hands together in his sat- 
 isfaction. Such a gentleman as this would be 
 welcome in his counting-house, even if he did 
 but little; his very appearance would reflect 
 credit upon the establishment. Dame Charter 
 kept in the background ; she had never been ac- 
 customed to associate with the aristocracv, but 
 she did not forget that a cat inay look at a king, 
 and her eyes were very good. 
 
 '' There were alwavs little cracks in his 
 skull, ' ' she said to herself. ' ' My husband used 
 to tell me that. Major Bonnet is quick at chang- 
 ing from one thing to another, and it needs sharp 
 wits to follow him.'' 
 
 After a time Major Bonnet projDOsed a row 
 upon the harbour— he had brought a large boat, 
 with four oarsmen, for this purpose. Mr. Dela- 
 plaine objected a little to this, fearing the pres- 
 ence of so many pirate vessels, but Bonnet loftily 
 set aside such puerile objections. 
 
 '' I am the business representative of the 
 great Blackbeard, ' ' he said, ^ ^ the most powerful 
 pirate in the world. You are safer here than in 
 any other port on the American coast.'' 
 
 When they were out upon the water, moving 
 against the gentle breeze. Bonnet disclosed the 
 object of his excursion. ^' I am going to take 
 you, ' ' said he, ' ' to visit some of the noted pirate 
 ships which are anchored in this harbour. There 
 are vessels here which are quite famous, and 
 
 266 
 
WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 commanded by renowned Brethren of the Coast. 
 I think you will all be greatly interested in 
 these, and under my convoy you need fear no 
 danger. ' ' 
 
 Dame Charter and Kate screamed in their 
 fright, and Mr. Delaplaine turned pale. ^' Visit 
 pirate ships ! ' ' he cried. ' ' Rather I would have 
 supposed that you would keep away from them 
 as far as you could. For myself, I would have 
 them a hundred miles distant if it were possi- 
 ble. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet laughed loftily. " It will be visits of 
 ceremony that we shall pay, and with all due 
 ceremony shall we be received. Pull out to that 
 vessel ! " he said to the oarsmen. Then, turning 
 to the others, he remarked: " That slooj) is the 
 Dripping Blade, commanded by Captain Sorby, 
 whose name strikes terror throughout the Span- 
 ish Main. Ay! and in other parts of the ocean, 
 I can assure you, for he has sailed northward 
 nearly as far as I have, but he has not yet 
 rivalled me. I know him, having done business 
 with him on shore. He is a most portentous 
 person, as you will soon see. ' ' 
 
 ^^ Oh, father! " cried Kate, ^ don't take us 
 there ; it will kill us just to look upon such dread- 
 ful pirates. I pray you turn the boat ! ' ' 
 
 ** Oh! if Dickory were here," gasped Dame 
 Charter, '' he would turn the boat himself; he 
 would never allow me to be taken among those 
 awful wretches." 
 
 267 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine said nothing. It was too late 
 to expostulate, but he trembled as he sat. 
 
 * ' I cannot turn back, my dear, ' ' said Bonnet, 
 ^' even if I would, for the great Sorby is now 
 on deck, and looking at us as we approach. ' ' 
 
 As the boat drew up by the side of the Drip- 
 ping Blade the renowned Sorby looked down 
 over the side. He was a red-headed man; his 
 long hair and beard dyed yellow in some places 
 by the sun. He was grievous to look upon, and 
 like to create in the mind of an imaginative per- 
 son the image of a sun-burned devil on a holiday. 
 
 ' ' Good-day to you ! Good-day, Sir Bonnet, ' ' 
 cried the pirate captain ; ^ ' come on board, come 
 on board, all of you, wife, daughter, father, if 
 such they be ! We '11 let down ladders and I shall 
 feast you finely. ' ' 
 
 ^' Nay, nay, good Captain Sorby,'' replied 
 Bonnet, with courteous dignit}", ' ^ my family and 
 I have just stopped to pay you our respects. 
 They have all heard of your great prowess, for 
 I have told them. They may never have a chance 
 again to look upon another of your fame. ' ' 
 
 ^' Heaven grant it! " said Dame Charter in 
 her heart. '^ If I get out of this, I stay upon 
 drv land forever." 
 
 ' ^ I grieve that my poor ship be not honoured 
 by your ladies," said Sorby, ^^ but I admit that 
 her decks are scarcely fit for the reception of such 
 company. It is but to-day that we have found 
 time to cleanse her deck from the stain and dis- 
 
 268 
 
WISE ME. DELAPLAINE 
 
 order of our last fight, having lately come into 
 harbour. That was a great fight, Sir Bonnet; 
 we lay low and let the fellows board us, but not 
 one of them went back again. Ha! ha! Not 
 one of them went back again, good ladies. ^ ' 
 
 Every pirate face on board that ill-condi- 
 tioned sloop now glared over her rail, their eyes 
 fixed upon the goodly company in the little boat, 
 their horrid hair and beards stained and matted 
 —it would have been hard to tell by what. 
 
 ^ ' Oh, father, father ! ' ' panted Kate, ' ' please 
 row away. What if they should now jump down 
 upon us ! " 
 
 '' Good-day, good-day, my brave Captain 
 Sorby, ' ' said Bonnet, ' ' we must e 'en row away ; 
 we have other craft to visit, but would first do 
 honour to you and your bold crew. ' ' 
 
 Captain Sorby lifted high his great bespat- 
 tered hat, and every grinning demon of the crew 
 waved hat or rag or pail or cutlass and set up 
 a discordant yell in honour of their departing 
 visitors. 
 
 " Oh! go not to another, father," pleaded 
 Kate, her pale face in tears ; ' ' visit no more of 
 them, I pray you ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ Ay, truly, keep away from them,'' said 
 Mr. Delaplaine. '' I am no coward, but I vow 
 to you that I shall die of fright if I come close 
 to another of those floating hells." 
 
 ^^ And these," said Kate to herself, her eyes 
 fixed out over the sea, ^' these are his friends, 
 
 269 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 his companions, the wretches of whom he is so 
 proud. ' ^ 
 
 ^^ There are no more vessels like that in 
 IDort/' said Bonnet; '^ that's the most celebrated 
 sloop. Those we shall now call upon are com- 
 manded by men of milder mien; some of them 
 you could not tell from plain merchantmen were 
 you not informed of their illustrious careers.'' 
 
 ^ ' If you go near another pirate ship, ' ' cried 
 Dame Charter, ^' I shall jump overboard; I can- 
 not help it." 
 
 " Row back to the Belinda, brother-in-law," 
 said Mr. Delaplaine in a strong, hard voice; 
 '' your tour of pleasure is not fit for tender- 
 hearted women, nor, I grant it, for gentlemen 
 of my station. ' ' 
 
 a rj^Y^QYQ ^Ye otlicr ships whose captains I 
 know," said Bonnet, ^^ and where you would 
 have been well received ; but if vour nerves are 
 not strong enough for the courtesies I have to 
 offer, we will return to the Belinda. ' ' 
 
 When safe again on board their vessel, after 
 the sudden termination of their projected tour 
 of calls on pirates, Kate took her father aside 
 and entered into earnest conversation with him, 
 while Mr. Delaplaine, much ruffled in his temper, 
 although in general of a most mild disposition, 
 said aside to Dame Charter: ^^ He is as mad as 
 a March hare. What other parent on this earth 
 would convey his fair young daughter into the 
 societv of these vile wild beasts, which in his eves 
 
 270 
 
WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 are valiant heroes ? We must get him back with 
 us, Dame Charter, we must get him back. And if 
 he cannot be constrained by love and goodwill 
 to a decent and a Christian life, we must shut 
 him up. And if his daughter weeps and raves, 
 we must e'en stiffen our determination and shut 
 him up. It shall be my purpose now to hasten 
 the return of the brig. There 's room enough for 
 all, and he and the Scotchman must go back 
 with us. The Governor shall deal with him; 
 and, whether it be on my estate or behind strong 
 bars, he shall spend the rest of his days upon 
 the island of Jamaica, and so know the sea no 
 more. ' ' 
 
 He was very much roused, this good mer- 
 chant, and when he was roused he was not slow 
 to act. 
 
 The captain of the Belinda was very willing 
 to make a profitable voyage back to Jamaica, 
 but his vessel must be well laden before he could 
 do this. Goods enough there were at Belize for 
 that purpose, for Blackbeard 's supplies were all 
 for sale, and his chief clerk. Bonnet, had the 
 selling of them. So, all parties being like- 
 minded, the Belinda soon began to take on goods 
 for Kingston. 
 
 Stede Bonnet superintended eveiy thing. He 
 was a good man of business, and knew how to 
 direct people who might be under him. There 
 was a great stir at the storehouse, and, almost 
 blithely, Ben Greenway worked day and night 
 
 271 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 to make out invoices and to prepare goods for 
 shipment. 
 
 Bonnet wore no more the clothes in which 
 his daughter had first seen him after so long and 
 drear a parting. On deck or on shore, in store- 
 house or on the streets of Belize, he was the 
 fine gentleman with the silk stockings and the 
 tall cocked hat. 
 
 One day, a fellow, fresh from his bottle, for- 
 getting the respect which was due to fine clothes 
 and to B^/^ckbeard's factor, called out to Bon- 
 net: ^' What now. Sir Nightcap, how call you 
 that thing you have on your head ? ' ' 
 
 In an instant a sword was whipped from its 
 scabbard and a practised hand sent its blade 
 through the arm of the jester, who presently fell 
 backward. Bonnet wiped his sword upon the 
 fellow's sleeve and, advising him to get up and 
 try to learn some manners, coolly walked away. 
 
 After that fine clothes were not much laughed 
 at in Belize, for even the most disrespectful ruf- 
 fians desired not the thrust of a quick blade nor 
 the ill-will of that most irascible pirate, Black- 
 beard. 
 
 A few days before it was expected that the 
 Belinda would be ready to sail Bonnet came on 
 board, his mind full of an important matter. 
 Calling Mr. Delaplaine and Kate aside, he said : 
 ^ ^ I have been thinking a great deal lately about 
 my Scotchman, Ben Greenway. In the first 
 place, he is greatly needed here, for many of 
 
 272 
 
WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 Blackbeard's goods will remain in the storehouse, 
 and there should be some comjDetent person to 
 take care of them and to sell them should oppor- 
 tunity offer. Besides that, he is a great annoy- 
 ance to me, and I have long been trying to get 
 rid of him. When I left Bridgetown I had not 
 intended to take him with me, and his presence 
 on board my ship was a mere accident. Since 
 then he has made himself very disagreeable." 
 
 ^' What! " cried Kate, '^ would you be will- 
 ing that we should all sail away and leave poor 
 Ben Greenway in this place by himself among 
 these cruel pirates ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ He'll represent Blackbeard," said Bonnet, 
 ^' and no one will harm him. And, moreover, 
 this enforced stay may be of the greatest benefit 
 to him. He has a good head for business, and 
 he may establish himself here in a very profitable 
 fashion and go back to Barbadoes, if he so de- 
 sires, in comfortable circumstances. All we have 
 to do is to slip our anchor and sail away at some 
 moment when he is busy in the town. I will leave 
 ample instructions for him and he shall have 
 money. ' ' 
 
 '' Father, it would be shameful! " said 
 Kate. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine said nothing; he was too 
 angry to speak, but he made up his mind that 
 Ben Greenway should be apprised of Bonnet's 
 intentions of running away from him and that 
 such a wicked design should be thwarted. This 
 
 273 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 brother-in-law of his was a worse man than he 
 had thought him ; he was capable of being false 
 even to his best friend. He might be mad as a 
 March hare, but, truly, he was also as sly and 
 crafty as a fox in any month in the year. 
 
 Wise Mr. Delaplaine ! 
 
 The very next morning there came a letter 
 from Stede Bonnet to his daughter Kate, in 
 which he told her that it was absolutely impossi- 
 ble for him to return to the humdrum and stupid 
 life of sugar-planting and cattle-raising. Hav- 
 ing tasted the glories of a pirate's career, he 
 could never again be contented with plain coun- 
 try pursuits. So he was off and away, the bound- 
 ing sea beneath him and the brave Jolly Roger 
 floating over his head. He would not tell his dear 
 daughter where he was gone or what he intended 
 to do, for she would be happier if she did not 
 know. He sent her his warmest love, and de- 
 sired to be most kindly remembered to her uncle 
 and to Dame Charter. He would make it his 
 business that a correspondence should be main- 
 tained between him and his dear Kate, and he 
 hoped from time to time to send her presents 
 which would help her to know how constantly 
 he loved her. He concluded by admitting that 
 what he had said about Ben Greenway was mere- 
 ly a blind to turn their suspicions from his in- 
 tended departure. If his good brother-in-law, 
 out of kindness to the Scotchman, had brought 
 him to the Belinda and had insisted on keeping 
 
 274 
 
WISE MR. DELAPLAINE 
 
 him there, it would have made his, Bonnet's, 
 secret departure a great deal easier. 
 
 Kate had never fainted in her life, but when 
 she had finished this letter she went down flat 
 on her back. 
 
 Leaving his niece to the good offices of Dame 
 Charter, Mr. Delaplaine, breathing hotly, went 
 ashore, accompanied by the captain. When they 
 reached the storehouse they found it locked, with 
 the key in the custody of a shop-keeper near-by. 
 They soon heard what had happened to Black- 
 beard's business agent. He had gone off in a 
 piratical vessel, which had sailed for somewhere, 
 in the middle of the night; and, moreover, it 
 was believed that the Scotchman who worked for 
 him had gone with him, for he had been seen 
 running towards the water, and afterward taking 
 his place among the oarsmen in a boat which 
 went out to the departing vessel. 
 
 ^' May that unholy vessel be sunk as soon as 
 it reaches the open sea ! ' ' was the deadly desire 
 which came from the heart of Mr. Delaplaine. 
 But the wish had not formed itself into words 
 before the good merchant recanted. ^^ I totally 
 forgot that faithful Scotchman," he sighed. 
 
 275 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 DICKORY STRETCHES HIS LEGS 
 
 J HERE were jolly times on 
 board the swift ship Revenge 
 as she sped through the straits 
 of Florida on her way np the Atlantic coast. 
 The skies were bright, the wind was fair, and the 
 warm waters of the Gulf Stream helped to carry 
 her bravely on her way. But young Dickory 
 Charter, with the blood-stained letter of Captain 
 Vince tucked away in the lining of his coat, ate 
 so little, tossed about so much in his berth, turned 
 so pale and spoke so seldom, that the bold Cap- 
 tain Blackbeard declared that he should have 
 some medicine. 
 
 ^ ^ I shall not let my fine lieutenant suffer for 
 want of drugs,'' he cried, ^^ and when I reach 
 Charles Town I shall send ashore a boat and 
 procure some; and if the citizens disturb or in- 
 terfere with my brave fellows, I'll bombard the 
 town. There will be medicine to take on one 
 side or the other, I swear. ' ' And loud and ready 
 were the oaths he swore. 
 
 A pirate who carries with him an intended 
 
 276 
 
DICKORY STRETCHES HIS LEGS 
 
 son-in-law is not likely, if he be of Blackbeard's 
 turn of mind, to suffer all Ms family plans to 
 be ruined for the want of a few drugs. 
 
 When Dickory heard what the captain had 
 to say on this subject his heart shrank within 
 him. He had never taken medicine and he had 
 never seen Blackbeard's daughter, but the one 
 seemed to him almost as bad as the other, and 
 the thought of the cool waves beneath him be- 
 came more attractive than ever before. But that 
 thought was quickly banished, for he had a duty 
 before him, and not until that was performed 
 could he take leave of this world, once so bright 
 to him. 
 
 An island with palm-trees slowly rose on the 
 horizon, and off this island it was that, after a 
 good deal of tacking and close-hauling, the Re- 
 venge lay to to take in water. Far better water 
 than that which had been brought from Belize. 
 
 ^' Do you want to go ashore in the boat, 
 boy? '' said Blackbeard, really mindful of the 
 health of this projected member of his family. 
 * * It may help your appetite to use your legs. ' ' 
 
 Dickory did not care to go anywhere, but he 
 had hardly said so when a revulsion of feeling 
 came upon him, and turning away so that his 
 face might not be noticed, he said he thought 
 the land air might do him good. While the men 
 were at work carrying their pails from the well- 
 known spring to the water-barrels in the boat, 
 Dickory strolled about to view the scenery, for 
 
 277 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 it could never have been expected that a first 
 lieutenant in uniform should help to carry water. 
 At first the scenery did not appear to be very 
 interesting, and Dickory wandered slowly from 
 here to there, then sat down under a tree. Pres- 
 ently he rose and went to another tree, a little 
 farther away from the boat and the men at the 
 spring. Here he quietly took off his shoes and 
 his stockings, and, having nothing else to do, 
 made a little bundle of them, listlessly tying 
 them to his belt; then he rose and walked away 
 somewhat brisker, but not in the direction of the 
 boat. He did not hurry, but even stopped some- 
 times to look at things, but he still walked a 
 little briskly, and always away from the boat. 
 He had been so used, this child of outdoor life, 
 to going about the world barefooted, that it was 
 no wonder that he walked briskly, being relieved 
 of his encumbering shoes and stockings. 
 
 After a time he heard a shout behind him, 
 and turning saw three men of the boat's crew 
 upon a little eminence, calling to him. Then he 
 moved more quickly, always away from the boat, 
 and with his head turned he saw the men run- 
 ning towards him, and their shouts became loud- 
 er and wilder. Then he set off on a good run, 
 and presently heard a pistol shot. This he knew 
 was to frighten him and make him stop, but he 
 ran the faster and soon turned the corner of a 
 bit of woods. Then he was away at the top of 
 his speed, making for a jungle of foliage not a 
 
 278 
 
DICKORY STRETCHES HIS LEGS 
 
 quarter of a mile before him. Shouts he heard, 
 and more shots, but he caught sight of no pur- 
 suers. Urged on even as they were by the fear 
 of returning to the ship without Dickory, they 
 could not expect to match, in their heavy boots, 
 the stag-like speed of this barefooted bounder. 
 
 After a time Dickory stopped running, for 
 his path, always straight away, so far as he could 
 judge, from the landing-place, became very diffi- 
 cult. In the forest there were streams, sometimes 
 narrow and sometimes wide, and how deep he 
 knew not, so that now he jumped, now he walked 
 on fallen trees. Sometimes he crossed water and 
 marsh by swinging himself from the limbs of 
 one tree to those of another. This was hard work 
 for a young gentleman in a naval uniform and 
 cocked hat, but it had to be done ; and when the 
 hat was knocked otf it was picked up again, with 
 its feathers dripping. 
 
 Dickory was going somewhere, although he 
 knew not whither, and he had solemn business 
 to perform which he had sworn to do, and there- 
 fore he must have fit clothes to wear, not only 
 in which to travel but in which to present him- 
 self suitably when he should accomplish his mis- 
 sion. All these things Dickory thought of, and 
 he picked up his cocked hat whenever it dropped. 
 He would have been very hungry had he not 
 bethought himself to fill his pockets with biscuits 
 before he left the vessel. And as to fresh water, 
 there was no lack of that. 
 
 279 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 T was towards nightfall of the 
 day on which Dickory had es- 
 caped from the pirates at the 
 spring that he found himself on a piece of high 
 ground in an open place in the forest, and here 
 he determined to spend the night. With his dirk 
 he cut a quantity of palmetto leaves and made 
 himself a very comfortable bed, on which he was 
 soon asleep, fearing no pirates. 
 
 In the morning he rose early from his green 
 couch, ate the few biscuits which were left in 
 his pockets, and, putting on his shoes and stock- 
 ings, started forth upon, what might have been 
 supposed to be, an aimless tramp. 
 
 But it was not aimless. Dickory had a most 
 wholesome dread of that indomitable apostle of 
 cruelty and wickedness, the pirate Blackbeard. 
 He believed that it would be quite possible for 
 that savage being to tie up his beard in tails, 
 to blacken his face with powder, to hang more 
 
 280 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 pistols from Ms belt and around his neck, and 
 swear that the Revenge should never leave her 
 anchorage until her first lieutenant had been cap- 
 tured and brought back to her. So he had an 
 aim, and that was to get away as far as possible 
 from the spot where he had landed on the island. 
 
 He did not believe that his pursuers, if there 
 were any upon his track, could have travelled 
 in the night, for it had been pitchy black; and, 
 as he now had a good start of them, he thought 
 he might go so far that they would give up the 
 search. Then he hoped to be able to keep him- 
 self alive until he was reasonably sure that the 
 Revenge had hoisted anchor and sailed away, 
 when it was his purpose to make his way back 
 to the spring and wait for some other vessel 
 which would take him away. 
 
 With his shoes on he travelled more easily, 
 although not so swiftly, and after an hour of very 
 rough walking he heard a sound which made him 
 stop instantly and listen. At first he thought it 
 might be the wind in the trees, but soon his 
 practised ear told him that it was the sound of 
 the surf upon the beach. Without the slightest 
 hesitation, he made his way as quickly as possi- 
 ble towards the sound of the sea. 
 
 In less than half an hour he found himself 
 upon a stretch of sand which extended from the 
 forest to the sea, and upon which the waves were 
 throwing themselves in long, crested lines. With 
 a cry of joy he ran out upon the beach, and with 
 19 281 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 outstretched arms he welcomed the sea as if it 
 had been an old and well-tried friend. 
 
 But Dickory's gratitude and joy had nothing 
 to found itself upon. The sea might far better 
 have been his enemy than his friend, for if he 
 had thought about it, the sandy beach would have 
 been the road by which a portion of the pirate 's 
 men would have marched to cut off his flight, 
 or they would have accomplished the same end 
 in boats. 
 
 But Dickory thought of no enemy and his 
 heart was cheered. He pressed on along the 
 beach. The walking was so much better now 
 that he made good progress, and the sun had 
 not reached its zenith when he found himself on 
 the shore of a small stream which came down 
 from some higher land in the interior and here 
 poured itself into the sea. He walked some dis- 
 tance by this stream, in order to get some water 
 which might be free from brackishness, and 
 then, with very little trouble, he crossed it. Be- 
 fore him was a knoll of moderate height, and cov- 
 ered with low foliage. Mounting this, he found 
 that he had an extended view over the interior of 
 the island. In the background there stretched a 
 wide savanna, and at the distance of about half 
 a mile he saw, very near a little cluster of trees, 
 a thin column of smoke. His eyes rounded and 
 he stared and stared. He now perceived, from 
 behind the leaves, the end of a thatched roof. 
 
 ^' People! " Dickory exclaimed, and his heart 
 
 282 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 beat fast with joy. Why his heart should be 
 joyful he could not have told himself except that 
 there was no earthly reason to believe that the 
 persons who were making that fire near that 
 thatched-roof house were pirates. To go to this 
 house, whatever it might be, to take his chances 
 there instead of remaining alone in the wide for- 
 est, was our young man's instant determination. 
 But before he started there was something else 
 he thought of. He took off his coat, and with 
 a bunch of leaves he brushed it. Then he ar- 
 ranged the plumes of his hat and brushed some 
 mud from them, gave himself a general shake, 
 and was ready to make a start. All this by a 
 fugitive pursued by savage pirates on a desert 
 island ! But Dickory was a young man, and he 
 wore the uniform of a naval officer. 
 
 After a brisk walk, which was somewhat 
 longer than he had supposed it would be, Dick- 
 ory reached the house behind the trees. At a 
 short distance burned the fire whose smoke he 
 had seen. Over the fire hung an iron pot. Oh, 
 blessed pot ! A gentle breeze blew from the fire 
 towards Dickory, and from the heavenly odour 
 which was borne upon it he knew that something 
 good to eat was cooking in that pot. 
 
 A man came quickly from behind the house. 
 He was tall, with a beard a little gray, and his 
 scanty attire was of the most nondescript fash- 
 ion. With amazement upon his face, he spoke 
 to Dickory in English. 
 
 283 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 '^ What, sir," he cried, ^' has a man-of-war 
 touched at this island? " 
 
 Dickory could not help smiling, for the man's 
 countenance told him how he had been utterly 
 astounded, and even stupefied, by the sight of 
 a gentleman in naval uniform in the interior of 
 that island, an almost desert region. 
 
 ^' No man-of-war has touched here,'' said 
 Dickory, ^^ and I don't belong to one. I wear 
 these clothes because I am compelled to do so, 
 having no others. Yesterday afternoon I es- 
 caped from some pirates who stopped for water, 
 and since leaving them I have made my way 
 to this spot." 
 
 The man stepped forth quickly and stretched 
 out his hand. 
 
 ' ' Bless you ! Bless you ! " he cried. ' * You 
 are the first human being, other than my family, 
 that I have seen for two years. ' ' 
 
 A little girl now came from behind the house, 
 and when her eyes fell upon Dickory and his 
 cocked hat she screamed with terror and ran in- 
 doors. A woman appeared at the door, evidently 
 the man's wife. She had a pleasant face, but 
 her clothes riveted Dickory 's attention. It 
 would be impossible to describe them even if 
 one were gazing upon them. It will be enough 
 to say that they covered her. Her amazement 
 more than equalled that of her husband; she 
 stood and stared, but could not speak. 
 
 * ' From the spring at the end of the island, ' ' 
 
 284 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 cried the man, ^' to this house since yesterday 
 afternoon ! I have always supposed that no one 
 could get here from the spring by land. I call 
 that way impassable. You are safe here, sir, I 
 am sure. Pirates would not follow very far 
 through those forests and morasses ; they would 
 be afraid they would never get back to their ship. 
 But I will find out for certain if you have reason, 
 sir, to fear pursuit by boat or otherwise. ' ' 
 
 And then, stepping around to the other end 
 of the house, he called, '^ Lucilla! " 
 
 "" You are hungry, sir," said the woman; 
 ^' presently you shall share our meal, which is 
 almost cooked.'^ 
 
 Now the man returned. 
 
 '' This is not a time for questions, sir," he 
 said, ''' either from you or from us. You must 
 eat and you must rest, then we can talk. We 
 shall not any of us apologize for our appearance, 
 and you will not expect it when you have heard 
 our story. But I can assure you, sir, that we 
 do not look nearly so strange to you as you ap- 
 pear to us. Never before, sir, did I see in this 
 climate, and on shore, a man attired in such 
 fashion. ' ' 
 
 Dickory smiled. '^ I will tell you the tale of 
 it," he said, '' when we have eaten; I admit 
 that I am famished. ' ' 
 
 The man was now called away, and when he 
 returned he said to Dickory: ^' Fear nothing, 
 sir; your ship is no longer at the anchorage by 
 
 285 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the spring. She has sailed away, wisely con- 
 cluding, I suppose, that pursuit of you would 
 be folly, and even madness. ' ' 
 
 The dinner was an exceedingly plain one, 
 spread upon a rude table under a tree. The little 
 girl, who had overcome her fear of ^ ' the soldier ' * 
 as she considered him, made one of the party. 
 
 During the meal Dickory briefly told his 
 story, confining it to a mere statement of his 
 escape from the pirates. 
 
 " Blackbeard! '' exclaimed the man. '' Tru- 
 ly you did well to get away from him, no matter 
 into what forests you plunged or upon what des- 
 ert island you lost yourself. At any moment he 
 might have turned upon you and cut you to 
 pieces to amuse himself. I have heard the most 
 horrible stories of Blackbeard." 
 
 ^^ He treated me very well,'' said Dickory, 
 '* but I know from his own words that he re- 
 served me for a most horrible fate." 
 
 * * What ! ' ' exclaimed the man, ^ ' and he told 
 you 1 He is indeed a demon ! ' ' 
 
 '' Yes," said Dickory, '^ he said over and 
 over again that he was going to take me to Eng- 
 land to marry me to his daughter. ' ' 
 
 At this the wife could not refrain from a 
 smile. ' ^ Matrimony is not generally considered 
 a horrible fate," said she; '^ perhaps his daugh- 
 ter may be a most comely and estimable young 
 person. Girls do not always resemble their 
 fathers. ' ' 
 
 286 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 *^ Do not mention it,'' exclaimed Dickory, 
 with a shudder; " that was one reason that I 
 ran away; I preferred any danger from man or 
 beast to that he was taking me to." 
 
 ^ ^ He is engaged to be married, ' ' thought the 
 woman; ^^ it is easy enough to see that." 
 
 ^ ^ Now tell me your story, I pray you, ' ' said 
 Dickory. ^ ^ But first, I would like very much to 
 know how you found out that Blackbeard 's ship 
 was not at her anchorage? " 
 
 ^* That's a simple thing," said the man. 
 ^' Of course you did not observe, for you could 
 .not, that from its eastern point where lies the 
 spring, this island stretches in a long curve to 
 the south, reaching northward again about this 
 spot. Consequently, there is a little bay to the 
 east of us, across which we can see the anchor- 
 ing ground of such ships as may stop here for 
 water. Your way around the land curve of the 
 island was a long one, but the distance straight 
 across the bay is but a few miles. Upon a hill 
 not far from here there is a very tall tree, which 
 overtops all the other trees, and to the upper 
 branches of this tree my daughter, who is a great 
 climber, frequently ascends with a small glass, 
 and is thus able to report if there is a vessel at 
 the anchorage." 
 
 '' What! " exclaimed Dickory, '* that little 
 girl! " 
 
 ^ ^ Oh, no ! " said the man ; * ^ it is my other 
 daughter, who is a grown young woman." 
 
 287 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 *^ She is not here now," said the mother.- 
 And this piece of unnecessary information was 
 given in tones which might indicate that the 
 young lady had stepped around to visit a neigh- 
 bour. 
 
 '^ It is important,'' said the man, '' that I 
 should know if vessels have anchored here, for 
 if they be merchantmen I sometimes do business 
 with them.'' 
 
 ^ ^ Business ! ' ' said Dickory. ^ ^ That sounds 
 extremely odd. Pray tell me how you came to 
 be here. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ My name is Mander, ' ' said the other, ' ^ and 
 about two years ago I was on my way from Eng- 
 land to Barbadoes, where, with my wife and two 
 girls, I expected to settle. We were captured 
 by a pirate ship and marooned upon this island. 
 I will say, to the pirate captain's credit, that he 
 was a good sort of man considering his profes- 
 sion. He sailed across the bay on purpose to find 
 a suitable place to land us, and he left with us 
 some necessary articles, such as axes and tools, 
 kitchen utensils, and a gun with some ammuni- 
 tion. Then he sailed away, leaving us here, and 
 here we have since lived. Under the circum- 
 stances, we have no right to complain, for had 
 we been taken by an ordinary pirate it is likely 
 that our bones would now be lying at the bot- 
 tom of the ocean. 
 
 ** Here I have worked hard and have made 
 myself a home, such as it is. There are wild 
 
 288 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 cattle upon the distant savannas, and I trap 
 game and birds, cultivate the soil to a certain 
 extent, and if we had clothes I might say we 
 would be in better circumstances than many a 
 respectable family in England. Sometimes 
 when a merchantman anchors here and I have 
 hides or anything else which we can barter for 
 things we need, I row over the bay in a canoe 
 which I have made, and have thus very much 
 bettered our condition. But in no case have I 
 been able to provide my family with suitable 
 clothes. ' ' 
 
 " Why did you not get some of these mer- 
 chant ships to carry you away I ' ' asked Dickory. 
 
 The man shook his head. '^ There is no 
 place, ' ' he said sadly, ^ ' to which I can in reason 
 ask a ship to carry me and my family. W^e have 
 no money, no property whatever. In any other 
 place I would be far poorer than I am here. 
 My children are not uneducated ; my wife and I 
 have done our best for them in that respect, and 
 we have some books with us. So, as you see, 
 it would be rash in me to leave a home which, 
 rude as it is, shelters and supports my family, to 
 go as paupers and strangers to some other land. ' ' 
 
 The wife heaved a sigh. ^^ But poor Lu- 
 cilla! '^ she said. *^ It is dreadful that she 
 should be forced to grow up here.'' 
 Lucillaf '' asked Dickory. 
 Yes, sir,'' she said, ^' my eldest daughter. 
 But she is not here now. ' ' 
 
 289 
 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Dickory thought that it was somewhat odd 
 that he should be again informed of a fact which 
 he knew very well, but he made no remarks 
 upon the subject. 
 
 Still wearing his cocked hat— for he had 
 nothing else with which to shield his head from 
 the sun— and with his uniform coat on, for he 
 had not yet an opportunity of ripping from it 
 the letter he carried, and this he would not part 
 from— Dickory roamed about the little settle- 
 ment. Mander was an industrious and thrifty 
 man. His garden, his buildings, and his sur- 
 roundings showed that. 
 
 Walking past a clump of low bushes, Dickory 
 was startled by a laugh— a hearty laugh— the 
 laugh of a girl. Looking quickly around, he 
 saw, peering above the tops of the bushes, the 
 face of the girl who had laughed. 
 
 ^* It is too funny! " she said, as his eyes fell 
 upon her. '^ I never saw anything so funny in 
 all my life. A man in regimentals in this weather 
 and upon a desert island. You look as if you 
 had marched faster than your army, and that 
 you had lost it in the forest. ' ' 
 
 Dickory smiled. ^^ You ought not to laugh 
 at me, ' ' he said, * ^ for these clothes are really a 
 great misfortune. If I could change them for 
 something cool I should be more than delighted. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ You might take off your heavy coat, ' ' said 
 she; ^' you need not be on parade here. And 
 instead of that awful hat, I can make you one 
 
 290 
 

 A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 of long grass. Do you see the one I have on! 
 Isn't that a good hat? I have one nearly fin- 
 ished which I am making for my father; you 
 may have that. ' ' 
 
 Dickory would most gladly have taken off his 
 coat if, without observation, he could have trans- 
 ferred his sacred letter to some other part of his 
 clothes, but he must wait for that. He accepted 
 instantly, however, the offer of the hat. 
 
 *^ You seem to know all about me,'' he said; 
 did you hear me tell my story 1 " 
 
 Every word of it," said she, '' and it is 
 the queerest story I ever heard. Think of a pi- 
 rate carrying a man away to marry him to his 
 daughter! " 
 
 ^* But why don't you come from behind that 
 bush and talk to me ? " 
 
 ^' 1 can't do it," said she, ^^ I am dressed 
 funnier than you are. Now I am going to*make 
 your hat. ' ' And in an instant she had departed. 
 
 Dickorv now strolled on, and when he re- 
 turned he seated himself in the shade near the 
 house. The letter of Captain Vince was taken 
 from his coat-lining and secured in one of his 
 breeches pockets; his hea\^ coat and waistcoat 
 lay upon the ground beside him, with the cocked 
 hat placed upon them. As he leaned back against 
 the tree and inhaled the fragrant breeze which 
 came to him from the forest, Dickory was a more 
 cheerful young man than he had been for many, 
 many days. He thought of this himself, and 
 
 291 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 wondered how a man, carrying with him his sen- 
 tence of lifelong misery, could lean against a tree 
 and take pleasure in anything, be it a hospitable 
 welcome, a sense of freedom from danger, a fra- 
 grant breeze, or the face of a pretty girl behind 
 a bush. But these things did please him; he 
 could not help it. And when presently came 
 Mrs. Mander, bringing him a light grass hat 
 fresh from the manufacturer's hands, he took it 
 and put it on with more evident pleasure than 
 the occasion seemed to demand. 
 
 " Your daughter is truly an artist,'' said 
 Dickory. 
 
 '^ She does many things well," said the 
 mother, ^' because necessity compels her and all 
 of us to learn to work in various ways." 
 
 ^ ^ Can I not thank her ? ' ' said Dickory. 
 
 '' No," the mother answered, ^' she is not 
 here now. ' ' 
 
 Dickory had begun to hate that self-evident 
 statement. 
 
 ^^ She's looking out for ships; her pride is 
 a little touched that she missed Blackbeard's 
 vessel yesterday." 
 
 ^^ Perhaps," said Dickory, with a movement 
 as if he would like to make a step in the direc- 
 tion of some tall tree upon a hill. 
 
 *^ No," said Mrs. Mander, '^ I cannot ask 
 you to join my daughter. I am compelled to 
 state that her dress is not a suitable one in which 
 to appear before a stranger. ' ' 
 
 292 
 
A GIRL WHO LAUGHED 
 
 ^^ Excuse me,'' said Dickory; *^ and I beg, 
 madam, that you will convey to her my thanks 
 for making me such an excellent hat. ' ' 
 
 A little later Mander joined Dickory. ^^ I 
 am sorry, sir," said he, " that I am not able 
 to present you to my daughter Lucilla. It is a 
 great grief to us that her attire compels her to 
 deny herself other company than that of her 
 family. I really believe, sir, that it is Lucilla 's 
 deprivations on this island which form at present 
 my principal discontent with my situation. But 
 we all enjoy good health, we have enough to eat, 
 and shelter over us, and should not complain. ' ' 
 
 As soon as he was at liberty to do so, Dickory 
 walked by the hedge of low bushes, and there, 
 above it, was the bright face, with the pretty 
 grass hat. 
 
 '^ I was waiting for you," said she. " I 
 wanted to see how that hat fitted, and I think 
 it does nicely. And I wanted to tell you that 
 I have been looking out for ships, but have not 
 seen one. I don't mean by that that I want you 
 to go away almost as soon as you have come, 
 but of course, if a merchant ship should anchor 
 here, it would be dreadful for you not to know, ' ' 
 
 '^ I am not sure," said Dickory gallantly, 
 *^ that I am in a hurry for a ship. It is truly 
 very pleasant here. ' ' 
 
 '^ What makes it pleasant! " said the girl. 
 
 Dickorv hesitated for a moment. ^' The 
 breeze from the forest," said he. 
 
 293 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 She laughed. *' It is charming/' she said, 
 ^' but there are so many places where there is 
 just as good a breeze, or j)erhaps better. How 
 I would like to go to some one of them ! To me 
 this island is lonely and doleful. Every time 
 I look over the sea for a ship I hope that one 
 will come that can carry us away.'' 
 
 ^ ' Then, ' ' said Dickory, ' ' I wish a ship would 
 come to-morrow and take us all away together. ' ' 
 
 She shook her head. '^ As my father told 
 you," said she, '^ we have no place to go to." 
 
 Dickory thought a good deal about the sad 
 condition of the family of this worthy marooner. 
 He thought of it even after he had stretched 
 himself for the night upon the bed of palmetto 
 leaves beneath the tree against which he had 
 leaned when he wondered how he could be so 
 cheerful under the shadow of the sad fate which 
 was before him. 
 
 294 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 LUCILLA^S SHIP 
 
 soon as Dickory had left off 
 his cocked hat and his gold- 
 embroidered coat, the little 
 girl Lena had ceased to he afraid of him, and 
 the next morning she came to him, seated lonely 
 —for this was a busy household— and asked him 
 if he would like to take a walk. So, hand in 
 hand, they wandered away. Presently they en- 
 tered a path which led through the woods. 
 
 ' ' This is the way my sister goes to her look- 
 out tree, ' ' said the little girl. ^ ' Would you like 
 to see that tree ? " 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes ! ' ^ said Dickory, and he spoke the 
 truth. 
 
 ^' She goes up to the very top,'' said Lena, 
 *^ to look for ships. I would never do that; I'd 
 rather never see a ship than to climb to the 
 top of such a tree. I'll show it to you in a min- 
 ute ; we 're almost there. ' ' 
 
 At a little distance from the rest of the forest 
 
 295 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 and upon a bluff which overlooked a stretch of 
 lowland, and beyond that the bay, stood a tall 
 tree with spreading branches and heavy foliage. 
 
 ^^ Up in the top of that is where she sits,'' 
 said the child, ^' and spies out for ships. That's 
 what she's doing now. Don't you see her up 
 there? " 
 
 ^' Your sister in the tree! " exclaimed Dick- 
 ory. And his first impulse was to retire, for it 
 had been made quite plain to him that he was 
 not expected to present himself to the young lady 
 of the house, should she be on the ground or in 
 the air. But he did not retire. A voice came 
 to him from the tree-top, and as he looked up- 
 ward he saw the same bright face which had 
 greeted him over the top of the bushes. Below 
 it was a great bunch of heav^^ leaves. 
 
 ^' So you have come to call on me, have 
 you! " said the lady in the tree. '^ I am glad 
 to see you, but I'm sorry that I cannot ask you 
 to come upstairs. I am not receiving." 
 
 ^' He could not come up if he wanted to," 
 said Lena ; ^ ' he couldn 't climb a tree like that. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' And he doesn 't want to, ' ' cried the nymph 
 of the bay-tree. ^' I have been up here all the 
 morning," said she, " looking for ships, but not 
 one have I seen." 
 
 ^' Isn't that a tiresome occupation? " asked 
 Dickory. 
 
 ' ' Not altogether, ' ' she said. ^ * The branches 
 up here make a very nice seat, and I nearly al- 
 
 296 
 
LUCILLA'S SHIP 
 
 ways bring a book with me. You will wonder 
 how we get books, but we had a few with us 
 when we were marooned, and since that my father 
 has always asked for books when he has an op- 
 portunity of trading off his hides. But I have 
 read them all over and over again, and if it were 
 not for the ships which I expect to come here 
 and anchor, I am afraid I should grow melan- 
 choly. ' ' 
 
 '' What sort of ships do you look for? '' 
 asked Dickory, who was gazing upward with so 
 much interest that he felt a little pain in the back 
 of his neck, and who could not help thinking 
 of a framed engraving which hung in his 
 mother's little parlour, and which represented 
 some angels composed of nothing but heads and 
 wings. He saw no wings under the head of the 
 charming young creature in the tree, but there 
 was no reason which he could perceive why she 
 should not be an angel marooned upon a West 
 Indian island. 
 
 ' ^ There are a great many of them, ' ' said she, 
 ^* and they're all alike in one way— they never 
 come. But there's one of them in particular 
 which I look for and look for and look for, and 
 which I believe that some day I shall really see. 
 I have thought about that ship so often and I 
 have dreamed about it so often that I almost 
 know it must come." 
 
 '^ Is it an English ship? " asked Dickory, 
 speaking with some effort, for he found that the 
 20 297 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 girl's voice came down much more readily than 
 his went up. 
 
 ** I don't know," said she, ^^ but I suppose 
 it must be, for otherwise I should not understand 
 what the people on board should say to me. It 
 is a large ship, strong and able to defend itself 
 against any pirates. It is laden with all sorts of 
 useful and valuable things, and among these are 
 a great many trunks and boxes filled with differ- 
 ent kinds of clothes. Also, there's a great deal 
 of money kept in a box by itself, and is in charge 
 of an agent who is bringing it out to my father, 
 supposing him to be now settled in Barbadoes. 
 This money is generally a legacy for my father 
 from a distant relative who has recentlv died. 
 On this ship there are so many delightful things 
 that I cannot even begin to mention them. ' ' 
 
 ^^ And where is it going to? " asked Dick- 
 ory. 
 
 ^^ That I don't know exactly. Sometimes I 
 think that it is going to the island of Barbadoes, 
 where we originally intended to settle ; but then 
 I imagine that there is some pleasanter place 
 than Barbadoes, and if that's the case the ship 
 is going there." 
 
 i i There can be no pleasanter place than Bar- 
 badoes," cried Dickory. ^^ I come from that 
 island, where I was born ; there is no land more 
 lovely in all the West Indies." 
 
 ** You come from Barbadoes? " cried the 
 girl, *^ and it really is a pleasant island? " 
 
 298 
 
LUCILLA'S SHIP 
 
 ^ ^ Most truly it is, ^ ^ said he, ^ ' and the great 
 dream of my life is to get back there. '* Then 
 he stopped. Was it really the dream of his life 
 to get back there? That would depend upon 
 several things. 
 
 *^ If, then, you tell me the truth, my ship is 
 bound for Barbadoes. And if she should go, 
 would you like to go there with us ? ' ' 
 
 Dickory hesitated. ^ ^ Not directly, ' ' said he. 
 ' * I would first touch at Jamaica. ' ^ 
 
 For some moments there was no answer from 
 the tree-top, and then came the question : * ^ Is it 
 a girl who lives there? '' 
 
 ^^ Yes,'' said Dickory unguardedly, ^* but 
 also I have a mother in Jamaica. ' ' 
 
 *^ Indeed,'' said she, ^^ a mother! Well, we 
 might stop there and take the mother with us to 
 Barbadoes. Would the girl want to go too? " 
 
 Dickory bent his head. *^ Alas! " said he, 
 *^ I do not know." 
 
 Then spoke the little Lena. ^^ I would not 
 bother about any particular place to go to, ' ' said 
 she. '' I'd be so glad to go anywhere that isn't 
 here. But it is not a real ship, you know. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ I don 't think I will take you, ' ' called down 
 Lucilla. ^^ I don't want too many passengers, 
 especially women I don't know. But I often 
 think there will be a gentleman passenger— one 
 who really wants to go to Barbadoes and no- 
 where else. Sometimes he is one kind of a gentle- 
 man and sometimes another, but he is never a 
 
 299 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 soldier or a sailor, but rather one who loves to 
 stay at home. And now, sir, I think I must take 
 my glass and try to pick out a ship from among 
 the spots on the far distant waves." 
 
 ' ' Come on, ^ ^ said Lena, ^ ' do you like to fish % 
 Because if you do, I can take you to a good 
 place.'' 
 
 The rest of the day Dickory spent with Mr. 
 Mander and his wife, who were intelligent and 
 pleasant people. They talked of their travels, 
 their misfortunes and their blessings, and Dick- 
 ory yearned to pour out his soul to them, but he 
 could not do so. His woes did not belong to him- 
 self alone; they were not for the ears of stran- 
 gers. He made up his mind what he would do. 
 Until the morrow he would stay as a visitor with 
 these most hospitable people, then he would ask 
 for work. He would collect firewood, he would 
 hunt, he would fish, he would do anything. And 
 here he would support himself until there came 
 some merchant ship bound southward which 
 would carry him away. If the Mander family 
 were anyway embarrassed or annoyed by his 
 presence here, he would make a camp at a little 
 distance and live there by himself. Perhaps the 
 lady of the tree would kindly send him word if 
 the ship he was looking for should come. 
 
 It was about the middle of the afternoon, and 
 Lena had dropped asleep beneath the tree where 
 Dickory and her parents were conversing, when 
 suddenly there rushed upon the little group a 
 
 300 
 
LUCILLA'S SHIP 
 
 most siirj)rising figure. At the first flash of 
 thought Dickory supposed that a boy from the 
 skies had dropped among them, but in an instant 
 he recognised the face he had seen above the 
 bushes. It was Lucilla, the daughter of the 
 house! Upon her head was a little straw hat, 
 and she wore a loose tunic and a pair of sailor's 
 trousers, which had been cut off and were short 
 enough to show that her feet and ankles were 
 bare. Around her waist she had a belt of skins, 
 from which dangled a string of crimson sea- 
 beans. Her eyes were wide open, her face was 
 pale, and she was trembling with excitement. 
 
 *' What do you think! " she cried, not car- 
 ing who was there or who might look at her. 
 *^ There's a ship at the spring, and there's a 
 boat rowing across the bay. A boat with four 
 men in it ! " 
 
 All started to their feet. 
 
 '^ A boat," cried Mander, '^ with four men 
 in it ? Run, my dear, to the cave ; press into its 
 depths as far as you can. There is nothing there 
 to be afraid of, and no matter how frightened 
 you are, press into its most distant depths. You, 
 sir, will remain with me, or would you rather 
 escape? If it is a pirate ship, it may be Black- 
 beard who has returned. ' ' 
 
 '* Not so," cried Lucilla, ^Mt is a merchant 
 vessel, and they are making straight for the 
 mouth of our stream." 
 
 *' I will stay here with you," said Dickory, 
 
 301 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ** and stand by yon, unless I may help yonr fam- 
 ily seek the cave you speak of.'^ 
 
 ^^ No, no, ^' said Mander, ^' they don't need 
 you, and if you will do so we will go down to 
 the beach and meet these men ; that will be better 
 than to have them search for us. They will know 
 that people live here, for my canoe is drawn up 
 on the beach. ' ' 
 
 ^^ Is this safe? " cried Dickory; *^ would it 
 not be better for you to go with your family 
 and hide with them 1 I will meet the men in the 
 boat. ' ' 
 
 ^^ No, no,'' said Mander; ^* if their vessel is 
 no pirate, I do not fear them. But I will not 
 have them here. ' ' 
 
 Now, after Mander had embraced his family, 
 they hurried away in tears, the girl Lucilla cast- 
 ing not one glance at Dickory. Impressed by 
 the impulse that it was the proper thing to do, 
 Dickory put on his coat and waistcoat and 
 clapped upon his head his high cocked hat. 
 Then he rapidly followed Mander to the beach, 
 which they reached before the boat touched the 
 sand. 
 
 When the man in. the stern of the boat, which 
 was now almost within hailing distance, saw the 
 two figures run down upon the beach, he spoke 
 to the oarsmen and they all stopped and looked 
 around. The stop was occasioned by the sight 
 of Dickory in his uniform; and this, under the 
 circumstances, was enough to stop any boat's 
 
 302 
 
LUCILLA'S SHIP 
 
 crew. Then they fell to again and pulled ashore. 
 When the boat was beached one of its occupants^ 
 a roughly dressed man, sprang ashore and 
 walked cautiously towards Mander ; then he gave 
 a great shout. 
 
 ' ' H^gho, heigho ! ' ' he cried, ' ' and Mander, 
 
 this is you ! ' ^ 
 
 Then there was great hand-shaking and many 
 words. 
 
 ^ ^ Excuse me, sir, ' ^ said the man, raising his 
 hat to Dickory, ' * it is now more than two years 
 since I have seen mv friend here, when he was 
 marooned by pirates. We were all on the same 
 merchantman, but the pirate took me along, being 
 short of hands. I got away at last, sir '' (all the 
 time addressing Dickory instead of Mander, this 
 being respect to his rank), '^ and shipping on 
 board that brig, sir, I begged it of the captain 
 that he would drop anchor here and take in 
 water, although I cannot say it was needed, 
 and give me a chance to land and see if my old 
 friend be yet alive. I knew the spot, having 
 well noted it when Mander and his family were 
 marooned. ' ' 
 
 "■ And this is Lucilla's ship,'* said Dickory 
 to himself. But to the sailor he said : ' ' This is 
 a great day for your friend and his family. But 
 you must not lift your hat to me, for I am no 
 officer." 
 
 For a long time, at least it seemed so to Dick- 
 ory, who wanted to run to the cave and tell the 
 
 303 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 good news, they all stood together on the sands 
 and talked and shook hands and laughed and 
 were truly thankful, the men who had come in 
 the boat as much so as those who were found 
 on the island. It was agreed, and there was no 
 discussion on this point, that the Mander family 
 should be carried away in the brig, which was 
 an English vessel bound for Jamaica, but the 
 happy Mander would not ask any of the boat's 
 crew to visit him at his home. Instead, he be- 
 sought them to return to their vessel and bring 
 back some clothes for women, if any such should 
 be included in her cargo. 
 
 * ' My family, ' ' said he, * * are not in fit condi- 
 tion to venture themselves among well-clad peo- 
 ple. They are, indeed, more like savages than 
 am I mvself.'' 
 
 ^^ I doubt," said Mander 's friend, *^ if the 
 ship carries goods of that description, but per- 
 haps the captain might let you have a bale of 
 cotton cloth, although I suppose— " and here he 
 looked a little embarrassed. 
 
 '' Oh, we can buy it," cried Dickory, taking 
 some pieces of gold from his pocket, being coin 
 with which Blackbeard had furnished him, 
 swearing that his first lieutenant could not feel 
 like a true officer without money in his pocket; 
 ^' take this and fetch the cloth if nothing better 
 can be had. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thank you, ' ' cried Mander ; ^ ^ my wife and 
 daughters can soon fashion it into shape." 
 
 304 
 
LUCILLA^S SHIP 
 
 ** And,'' added Dickory, reflecting a little 
 and remembering the general hues of Lncilla's 
 face, ^ ^ if there be choice in colours, let the cloth 
 be pink. ' ' 
 
 When Mander and Dickory reached the house 
 they did not stop, but hurried on towards the 
 cave, both of them together, for each thought 
 only of the great joy they were taking with 
 them. 
 
 ^' Come out! Come out! " shouted Mander, 
 as he ran, and before thev reached the cave its 
 shuddering inmates had hurried into the light. 
 AATien the cries and the tears and the embraces 
 were over, Lucilla first looked at Dickory. She 
 started, her face flushed, and she was about to 
 draw back ; then she stopped, and advancing held 
 out her hand. 
 
 * ^ It cannot be helped, ' ' she said ; * ^ anyway, 
 you have seen me before, and I suppose it doesn't 
 matter. I 'm a sailor boy, and have to own up to 
 it. I did hope you would think of me as a young 
 lady, but we are all so happy now that that 
 doesn't matter. Oh, father! " she cried, '^ it 
 can 't be ; we are not fit to be saved ; we must per- 
 ish here in our wretched rags." 
 
 ^* Not so," cried Dickory, with a bow; ^^ I've 
 already bought you a gown, and I hope it is 
 pink. ' ' 
 
 As they all hurried away, the tale of the 
 hoped-for clothes was told; and although Mrs. 
 Mander wondered how gowns were to be made 
 
 305 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 while a mercliantman waited, she said nothing 
 of her doubts, and they all ran gleefully. Lu- 
 cilla and Dickory being the fleetest led the others, 
 and Dickory said: ^* Now that I have seen you 
 thus, I shall be almost sorry if that ship can 
 furnish you with common clothes, what you wear 
 becomes you so. ' ^ 
 
 *^ Oho! " cried Lucilla, '^ that's fine flattery, 
 sir; but I am glad you said it, for that speech 
 has made me feel more like a woman than I 
 have felt since I first put on this sailor's tog- 
 gery. ' ' 
 
 In the afternoon the boat returned, Mander 
 and Dickory watching on the beach. When it 
 grounded, Davids, Mander 's friend, jumped on 
 shore, bearing in his arms a pile of great coarse 
 sacks. These he threw upon the sand and, hand- 
 ing to Dickory the gold pieces he had given him, 
 said: '^ The captain sends word that he has no 
 time to look over any goods to give or to sell, 
 but he sends these sacks, out of which the womeil 
 can fashion themselves gowns, and so come 
 aboard. Then the ship shall be searched for 
 stutf s which will suit their purposes and which 
 they can make at their leisure." 
 
 It was towards the close of the afternoon that 
 all of the Mander family and Dickory came down 
 to the boat which was waiting for them. 
 
 *^ Do you know," said Dickory, as he and 
 Lucilla stood together on the sand, ^ ^ that in that 
 gown of gray, with the white sleeves, and the red 
 
 306 
 
LUCILLA'S SHIP 
 
 cord around your waist, you please me better 
 than even you did when you wore your sailor 
 garb! '^ 
 
 " And what matters it, sir, whether I please 
 you or not ? ' * 
 
 307 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 ATE BONNET was indeed in 
 a sad case. She had sailed 
 from Kingston with high 
 hopes and a gay heart, and before she left she 
 had written to Master Martin Newcombe to ex- 
 press her joy that her father had given up his 
 unlawful calling and to say how she was going 
 to sail after him, fold him in her forgiving arms, 
 and bring him back to Jamaica, where she and 
 her uncle would see to it that his past sins were 
 forgiven on account of his irresponsible mind, 
 and where, for the rest of his life, he would tread 
 the paths of peace and probity. In this letter 
 she had not yielded to the earnest entreaty which 
 was really the object and soul of Master New- 
 combe's epistle. Many kind things she said to 
 so kind a friend, but to his offer to make her the 
 queen of his life she made no answer. She knew 
 she was his very queen, but she would not yet 
 consent to be invested with the royal robes and 
 with the crown. 
 
 308 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 And when she had reached Belize, how proud- 
 ly happy she had been ! She had seen her father, 
 no longer an outlaw, honest though in mean con- 
 dition, earning his bread by honourable labour. 
 Then, with a still greater pride, she had seen 
 him clad as a noble gentleman and bearing him- 
 self with dignity and high complacence. What 
 a figure he would have made among the fine 
 folks who were her uncle's friends in Kingston 
 and in Spanish Town! 
 
 But all this was over now. With his own 
 hand he had told her that once again she was 
 a pirate's daughter. She went below to her 
 cabin, where, with wet cheeks. Dame Charter 
 attended her. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine was angry, intensely angry. 
 Such a shameful, wicked trick had never before 
 been played upon a loving daughter. There were 
 no words in which to express his most justifiable 
 wrath. Again he went to the town to learn more, 
 but there was nothing more to learn except that 
 some people said they had reason to believe that 
 Bonnet had gone to follow Blackbeard. From 
 things they had heard they supposed that the 
 vessel which had sailed away in the night had 
 gone to offer herself as consort to the Revenge ; 
 to rob and burn in the company of that notorious 
 
 ship. 
 
 There was no satisfaction in this news for 
 the heart of the good merchant, and when 
 he returned to the brig and sought his niece's 
 
 309 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 cabin he had no words with which to cheer 
 her. All he could do was to tell her the little 
 he had learned and to listen to her supplica- 
 tions. 
 
 ^^ Oh, uncle/' she exclaimed, *^ we must fol- 
 low him, we must take him, we must hold him! 
 I care not where he is, even if it be in the com- 
 pany of the dreadful Blackbeard ! We must take 
 him, we must hold him, and this time we must 
 carry him away, no matter whether he will or 
 not. I believe there must be some spark of feel- 
 ing, even in the heart of a bloody pirate, which 
 will make him understand a daughter's love for 
 her father, and he will let me have mine. Oh, 
 uncle ! we were very wrong. When he was here 
 with us we should have taken him then; we 
 should have shut him up ; we should have sailed 
 with him to Kingston. ' ' 
 
 All this was very depressing to the soul of 
 Kate 's loving uncle, for how was he to sail after 
 her father and take him and hold him and carry 
 him away? He went away to talk to the captain 
 of the Belinda, but that tall seaman shook his 
 head. His vessel was not ready yet to sail, being 
 much delayed by the flight of Bonnet. And, 
 moreover, he vowed that, although he was as 
 bold a seaman as any, he would never consent to 
 set out upon such an errand as the following 
 of Blackbeard. It was terrifying enough to be 
 in the same bay with him, even though he were 
 engaged in business with the pirate, for no one 
 
 310 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 knew what strange freak might at any time sug- 
 gest itself to the soul of that most bloody rois- 
 terer ; but as to following him, it was like walking 
 into an alligator's jaws. He would take his pas- 
 sengers back to Kingston, but he could not sail 
 upon any wild cruises, nor could he leave Belize 
 immediately. 
 
 But Kate took no notice of all this when her 
 uncle had told it to her. She did not wish to 
 go back to Jamaica; she did not wish to wait 
 at Belize. It was the clamorous longing of her 
 heart to go after her father and to find him 
 wherever he might be, and she did not care to 
 consider anything else. 
 
 Dame Charter added also her supplications. 
 Her boy was with Blackbeard, and she wished 
 to follow the pirate's ship. Even if she should 
 never see Major Bonnet— whom she loathed and 
 despised, though never saying so— she would 
 find her Dickory. She, too, believed that there 
 must be some spark of feeling even in a bloody 
 pirate's heart which would make him under- 
 stand the love of a mother for her son, and he 
 would let her have her boy. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine sat brooding on the deck. The 
 righteous anger kindled by the conduct of his 
 brother-in-law, and his grief for the poor strick- 
 en women, sobbing in the cabin, combined to- 
 gether to throw him into the most dolorous state 
 of mind, which was aggravated by the knowledge 
 that he could do nothing except to wait until 
 
 311 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the Belinda sailed back to Jamaica and to go 
 to Jamaica in her. 
 
 As the unhappy merchant sat thus, his face 
 buried in his hands, a small boat came along- 
 side and a passenger mounted to the deck. This 
 person, after asking a few questions, approached 
 Mr. Delaplaine. 
 
 ' ' I have come, sir, to see you, ' ' he said. ^ ^ I 
 am Captain Ichabod of the sloop Kestless. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine looked up in surprise. ' ' That 
 is a pirate ship,'' said he. 
 
 ^ ^ Yes, ' ' said the other, ^ ^ I 'm a pirate. ' ' 
 
 The newcomer was a tall young man, with 
 long dark hair and with well-made features and 
 a certain diffidence in his manner which did not 
 befit his calling. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine rose. This was his first pri- 
 vate interview with a professional sea-robber, 
 and he did not know exactly how to demean him- 
 self ; but as his visitor's manner was quiet, and 
 as he came on board alone, it was not to be sup- 
 posed that his intentions were offensive. 
 
 And you wish to see me, sir? " said he. 
 Yes," said Captain Ichabod, ** I thought 
 I 'd come over and talk to you. I don 't know you, 
 bedad, but I know all about you, and I saw you 
 and your family when you came to town to visit 
 that old fox, bedad, that sugar-planter that Cap- 
 tain Blackbeard used to call Sir Nightcap. Not 
 a bad joke, either, bedad. I have heard of a 
 good many dirty, mean things that people in my 
 
 312 
 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 line of business have done, but, bedad, I never 
 did hear of any captain who was dirty and mean 
 to his own family. Fine people, too, who came 
 out to do the right thing by him, after he had 
 been cleaned out, bedad, by one of his ^ Brothers 
 of the Coast/ A rare sort of brother, bedad, 
 don't you say so? '' 
 
 ^^ You are right, sir,'' said Mr. Delaplaine, 
 *^ in what you say of the wild conduct of my 
 brother-in-law Bonnet. It pleases me, sir, to 
 know that you condemn it. ' ' 
 
 " Condemn! I should say so, bedad,'' an- 
 swered Captain Ichabod ; ^ ' and I came over here 
 to say to you— that is, just to mention, not know- 
 ing, of course, what you'd think about it, bedad 
 —that I'm goin' to start on a cruise to-morrow. 
 That is, as soon as I can get in my water and 
 some stores, bedad— water anyway. And if you 
 and your ladies might happen to fancy it, bedad, 
 I'd be glad to take you along. I've heard that 
 you're in a bad case here, the captain of this brig 
 being unable or quite unwilling to take you where 
 you want to go. ' ' 
 
 ** But where are you going, sir? " in great 
 surprise. 
 
 "' Anywhere," said Captain Ichabod, '' any- 
 where you'd like to go. I'm starting out on a 
 cruise, and a cruise with me means anywhere. 
 And my opinion is, sir, that if you want to come 
 up with that crack-brained sugar-planter, you'd 
 better follow Blackbeard; and the best place to 
 21 313 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 find him will be on the Carolina coast ; that 's his 
 favourite hunting-ground, bedad, and I expect 
 the sugar-planter is with him by this time.'' 
 
 ' ' But will not that be dangerous, sir ? " asked 
 Mr. Delaplaine. 
 
 ^* Oh, no," said the other. '^ I know Black- 
 beard, and we have played many a game to- 
 gether. You and your family need not have any- 
 thing to do with it. I '11 board the Revenge, and 
 you may wager, bedad, that I '11 bring Sir Night- 
 cap back to you by the ear. ' ' 
 
 '^ But there's another," said Delaplaine; 
 *^ there's a young man belonging to my par- 
 ty " 
 
 '' Oh, yes, I know," said the other, ** the 
 young fellow Blackbeard took away with him. 
 Clapped a cocked hat on him, bedad ! That was 
 a good joke! I will bring him too. One old 
 man, one young man— I'll fetch 'em both. Then 
 I'll take you all where you want to go to. That 
 is, as near as I can get to it, bedad. Now, you 
 tell your ladies about this, and I'll have my 
 sloop cleaned up a bit, and as soon as I can get 
 my water on board I 'm ready to hoist anchor. ' ' 
 
 ^^ But look you, sir," exclaimed Mr. Dela- 
 plaine, ^^ this is a very important matter, and 
 cannot be decided so quickly." 
 
 ^^ Oh, don't mention it, don't mention it," 
 said Captain Ichabod ; ^ ' just you tell your ladies 
 all about it, and I '11 be ready to sail almost any 
 time to-morrow." 
 
 314 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 * ^ But, sir— ' ' cried the merchant. 
 
 ' ' Very good, ' ' said the pirate captain, ' ' you 
 talk it over. I 'm going to the town now and I '11 
 row out to you this afternoon and get your in- 
 structions. ' ' 
 
 And with this he got over the side. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine said nothing of this visit, but 
 waited on deck until the captain came on board, 
 and then many were the questions he asked about 
 the pirate Ichabod. 
 
 '' Well, well! '' the captain exclaimed, 
 ** that's just like him; he's a rare one. Ichabod 
 is not his name, of course, and I'm told he be- 
 longs to a good English family— a younger son, 
 and having taken his inheritance, he invested it 
 in a sloop and turned pirate. He has had some 
 pretty good fortune, I hear, in that line, but it 
 hasn't profited him much, for he is a terrible 
 gambler, and all that he makes by his prizes he 
 loses at cards, so he is nearly always poor. 
 Blackbeard sometimes helps him, so I have heard 
 —which he ought to do, for the old pirate has 
 won bags of money from him— but he is known 
 as a good fellow, and to be trusted. I have heard 
 of his sailing a long way back to Belize to pay 
 a gambling debt he owed, he having captured 
 a merchantman in the meantime." 
 
 '^ Very honourable, indeed," remarked Mr. 
 Delaplaine. 
 
 '' As pirates go, a white crow," said the 
 other. ^^ Now, sir, if you and your ladies want 
 
 315 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 to go to Blackbeard, and a rare desire is that, 
 I swear, you cannot do better than let Captain 
 Ichabod take you. You will be safe, I am sure 
 of that, and there is every reason to think he 
 will find his man.'' 
 
 When Mr. Delaplaine went below with his 
 extraordinary news, Dame Charter turned pale 
 and screamed. 
 
 ^' Sail in a pirate ship? '' she cried. ^' IVe 
 seen the men belonging to one of them, and as 
 to going on board and sailing with them, I'd 
 rather die just w^here I am." 
 
 To the good Dame's astonishment and that 
 of Mr. Delaplaine, Kate spoke up very promptly. 
 *^ But you cannot die here. Dame Charter; and 
 if you ever want to see your son again you have 
 got to go to him. Which is also the case with 
 me and my father. And, as there is no other 
 way for us to go, I say, let us accept this man's 
 offer if he be what my uncle thinks he is. After 
 all, it might be as safe for us on board his ship 
 as to be on a merchantman and be captured by 
 pirates, which would be likely enough in those 
 regions where we are obliged to go ; and so I say 
 let us see the man, and if he don 't frighten us too 
 much let us sail with him and get my father and 
 Dickory. ' ' 
 
 ** It would be a terrible danger, a terrible 
 danger," said Mr. Delaplaine. 
 
 ' ' But, uncle, ' ' urged Kate, ^ * everything is a 
 terrible danger in the search we 're upon ; let us 
 
 316 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 then choose a danger that we know something 
 about, and which may serve our needs, rather 
 than one of which we 're ignorant and which can- 
 not possibly be of any good to us. ' ' 
 
 It was actually the fact that the little party 
 in the cabin had not finished talking over this 
 most momentous subject before they were in- 
 formed that Captain Ichabod was on deck. Up 
 they went, Dame Charter ready to faint. But 
 she did not do so. When she saw the visitor 
 she thought it could not be the pirate captain, 
 but some one whom he had sent in his place. 
 He was more soberly dressed than when he first 
 came on board, and his manners were even 
 milder. The mind of Kate Bonnet was so 
 worked up by the trouble that had come upon 
 her that she felt verv much as she did when she 
 hung over the side of her father's vessel at 
 Bridgetown, ready to drop into the darkness 
 and the water when the signal should sound. 
 She had an object now, as she had had then, 
 and again she must risk everything. On her 
 second look at Captain Ichabod, which embar- 
 rassed him very much, she was ready to trust 
 him. 
 
 ^ ' Dame Charter, ' ' she whispered, ' ^ we must 
 do it or never see them again." 
 
 So, when they had talked about it for a quar- 
 ter of an hour, it was agreed that they would 
 sail with Captain Ichabod. 
 
 When the sloop Restless made ready to sail 
 
 317 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the next day there was a fine flurry in the har- 
 bour. Notliing of the kind had ever before hap- 
 pened there. Two ladies and a most respectable 
 old gentleman sailing away under the skull and 
 cross-bones! That was altogether new in the 
 Caribbean Sea. To those who talked to him 
 about his quixotic expedition, Captain Ichabod 
 swore— and at times, as many men knew, he was 
 a great hand at being in earnest— that if he car- 
 ried not his passengers through their troubles 
 and to a place of safety, the Restless, and all on 
 board of her, should mount to the skies in a 
 thousand bits. Although this alternative would 
 not have been very comforting to said passen- 
 gers if they had known of it, it came from Cap- 
 tain Ichabod 's heart, and showed what sort of 
 a man he was. 
 
 Old Captain Sorby came to the Restless in a 
 boat, and having previously washed one hand, 
 came on board and bade them all good-bye with 
 great earnestness. 
 
 * ' You will catch him, ' ' said he to Kate, ^ ^ and 
 my advice to you is, when you get him, hang 
 him. That's the only way to keep him out of 
 mischief. But as you are his daughter, you may 
 not like to string him up, so I say put irons on 
 him. If you don't he'll be playin' you some 
 other wild trick. He is not fit for a pirate, any- 
 way, and he ought to be taken back to his calves 
 and his chickens. ' ' 
 
 Kate did not resent this language; she even 
 
 318 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD 
 
 smiled, a little sadly. She had a great work be- 
 fore her, and she could not mind trifles. 
 
 None of the other pirates came on board, for 
 they were afraid of Sorby, and when that great 
 man had made the round of the decks and had 
 given Captain Ichabod some bits of advice, he 
 got down into his boat. The anchor was weighed, 
 the sails hoisted, and, amid shouts and cheers 
 from a dozen small boats containing some of the 
 most terrible and bloody sea-robbers who had 
 ever infested the face of the waters, the Restless 
 sailed away : the only pirate ship which had, per- 
 haps, ever left port followed by blessings and 
 goodwill; goodwill, although the words which 
 expressed it were curses and the men who waved 
 their hats were blasphemers and cut-throats. 
 
 Away sailed our gentle and most respectable 
 party, with the Jolly Roger floating boldly high 
 above them. Kate, looking skyward, noticed this 
 and took courage to bewail the fact to Captain 
 
 Ichabod. 
 
 He smiled. " While we're in sight of my 
 Brethren of the Coast, ' ' he said, ' ' our skull and 
 bones must wave, but when we're well out at 
 sea we will run up an English flag, if it please 
 you. ' ' 
 
 319 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 APTAIN ICHABOD was in 
 high feather. He whistled, he 
 sang, and he kept his men 
 cleaning things. All that he 
 could do for the comfort of his passengers he 
 did, even going so far as to drop as many of 
 his ^' bedads '' as possible. Whenever he had 
 an opjDortunity, and these came frequently, he 
 talked to Mr. Delaplaine, addressing a word or 
 two to Kate if he thought she looked gracious. 
 For the first day or two Dame Charter kept be- 
 low. She was afraid of the men, and did not 
 even want to look at them if she could help it. 
 ^' But the good woman's all wrong,'' said 
 Captain Ichabod to Mr. Delaplaine; ^^ my men 
 would not hurt her. They're not the most tre- 
 mendous kind of pirates, anyway, for I could 
 not afford that sort. I have often thought that 
 I could make more profitable voyages if I had 
 a savager lot of men. I'll tell you, sir, we once 
 tried to board a big Spanish galleon, and the 
 
 320 
 
DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 beastly foreigners beat us off, bedad, and we 
 had a hard time of it gettin' away. There are 
 three or four good fellows in the crew, tough old 
 rascals who came with the sloop when I bought 
 her, but most of my men are but poor knaves, 
 and not to be afraid of. ' ' 
 
 This comfort Mr. Delaplaine kept to himself, 
 and on the second day out, the food which was 
 served to them being most wretchedly cooked, 
 Dame Charter ventured into the galley to see if 
 she could do anything in the way of improve- 
 ment. 
 
 ^' I think you may eat this,'' she said, when 
 she returned to Kate, ^^ but I don't think that 
 anything on board is fit for you. When I went 
 to the kitchen, I came near dropping dead right 
 in the doorway; that cook. Mistress Kate, is the 
 most terrible creature of all the pirates that 
 ever were born. His eyes are blistering green 
 and his beard is all twisted into points, with the 
 ends stuck fast with blood, which has never been 
 washed off. He roars like a lion, with shining 
 teeth, but he speaks very fair. Mistress Kate; 
 you would be amazed to hear how fair he speaks. 
 He told me, and every word he said set my teeth 
 on edge with its grating, that he wanted to know 
 how I liked the meals cooked ; that he would do 
 it right if there were things on board to do it with. 
 Which there are not. Mistress Kate. And when 
 he was beatin ' up that batter for me and I asked 
 him if he was not tired workin ' so hard, he pulled 
 
 321 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 up his sleeve and showed me his arm, which 
 was like a horse's leg, all covered with hair, and 
 asked me if I thought it was likely he could tear 
 himself with a spoon. I'm sure he would give 
 us better food if he could, for he leaned over and 
 whispered to me, like a gust of wind coming in 
 through the door, that the captain was in a very 
 hard case, having lately lost everything he had 
 at the gaming-table, and therefore had not the 
 money to store the ship as he would have done. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Oh, don 't talk about that. Dame Charter, ' ' 
 said Kate; ^^ if we can get enough to eat, no 
 matter what it is, we must be satisfied and think 
 only of our great joy in sailing to my father 
 and to your Dickory. ' ' 
 
 That afternoon Captain Ichabod found Kate 
 by herself on deck, and he made bold to sit down 
 by her ; and before he knew what he was about, 
 he was telling her his whole story. She listened 
 carefully to what he said. He touched but light- 
 ly upon his wickednesses, although they were 
 plain enough to any listener of sense, and be- 
 moaned his fearful passion for gaming, which 
 was sure to bring him to misery one day or an- 
 other. 
 
 ^^ When I have staked my vessel and have 
 lost it," said he, '^ then there will be an end 
 of me.'* • 
 
 ^^ But why don't you sell your vessel be- 
 fore you lose it," said Kate, ^^ and become a 
 farmer? " 
 
 322 
 
DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 His eyes brightened. ^^ I never thought of 
 that/' said he. ^' Bedad— excuse me, Miss- 
 some day when I've got a little together and 
 can pay my men I'll sell this sloop and buy a 
 farm, bedad— I beg your pardon. Miss— I'll buy 
 a farm." 
 
 Kate smiled, but it was easy to see that Cap- 
 tain Ichabod was in earnest. 
 
 The next day Captain Ichabod came to Mr. 
 Delaplaine and took him to one side. " I want 
 to speak to you, ' ' he said, ' ^ about a bit of busi- 
 ness. " 
 
 ^^ You may have noticed, sir, that we are 
 somewhat short of provisions, and the way of it 
 is this. The night before we sailed, hoping 
 to make a bold stroke at the card-table and there- 
 by fit out my vessel in a manner suitable to the 
 entertainment of a gentleman and ladies, I lost 
 every penny I had. I did hope that our pro- 
 visions would last us a few days longer, but I 
 am disappointed, sir. That cook of mine, who is 
 *a soft-hearted fellow, his neck always ready for 
 the heel of a woman, has thrown overboard even 
 the few stores we had left for you, the good 
 Dame Charter having told him they were not fit 
 to eat. And more, sir, even my men are grum- 
 bling. So I thought I would speak to you and 
 explain that it would be necessary for us to over- 
 haul a merchantman and replenish our food sup- 
 ply. It can be done very quietly, sir, and I don 't 
 think that even the ladies need be disturbed." 
 
 323 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine stared in amazement. ** Do 
 you mean to say, ' ' he exclaimed, ^ * that you want 
 me to consent to your committing piracy for our 
 benefit? '' 
 
 *^ Yes, sir," answered the captain, *^ that's 
 what I suppose you would call it; but that's my 
 business." 
 
 '^ Now, sir, I wish you to know that I am a 
 Christian and a gentleman," said Mr. Dela- 
 plaine. 
 
 ^ ^ That 's all very true, bedad, ' ' said Captain 
 Ichabod, ' ' but you 're also another thing ; you 're 
 a human being, and you must eat. ' ' 
 
 ^^ This is terrible," exclaimed the merchant, 
 *^ that at my time of life I should consent to a 
 felony at sea, and to profit by it. I cannot bear to 
 think of the wickedness and the disgrace of it." 
 
 ^ * Most respected sir, ' ' said Ichabod, ^ ^ if the 
 fellows behave themselves properly and don't 
 offer to fight us, then there'll be no wickedness, 
 bedad. I can make a good enough show of men 
 to frighten any ordinary merchant crew so that 
 not a blow need be struck. And that is what I 
 expect to do, sir. I would not have any disturb- 
 ance before ladies, you may be sure of that, be- 
 dad. We bear down upon a vessel; we order 
 her to surrender ; we take what we want, and we 
 let her go. Truly, there 's no wickedness in that ! 
 And as for the disgrace, we can all better bear 
 that than starve. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine looked at the pirate without a 
 
 324 
 
DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 word. He could not comprehend how a man 
 with such a frank and honest face could thus 
 avow his dishonest principles. But as he gazed 
 and wondered the thought of a scheme flashed 
 across the mind of the merchant, a thoroughly 
 business-like scheme. This bold young pirate 
 captain might seize upon such supplies as they 
 were in need of, but he, Felix Delaplaine, of 
 Spanish Town, Jamaica, would pay for them. 
 Thus might their necessities be relieved and 
 their consciences kept clean. But he said noth- 
 ing of this to Ichabod ; the pirate might deem 
 such a proceeding unprofessional and interpose 
 some objection. Payment would be the mer- 
 chant's part of the business, and he would at- 
 tend to it himself. A look of resignation now 
 came over Mr. Delaplaine 's face. 
 
 ** Captain,'' said he, ^' I must yield to your 
 reason; it is absolutely necessary that we shall 
 not starve. ' ' 
 
 Ichabod 's face shone and he held out his 
 hand. ^^ Bedad, sir," he cried, '^ I honour you 
 as a bold gentleman and a kind one. I will in- 
 stantly lay my course somewhat to the eastward, 
 and I promise you, sir, it will not be long be- 
 fore we run across some of these merchant 
 fellows. I beg you, sir, speak to your ladies 
 and tell them that there will be no unpleasant 
 commotion ; we may draw our swords and make 
 a fierce show, but, bedad, I don 't believe there '11 
 be any fighting. We shall want so little— for I 
 
 325 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 would not attempt to take a regular prize with 
 ladies on board— that the fellows will surely de- 
 liver what we demand, the quicker to make an 
 end of it. ' ' 
 
 ^ * If you are perfectly sure, ' ' said Mr. Dela- 
 plaine, ^' that you can restrain your men from 
 violence, I would like to be a member of your 
 boarding party; it would be a rare experience 
 for me.'' 
 
 Now Captain Ichabod fairly shouted with de- 
 light. 
 
 ^ ' Bravo ! Bravo ! " he exclaimed ; * * I didn 't 
 dream, sir, that you were a man of such a noble 
 spirit. You shall go with us, sir. Your presence 
 will aid greatly in making our hoped-for capture 
 a most orderly affair ; no one can look upon you, 
 bedad, without knowing that you are a high- 
 minded and honourable man, and would not take 
 a box or case from any one if you did not need 
 it. Now, sir, we shall put about, and by good 
 fortune we may soon sight a merchantman. 
 Even if it be but a coastwise trader, it may serve 
 our purpose.'' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine, with something of a smile 
 upon his sedate face, hurried to Kate, who was 
 upon the quarter-deck. 
 
 ** My dear, we are about to introduce a little 
 variety into our dull lives. As soon as we can 
 overhaul a merchantman we shall commit a pi- 
 racy. But don't turn pale; I have arranged it 
 all.'' 
 
 326 
 
DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 i i 
 
 You ! ' ' exclaimed the wide-eyed Kate. 
 Yes, ' ' said her uncle, and he told his tale. 
 And remember this, my dear," he added; 
 if we cannot pay, we do not eat. I shall be 
 as relentless as the bloody Blackbeard; if they 
 take not my money, I shall swear to Ichabod 
 that we touch not their goods." 
 
 ^* And are you sure," she said, ^' that there 
 will be no bloodshed? " 
 
 '' I vouch for that," said he, ** for I shall 
 lead the boarding party." 
 
 She took him by both hands. ^^ Why," she 
 said, '^ it need be no more than laying in goods 
 from a store-house; and I cannot but be glad, 
 dear uncle, for I am so very, very hungry." 
 
 Now Dame Charter came running and puff- 
 ing. *^ Do you know," she cried, " that there 
 is to be a piracy ? The word has just been passed 
 and the cook told me. There is to be no blood- 
 shed, and the other ship will not be burned and 
 the people will not be made to walk a plank. 
 The captain has given those orders, and he is 
 very firm, swearing, I am told, much more than 
 is his wont. It is dreadful, it is awful just to 
 think about, but the provisions are gone, and it 
 is absolutely necessary to do something, and it 
 will really be very exciting. The cook tells me 
 he will put me in a good place where I cannot 
 be hurt and where I shall see everything. And, 
 Mistress Kate and Master Delaplaine, I dare say 
 he can take care of you too. ' ' 
 
 327 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Kate looked at her uncle as if to ask if she 
 might tell the good woman what sort of a piracy 
 this was to be, but he shook his head. It would 
 not do to interfere any more than was necessary 
 with the regular progress of events. The cap- 
 tain came up, excited. ' ^ Even now, bedad, ' ' he 
 cried, '^ there are two sails in sight— one far 
 north, and the other to the eastward, beating up 
 this way. This one we shall make for. We have 
 the wind with us, which is a good thing, for the 
 Restless is a bad sailer and has lost many a prize 
 through that fault. And now, Miss,'' he said, 
 addressing Kate, ' ^ I shall have to ask your leave 
 to take down that English flag and run up our 
 Jolly Roger. It will be necessary, for if the 
 fellows fear not our long guns, they may change 
 their course and get away from us. ' ' 
 
 '' That will be right,'' said Kate; ^* if we're 
 going to be pirates, we might as well be pirates 
 out and out. ' ' 
 
 Captain Ichabod glowed with delight. 
 *^ What a girl this was, and what an uncle! " 
 
 It was not long, for the Restless had a fair 
 wind, before the sail to the eastward came fully 
 into sight. She was, in good truth, a merchant- 
 man, and not a large one. Dame Charter, very 
 much excited, wondered what she would have 
 on board. 
 
 ^ ^ The cook tells me, ' ' said she to Kate, ^ ^ that 
 sometimes ships from the other side of the ocean 
 carry the most astonishing and beautiful things. ' ' 
 
 328 
 
DAME CHARTER MAKES A FRIEND 
 
 '' But we shall not see these things/' said 
 Kate, ' ' even if that ship carries them. We shall 
 take but food, and shall not unnecessarily despoil 
 them of that. We may be pirates, but we shall 
 not be wicked. '^ 
 
 ^ ' It is hard to see the difference, ' ' said Dame 
 Charter, with a sigh, "■ but we must eat. The 
 cook tells me that they have made peaceful prizes 
 before now. This they do when they want some 
 particular thing, such as food or money, and 
 care not for the trouble of stripping the ship, 
 putting all on board to death, and then setting 
 her on fire. The cook never does any boarding 
 himself, so he says, but he stands on the deck 
 here, armed with his great axe, which likes him 
 better than a cutlass, and no matter what hap- 
 pens, he defends his kitchen." 
 
 ^ ' From his looks, ' ' said Kate, ' ' I should im- 
 agine him to be the fiercest fighter among them 
 all." 
 
 ^^ But that is not so," said Dame Charter; 
 ^ ^ he tells me that he is of a very peaceable mind 
 and would never engage in any broils or fights 
 if he could help it. Look! look! " she cried, 
 ' ' they're running out their long brass guns ; and 
 do you see that other ship, how her sails are 
 fluttering in the wind! And there, that little 
 spot at the top of her mast ; that 's her flag, and 
 it is coming down! Down, down it comes, and 
 I must run to the cook and ask him what will 
 happen next. ' ' 
 
 23 329 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 MR. DELAPLAINE LEADS A BOARDING PARTY 
 
 j'^ip 
 
 TEADILY southward sailed the 
 brig Black Swan which bore 
 upon its decks the happy Man- 
 der family and our poor friend Dickory, carry- 
 ing with him his lifelong destiny in the shape of 
 the blood-stained letter from Captain Vince. 
 
 The sackcloth draperies of Lucilla, with the 
 red cord lightly tied about them, had given place 
 to a very ordinary gown fashioned by her mother 
 and herself, which added so few charms to her 
 young face and sparkling eyes that Dickory often 
 thought that he wished there were some bushes 
 on deck so that she might stand behind them 
 and let him see only her face, as he had seen it 
 when first he met her. But he saw the pretty 
 face a great deal, for Lucilla was very anxious 
 to know things, and asked mam^ questions about 
 Barbadoes, and also asked if there was any prob- 
 ability that the brig would go straight on to that 
 lovely island without bothering to stop at Ja- 
 maica. It was during such talks as this that 
 
 330 
 
DELAPLAINE LEADS BOARDING PARTY 
 
 Dickory forgot, when he did forget, the blood- 
 stained letter that he carried with him always. 
 
 Our young friend still wore the naval uni- 
 form, although in coming on the brig he had 
 changed it for some rough sailor ^s clothes. But 
 Lucilla had besought him to be again a brave 
 lieutenant. 
 
 They sailed and they sailed, and there was 
 but little wind, and that from the south and 
 against them. But Lucilla did not complain at 
 their slow progress. The slowest vessel in the 
 world was preferable just now to a desert island 
 which never moved. 
 
 Davids was at the wheel and Mander stood 
 near him. These old friends had not yet fin- 
 ished talking about what had happened in the 
 days since they had seen each other. Mrs. Man- 
 der sat, not far away, still making clothes, and 
 the little Lena was helping her in her childlike 
 way. Lucilla and Dickory were still talking 
 about Barbadoes. There never was a girl who 
 wanted to know so much about an island as that 
 girl wanted to know about Barbadoes. 
 
 Suddenly there was a shout from above. 
 
 '' ^YhsiVs that? '' asked Mander. 
 
 ^* A sail,'^ said Davids, peering out over the 
 sea but able to see nothing. Lucilla and Dickory 
 did not cease talking. At that moment Lucilla 
 did not care greatly about sails, there was so 
 much to be said about Barbadoes. 
 
 There was a good deal of talking forward, 
 
 331 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 and after a while the captain walked to the quar- 
 ter-deck. He was a gruff man and his face was 
 troubled. 
 
 ^ ^ I am sorry to say, ' ^ he growled, * * that the 
 ship we have sighted is a pirate; she flies the 
 black flag.'' 
 
 Now there was no more talk about Barbadoes, 
 or what had happened to old friends, and the 
 sewing dropped on the deck. Those poor Man- 
 ders were chilled to the soul. Were they again 
 to be taken by pirates? 
 
 * * Captain, ' ' cried Mander, ^ ^ what can we do, 
 can we run away from them? '' 
 
 '^ We could not run away from their guns," 
 growled the captain, ^ ' and there is nothing to do. 
 They intend to take this brig, and that's the rea- 
 son they have run up their skull and bones. 
 They are bearing directly down upon us with a 
 fair wind; they will be firing a gun presently, 
 and then I shall lay to and wait for them. ' ' 
 
 Mander stepped towards Dickory and Lucilla ; 
 his voice was husky as he said: ^^ We cannot 
 expect, my dear, that we shall again be captured 
 by forbearing pirates. I shall kill my wife and 
 little daughter rather than they shall fall into 
 the bloody hands of ordinary pirates, and to you, 
 sir, I will commit the care of my Lucilla. If 
 this vessel is delivered over to a horde of sav- 
 ages, I pray you, plunge your dirk into her 
 heart. ' ' 
 
 ** Yes," said Lucilla, clinging to the arm of 
 
 332 
 
DELAPLAINE LEADS BOARDING PARTY 
 
 Dickory, ^ ^ if those fierce pirates sliall attack us, 
 we will die together. ' ' 
 
 Dickory shook his head. In an awful mo- 
 ment such as this he could hold out no illusions. 
 ^ ^ No, ' ' said he, " I cannot die with you ; I have 
 a duty before me, and until it is accomplished 
 I cannot willingly give up my life. I must 
 rather be even a pirate's slave than that. But 
 I will accept your father 's charge ; should there 
 be need, I will kill you.'' 
 
 ^' Thank you very much," said Lucilla 
 coolly. 
 
 To the surprise of the people on the Black 
 Swan there came no shot from the approaching 
 pirate; but as she still bore down upon them, 
 running before the wind, the captain of the brig 
 lay to and lowered his flag. Submission now 
 was all there was before them. No man on the 
 brig took up arms, nor did the crew form them- 
 selves into any show of resistance; that would 
 have but made matters worse. 
 
 As the pirate vessel came on, nearer and 
 nearer, a great number of men could be seen 
 stretched along her deck, and some brass cannon 
 were visible trained upon the unfortunate brig. 
 
 But, to the surprise of the captain of the 
 Black Swan, and of nearly everybody on board 
 of her, the pirate did not run down upon her 
 to make fast and board. Instead of that, she put 
 about into the wind and lav to less than a quar- 
 ter of a mile away. Then two boats were low- 
 
 333 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ered and filled with men, who rowed towards 
 the brig. 
 
 ^^ They have special reasons for our cap- 
 ture, ' ' said the captain to those who were crowd- 
 ing about him; '^ he may be well laden now 
 with plunder, and comes to us for our gold and 
 silver. Or it may be that he merely wants the 
 brig. If that be so, he can quickly rid himself 
 of us.'' 
 
 That was a cruel speech when women had 
 to hear it, but the captain was a rough fellow. 
 
 The boats came on as quietly as if they were 
 about to land at a neighbouring pier. Dickory 
 and Lucilla cautiously peeped over the rail, Dick- 
 ory without his hat, and Lucilla, hiding herself, 
 all but a part of her face, behind him ; the Man- 
 ders crouched together on the deck, the father 
 with glaring eyes and a knife in his hand. The 
 crew stood, with their hats removed and their 
 chins lowered, waiting for what might happen 
 next. 
 
 Up to this time Dickory had shown no signs 
 of fear, although his mind was terribly tossed 
 and disturbed; for, whatever might happen to 
 him, it possibly would be the end of that mis- 
 sion which was now the only object of his life. 
 But he grated his teeth together and awaited his 
 fate. 
 
 But now, as the boats came nearer, he began 
 to tremble, and gradually his knees shook under 
 him. 
 
 334 
 
DELAPLAINE LEADS BOARDING PARTY 
 
 * ^ I would not have believed that he was such 
 a coward as that, ' ' thought Lucilla. 
 
 The boats neared the ship and were soon 
 made fast; every help was offered by the crew 
 of the brig, and not a sign of resistance was 
 shown. The leader of the pirates mounted to the 
 deck, followed by the greater part of his men. 
 
 For a moment Captain Ichabod glanced about 
 him, and then, addressing the captain of the brig, 
 he said: '' This is all very well. I am glad to 
 see that you have sense enough to take things 
 as you find them, and not to stir up a fracas 
 and make trouble. I overhauled you that I might 
 lay in a stock of provisions, and some wine and 
 spirits besides, having no desire, if you treat us 
 rightly, to despoil you further. So, we shall 
 have no more words about it, bedad, and if you 
 will set your men to work to get on deck such 
 stores as my quarter-master here may demand 
 of you, we shall get through this business quick- 
 ly. In the meantime, lower two or three boats, 
 so that your men can row the goods over to my 
 vessel. ' ' 
 
 The captain of the Black Swan simply bowed 
 his head and turned away to obey orders, while 
 Captain Ichabod stepped a little aft and began 
 to survey the captured vessel. As soon as his 
 back was turned, the captain of the brig was 
 approached by a very respectable elderly gentle- 
 man, apparently not engaged either in the mer- 
 cantile marine or in piratical pursuits, who 
 
 335 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 stopped liim and said: '^ Sir, my name is Felix 
 Delaplaine, merchant, of Spanish Town, Jamai- 
 ca. I am, against my will, engaged in this pirat- 
 ical attack upon your vessel, but I wish to assure 
 you privately that I will not consent to have you 
 robbed of your property, and that, although some 
 of your provisions may be taken by these pirates, 
 I here promise, as an honourable gentleman, to 
 pay you the full value of all that they seize 
 upon. ' ' 
 
 The captain of the Black Swan had no oppor- 
 tunity to make an answer to this most extraor- 
 dinary statement, for at that moment a naval 
 officer, shouting at the top of his voice, came 
 rushing towards the respectable gentleman who 
 had just been making such honourable pro- 
 posals. Almost at the same moment there was 
 a great shout from Captain Ichabod, who, draw- 
 ing his cutlass from its sheath, raised the glit- 
 tering blade and dashed in pursuit of the naval 
 gentleman. 
 
 *' Hold there! Hold there! '' cried the pi- 
 rate. ^^ Don't you touch him; don't you lay 
 your hand upon him ! ' ' 
 
 But Ichabod was not quick enough. Dickory, 
 swift as a stag, stretched out both his arms and 
 threw them around the neck of the amazed Mr. 
 Delaplaine. 
 
 Now the pirate Ichabod reached the two ; his 
 great sword went high in air, and was about to 
 descend upon the naval person, whoever he was, 
 
 336 
 
DELAPLAINE LEADS BOARDING PARTY 
 
 who had made such an unprovoked attack upon 
 his honoured jDassenger, when his arm was 
 caught by some one from behind. Turning, with 
 a great curse, his eyes fell upon the face of a 
 young girl. 
 
 '^ Oh, don^t kill him! Don't kill him! " she 
 cried, ^ ' he will hurt nobody ; he is only hugging 
 the old gentleman. ' ' 
 
 Captain Ichabod looked from the girl to the 
 two men, who were actually embracing each 
 other. Dickory 's back was towards him, but the 
 face of Mr. Delaplaine fairly glowed with de- 
 light. 
 
 ^^ Oho! '' said Ichabod, turning to Lucilla, 
 * ^ and what does this mean, bedad 1 ' ' 
 
 ^' I don't know," she answered, ^' but the 
 gentleman in the uniform is a good man. Per- 
 haps the other one is his father." 
 
 ^ ^ To my eyes, ' ' said Captain Ichabod, ^ ^ this 
 is a most fearsome mix. ' ' 
 
 The Mander family, and nearly everybody 
 else on board, crowded about the little group, 
 gazing with all their eyes but asking no ques- 
 tions. 
 
 '^ Captain Ichabod," exclaimed Mr. Dela- 
 plaine, holding Dickory by the hand, '' this is 
 one of the two persons you were taking us to find. 
 This is Dickory Charter, the son of good Dame 
 Charter, now on your vessel. He went away 
 with Blackbeard, and we were in search of him. ' ' 
 
 ^^ Oho! " cried Captain Ichabod, '^ by my 
 
 337 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 life I believe it. That's the young fellow that 
 Blackbeard dressed up in a cocked hat and took 
 away with him.'' 
 
 ' ^ I am the same person, sir, ' ' said Dickory. 
 
 ^^ So far so good," said Captain Ichabod. 
 '^ I am very glad that I did not bring down my 
 cutlass on you, which I should have done, bedad, 
 had it not been for this young woman." 
 
 Now up spoke Mr. Delaplaine. '^ We have 
 found you, Dickory," he cried, '^ but what can 
 you tell us of Major Bonnet? " 
 
 ^ ^ Ay, ay, ' ' added Captain Ichabod, ^ ' there 's 
 another one we're after; where 's the runaway 
 Sir Nightcap? " 
 
 ' ' Alas ! ' ' said Dickory, ^ ^ I do not know. I 
 escaped from Blackbeard, and since that day 
 have heard nothing. I had supposed that Cap- 
 tain Bonnet was in your company, Mr. Dela- 
 plaine. ' ' 
 
 Now the captain of the Black Swan pushed 
 himself forward. ^^ Is it Captain Bonnet, lately 
 of the pirate ship Eevenge, that you^re talking 
 about ? " he asked. * ^ If so, I may tell you some- 
 thing of him. I am lately from Charles Town, 
 and the talk there was that Blackbeard was lying 
 outside the harbour in Stede Bonnet's old ves- 
 sel, and that Bonnet had lately joined him. I did 
 not venture out of port until I had had certain 
 news that these pirates had sailed northward. 
 They had two or three ships, and the talk was 
 that they were bound to the Virginias, and per- 
 
 338 
 
DELAPLAINE LEADS BOARDING PARTY 
 
 haps still farther north. They were fitted out 
 for a long cruise." 
 
 '' Gone again! " exclaimed Mr. Delaplaine in 
 a hoarse voice. ' ^ Gone again ! ' ' 
 
 Captain Ichabod's face grew clouded. 
 
 '' Gone north of Charles Town," he ex- 
 claimed, '^ that's bad, bedad, that's very bad. 
 You are sure he did not sail southward? " he 
 asked of the captain of the brig. 
 
 That gruff mariner was in a strange state of 
 mind. He had just been caj)tured by a pirate, 
 and in the next moment had made, what might 
 be a very profitable sale, to a respectable mer- 
 chant, of the goods the pirate was about to take 
 from him. Moreover, the said pirate seemed to 
 be in the employ of said merchant, and alto- 
 gether, things seemed to him to be in as fear- 
 some a mix as they had seemed to Captain Icha- 
 bod, but he brought his mind down to the ques- 
 tion he had been asked. 
 
 ^ ^^ No doubt about that," said he; ^' there 
 were some of his men in the town— for they are 
 afraid of nobody— and they were not backward 
 in talking." 
 
 ^' That upsets things badly," said Captain 
 Ichabod, without unclouding his brow. ^^ With 
 my slow vessel and my empty purse, bedad, I 
 don't see how I am ever goin' to catch Black- 
 beard if he has gone north. Finding Blackbeard 
 would have been a handful of trumps to me, but 
 the game seems to be up, bedad. ' ' 
 
 339 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 The captain of tlie brig and Icliabod's quar- 
 ter-master went away to attend to the transfer 
 of the needed goods to the Restless. Mander, 
 with his wife and little daughter, were standing 
 together gazing with amazement at the strange 
 pirates who had come aboard, while Lucilla 
 stepped up to Dickory, who stood silent, with 
 his eyes on the deck. 
 
 ^^ Can you tell me what this means? '^ said 
 she. 
 
 For a moment he did not answer, and then 
 he said: ^' I don't know everything myself, but 
 I must presently go on board that vessel.'' 
 
 ' ' What ! ' ' exclaimed Lucilla, stepping back. 
 '' Is she there? " 
 
 '' Yes," said Dickory. 
 
 340 
 
CHAPTEE XXXII 
 
 THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 HE sea was smooth and 
 the wind light, and the trans- 
 fer of provisions from the Black 
 Swan to the pirate sloop, which 
 two ships now lay as near each 
 other as safety would permit, was accomplished 
 quietly. 
 
 During the progress of the transfer Captain 
 Ichabod's boat was rowed back to his ship, and 
 its arrival was watched with great interest by 
 everybody on board that pirate sloop. Kate and 
 Dame Charter, as well as all the men who stood 
 looking over the rail, were amazed to see a naval 
 officer accompanying the captain and Mr. Dela- 
 plaine on their return. But that amazement was 
 greatly increased when that officer, as soon as he 
 set foot upon the deck, removed his hat and made 
 directly for Dame Charter, who, with a scream 
 loud enough to frighten the fishes, enfolded 
 him in her arms and straightway fainted. It 
 was like a son coming up out of the sea, sure 
 enough, as she afterward stated. Kate, recog- 
 
 341 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 nising Dickory, hurried to him with a scream of 
 her own and both hands outstretched, but the 
 young fellow, who seemed greatly distressed at 
 the unconscious condition of his mother, did not 
 greet Mistress Bonnet with the enthusiastic 
 delight which might have been expected under 
 the circumstances. He seemed troubled and 
 embarrassed, which, perhaps, was not surpris- 
 ing, for never before had he seen his mother 
 faint. 
 
 Kate was about to offer some assistance, but 
 as the good Dame now showed signs of return- 
 ing consciousness, she thought it would be better 
 to leave the two together, and in a state of amaze- 
 ment she was hurrying to her uncle when Dick- 
 ory rose from the side of his mother and stopped 
 her. 
 
 ^ ' I have a letter for you, ' ' he said, in a husky 
 voice. 
 
 ' ' A letter % ' ^ she cried, ' ^ from my father ! ' ' 
 
 '^ No," said he, '^ from Captain Vince.'^ 
 And he handed her the blood-stained missive. 
 
 Kate turned pale and stared at him ; here was 
 horrible mystery. The thought flashed through 
 the young girPs mind that the wicked captain 
 had killed her father and had written to tell 
 her so. 
 
 ' ^ Is my father dead 1 ' ' she gasped. 
 
 ^ ^ Not that I know of, ' ' said Dickory. 
 
 * ' Where is he ! " she cried. 
 
 ** I do not know,'' was the answer. 
 
 342 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 She stood, holding the letter, while Dickory 
 returned to his mother. Mr. Delaplaine saw her 
 standing thus, pale and shocked, but he did not 
 hasten to her. He had sad things to say to her, 
 for his practical mind told him that it would 
 not be possible to continue the search for her 
 father, he having put himself out of the reach 
 of Ca]3tain Ichabod and his inefficient sloop. If 
 Dickory had said anything about her father 
 which had so cast her down, how much harder 
 would it be for him when he had to tell her the 
 whole truth. 
 
 But Kate did not wait for further speech from 
 anybody. She gave a great start, and then 
 rushed down the companion-way to her cabin. 
 There, with her door shut, she opened the letter. 
 This was the letter, written in lead pencil, in an 
 irregular but bold hand, with some letters partly 
 dimmed where the paper had been damp : 
 
 *^ At the very end of my life I write to you 
 that you have escaped the fiercest love that ever 
 a man had for a woman. I shall carry this love 
 with me to hell, if it may be, but you have 
 escaped it. This escape is a blessing, and now 
 that I cannot help it I give it to you. Had I 
 lived, I should have shed the blood of every one 
 whom you loved to gain you and you would have 
 cursed me. So love me now for dying. 
 ** Yours, anywhere and always, 
 
 ^^ Christopher Vince." 
 343 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Kate put down the letter and some colour 
 came into her face ; she bowed her head in thank- 
 ful prayer. 
 
 ^' He is dead/' she said, '^ and now he can- 
 not harm my father. ' ' That was the only thought 
 she had regarding this hot-brained and infatu- 
 ated lover. He was dead, her father was safe 
 from him. How he died, how Hickory came to 
 bring the letter, how anything had happened that 
 had happened except the death of Captain Vince, 
 did not at this moment concern her. Not until 
 now had she known how the fear of the vengeful 
 captain of the Badger had constantly been with 
 her. 
 
 Over and over again Hickory told his tale to 
 his mother. She interrupted him so much with 
 her embraces that he could not explain things 
 clearly to her, but she did not care, she had him 
 with her. He was with her, and she had fast 
 hold of him, and she would never let him go 
 again. What mattered it what sort of clothes 
 he wore, or where he had escaped from— a fam- 
 ily on a desert island or from a pirate crew? 
 She had him, and her happiness knew no bounds. 
 Hickory was perfectly willing to stay with her 
 and to talk to her. He did not care to be with 
 anybody else, not even with Mistress Kate, who 
 had taken so much interest in him all the time 
 he had been away; though, of course, not so 
 much interest as his own dear mother. 
 
 Then the good Hame Charter, being greatly 
 
 344 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 recovered and so happy, began to talk of herself. 
 Slipping in a disjointed way over her various 
 experiences, she told her dear boy, in strictest 
 confidence, that she was very much disappointed 
 in the way pirates took ships. She thought it 
 was going to be something very exciting that 
 she would remember to the end of her days, and 
 wake up in the middle of the night and scream 
 when she thought of it, but it was nothing of the 
 kind; not a shot was fired, not a drop of blood 
 shed; there was not even a shout or a yell or a 
 scream for mercy. It was all like going into 
 the pantry to get the flour and the sugar. She 
 was all the time waiting for something to hap- 
 pen, and nothing ever did. Dickory smiled, but 
 it was like watered milk. 
 
 ^ ' I do not understand such piracy, ' ' he said, 
 ^^ but supposed, dear mother, that these pirates 
 had taken that ship in the usual way, I being 
 on board. ' ' 
 
 At this he was clasped so tightly to his moth- 
 er's breast that he could say no more. 
 
 The boats plied steadily between the two ves- 
 sels, and on one of the trips Mr. Delaplaine went 
 over to the brig on business, and also glad to 
 escape for a little the dreaded interview which 
 must soon come between himself and his niece. 
 
 * * Now, sir, ' ' said the merchant to the captain 
 
 of the brig, ^^ you will make a bill against me 
 
 for the provisions which are being taken to that 
 
 pirate, but I hope you have reserved a sufficient 
 
 23 345 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 store of food for your own maintenance until 
 you reach a port, and that of myself and two 
 women who wish to sail with you, craving most 
 earnestly that you will land us in Jamaica or 
 in some place convenient of access to that 
 island. ' ' 
 
 ^' Which I can do,'^ said the captain, ^' for 
 I am bound to Kingston; and as to subsistence, 
 shall have plenty. ' ' 
 
 On the brig Mr. Delaplaine found Captain 
 Ichabod, who had come over to superintend oper- 
 ations, and who was now talking to the pretty 
 girl who had seized him by the arm when he 
 was about to slay the naval officer. 
 
 ^* I would talk with you, captain," said the 
 merchant, " on a matter of immediate import." 
 And he led the pirate away from the pretty girl. 
 
 The matter to be discussed was, indeed, of 
 deep import. 
 
 *^ I am loath to say it, sir," said Mr. Dela- 
 plaine, ^' when I think of the hospitality and 
 most exceptional kindness with which you have 
 treated me and my niece, and for which we shall 
 feel grateful all our lives, but I think you will 
 agree with me that it would be useless for us 
 to pursue the search after that most reprehen- 
 sible person, my brother-in-law. Bonnet. There 
 can be no doubt, I believe, that he and Black- 
 beard have left the vicinity of Charles Town, 
 and have gone, we know not where." 
 
 '' No doubt of that, bedad," said Ichabod, 
 
 346 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 knitting his brows as he spoke ; ' ^ if Blackbeard 
 had been outside the harbour, this brig would 
 not have been here.'' 
 
 ^^ And, therefore, sir," continued Mr. Dela- 
 plaine, '^ I have judged it to be wise, and in- 
 deed necessary, for us to part company with you, 
 sir, and to take passage on this brig, which, by 
 a most fortunate chance, is bound for Kingston. 
 My niece, I know, will be greatly disappointed 
 by this course of events, but we have no choice 
 but to fall in with them. ' ' 
 
 ^' I don't like to agree with you," said the 
 captain, " but, bedad, I am bound to do it. I 
 am disappointed myself, sir, but I have been dis- 
 appointed so often that I suppose I ought to be 
 used to it. If I had caught up with Blackbeard 
 I should have been all right, and after I had 
 settled your affairs— and I know I could have 
 done that— I think I would have joined him. 
 But all I can do now is to hammer along at the 
 business, take prizes in the usual way, and wait 
 for Blackbeard to come south again, and then 
 I'll either sell out or join him." 
 
 ' ^ It is a great pity, sir, ' ' said Mr. Delaplaine, 
 *^ a great pity " 
 
 *^ Yes, it is," interrupted Ichabod, ^^ it's a 
 very great pity, sir, a very great pity. If I had 
 known more about ships when I bought the Rest- 
 less I would have had a faster craft, and by this 
 time I might have been a man of comfortable 
 means. But that sloop over there, bedad, is so 
 
 347 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 slow, that many a time, sir, I have seen a fat 
 merchantman sail away from her and leave ns, 
 in spite of our guns, cursing and swearing, miles 
 behind. I am sorry to have you leave me, sir, 
 and with your ladies; but, as you say, here's 
 your chance to get home, and I don 't know when 
 I could give you another.'' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine replied courteously and grate- 
 fully, and by the next boat he went back to the 
 Restless. Captain Ichabod, his brow still cloud- 
 ed by the approaching separation, walked over 
 to Lucilla and continued his conversation with 
 her about the island of Barbadoes, a subject of 
 which he knew very little and she nothing. 
 
 "VAHien Kate returned to the deck she found 
 Dickory alone. Dame Charter having gone to 
 talk to the cook about the wonderful things which 
 had happened, of which she knew very little and 
 he nothing at all. 
 
 *' Dickory," said Kate, '' I want to talk to 
 you, and that quickly. I have heard nothing of 
 what has happened to you. How did you get 
 possession of the letter you brought me, and 
 what do you know of Captain Vince? " 
 
 '' I can tell you nothing," he said, without 
 looking at her, ^' until you tell me what I ought 
 to know about Captain Yince. ' ' And as he said 
 this he could not help wondering in his heart 
 that there were no signs of grief about her. 
 
 '' Ought to know? " she repeated, regarding 
 him earnestly. ^' Well, you and I have been al- 
 
 348 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 ways good friends, and I will tell you/' And 
 then she told him the story of the captain of the 
 Badger; of his love-making and of his commis- 
 sion to sail upon the sea and destroy the pirate 
 shii3 Revenge, and all on board of her. 
 
 '' And now,'' she said, as she concluded, *^ I 
 think it would be well for you to read this let- 
 ter." And she handed him the missive he had 
 carried so long and with such pain. He read 
 the bold, uneven lines, and then he turned and 
 looked upon her, his face shining like the morn- 
 ing sky. 
 
 ^' Then you have never loved him? " he 
 gasped. 
 
 '' Why should I? " said Kate. 
 
 In spite of the fact that there were a great 
 many people on board that pirate sloop who 
 might see him; in spite of the fact that there 
 were people in boats plying upon the water who 
 might notice his actions, Dickory fell upon his 
 knees before Kate, and, seizing her hand, he 
 pressed it to his lips. 
 
 '^ Why should II " said Kate, quietly draw- 
 ing her hand from him, '' for I have a devoted 
 lover already— "^JMaster Martin Newcombe, of 
 Barbadoes. ' ' 
 
 Dickory, repulsed, rose to his feet, but his 
 face did not lose its glow. He had heard so much 
 about Martin Newcombe that he had ceased to 
 mind him. 
 
 ^ ' To think of it ! " he cried, ^ ' to think how 
 
 349 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 I stood and watched liim figlit; how I admired 
 and marvelled at his wonderful strength and 
 skill, his fine figure, and his flashing eye ! How 
 my soul went out to him, how I longed that he 
 might kill that scoundrel Blackbeard! And all 
 the time he was your enemy, he was my enemy, 
 he was a viler wretch than even the bloody pirate 
 who killed him. Oh, Kate, Kate! if I had but 
 known. ' ' 
 
 ^* Miss Kate, if you please,'' said the girl. 
 
 * ^ And it is well, Dickory, you did not know, for 
 then you might have jumped upon him and stuck 
 him in the back, and that would have been dis- 
 honourable. ' ' 
 
 * ^ He thought, ' ' said Dickory, not in the least 
 abashed by his reproof, ^ ^ that the Revenge was 
 commanded by your father, for he sprang upon 
 the deck, shouting for the captain, and when he 
 saw Blackbeard I heard him exclaim in surprise, 
 
 * A sugar-planter! ' " 
 
 *' And he would have killed my father? '' 
 said Kate, turning pale at the thought. 
 
 '^ Yes,'' replied Dickory, ^* he would have 
 killed any man except the great Blackbeard. And 
 to think of it ! I stood there watching them, and 
 wishing that vile Englishman the victory. Oh, 
 Kate ! you should have seen that wonderful pirate 
 fight. No man could have stood before him." 
 Then, with sparkling eyes and waving arms, 
 he told her of the combat. When he had fin- 
 ished, the souls of these two young people were 
 
 350 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 united in an overpowering admiration, almost 
 reverence, for the prowess and strength of the 
 wicked and bloody pirate who had slain the cap- 
 tain of the Badger. 
 
 When Mr. Delaplaine came on board, Kate, 
 who had been waiting, took him aside. 
 
 '^ Uncle,'' she exclaimed, '^ I have great 
 news. Captain Vince is dead. At last he came 
 up with the Revenge, but instead of finding my 
 father in command he found Blackbeard, who 
 killed him. Now. my father is safe ! ' ' 
 
 The good man scarcely knew what to say to 
 this bright- faced girl, whose father's safety was 
 all the world to her. If he had heard that his 
 worthless and wicked brother-in-law had been 
 killed, it would have been trouble and sorrow for 
 the present, but it would have been peace for 
 the future. But he was a Christian gentleman 
 and a loving uncle, and he banished this thought 
 from his heart. He listened to Kate as she 
 rapidly went on talking, but he did not hear her ; 
 his mind was busy with the news he had to tell 
 her— the news that she must give up her loving 
 search and go back with him to Spanish Town. 
 
 ^ ' And now, uncle, ' ' said Kate, ^ ^ there 's an- 
 other thing I want to say to you. Since this great 
 grief has been lifted from my soul, since I know 
 that no wrathful and vindictive captain of a 
 man-of-war is scouring the seas, armed with au- 
 thority to kill my father and savage for his life, 
 I feel that it is not right for me to put other 
 
 351 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 people who are so good to me to sad discomfort 
 and great expense to try to follow my father 
 into regions far away, and to ns almost un- 
 known. 
 
 ^ ' Some day he will come back into this part 
 of the world, and I hope he may return dis- 
 heartened and weary of his present mode of life, 
 and then I may have a better chance of winning 
 him back to the domestic life he used to love 
 so much. But he is safe, uncle, and that is every- 
 thing now, and so I came to say to you that I 
 think it would be well for us to relieve this kind 
 Captain Ichabod from the charges and labours 
 he has taken upon himself for our sakes and, 
 if it be possible, engage that ship yonder to take 
 us back to Jamaica ; she was sailing in that direc- 
 tion, and her captain might be induced to touch 
 at Kingston. This is what I have been thinking 
 about, dear uncle, and do you not agree with 
 me? '' 
 
 High rose the spirits of the good Mr. Dela- 
 plaine ; banished was all the overhanging black- 
 ness of his dreaded interview with Kate. The 
 sky was bright, her soul was singing songs of 
 joy and thankfulness, and his soul might join 
 her. He never appreciated better than now the 
 blessings which might be shed upon humanity 
 by the death of a bad man. His mind even 
 gambolled a little in his relief. 
 
 '^ But, Kate," he said, ''if we leave that 
 kind Captain Ichabod, and he be not restrained 
 
 352 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 by our presence, then, my dear, he will return to 
 his former evil ways, and his next captures will 
 not be like this one, but like ordinary piracies, 
 sinful in every way. ' ' 
 
 ^' Uncle, ^' said Kate, looking up into his 
 face, " it is too much to ask of one young girl 
 to undertake the responsibilities of two pirates; 
 I hope some day to be of benefit to my poor 
 father, but when it comes to Captain Ichabod, 
 kind as he has been, I am afraid I will have to 
 let him go and manage the affairs of his soul 
 for himself. ' ' 
 
 Her uncle smiled upon her. Now that he was 
 to go back to his home and take this dear girl 
 with him, he was ready to smile at almost any- 
 thing. That he thought one pirate much better 
 worth saving than the other, and that his choice 
 did not agree with that of his niece, was not 
 for him even to think about at such a happy 
 moment. It was not long after this conversation 
 that the largest boat belonging to the Restless 
 was rowed over to the brig, and in it sat, not only 
 Kate, Dame Charter, and Dickory, but Captain 
 Ichabod, who would accompany his guests to 
 take proper leave of them. The crew of the pi- 
 rate sloop crowded themselves along her sides, 
 and even mounted into her shrouds, waving their 
 hats and shouting as the boat moved away. The 
 cook was the loudest shouter, and his ragged hat 
 waved highest. And, as Dame Charter shook 
 her handkerchief above her head and gazed back 
 
 353 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 at her savage friend, there was a nioisture in 
 her eyes. Up to this moment she never would 
 have believed that she would have grieved to 
 depart from a pirate vessel and to leave behind 
 a pirate cook. 
 
 Lucilla watched carefully the newcomers as 
 they ascended to the deck of the Black Swan. 
 ' ' That is the girl, ' ' she said to herself, ' ' and I 
 am not surprised." 
 
 A little later she remarked to Captain Icha- 
 bod, who sat by her: ^' Are they mother and 
 daughter, those two! '' 
 
 ' ' Oh, no, ^ ^ said he. ' ' Mistress Bonnet is too 
 fine a lady and too beautiful to be daughter to 
 that old woman, who is her attendant and the 
 mother of the young fellow in the cocked hat.'' 
 
 ' ' Too fine and beautiful ! ' ' repeated Lucilla. 
 
 '' I greatly grieve to leave you all," contin- 
 ued the young pirate captain, '' although some 
 of you I have known so short a time. It will 
 be very lonely when I sail away with none to 
 speak to save the bloody dogs I command, who 
 may yet throttle me. And it is to Barbadoes 
 you go to settle with your family? " 
 
 ^' That is our destination," said Lucilla, 
 " but I know not if we shall find the money to 
 settle there; we were taken by pirates and lost 
 everything. ' ' 
 
 Now the captain of the brig came up to Icha- 
 bod and informed him that the goods he de- 
 manded had been delivered on board his vessel, 
 
 354 
 
THE DELIVERY OF THE LETTER 
 
 and that the brig was ready to sail. It was the 
 time for leave-taking, but Ichabod was tardy. 
 Presently he approached Kate, and drew her to 
 one side. 
 
 ^ ' Dear lady, ' ' he said, and his voice was hesi- 
 tating, while a slight flush of embarrassment 
 appeared on his face, " you may have thought, 
 dear lady, ^ ' he repeated, ' ' you may have thought 
 that so fair a being as yourself should have at- 
 tracted during the days we have sailed together 
 —may have attracted, bedad, I mean— the de- 
 clared admiration even of a fellow like myself, 
 we being so much together ; but I had heard your 
 story, fair lady, and of the courtship paid you 
 by Captain Vince of the corvette Badger— whose 
 family I knew in England— and, acknowledg- 
 ing his superior claims, I constantly refrained, 
 though not without great effort (I must say that 
 much for myself, fair lady), from — from '^ 
 
 ' ^ Addressing me, I suppose you mean, ' ' said 
 Kate. " What you say, kind captain, redounds 
 to your honour, and I thank you for your noble 
 consideration, but I feel bound to tell you that 
 there was never anything between me and Cap- 
 tain Vince, and he is now dead. '^ 
 
 The young pirate stepped back suddenly and 
 opened wide his eyes. ' ' What ! ' ' he exclaimed, 
 ^ ' and all the time vou were ^ ' 
 
 " Not free,'' she interrupted with a smile, 
 ^' for I have a lover on the island of Barba- 
 does." 
 
 355 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ^' Barbadoes/' repeated Captain Ichabod, 
 and he bade Kate a most courteous farewell. 
 
 All the good-byes had been said and good 
 wishes had been wished, when, just as he was 
 about to descend to his boat. Captain Ichabod 
 turned to Lucilla. '^ And it is truly to Barba- 
 does you go ? ' ' he asked. 
 
 ^ ^ Yes, ' ' said she, ^ ' I think we shall certainly 
 do that. ' ' 
 
 Now his face flushed. ^^ And do you care 
 for that fellow in the cocked hat! " 
 
 Here was a cruel situation for poor Lucilla. 
 She must lie or lose two men. She might lose 
 them anyway, but she would not do it of her 
 own free will, and so she lied. 
 
 ^ ^ Not a whit ! ' ' said Lucilla. 
 
 The eyes of Ichabod brightened as he went 
 down the side of the brig. 
 
 356 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 BLACKBEARD GIVES GREENWAY SOME DIFFICULT 
 
 WORK 
 
 HE great pirate Blackbeard, in- 
 active and taking his ease, was 
 seated on the quarter-deck of 
 his fine vessel, on which he had lately done some 
 sharp work off the harbour of Charles Town. 
 He was now commanding a small fleet. Besides 
 the ship on which he sailed, he had two other 
 vessels, well manned and well laden with sup- 
 plies from his recent captures. Satisfied with 
 conquest, he was sailing northward to one of his 
 favourite resorts on the North Carolina coast. 
 
 To this conquering hero now came Ben 
 Greenway, the Scotchman, touching his hat. 
 
 ^' And what do you want? " cried the burly 
 pirate. '^ Haven't they given you your prize- 
 money yet, or isn't it enough? '' 
 
 '^ Prize-money! '' exclaimed Greenway. ^^ I 
 hae none o ' it, nor will I hae any. AVhat money 
 I hae— an' it is but little— came to me fairly.'' 
 
 *^ Oho! " cried Blackbeard, ^^ and you have 
 
 357 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 money then, have you? Is it enough to make it 
 worth my while to take it ? ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ Ye can count it an ' see, whenever ye like, ' ' 
 said Ben. *^ But it'isna monev that I came to 
 talk to ye about. I came to ask ye, at the first 
 convenient season, to put me on board that ship 
 out there, that I may be in my rightful place 
 by the side o' Master Bonnet." 
 
 '' And what good are you to him, or he to 
 you,'' asked the pirate, with a fine long oath, 
 *^ that I should put myself to that much trou- 
 ble? '' 
 
 ' ' I have the responsibeelity o ' his soul on my 
 hands,'' said Ben, ^^ an' since we left Charles 
 Town I hae not seen him, he bein' on ane ship 
 an' I on anither." 
 
 ^' And very well that is too," said Black- 
 beard, "" for I like each of you better separate. 
 And now look ye, me kirk bird, you have not 
 done very well with your ' responsibeelities ' so 
 far, and you might as well make up your mind 
 to stop trying to convert that sneak of a Night- 
 cap and take up the business of converting me. 
 I'm in great need of it, I can tell you." 
 
 ^ ' You ! ' ' cried Ben. 
 
 ^^ I tell you, yes," shouted Blackbeard, ^^ it 
 is I, myself, that I am talking about. I want 
 to be converted from the evil of my ways, and 
 I have made up my mind that you shall do it. 
 You are a good and a pious man, and it is not 
 often that I get hold of one of that kind ; or, if 
 
 358 
 
DIFFICULT WORK FOR GREENWAY 
 
 I do, I slice off his head before I discover his 
 quality. ' ' 
 
 " I fear me/' said the truthful Scotchman, 
 ** that the job is beyond my abeelity.'' 
 
 ^ ^ Not a bit of it, not a bit of it, ' ' shouted the 
 pirate. *^ I am fifty times easier to work upon 
 than that Nightcap man of yours, and a hundred 
 times better worth the trouble. I put no trust 
 in that downfaced farmer. When he shouts 
 loudest for the black flag he is most likely to go 
 into priestly orders, and the better is he reformed 
 the quicker is he to rob and murder. He is of 
 the kind the devil wants, but it is of no use for 
 any one to show him the way there, he is well 
 able to find it for himself. But it is different 
 with me, vou cannv Scotchman, it is diiferent 
 with me. I am an open-handed and an open- 
 mouthed scoundrel, and I never pretended to be 
 anything else. When you begin reforming me 
 you will find your work half done. ' ' 
 
 The Scotchman shook his head. ^^ I fear 
 me—'' he said. 
 
 ^^ No, you don't fear yourself," cried Black- 
 beard, ' ' and I won 't have it ; I don 't want any 
 of that lazy piety on board my vessel. If you 
 don't reform me, and do it rightly, I'll slice off 
 both vour ears. ' ' 
 
 At this moment a man came aft, carrying a 
 great tankard of mixed drink. Blackbeard took 
 it and held it in his hand. 
 
 ^^ Now then, you balking chaplain," he cried, 
 
 359 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ' ' here 's a chance for you to begin. What would 
 you have me do! Drain off this great mug and 
 go slashing among my crew, or hurl it, mug and 
 all '^ 
 
 '' Nay, nay,'' cried Greenway, ^* but rather 
 give half o' it to me; then will it no' disturb 
 your brain, an' mine will be comforted." 
 
 '' Heigho ! " cried Blackbeard. ^' Truly you 
 are a better chaplain than I thought you. Drain 
 half this mug and then, by all the powers of 
 heaven and hell, you shall convert me. Now, 
 look ye," said the pirate, when the mug was 
 empty, '' and hear what a brave repentance I 
 have already begun. I am tired, my gay gar- 
 dener, of all these piracies; I have had enough 
 of them. Even now, my spoils and prizes are 
 greater than I can manage, and why should I 
 strive to make them more! I told you of my 
 young lieutenant, who ran away and who gave 
 his carcass to the birds of prey rather than sail 
 with me and marry my strapping daughter. I 
 liked that fellow, Greenway, and if he had known 
 what was well for him there might be some rea- 
 son for me to keep on piling up goods and money, 
 but there's cursed little reason for it now. I 
 have merchandise of value at Belize and much 
 more of it in these ships, besides money from 
 Charles Town which ought to last an honest gen- 
 tleman for the rest of his days. ' ' 
 
 ' * Ay, ' ' said Ben, ' ' but an honest gentleman 
 is sparing of his expenditures. ' ' 
 
 360 
 
DIFFICULT WORK FOR GREENWAY 
 
 ^ ^ And you think I am not that kind of a man, 
 do you ! ' ' shouted the pirate. ^ ^ But let me tell 
 you this. I am sailing now for Topsail Inlet, 
 on the North Carolina coast, and I am going to 
 run in there, disperse this fleet, sell my goods, 
 and ' ' 
 
 ^' Be hanged! '' interpolated Greenway in 
 surprise. 
 
 ' ' Not a bit of it, you croaking crow ! ' ' roared 
 the pirate. ^^ Not a bit of it. Don't you know, 
 you dull-head, that our good King George has 
 issued a proclamation to the Brethren of the 
 Coast to come in and behave themselves like 
 honest citizens and receive their pardon I I have 
 done that once, and so I know all about it; but 
 I backslid, showing that my conversion was badly 
 done. ' ' 
 
 ' ^ It must hae been a poor hand that did the 
 job for ye, ' ' said Greenway, ^ ^ for truly the con- 
 version washed otf in the first rain.'' 
 
 The pirate laughed a great laugh. ^^ The 
 fact is," he said, *^ I did the work myself, and 
 knowing nothing about it made a bad botch of 
 it, but this time it will be different. I am going 
 to give the matter into your hands, and I shall 
 expect you to do it well. If I become not an 
 honest gentleman this time you shall pay for it, 
 first with your ears and then with your head. ' ' 
 
 ^* An' ye 're goin' to keep me by ye! " said 
 Greenway, with an expression not of the best. 
 
 ^' Truly so," said Blackbeard. *' I shall 
 34 361 
 
 / 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 make you my clerk as long as I am a pirate, 
 for I have much writing and figuring work to 
 be done, and after that you shall be my chaplain. 
 And whether or not your work will be easier 
 than it is now, it is not for me to say. ' ' 
 
 The Scotchman was about to make an ex- 
 clamation which might not have been compli- 
 mentary, but he restrained himself. 
 
 ^^ An' Master Bonnet I " he asked. '^ If ye go 
 out ' piracy he may go too, and take the oath. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' Of course he may, ' ' cried the pirate, * ' and 
 of course he shall; I will see to that myself. 
 Then I will give him back his ship, for I don't 
 want it, and let him become an honest mer- 
 chant. ' ' 
 
 ^ ' Give him back his ship ! ' ' exclaimed Green- 
 way, his countenance downcast. ' ' That will be 
 puttin' into his hands the means o' beginnin' 
 again a life o ' sin. I pray ye, don 't do that. ' ' 
 
 Blackbeard leaned back and laughed. ^' I 
 swear that I thought it would be one of the very 
 first steps in conversion for me to give back to the 
 fellow the ship which is his own and which I 
 have taken from him. But fear not, my noble 
 pirate's clerk; he is not the man that I am; he 
 is a vile coward, and when he has taken the 
 oath he will be afraid to break it. More- 
 over ' ' 
 
 ^^ And if, with that ship," said Greenway, 
 his eyes beginning to sparkle, ^^ he become an 
 
 honest merchant " 
 
 362 
 
DIFFICULT WORK FOR GREENWAY 
 
 ^' I don't trust him/' said Blackbeard; ^^ he 
 is a knave and a sharper, and there is no truth 
 in him. But when you have settled up my busi- 
 ness, my clerk, and have gotten me well con- 
 verted, I will send you away with him, and you 
 shall take up again the responsibility of his 
 soul. ' ' 
 
 The Scotchman clapped his horny hands to- 
 gether. "And once I get him back to Bridge- 
 town, I will burn his cursed ship ! ' ' 
 
 " Heigho! " cried Blackbeard, " and that 
 will be your way of converting him ? You know 
 your business, my royal chaplain, you know it 
 well." And with that he gave Greenway a tre- 
 mendous slap on the back which would have 
 dashed to the deck an ordinary man, but Ben 
 Greenway was a Scotchman, tough as a yew-tree. 
 
 363 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 CAPTAIN THOMAS OP THE ROYAL JAMES 
 
 'HEN Blackbeard's little fleet 
 anchored in Topsail Inlet, Stede 
 Bonnet, who had not been in- 
 formed of the intentions of the 
 pirate, was a good deal puzzled. Since joining 
 Blackbeard's fleet in the vessel which came up 
 from Belize, Bonnet had considered himself very 
 shabbily treated, and his reasons for that opin- 
 ion were not bad. During the engagements off 
 Charles Town his services had not been re- 
 quired and his opinion had not been consulted, 
 Blackbeard having no use for the one and no 
 respect for the other. The pirate captain had 
 taken a fancy to Ben Greenway, while his con- 
 tempt for the Scotchman's master increased day 
 by day; and it was for this reason that Green- 
 way had been taken on board the flag-ship, while 
 Bonnet remained on one of the smaller vessels. 
 
 Bonnet was in a discontented and somewhat 
 sulky mood, but when Blackbeard 's full plans 
 were made known to him and he found that he 
 might again resume command of his own vessel, 
 
 364 
 
CAPT. THOMAS OF THE ROYAL JAMES 
 
 the Revenge, if he chose to do so, his eyes began 
 to sparkle once more. 
 
 Ben Greenway soon resumed his former posi- 
 tion with Bonnet, for it did not take Blackbeard 
 very long to settle up his affairs, and in a very 
 short time he became tired of the work of con- 
 version ; or, to speak more correctly, of the bore 
 of talking about it. Bonnet was glad to have 
 the Scotchman back again, although he never 
 ceased to declare his desire to get rid of this 
 faithful friend and helper; for, when the Re- 
 venge again came into his hands, there were 
 many things to be done, and few people to help 
 him do it. 
 
 ^' It will be merchandise an' fair trade this 
 time,'' said Ben, ''an' ye '11 find it no' so easy 
 as your piracies, though safer. An' when ye 're 
 off to see the Governor an ' hae got your pardon, 
 it'll be a happy day, Master Bonnet, for ye an' 
 for your daughter, an' for your brother-in-law 
 an' everybody in Bridgetown wha either knew 
 ye or respected ye." 
 
 '' No more of that," cried Bonnet. '' I did 
 not say I was going to Bridgetown, or that I 
 wanted anybody there to respect me. It is my 
 purpose to fit out the Revenge as a privateer 
 and get a commission to sail in her in the war 
 between Spain and the Allies. This will be much 
 more to my taste, Ben Greenway, than trading 
 in sugar and hides." 
 
 Greenway was very grave. 
 
 365 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 i i 
 
 There is so little difference, ' ' said he, ' ' be- 
 tween a privateer an' a pirate that it is a great 
 strain on a common mind to keep them separate ; 
 but a commission from the king is better than 
 a commission from the de'il, an' we'll hope 
 there won't be much o' a war after all is said 
 an' done." 
 
 There was not much intercourse between 
 Blackbeard and Bonnet at Topsail Inlet. The 
 pirate was on very good terms with the author- 
 ities at that place, who for their own sakes cared 
 not much to interfere with him, and Bonnet had 
 his own work in hand and industriously engaged 
 in it. He went to Bath and got his pardon; he 
 procured a clearance for St. Thomas, where he 
 freely announced his intention to take out a com- 
 mission as privateer, and he fitted out his ves- 
 sel as best he could. Of men he had not many, 
 but when he left the inlet he sailed down to an 
 island on the coast, where Blackbeard, having 
 had too many men on his return from Charles 
 Town, had marooned a large number of the 
 sailors belonging to his different crews, finding 
 this the easiest way of getting rid of them. Bon- • 
 net took these men on board with the avowed 
 intention of taking them to St. Thomas, and then 
 he set sail upon the high seas as free and un- 
 trammelled as a fish-hawk sweeping over the 
 surface of a harbour with clearance papers tied 
 to his leg. 
 
 Stede Bonnet had changed very much since 
 
 366 
 
CAPT. THOMAS OF THE ROYAL JAMES 
 
 he last trod the quarter-deck of the Revenge as 
 her captain. He was not so important to look 
 at, and he put on fewer airs of authority, but 
 he issued a great many more commands. In 
 fact, he had learned much about a sailor's life, 
 of navigation and the management of a vessel, 
 and was far better able to command a ship than 
 he had ever been before. He had had a long- 
 rest from the position of a pirate captain, and 
 he had not failed to take advantage of the les- 
 sons which had been involuntarily given him by 
 the veteran scoundrels who had held him in con- 
 tempt. He was now, to a great extent, sailing- 
 master as well as captain of the Revenge; but 
 Ben Greenway, who was much given to that sort 
 of thing, undertook to offer Bonnet some advice 
 in regard to his course. 
 
 '^ I am no sailor," said he, '' but I ken a 
 chart when I see it, an' it is my opeenion that 
 there is no need o' vour sailin' so far to the 
 east before ye turn about southward. There is 
 naething much stickin' out from the coast be- 
 tween here an' St. Thomas." 
 
 Bonnet looked at the Scotchman with lofty 
 contempt. 
 
 ' ' Perhaps you can tell me, ' ' said he, ^ ^ what 
 there is stickin' out from the coast between here 
 and Ocracoke Inlet, where you yourself told me 
 that Blackbeard had gone with the one sloop he 
 kept for himself! " 
 
 ''' Blackbeard! " shouted the Scotchman, 
 
 367 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 ^^ an' what in the de'il have ye got to do wi' 
 Blackbeard! " 
 
 ' ' Do with tliat infernal dog ! ' ' cried Bonnet, 
 '' I have everything to do with him before I do 
 aught with anybody or anything besides. He 
 stole from me my possessions, he degraded me 
 from my iDosition, he made me a laughing-stock 
 to my men, and he even made me blush and bow 
 my head with shame before my daughter and 
 my brother-in-law, two people in whose sight I 
 would have stood up grander and bolder than 
 before any others in the world. He took away 
 from me my sword and he gave me instead a 
 wretched pen ; he made me nothing where I had 
 been everything. He even ceased to consider me 
 any more than if I had been the dirty deck under 
 his feet. And then, when he had done with my 
 property and could get no more good out of it, 
 he cast it to me in charity as a man would toss 
 a penny to a beggar. Before I sail anywhere 
 else, Ben Greenway, ' ' continued Bonnet, ' ^ I sail 
 for Ocracoke Inlet, and when I sight Black- 
 beard 's miserable little sloop I shall pour broad- 
 side after broadside into her until I sink his 
 wretched craft with his bedizened carcass on 
 board of it.'' 
 
 ^^ But wi' your men stand by ye! " cried 
 Greenway. ^ ^ Ye 're neither a pirate nor a vessel 
 o ' war to enter into a business like that. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet swore one of his greatest oaths. 
 ^^ There is no business nor war for me, Ben 
 
 368 
 
CAPT. THOMAS OF THE ROYAL JAMES 
 
 Greenway,'' he cried, ^' until I have taught 
 that insolent Blackbeard what manner of man 
 I am. ' ' 
 
 Ben Greenway was very much disheartened. 
 ^ ' If Blackbeard should sink the Revenge instead 
 of Master Bonnet sinking him, ' ' he said to him- 
 self, ' ^ and would be kind enough to maroon my 
 old master an ' me, it might be the best for every- 
 body after all. Master Bonnet is vera humble- 
 minded an' complacent when bad fortune comes 
 upon him, an' it is my opeenion that on a desert 
 island I could weel manage him for the good o' 
 his soul." 
 
 But there were no vessels sunk on that cruise. 
 Blackbeard had gone, nobody knew where, and 
 after a time Bonnet gave up the search for his 
 old enemy and turned his bow southward. Now 
 Ben Greenway 's countenance gleamed once 
 more. 
 
 ^^ It'll be a glad day at Spanish Town when 
 Mistress Kate shall get my letter." 
 
 ^ ' And what have you been writing to her ? ' ' 
 cried Bonnet. 
 
 ' ' I told her, ' ' said Ben Greenway, ' '• how at 
 last ye hae come to your right mind, an' how 
 ye are a true servant o' the king, wi' your par- 
 don in your pocket an' your commission waitin' 
 for ye at St. Thomas, an' that, whatever else ye 
 may do at sea, there'll be no more black* flag 
 floatin' over your head, nor a see-saw plank wob- 
 blin' under the feet o' onybody else. The days 
 
 369 
 
KATE BONNET 
 o' your piracies are over, an' ye 're an honest 
 
 mon once more." 
 
 '^ You wrote her that? " said Bonnet, with 
 a frown. 
 
 ** Ay," said Greenway, ^^ an' I left it in the 
 care o' a good mon, whose ship is weel on its 
 way to Kingston by this day." 
 
 That afternoon Captain Bonnet called all his 
 men together and addressed them. 
 
 He made a very good speech, a better one 
 than that delivered when he first took real com- 
 mand of the Revenge after sailing out of the 
 river at Bridgetown, and it was listened to with 
 respectful and earnest interest. In brief man- 
 ner he explained to all on board that he had 
 thrown to the winds all idea of merchandising 
 or privateering; that his pardon and his ship's 
 clearance were of no value to him except he 
 should happen to get into some uncomfortable 
 predicament with the law; that he had no idea 
 of sailing towards St. Thomas, but intended to 
 proceed up the coast to burn and steal and rob 
 and slay wherever he might find it convenient 
 to do so; that he had brought the greater part 
 of his crew from the desert island where Black- 
 beard had left them because he knew that they 
 were stout and reckless fellows, just the sort of 
 men he wanted for the piratical cruise he was 
 about to begin ; and that, in order to mislead any 
 government authorities who by land or sea might 
 seek to interfere with him, he had changed the 
 
 370 
 
CAPT. THOMAS OF THE ROYAL JAMES 
 
 name of the good old Revenge to the Royal 
 James, while its captain, once Stede Bonnet, was 
 now to be known on board and everywhere else 
 as Captain Thomas, with nothing against him. 
 He concluded by saying that all that had been 
 done on that ship from the time she first hoisted 
 the black flag until the present moment was noth- 
 ing at all compared to the fire and the blood and 
 the booty which should follow in the wake of 
 that gallant vessel, the Royal James, command- 
 ed by Captain Thomas. 
 
 The men looked at each other, but did not 
 say much. They were all pirates, although few 
 of them had regularly started out on a piratical 
 career, and there was nothing new to them in 
 this sort of piratical dishonour. In the little 
 cruise after Blackbeard their new captain had 
 shown himself to be a good man, ready with his 
 oaths and very certain about what he wanted 
 done. So, whenever Stede Bonnet chose to run 
 up the Jolly Roger, he migilt do it for all they 
 cared. 
 
 Poor Ben Greenway sat apart, his head bowed 
 upon his hands. 
 
 ^^ You seem to be in a bad case, old Ben,'' 
 said Bonnet, gazing down upon him, ^^ but you 
 throw yourself into needless trouble. As soon as 
 I lay hold of some craft which I am willing shall 
 go away with a sound hull, I will put you on 
 board of her and let you go back to the farm. 
 I will keep you no longer among these wicked 
 
 371 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 people, Ben Green way, and in this wicked 
 place. ' ' 
 
 Ben shook his head. *^ I started wi' ye an' 
 I stay wi ' ye, ' ' said he, ^ ^ an ' I '11 follow ye to the 
 vera gates o' hell, but farther than that, Master 
 Bonnet, I willna go; at the gates o' hell I 
 leave ye! " 
 
 372 
 
CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 A CHAPTER OF HAPPENINGS 
 
 OR happiness witli a flaw in it, 
 it was a very fair happiness 
 which now hung over the Dela- 
 plaine home near Spanish Town. Kate Bonnet's 
 father was still a pirate, but there was no Cap- 
 tain Vince in hot pursuit of him, seeking his 
 blood. Kate could sing with the birds and laugh 
 with Dickory whenever she thought of the death 
 of the wicked enemy. This was not, it may be 
 thought, a proper joy for a young maiden's 
 heart, but it came to Kate whether she would 
 or not; the change was so great from the fear 
 which had possessed her before. 
 
 The old home life began again, although it 
 was a very quiet life. Dickory went into Mr. 
 Delaplaine 's counting-house, but it was hard for 
 the young man to doff the naval uniform which 
 had been bestowed upon him by Blackbeard, for 
 he knew he looked very well in it, and everybody 
 else thought so and told him so ; but it could not 
 be helped, and with all convenient speed he dis- 
 
 373 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 carded liis cocked hat and all the rest of it, and 
 clothed himself in the simple garb of a mer- 
 chant's clerk, although it might be said, that in 
 all the West Indies, at that day, there was no 
 clerk so good-looking as was Dickory. Dame 
 Charter was so thankful that her boy had come 
 safely through all his troubles, so proud of him, 
 and so eminently well satisfied with his present 
 position, that she asked nothing of her particular 
 guardian angel but that Stede Bonnet might 
 stay away. If, after tiring of piracy, that man 
 came back, as his relatives wished him to do, 
 the good dame was sure he would make mischief 
 of some sort, and as like as not in the direction 
 of her Dickory. If this evil family genius 
 should be lost at sea or should disajDpear from 
 the world in some equally painless and undis- 
 graceful fashion, Dame Charter was sure that 
 she could in a reasonable time quiet the grief 
 of poor Kate; for what right-minded damsel 
 could fail to mingle thankfulness with her sor-, 
 row that a kind death should relieve a parent 
 from the sins and disgraces which in life always 
 seemed to open up in front of him. 
 
 About this time there came a letter from Bar- 
 badoes, which was of great interest to everybody 
 in the household. It was from Master Martin 
 Newcombe, and of course was written to Kate, 
 but she read many portions of it to the others. 
 The first part of the epistle was not read aloud, 
 but it was very pleasant for Kate to read it to 
 
 374 
 
A CHAPTER OF HAPPENINGS 
 
 herself. This man was a close lover and an ar- 
 dent one. Whatever had happened to her for- 
 tunes, nothing had interfered with his affection ; 
 whatever he had said he still bravely stood by, 
 and to whatever she had objected in the way of 
 obstacles he had paid no attention whatever. 
 
 In the parts of the letter read to her uncle 
 and the others. Master Newcombe told how, not 
 having heard from them for so long, he had 
 been beginning to be greatly troubled, but the 
 arrival of the Black Swan, which, after touching 
 at Kingston, had continued her course to Bar- 
 badoes, had given him new life and hope; and 
 it was his intention, as soon as he could arrange 
 his affairs, to come to Jamaica, and there say by 
 word of mouth and do, in his own person, so 
 much for which a letter was totally inadequate. 
 The thought of seeing Kate again made him 
 tremble as he walked through his jfields. This 
 was read inadvertently, and Dickory frowned. 
 Dame Charter frowned too. She had never sup- 
 posed that Master Newcombe would come to 
 Spanish Town ; she had always looked upon him 
 as a very worthy young farmer ; so worthy that 
 he would not neglect his interest by travelling 
 about to other islands than his own. She did 
 not know exactly how her son felt about all this, 
 nor did she like to ask him, but Dickory saved 
 her the trouble. 
 
 ^ ^ If that Newcombe comes here, ' ' he said, ^ * I 
 am going to fight him. ^ ' 
 
 375 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 '* What! " cried his mother. ^' You would 
 not do that. That would be terrible; it would 
 ruin everything.'^ 
 
 '^ Ruin what! '' he asked. 
 
 His mother answered diplomatically. ''' It 
 would ruin all your fine opportunities in this 
 family. ' ' 
 
 Dickorv smiled with a certain sarcastic hard- 
 ness. '' I don't mean," said he, '' that I am 
 going to hack at him with a sword, because 
 neither he nor I properly know how to use 
 swords, and after the wonderful practice that I 
 have seen, I would not want to prove myself a 
 bungler even if the other man were a worse one. 
 No, mother, I mean to fight with him by all fair 
 means to gain the hand of my dear Kate. I love 
 her, and I am far more worthy of her than he is. 
 He is not a well-disposed man, being rough and 
 inconsiderate in his speech. ' ' Dickory had never 
 forgiven the interview by the river bank when 
 he had gone to see Madam Bonnet. ^' And as 
 to his being a stout lover, he is none of it. Had 
 he been that, he would long ago have crossed 
 the little sea between Barbadoes and here. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Do you mean, you foolish boy, ' ' exclaimed 
 Dame Charter, ' ' to say that you presume to love 
 our Mistress Kate? " And her eyes glowed 
 upon him with all the warmth of a mother's 
 pride, for this was the wish of her heart, and 
 never absent from it. 
 
 ''' Ay, mother," said Dickory, ^' I shall fight 
 
 376 
 
A CHAPTER OF HAPPENINGS 
 
 for her ; I shall show her that I am worthier than 
 he is and that I love her better. I shall even 
 strive for her if that mad pirate comes back and 
 tries to overset everything.'^ 
 
 ^' Oh, do it before that! " cried Dame Char- 
 ter, anxiety in every wrinkle. ^^ Do it before 
 that ! ' ' 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine was a little troubled by the 
 promised visit from Barbadoes. He had heard 
 of Master Newcombe as being a most estimable 
 young man, but the fault about him, in his opin- 
 ion, was that he resided not in Jamaica. For 
 a long time the good merchant had lived his own 
 life, with no one to love him, and he now had 
 with him his sister's child, whom he had come 
 to look upon as a daughter, and he did not wish 
 to give her up. It was true that it might be 
 possible, under favourable pressure, to induce 
 young Newcombe to come to Jamaica and settle 
 there, but this was all very vague. Had he had 
 his own way, he would have driven from Kate 
 every thought of love or marriage until the time 
 when his new clerk, Dickory Charter, had be- 
 come a young merchant of good standing, worthy 
 of such a wife. Then he might have been willing 
 to give Kate to Dickory, and Dickory would have 
 given her to him, and they might have all been 
 happy. That is, if that hare-brained Bonnet did 
 not come home. 
 
 The Delaplaine family did not go much into 
 society at that time, for people had known about 
 25 377 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the pirate and liis ship, the Revenge, and the 
 pursuit upon which Captain Vince of the royal 
 corvette Badger had been sent. They had all 
 heard, too, of the death of Captain Vince, and 
 some of them were not quite certain whether he 
 had been killed by the pirate Bonnet or another 
 desperado equally dangerous. Knowing all this, 
 although if they had not known it they would 
 scarcely have found it out from the speech of 
 their neighbours, the Delaplaines kept much to 
 themselves. And they were happy, and the key- 
 note of their happiness was struck by Kate, 
 whose thankful heart could never forget the 
 death of Captain Vince. 
 
 Mr. Delaplaine made his proper visit to 
 Spanish Town, to carry his thanks and to tell 
 the Governor how things had happened to him ; 
 and the Governor still showed his interest in 
 Mistress Kate Bonnet, and expressed his regret 
 that she had not come with her uncle, which was 
 a very natural wish indeed for a governor of 
 good taste. 
 
 This is a chapter of happenings, and the next 
 happening was a letter from that good man, Ben 
 Greenway, and it told the most wonderful, splen- 
 did, and glorious news that had ever been told 
 under the bright sun of the beautiful West In- 
 dies. It told that Captain Stede Bonnet was no 
 longer a pirate, and that Kate was no longer a 
 pirate's daughter. These happy people did not 
 join hands and dance and sing over the great 
 
 378 
 
A CHAPTER OF HAPPENINGS 
 
 news, but Kate's joy was so great that she might 
 have done all these things without knowing it, 
 so thankful was she that once again she had a 
 father. This rapture so far outshone her relief 
 at the news of the death of Captain Vince that 
 she almost forgot that that wicked man was safe 
 and dead. Kate was in such a state of wild de- 
 light that she insisted that her uncle should make 
 another visit to the Governor's house and take 
 her with him, that she herself might carry the 
 Governor the good news ; and the Governor said 
 such heart- warming things when he heard it that 
 Kate kissed him in very joy. But as Dickory 
 was not of the party, this incident was not en- 
 tered as part of the proceedings. 
 
 Now society, both in Spanish Town and 
 Kingston, opened its arms and insisted that the 
 fair star of Barbadoes should enter them, and 
 there were parties and dances and dinners, and 
 it might have been supposed that everybody had 
 been a father or a mother to a prodigal son, so 
 genial and joyful were the festivities— Kate 
 high above all others. 
 
 At some of these social functions Dickorv 
 Charter was present, but it is doubtful whether 
 he was happier when he saw Kate surrounded 
 by gay admirers or when he was at home im- 
 agining what was going on about her. 
 
 There was but one cloud in the midst of all 
 this sunshine, and that was that Mr. Delaplaine, 
 Dame Charter, and her son Dickory could not 
 
 379 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 forget that it was now in the line of events that 
 Stede Bonnet would soon be with them, and 
 beyond that all was chaos. 
 
 And over the seas sailed the good ship the 
 Royal James, Captain Thomas in command. 
 
 380 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 T was now September, and the 
 weather was beautiful on the 
 
 ^^^^ES'" North Carolina coast. Cap- 
 tain Thomas (late Bonnet) of the Royal James 
 (late Revenge) had always enjoyed cool nights 
 and invigorating morning air, and therefore it 
 was that he said to his faithful servitor, Ben 
 Greenway, when first he stepped out upon the 
 deck as his vessel lay comfortably anchored in 
 a little cove in the Cape Fear River, that he did 
 not remember ever having been in a more pleas- 
 ant harbour. This well-tried pirate captain— 
 Stede Bonnet, as we shall call him, notwithstand- 
 ing his assumption of another name— was in a 
 genial mood as he drank in the morning air. 
 
 From his point of view he had a right to be 
 genial; he had a right to be pleased with the 
 scenery and the air; he had a right to swear at 
 the Scotchman, and to ask him why he did not 
 put on a merrier visage on such a sparkling 
 morning, for since he had first started out as 
 
 381 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Captain Thomas of tlie Royal James lie had been 
 a most successful pirate. He had sailed up the 
 Virginia coast; he had burned, he had sunk, he 
 had robbed, he had slain; he had gone up the 
 Delaware Bay, and the people in ships and the 
 people on the coasts trembled even when they 
 heard that his black flag had been sighted. 
 
 No man could now say that the former cap- 
 tain of the Revenge was not an accomplished and 
 seasoned desperado. Even the great Blackbeard 
 would not have cared to give him nicknames, 
 nor dared to play his blithesome tricks upon 
 him; he was now no more Captain Nightcap to 
 any man. His crew of hairy ruffians had learned 
 to understand that he knew what he wanted, and, 
 more than that, he knew how to order it done. 
 They listened to his great oaths and they re- 
 spected him. This powerful pirate now com- 
 manded a small fleet, for in the cove where lay 
 his flag-ship also lay two good-sized sloops, 
 manned by their own crews, which he had cap- 
 tured in Delaware Bay and had brought down 
 with him to this quiet spot, a few miles up the 
 Cape Fear River, where now he was repairing 
 his own ship, which had had a hard time of it 
 since she had again come into his hands. 
 
 For many a long day the sound of the ham- 
 mer and the saw had mingled with the song of 
 the birds, and Captain Bonnet felt that in a day 
 or two he might again sail out upon the sea, con- 
 veying his two prizes to some convenient mart, 
 
 382 
 
THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 while he, with his good ship, freshened and re- 
 stored, would go in search of more victories, 
 more bootv, and more blood. 
 
 ^' Greenway, I tell you," said Bonnet, con- 
 tinuing his remarks, ' ' you are too glum ; you 've 
 got the only long face in all this, my fleet. Even 
 those poor fellows who man my prizes are not 
 so solemn, although they know not, when I have 
 done with them, whether I shall maroon them 
 to quietly starve or shall sink them in their own 
 vessels. ' ' 
 
 ^' But I hae no such reason to be cheerful," 
 said Ben. ^' I hae bound myseP to stand by 
 ye till ye hae gone to the de'il, an' I hae no 
 chance o' freein' myseP from my responsibeeli- 
 ties by perishin' on land or in the sea." 
 
 ^^ If anything could make me glum, Ben 
 Greenway, it would be you," said the other; 
 '^ but I am getting used to you, and some of 
 these days when I have captured a ship laden 
 with Scotch liquors and Scotch plaids I believe 
 that you will turn pirate yourself for the sake 
 of your share of the prizes. ' ' 
 
 '' Which is likely to be on the same mornin' 
 that ve turn to be an honest mon," said Ben; 
 * ^ but I am no ' in the way o ' expectin' miracles. ' ' 
 
 On went the pounding and the sawing and 
 the hammering and the swearing and the singing 
 of birds, although the latter were a little farther 
 away than they had been, and in the course of 
 the day the pirate captain, erect, scrutinizing, 
 
 383 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 and blasphemous, went over his ship, superin- 
 tending the repairs. In a day or two everything 
 would be finished, and then he and his two prizes 
 could up sail and away. It was a beautiful har- 
 bour in which he lay, but he was getting tired 
 of it. 
 
 There were great prospects before our pirate 
 captain. Perhaps he might have the grand good 
 fortune to fall in with that low-born idevil, Black- 
 beard, who, when last he had been heard from, 
 commanded but a small vessel, fearing no attack 
 upon this coast. What a proud and glorious mo- 
 ment it would be when a broadside and another 
 and another should be poured in upon his little 
 craft from the long guns of the Royal James. 
 
 Bonnet was still standing, reflecting, with 
 bright eyes, upon this dazzling future, and won- 
 dering what would be the best way of letting the 
 dastardly Blackbeard know whose guns they 
 were which had sunk his ship, when a boat was 
 seen coming around the headland. This was one 
 of his own boats, which had been posted as a 
 sentinel, and which now brought the news that 
 two vessels were coming in at the mouth of the 
 river, but that as the distance was great and the 
 night was coming on they could not decide what 
 manner of craft thev were. 
 
 This information made everybody jump, on 
 board the Eoyal James, and the noise of the 
 sawing and the hammering ceased as completely 
 as had the songs of the birds. In a few min- 
 
 384 
 
THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 utes that quick and able mariner, Bonnet, had 
 sent three armed boats down the river to recon- 
 noitre. If the vessels entering the river were 
 merchantmen, they should not be allowed to get 
 away ; but if they were enemies, although it was 
 difficult to understand how enemies could make 
 their appearance in these quiet waters, they must 
 be attended to, either by fight or flight. 
 
 When the three boats came back, and it was 
 late before they appeared, every man upon the 
 Royal James was crowded along her side to hear 
 the news, and even the people on the prizes knew 
 that something had happened, and stood upon 
 every point of vantage, hoping that in some way 
 they could find out what it was. 
 
 The news brought by the boats was to the 
 effect that two vessels, not sailing as merchant- 
 men and well armed and manned, were now 
 ashore on sand-bars, not very far above the mouth 
 of the river. Now Bonnet swore bravely. If 
 the work upon his vessels had been finished he 
 would up anchor and away and sail past these 
 two grounded ships, whatever they were and 
 whatever they came for. He would sail past 
 them and take with him his two prizes ; he would 
 glide out to sea with the tide, and he would laugh 
 at them as he left them behind. But the Royal 
 James was not ready to sail. 
 
 The tide T^as now low ; five hours afterward, 
 when it should be high, those two ships, what- 
 ever they were, would float again, and the Royal 
 
 385 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 James, whatever her course of action should be, 
 would be cut off from the mouth of the river. 
 This was a greater risk than even a pirate as 
 bold as Bonnet would wish to run, and so there 
 was no sleep that night on the Eoyal James. The 
 blows of the hammers and the sounds of the 
 saws made a greater noise than they had ever 
 done before, so that the night birds were fright- 
 ened and flew shrieking away. Every man 
 worked with all the energy that was in him, for 
 each hairy rascal had reason to believe that if 
 the vessel they were on did not get out of the 
 river before the two armed strangers should be 
 afloat there might be hard times ahead for them. 
 Even Ben Greenway was aroused. '' The de'il 
 shall not get him any sooner than can be helped, ' ' 
 he said to himself, and he hammered and sawed 
 with the rest of them. 
 
 On his stout and well-armed sloop the Henry, 
 Mr. William Ehett, of Charles Town, South 
 Carolina, paced anxiously all night. Frequent- 
 ly from the sand-bar on which his vessel was 
 grounded he called over to his other' sloop, also 
 fast grounded, giving orders and asking ques- 
 tions. On both vessels evervbodv was at work, 
 getting ready for action when the tide should 
 rise. 
 
 Some weeks before the wails and complaints 
 of a tortured sea-coast had come down from the 
 Jersey shores to South Carolina, asking for help 
 at the only place along that coast whence help 
 
 3S6 
 
THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 could come. A pirate named Thomas was work- 
 ing his way southward, spreading terror before 
 him and leaving misery behind. These appeals 
 touched the hearts of the people of Charles Town, 
 already sore from the injuries and insults in- 
 flicted upon them by Blackbeard in those days 
 when Bonnet sat silently on the pirate ship, doing 
 nothing and learning much. 
 
 There was no hesitancy; for their own sake 
 and for the sake of their commerce, this new 
 pirate must not come to Charles Town harbour, 
 and an expedition of two vessels, heavily armed 
 and well manned and commanded by Mr. Wil- 
 liam Rhett, was sent northward up the coast to 
 look for the pirate named Thomas and to destroy 
 him and his ship. Mr. Rhett was not a military 
 man, nor did he belong to the navy. He was 
 a citizen capable of commanding soldiers, and 
 as such he went forth to destroy the pirate 
 Thomas. 
 
 Mr. Rhett met peojDle enough along the coast 
 who told him where he might find the pirate, 
 but he found no one to tell him how to navigate 
 the dangerous waters of the Cape Fear River, 
 and so it was that soon after entering that fine 
 stream he and his consort found themselves 
 aground. 
 
 Mr. Rhett was quite sure that he had discov- 
 ered the lair of the big game he was looking for. 
 Just before dark, three boats, well filled with 
 men, had appeared from up the river, and they^ 
 
 387 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 had looked so formidable that everything had 
 been made ready to resist an attack from them. 
 They retired, but every now and then during the 
 night, when there was quiet for a few minutes, 
 there would come down the river on the wind 
 the sound of distant hammering and the noise 
 of saws. 
 
 It was after midnight before the Henry and 
 the Sea Nymph floated free, but they anchored 
 where they were and waited for the morning. 
 Whether they would sail up the river after the 
 pirate or whether he would come down to them, 
 daylight would show. 
 
 Mr. Rhett's vessels had been at anchor for 
 five hours, and every man on board of them 
 were watching and waiting, when daylight ap- 
 peared and showed them a tall ship, under full 
 sail, rounding the distant headland up the river. 
 Now up came their anchors and their sails were 
 set. The pirate was coming! 
 
 Whatever the Royal James intended to do, 
 Mr. Rhett had but one plan, and that was to meet 
 the enemy as soon as possible and fight him. So 
 up sailed the Henry and up sailed the Sea 
 Nymph, and they pressed ahead so steadily to 
 meet the Royal James that the latter vessel, in 
 carrying out what was now her obvious inten- 
 tion of getting out to sea, was forced shoreward, 
 where she speedily ran upon a bar. Then, from 
 the vessels of Charles Town there came great 
 shouts of triumph, which ceased when first the 
 
 388 
 
THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 Henry and then the Sea Nymph ran upon other 
 bars and remained stationary. 
 
 Here was an unusual condition— three ships 
 of war all aground and about to begin a battle, 
 a battle which would probably last for five hours 
 if one or more of the stationary vessels were not 
 destroyed before that time. It was soon found, 
 however, that there would only be ^ two parties 
 to the fight, for the Sea Nymph was too far away 
 to use her guns. The Royal James had an ad- 
 vantage over her opponents, since, when she 
 slightly careened, her decks were slanted away 
 from the enemy, while the latter 's were pre- 
 sented to her fire. 
 
 At it they went, hot and heavy. Bonnet and 
 his men now knew that they were engaged with 
 commissioned war vessels, and they fought for 
 their lives. Mr. Rhett knew that he was fighting 
 Thomas, the dreaded pirate of the coast, and he 
 felt that he must destroy him before his vessel 
 should float again. The cannon roared, muskets 
 blazed away, and the combatants were near 
 enough even to use pistols upon each other. Men 
 died, blood flowed, and the fight grew fiercer and 
 fiercer. 
 
 Bonnet roared like an incarnate devil; he 
 swore at his men, he swore at the enemy, he 
 swore at his bad fortune, for had he not missed 
 the channel the game would have been in his 
 own hands. 
 
 So on they fought, and the tide kept steadily 
 
 389 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 rising. The five hours must pass at last, and 
 the vessel which first floated would win the 
 day. 
 
 The ^ve hours did pass, and the Henry float- 
 ed, and Bonnet swore louder and more fiercely 
 than before. He roared to his men to fire and 
 to fight, no matter whether they were still 
 aground or not, and with many oaths he vowed 
 that if any one of them showed but a sign of 
 weakening he would cut him down upon the spot. 
 But the hairy scoundrels who made up the crew 
 of the Koyal James had no idea of lying there 
 with their ship on its side, while two other ships 
 —for the Sea Nymph was now afloat— should 
 sail around them, rake their decks, and shatter 
 them to pieces. So the crew consulted together, 
 despite their captain 's roars and oaths, and many 
 of them counselled surrender. Their vessel was 
 much farther inshore than the two others, and 
 no matter what happened afterward they pre- 
 ferred to live longer than fifteen or twenty min- 
 utes. 
 
 But Bonnet quailed not before fate, before 
 the enemy, or before his crew; if he heard an- 
 other word of surrender he would fire the maga- 
 zine and blow the ship to the sky with every man 
 in it. Raising his cutlass in air, he was about 
 to bring it down upon one of the cowards he 
 berated, when suddenly he was seized by two 
 powerful hands, which pinned his arms behind 
 him. With a scream of rage, he turned his head 
 
 390 
 
THE TIDE DECIDES 
 
 and found that he was in the grasp of Ben 
 Greenway. 
 
 ^' Let go your sword, Master Bonnet," said 
 Ben; '^ it is o' no use to ye now, for ye canna 
 get awa' from me. I'm nae older than ye are, 
 though I look it, an' I've got the harder mus- 
 cles. Ye may be makin' your way steadily an' 
 surely to the gates o ' hell an ' it mayna be possi- 
 ble that I can prevent ye, but I'm not goin' to 
 let ye tumble in by accident so long as I've got 
 two arms left to me." 
 
 Pale, haggard, and writhing, Stede Bonnet 
 was disarmed, and the Jolly Roger came down. 
 
 391 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 BONNET AND GREEN WAY PART COMPANY 
 
 :P>Tre.«- 
 
 T was tliree days after this 
 memorable combat — for the 
 vessels engaged in it needed 
 considerable repairs— when Mr. Khett of Charles 
 Town sailed down the Cape Fear River with 
 his ^ve vessels— the two with which he had en- 
 tered it, the pirate Royal James, and the two 
 prizes of the latter, which had waited quietly 
 up the river to see how matters were going to 
 turn out. 
 
 On the Henry sailed the pirate Thomas, now 
 discovered to be the notorious Stede Bonnet, and 
 a very quiet and respectful man he was. As has 
 been seen before, Bonnet was a man able to adapt 
 himself to circumstances. There never was a 
 more demure counting-house clerk than was 
 Bonnet at Belize; there never was an humbler 
 dependent than the almost unnoticed Bonnet 
 after he had joined Blackbeard's fleet before 
 Charles Town, and there never was a more 
 
 392 
 
BONNET AND GPtEENWAY SEPARATE 
 
 deferential and respectful prisoner than Stede 
 Bonnet on board the Henry. It was really 
 touching to see how this cursing and raging 
 pirate deported himself as a meek and uncom- 
 plaining gentleman. 
 
 ♦ There was no prison-house in Charles Town, 
 but Stede Bonnet's wicked crew, including Ben 
 Greenway— for his captors were not making any 
 distinctions in regard to common men taken on 
 a pirate ship— were clapped into the watch- 
 house— and a crowded and uncomfortable place 
 it was— and put under a heavy and military 
 guard. The authorities were, however, making 
 distinctions where gentlemen of family and 
 owners of landed estates were concerned, no 
 matter if they did happen to be taken on a pirate 
 ship, and Major Bonnet of Barbadoes was 
 lodged in the provost marshal's house, in com- 
 fortable quarters, with only two sentinels out- 
 side to make him understand he was a prisoner. 
 
 The capture of this celebrated pirate created 
 a sensation in Charles Town, and many of the 
 citizens were not slow to pay the unfortunate 
 prisoner the attentions due to his former posi- 
 tion in society. He was very well satisfied with 
 his treatment in Charles Town, which city he 
 had never before had the pleasure of visiting. 
 
 The attentions paid to Ben Greenway were 
 not pleasing ; sometimes he was shoved into one 
 comer and sometimes into another. He fre- 
 quently had enough to eat and drink, but very 
 26 393 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 often this was not the case. Bonnet never in- 
 quired after him. If he thought of him at all, 
 he hoped that he had been killed in the fight, 
 for if that were the case he would be rid of his 
 eternal preachments. 
 
 G-reenway made known the state of his own 
 case whenever he had a chance to do so, but his 
 complaints received no attention, and he might 
 have remained with the crew of the Koyal James 
 as long as they were shut up in the watch-house 
 had not some of the hairy cut-throats themselves 
 taken pity upon him and assured the guards that 
 this man was not one of them, and that they 
 knew from what they had heard him say and 
 seen him do that there was no more determined 
 enemy of piracy in all the Western continent. 
 So it happened, that after some weeks of confine- 
 ment Greenway was let out of the watch-house , 
 and allowed to find quarters for himself. 
 
 The first day the Scotchman was free he went 
 to the provost-marshal 's house and petitioned an 
 interview with his old master, Bonnet. 
 
 '^ Heigho! '' cried the latter, who was com- 
 fortably seated in a chair reading a letter. ' ^ And 
 where do you come from, Ben Greenway! I had 
 thought you were dead and buried in the Cape 
 Fear River.'' 
 
 Ye did not think I was dead,'' replied Ben, 
 when I seized ye an ' held ye an ' kept ye from 
 buryin ' yoursel ' in that same river. ' ' 
 
 Bonnet waved his hand. '^ No more of 
 
 394 
 
 
BONNET AND GREENWAY SEPARATE 
 
 that/^ said he; ^^ I was unfortunate, but tliat is 
 over now and things have turned out better than 
 any man could have expected. ' ' 
 
 ^' Better! ^' exclaimed Ben. ^^ I vow I know 
 not what that means.'' 
 
 Bonnet laughed. He was looking very 
 well; he was shaved, and wore a neat suit of 
 clothes. 
 
 * * Ben Greenway, ' ' said he, ^ ' you , are now 
 looking upon a man of high distinction. At this 
 moment I am the greatest pirate on the face of 
 the earth. Yes, Greenway, the greatest pirate 
 on the face of the earth. I have a letter here, 
 which was received by the provost-marshal and 
 which he gave me to read, which tells that Black- 
 beard, the first pirate of his age, is dead. There- 
 fore, Ben Greenway, I take his place, and there 
 is no living pirate greater than I am." 
 
 *' An' ye pride yoursel' on that, an' at this 
 moment? " asked Ben, truly amazed. 
 
 '' That do I," said Bonnet. '' And think of 
 it, Ben Greenway, that presumptuous, overbear- 
 ing Blackbeard was killed, and his head brought 
 away sticking up on the bow of a vessel. What 
 a rare sight that must have been, Ben ! Think of 
 his long beard, all tied up with ribbons, stuck up 
 on the bow of a ship ! ' ' 
 
 ^* An' ye are now the head de'il on earth? " 
 said Ben. 
 
 * ^ You can put it that way, if you like, ' ' said 
 Bonnet, '' but I am not so looked upon in this 
 
 395 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 town. I am an honoured person. I doubt very 
 much if any prisoner in this country was ever 
 treated with the distinction that is shown me, 
 but I don't wonder at it; I have the reputation 
 of two great pirates joined in one— the pirate 
 Bonnet, of the dreaded ship Revenge, and the 
 terrible Thomas of the Boyal James. My man, 
 there are people in this town who have been to 
 me and who have said that a man so famous 
 should not even be imprisoned. I have good 
 reason to believe that it will not be long before 
 pardon papers are made out for me, and that I 
 may go my way. ' ' 
 
 ^ ^ An ' your men ! ' ' asked Greenway . * ^ Will 
 they go free or will they be hung like common 
 pirates! '^ 
 
 Bonnet frowned impatiently. ^' I don't want 
 to hear anything about the men, ' ' he said ; ' ^ of 
 course they will be hung. What could be done 
 with them if they were not hung? But it is 
 entirely different with me. I am a most respect- 
 able person, and, now that I am willing to resign 
 my piratical career, having won in it all the glory 
 that can come to one man, that respectability 
 must be considered.'' 
 
 ^* Weel, weel," said the Scotchman; ^^ an' 
 when it comes that respectabeelity is better for 
 a man's soul an' body than righteousness, then 
 I am no fit counsellor for ye, Master Bonnet," 
 and he took his leave. 
 
 The next morning, when Ben Greenway left 
 
 396 
 
BONNET AND GREENWAY SEPARATE 
 
 his lodging he found the town in an uproar. The 
 pirate Bonnet had bribed his sentinels and, with 
 some others, had escaped. Ben stood still and 
 stamped his foot. Such infamy, such perfidy 
 to the authorities who had treated him so well, 
 the Scotchman could not at first imagine, but 
 when the truth became plain to him, his face 
 glowed, his eye burned ; this vile conduct of his 
 old master was a triumph to Ben's principles. 
 Wickedness was wickedness, and could not be 
 washed away by respectability. 
 
 The days passed on ; Bonnet was recaptured, 
 more securely imprisoned, put upon trial, found 
 guilty, and, in spite of the efforts of the advo- 
 cates of respectability, was condemned to be 
 hung on the same spot where nearly all the mem- 
 bers of his pirate crew had been executed. 
 
 During all this time Ben Greenway kept away 
 from his old master; he had borne ill-treatment 
 of every kind, but the deception practised upon 
 him when, at his latest interview, Bonnet talked 
 to him of his respectability, having already 
 planned an escape and return to his evil ways, 
 was too much for the honest Scotchman. He had' 
 done with this man, faithless to friend and foe, 
 to his own blood, and even to his own bad repu- 
 tation. 
 
 But not quite done. It was but half an hour 
 before the time fixed for the pirate's execution 
 that Ben Greenway g'ained access to him. 
 
 '^ What! " cried Bonnet, raising his head 
 
 397 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 from liis hands. ^^ You here! I thought I had 
 done with vou ! ' ^ 
 
 ^^ Ay, I am here,'' said Ben Greenway. ** I 
 hae stood by ye in good fortune an' in bad for- 
 tune, an' I hae never left ye, no matter what 
 happened; an' I told ye I would follow ye to the 
 gates o' hell, but I could go no farther. I hae 
 kept my word an ' here I stop. Fareweel ! ' ' 
 
 ^ * The only comfortable thing about this busi- 
 ness," said Bonnet, ^^ is to know that at last I 
 am rid of that fellow ! ' ' 
 
 398 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 AGAIN DICKORY WAS THERE 
 
 »'osi«,; 
 
 ?=Tt e R 
 
 HERE were indeed gay times 
 in Spanish Town, and with 
 the two loads lifted from her 
 heart, Kate helped very much 
 to promote the gaiety. If this young lady had 
 wished to make a good colonial match, she had 
 opportunities enough for so doing, but she was 
 not in that frame of mind, and encouraged no 
 suitor. 
 
 But, bright as she was, she was not so bright 
 as on that great and glorious day when she re- 
 ceived Ben Greenway's letter, telling her that 
 her father was no longer a pirate. There were 
 several reasons for this gradually growing twi- 
 light of her happiness, and one was that no letter 
 came from her father. To be sure, there were 
 many reasons why no letter should come. There 
 were no regular mails in these colonies which 
 could be depended upon, and, besides, the new 
 career of her father, sailing as a privateer under 
 the king 's flag, would probably make it very diffi- 
 
 399 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 cult for him to send a letter to Jamaica by any 
 regular or irregular method. Moreover, her 
 father was a miserable correspondent, and al- 
 ways had been. Thus she comforted herself and 
 was content, though not very well content, to 
 wait. 
 
 Then there was another thing which troubled 
 her, when she thought of it. That good man 
 and steady lover, Martin Newcombe, had written 
 that he was coming to Spanish Town, and she 
 knew very well what he was coming for and 
 what he would sav, but she did not know what 
 she would say to him; and the thought of this 
 troubled her. In a letter she might put off the 
 answer for which he had been so long and pa- 
 tiently waiting, but when she met him face to 
 face there could be no more delay ; she must tell 
 him yes or no, and she was not ready to do this. 
 
 There was so much to think of, so many plans 
 to be considered in regard^ to going back to Bar- 
 badoes or staying in Jamaica, that really she 
 could not make up her mind, at least not until 
 she had seen her father. She would be so sorry 
 if Mr. Newcombe came to Spanish Town before 
 her father should arrive, or at least before she 
 should hear from him. 
 
 Then there was another thing which added 
 to the twilight of these cheerful days, and this 
 Kate could scarcely understand, because she 
 could see no reason why it should affect her. 
 The Governor, whom they frequently met in the 
 
 400 
 
AGAIN DICKORY WAS THERE 
 
 course of the pleasant social functions of the 
 town, looked troubled, and was not the genial 
 gentleman he used to be. Of course he had a 
 right to his own private perplexities and annoy- 
 ances, but it grieved Kate to see the change in 
 him. He had always been so cordial and so 
 cheerful; he was now just as kind as ever, per- 
 haps a little more so, in his manner, but he was 
 not cheerful. 
 
 Kate mentioned to her uncle the changed 
 demeanour of the Governor, but he could give 
 no explanation ; he had heard of no political trou- 
 bles, but supposed that family matters might 
 easily have saddened the good man. 
 
 He himself was not very cheerful, for day 
 after day brought nearer the time when that un- 
 certain Stede Bonnet might arrive in Jamaica, 
 and what would happen after that no man could 
 tell. One thing he greatly feared, and that was, 
 that his dear niece, Kate, might be taken away 
 from him. Dame Charter was not so very cheer- 
 ful either. Only in one way did she believe in 
 Stede Bonnet, and that was, that after some 
 fashion or another he would come between her 
 and her bright dreams for her dear Dickory. 
 
 And so there were some people in Spanish 
 Town who were not as happy as they had been. 
 
 Still there were dinners and little parties, and 
 society made itself very pleasant; and in the 
 midst of them all a ship came in from Barbadoes, 
 bringing a letter from Martin Xewcombe. 
 
 401 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 A strange thing about this letter was that it 
 was addressed to Mr. Delaplaine and not to Miss 
 Kate Bonnet. This, of course, proved the letter 
 must be on business ; and, although he was with 
 his little family when he opened his letter, he 
 thought it well to glance at it before reading it 
 aloud. The first few lines showed him that it 
 was indeed a business letter, for it told of the 
 death of Madam Bonnet, and how the writer, 
 Martin Newcombe, as a neighbour and friend of 
 the family, had been called in to take temporary 
 charge of her effects, and, having done so, he 
 hastened to inform Mr. Delaplaine of his pro- 
 ceedings and to ask advice. This letter he now 
 read aloud, and Kate and the others were greatly 
 interested therein, although they cautiously for- 
 bore the expression of am^ opinion which might 
 rise in their minds regarding this turn of affairs. 
 
 Having finished these business details, Mr. 
 Delaplaine went on and read aloud, and in the 
 succeeding portion of the letter Mr. Newcombe 
 begged Mr. Delaplaine to believe that it was the 
 hardest duty of his whole life to write what he 
 was now obliged to write, but that he knew he 
 must do it, and therefore would not hesitate. At 
 this the reader looked at his niece and stopped. 
 Go on, ' ' cried Kate, her face a little flushed, 
 go on! '* 
 
 The face of Mr. Delaplaine was pale, and for 
 a moment he hesitated, then, with a sudden jerk, 
 he nerved himself to the etf ort and read on ; he 
 
 402 
 
 

 
 o 
 
 eg 
 
 c3 
 
AGAIN DICKORY WAS THERE 
 
 had seen enough to make him understand that 
 the duty before him was to read on. 
 
 Briefly and tersely, but with tears in the very 
 ink, so sad were the words, the writer assured 
 Mr. Delaplaine that his love for his niece had 
 been, and was, the overpowering impulse of his 
 life; that to win this love he had dared every- 
 thing, he had hoped for everything, he had been 
 willing to pass by and overlook everything, but 
 that now, and it tore his heart to write it, his 
 evil fortune had been too much for him ; he could 
 do anything for the sake of his love that a man 
 with respect for himself could do, but there was 
 one thing at which he must stop, at which he 
 must bow his head and submit to his fate— he 
 could not marry the daughter of an executed 
 felon. 
 
 Thus came to that little family group the 
 news of the pirate Bonnet's death. There was 
 more of the letter, but Mr. Delaplaine did not 
 read it. 
 
 Kate did not scream, nor moan, nor faint, but 
 she sat up straight in her chair and gazed, with 
 a wild intentness, at her uncle. No one spoke. 
 At such a moment condolence or sympathy would 
 have been a cruel mockery. They were all as 
 pale as chalk. In his heart, Mr. Delaplaine said : 
 ** I see it all; the Governor must have known, 
 and he loved her so he could not break her 
 heart. ' ' 
 
 In the midst of the silence, in the midst of 
 
 403 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 the chalky whiteness of their faces, in the midst 
 of the blackness which was settling down upon 
 them, Kate Bonnet still sat upright, a coldness 
 creeping through every part of her. Suddenly 
 she turned her head, and in a voice of wild en- 
 treaty she called out: '^ Oh, Dickory, why don't 
 you come to me! '^ 
 
 In an instant Dickory was there, and, cold 
 and lifeless, Kate Bonnet was in his arms. 
 
 404 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 THE BLESSINGS WHICH COME FROM THE DEATH 
 
 OF THE WICKED 
 
 T was three weeks after Mar- 
 tin Newcombe's letter came 
 before Ben Greenway arrived 
 in Spanish Town. He had had a hard time to 
 get there, having but little money and no friends 
 to help him; but he had a strong heart and an 
 earnest, and so he was bound to get there at last ; 
 and, although Kate saw no visitors, she saw him. 
 She was not dressed in mourning ; she could not 
 wear black for herself. 
 
 She greeted the Scotchman with earnestness ; 
 he was a friend out of the old past, but she gave 
 him no chance to speak first. 
 
 ^' Ben,'' she exclaimed, '' have you a mes- 
 sage for me ! ' ' 
 
 ^^ No message,'' he replied, ^^ but I hae 
 some thin' on my heart I wish to say to ye. I 
 hae toiled an ' laboured an ' hae striven wi ' monv 
 obstacles to get to ye an ' to say it. ' ' 
 
 She looked at him, with her brows knit, won- 
 
 405 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 dering if she should allow him to speak; then, 
 with the words scarcely audible between her 
 tightly closed lips, she said : ^ ^ Ben, what is it ? " 
 
 ^^ It is this, an' no more nor less," replied 
 the Scotchman; ^* he was never fit to be your 
 father, an' it is not fit now for ye to remember 
 him as your father. I was faithful to him to the 
 vera last, but there was no truth in him. It is 
 an abomination an' a wickedness for ye to re- 
 member him as your father! " 
 
 Kate spoke no word, nor did she shed a tear. 
 
 "" It was my heart's desire ye should know 
 it," said the Scotchman, ^' an' I came mony a 
 weary league to tell ye so." 
 
 ^' Ben," said she, " I think I have known it 
 for a long time, but I would not suffer myself 
 to believe it ; but now, having heard your words, 
 I am sure of it." 
 
 "• Uncle," said she an hour afterward, '' I 
 have no father, and I never had one. ' ' 
 
 "With tears in his eyes he folded her to his 
 breast, and peace began to rise in his soul. No 
 greater blessing can come to really good people 
 than the absolute disappearance of the wicked. 
 
 And the wickedness which had so long shad- 
 owed and stained the life of Kate Bonnet was 
 now removed from it. It was hard to get away 
 from the shadow and to wipe oif the stain, but 
 she was a brave girl and she did it. 
 
 In this work of her life— a work which if not 
 accomplished would make that life not worth the 
 
 406 
 
BLESSINGS FROM DEATH OF WICKED 
 
 living— Kate was much helped by Dickory ; and 
 he helped her by not saying a word about it or 
 ever allowing himself, when in her presence, to 
 remember that there had been a shadow or a 
 stain. And if he thought of it at all when by 
 himself, his only feeling was one of thankful- 
 ness that what had happened had given her to 
 him. 
 
 Even the Governor brightened. He had 
 striven hard to keep from Kate the news which 
 had come to him from Charles Town, suppress- 
 ing it in the hopes that it might reach her more 
 gradually and with less terrible effect than if he 
 told it, but now that he knew that she knew it 
 the blessings which are shed abroad by the dis- 
 appearance of the wicked affected him also, and 
 he brightened. There were no functions for 
 Kate, but she brightened, striving with all her 
 soul to have this so, for her own sake as well 
 as that of others. As for Mr. Delaplaine, Dame 
 Charter, and Dickory, they brightened without 
 any trouble at all, the disappearance of the 
 wicked having such a direct and forcible effect 
 upon them. 
 
 Dickorv Charter, who matured in a fashion 
 which made everybody forget that Kate Bonnet 
 was eleven months his senior, entered into busi- 
 ness with Mr. Delaplaine, and Jamaica became 
 the home of this ha^opy family, whose welfare 
 was founded, as on a rock, upon the disappear- 
 ance of the wicked. 
 
 407 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 Here, then, was a brave girl who had loved 
 her father with a love which was more than that 
 of a daughter, which was the love of a mother, 
 of a wife ; who had loved him in prosperity and 
 in times of sorrow and of shame; who had re- 
 joiced like an angel whenever he turned his foot- 
 steps into the right way, and who had mourned 
 like an angel whenever he went wrong. She had 
 longed to throw her arms around her father's 
 neck, to hold him to her, and thus keep off the 
 hangman's noose. Her courage and affection 
 never waned until those arms were rudely thrust 
 aside and their devoted owner dastardly re- 
 pulsed. 
 
 True to herself and to him, she loved her 
 father so long as there was anything parental 
 in him which she might love; and, true to her- 
 self, when he had left her nothing she might love, 
 she bowed her head and suffered him, as he 
 passed out of his life, to pass out of her own. 
 
 408 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 CAPTAIN ICHABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 N the river at Bridgetown lay 
 y the good brig King and Queen, 
 just arrived from Jamaica. On her deck was 
 an impatient young gentleman, leaning over the 
 rail and watching the approach of a boat, with 
 two men rowing and a passenger in the stern. 
 
 This impatient young man was Dickory 
 Charter, that morning arrived at Bridgetown 
 and not yet having been on shore. He came for 
 the purpose of settling some business affairs, 
 partly on account of Miss Kate Bonnet and 
 partly for his mother. 
 
 As the boat came nearer, Dickory recognised 
 one of the men who were rowing and hailed 
 him. 
 
 ^^ Heigho! Tom Hilyer," he cried, ^' I am 
 right glad to see you on this river again. I want 
 a boat to go to my mother's house; know you 
 of one at liberty 1 ' ' 
 
 The man ceased rowing for a moment and 
 then addressed the passenger in the stern, 
 
 37 409 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 who, having heard what he had to say, nodded 
 briefly. 
 
 ^^ Well, well, Dick Charter! " cried out the 
 man, *^ and have you come back as governor of 
 the colony? You look fine enough, anyway. 
 But if you want a boat to go to your mother's 
 old home, you can have a seat in this one; 
 we're going there, and our passenger does not 
 object.'' 
 
 ^^ Pull up here," cried Dickory, and in a 
 moment he had dropped into the bow of the boat, 
 which then proceeded on its way. 
 
 The man in the stern was fairly young, hand- 
 some, sunburned, and well dressed in a suit of 
 black. When Dickory thanked him for allowing 
 him to share his boat the passenger in the stern 
 nodded his head with a jerk and an air which 
 indicated that he took the incident as a matter 
 of course, not to be further mentioned or con- 
 sidered. 
 
 The men who rowed the boat were good oars- 
 men, but they were not thoroughly acquainted 
 with the cove, especially at low tide, and pres- 
 ently they ran upon a sand-bar. Then uprose 
 the passenger in the stern and began to swear 
 with an ease and facility which betokened long 
 practice. Dickory did not swear, but he knit his 
 brows and berated himself for not having taken 
 the direction of the course into his own hands, 
 he who knew the river and the cove so well. 
 The tide was rising, but Dickory was too im- 
 
 410 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 patient to sit still and wait until it should be 
 high enough to float the boat. That was his old 
 home, that little house at the head of the cove, 
 and he wanted to get there, he wanted to see it. 
 Part of the business which brought him to Bar- 
 badoes concerned that little house. With a sud- 
 den movement he made a dive at his shoes and 
 stockings and speedily had them lying at the 
 bottom of the boat. Then he stepped overboard 
 and waded towards the shore. In some of the 
 deeper places he wetted the bottom of his 
 breeches, but he did not mind that. The pas- 
 senger in the stern sat down, but he continued 
 to swear. 
 
 Presently Dickory was on the dry sand, and 
 running up to that cottage door. A little back 
 from the front of the house and in the shade 
 there was a bench, and on this bench there sat 
 a girl, reading. She lifted her head in surprise 
 as Dickory approached, for his bare feet had 
 made no noise, then she stood up quickly, blush- 
 ing. 
 
 ^^ You! '^ she exclaimed. 
 
 *^ Yes,'^ cried Dickory; ^^ and you look just 
 the same as when you first put your head above 
 the bushes and talked to me.'' 
 
 *^ Except that I am more suitably clothed,'' 
 she said. 
 
 And she was entirely right, for her present 
 dress was feminine, and extremely becoming. 
 
 Dickory did not wish to say anything more 
 
 411 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 on this subject, and so he remarked: ^^ I have 
 just arrived at the town, and I came directly 
 here. ' ' 
 
 Lucilla blushed again. 
 
 ' ' This is my old home, ' ' added Dickory. 
 
 '' But you knew we were here? '^ she asked, 
 with a hesitating look of inquiry. 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, ' ^ said he, ^ ^ I knew that the house 
 had been let to your father. '^ 
 
 Now she changed colour twice— first red, then 
 white. ' ' Are you, ' ' she said, ^ ' I mean . . . the 
 other, is she '' 
 
 ' ^ I left her in Jamaica, ' ' said Dickor}^, ^ ' but 
 I am going to marry her.'' 
 
 For a moment the rim of her hat got between 
 the sun and her face, and one could not decide 
 very well whether her countenance was red or 
 white. 
 
 ^* I am very glad to find you here," said 
 Dickory, '' and may I see your father and 
 mother? " 
 
 ^' Yes," said she, ^^ but they are both in the 
 field with my young sister. But who is this man 
 walking up the shore ! And is that the boat you 
 came in? " 
 
 ^ ^ It is, " said Dickory. ^ * We stuck fast, but 
 I was in such a hurry that I waded ashore. I 
 don 't know the man ; he had hired the boat, and 
 kindly took me in, I was in such haste to get 
 here. ' ' 
 
 For a moment Lucilla bent her eyes on the 
 
 412 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 ground. ^ ^ In such haste to get here ! ' ' she said 
 to herself; then she raised her head and ex- 
 claimed : ' ' Oh, I know that man ; he is the pirate 
 captain who captured the Belinda, which after- 
 ward brought us here.'' And with both hands 
 outstretched, she ran to meet him. 
 
 The face of Captain Ichabod glowed with 
 irrepressible delight ; one might have thought he 
 was about to embrace the young woman, not- 
 withstanding the presence of Dickory and the 
 two boatmen, but he did everything he could do 
 before witnesses to express his joy. 
 
 Dickory now stepped up to Captain Ichabod. 
 ^^ Oh, now I know you," cried he, and he held 
 out his hand. ^^ You were very kind indeed to 
 my friends, and they have spoken much about 
 you. This is my old home; this is the house 
 where I was born." 
 
 '' Yes, yes, indeed," said Captain Ichabod, 
 * * a very good house, bedad, a very good house. ' ' 
 But hesitating a little and addressing Lucilla: 
 ' ^ You don 't live here alone, do you 1 ' ' 
 
 The girl laughed. 
 
 ^' Oh, no," she cried. *' My father and 
 mother will be here presently ; in fact, I see them 
 coming. ' ' 
 
 ^^ That's very well," said Ichabod, ^* very 
 well indeed. It's quite right that they should 
 live with you. I remember them now ; they were 
 on the ship with you." 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, ' ' said Lucilla, still laughing. 
 
 413 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 r 
 
 ** Quite right, quite right," said Ichabod; 
 ^^ that was very right.'' 
 
 ' * I will go meet your father and raother and 
 the dear little Lena ; I remember them so well, ' ' 
 said Dickory. He started to run off in spite of 
 his bare feet, but he had gone but a little way 
 when Lucilla stopped him. She looked up at 
 him, and this time her face was white. 
 
 ^ ^ Are you sure, ' ' said she, ^ ' that everything 
 is settled between you and that other girl! " 
 
 << Very sure," said Dickory, looking kindly 
 upon her and remembering how pretty she had 
 looked when he first saw her face over the 
 bushes. 
 
 She did not say anything, but turned and 
 walked back to Captain Ichabod. She found 
 that tall gentleman somewhat agitated; he 
 seemed to have a great deal on his mind which 
 he wished to say, feeling, at the same time, that 
 he ought to say everything first. 
 
 ^^ That's your father and mother," said he, 
 ^^ stopping to talk to the young man who was 
 born here? " 
 
 ^^ Yes," she answered, ^' and they will be 
 with us presently. ' ' 
 
 * ^ Very good, very good, that 's quite right, ' ' 
 said Captain Ichabod hurriedly; '' but before 
 they come, I want to say— that is, I would like 
 you to know— that I have sold my ship. I am 
 not a pirate any longer, I am a sugar-planter, 
 bedad. Beg your pardon ! That is, I intend to 
 
 414 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 be one. You remember that you once talked to 
 me about sugar-planting in Barbadoes, and so 
 I am here. I want to find a good sugar planta- 
 tion, to buy it, and live on it; I heard that you 
 were stopping on this side of the river, and so 
 I came here." 
 
 ^^ But there is no sugar plantation here," 
 said Lucilla, very demurely. 
 
 ^' Oh, no," said Ichabod, ^^ oh, no, of course 
 not ; but you are here, and I wanted to find you ; 
 a sugar plantation would be of no use without 
 you. ' ' 
 
 She looked at him, still very demurely. ^^ I 
 don't quite understand you," she said. She 
 turned her head a little and saw that her family 
 and Dickory were slowly moving towards the 
 house. She knew that with diffident persons no 
 time should be lost, for, if interrupted, it often 
 happened that they did not begin again. 
 
 ' * Then I suppose, ' ' she said, her face turned 
 up towards him, but her eyes cast down, ^' that 
 you are going to say that you would like to 
 marr^" me? " 
 
 ' ' Of course, of course, ' ' exclaimed Ichabod ; 
 ** I thought you knew that that is what I came 
 here for, bedad. ' ' 
 
 < ^ Very well, then, ' ' said Lucilla, turning her 
 eyes to the face of the man she had dreamed of 
 in many happy nights. ^^ No, no," she added 
 quickly, ^ ^ you must not kiss me ; they are all 
 coming, and there are the two boatmen." 
 
 415 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 He did not kiss her, but later lie made up 
 for the omission. 
 
 The moment Mrs. Mander saw Captain Icha- 
 bod and her daughter standing together she 
 knew exactly what had happened; she had no- 
 ticed things on board the Belinda. She hurried 
 up to Lucilla and drew her aside. 
 
 '^ My dear," she whispered, with a fright- 
 ened face, '' you cannot marry a pirate; you 
 never, never can! '' 
 
 ^' Dear mother," said Lucilla, "he is not a 
 pirate; he has sold his ship and is going to be 
 a sugar-planter. ' ' 
 
 Now they all came up and heard these words 
 of Lucilla. 
 
 ^ ^ Yes, indeed, ' ' said Captain Ichabod, ' ' you 
 may not suppose it, but your daughter and I 
 are about to marry, and will plant sugar to- 
 gether. Now, I want to buy a plantation. Where 
 is that young man who was born here, be- 
 dad? " 
 
 Dickory advanced, laughing. Here was a fine 
 opportunity, a miraculous opportunity, of dis- 
 posing of the Bonnet estate, which was part of 
 the business which had brought him here. So 
 he told the beaming captain that he knew of a 
 fine plantation up the river, which he thought 
 would suit him. 
 
 " Very good," said Captain Ichabod. " I 
 have a boat here ; let us go and look at the place, 
 and if it suits us I will buy it, bedad. ' ' 
 
 416 
 
CAPTAIN ICHABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 So with Mrs. Mander and her husband be- 
 side her, and with Lucilla and the captain by 
 her, the boat was rowed np the river, with Diclv- 
 ory and young Lena in the bow. 
 
 When the boat reached the Bonnet estate it 
 was run up on the shore near the shady spot 
 where Kate Bonnet had once caught a fisli. 
 Then they all stepped out upon the little beach, 
 even the oarsmen made the boat fast and joined 
 the party, who started to walk up to the house. 
 Suddenly Captain Ichabod stopped and said to 
 Mr. Mander: '^ I don't think I care to walk up 
 that hill, you know; and if you and your good 
 wife will look over that house and cast your eyes 
 about the place, I will buy it, if you say so : you 
 know a good deal more about such things than 
 I do, bedad. I suppose, of course, that will suit 
 you 1 ^^ he said to Lucilla. 
 
 It suited Lucilla exactly. They sat in the 
 shade in the very place where Kate had sat 
 when she saw Master Newcombe crossing the 
 bridge. 
 
 A small boat came down the river, rowed by 
 a young man. As he passed the old Bonnet prop- 
 erty he carelessly cast his eyes shoreward, but 
 his heart took no interest in what he saw there. 
 What did it matter to him if two lovers sat there 
 in the shade, close to the river's brink! His 
 sad soul now took no interest in lovers. He had 
 just been up the river to arrange for the sale 
 of his plantation to one of his neighbours. He 
 
 417 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 had decided to leave the island of Barbadoes 
 and to return to England. 
 
 The house suited Captain Ichabod exactly, 
 when Mrs. Mander told him about it, and Lu- 
 cilla agreed with him because she was always 
 accustomed to trust her mother in such things. 
 
 So they all got into the boat and rowed back 
 to Dickory's old home, and on the way Captain 
 Ichabod told Dickory that when they returned 
 together to the town he would pay him for the 
 plantation, having brought specie sufficient for 
 the purpose. 
 
 It was a gay party in the boat as they rowed 
 down the river ; it was a gay party at the house 
 when they reached it, and they would have all 
 taken supjDer together had the Manders been pre- 
 pared for such hospitality; but they were poor, 
 having taken the place upon a short lease and 
 having had but few returns so far. But they 
 were all going to live at the old Bonnet place, 
 and happiness shone over everything. It was 
 twilight, and the two young men were about to 
 walk down to the boat, one of them promising 
 to come again early in the morning, when Lucilla 
 approached Dickory. 
 
 ^^ Where are you going to live with that 
 girl? '^ she asked in a low voice. 
 
 ^ ' In Jamaica, ' ' said he. 
 
 ' ' I am glad of it, ' ' she replied, quite frankly. 
 
 They were well content, those Jamaica peo- 
 
 418 
 
CAPTAIN ICKABOD PUTS THE CASE 
 
 pie, when Ben Greenway came to live with them. 
 It had been proj)osed at one time that he should 
 go to his old Bridgetown home and take charge 
 of the i^lace as he used to, but the good Scotch- 
 man demurred to this. 
 
 ^^ I hae served ane master before he became 
 a pirate," he said, ^^ an' I don't want to try 
 anither after he has finished bein' ane. If I 
 serve ony mon, let him be one wha has been right- 
 eous, wha is righteous now, an ' wha will continue 
 in righteousness. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Then serve Mr. Delaplaine, ' ' said Dickory. 
 
 The Manders soon removed to the little house 
 where Dickorv was born. The mansion of their 
 daughter and her husband was a hospitable place 
 and a lively, but the life there was so wayward, 
 erratic, and eccentric that it did not suit their 
 sober lives and the education of their young 
 daughter. So they dwelt contentedly in the cot- 
 tage at the head of the cove, and there was much 
 rowing up and down the river. 
 
 It was upon a fine morning that the ex-pirate 
 Ichabod thus addressed a citizen of the town: 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, I know well who once lived in the 
 house I own. I knew the man mvself : I knew 
 him at Belize. He was a dastardlv knave, and 
 would have played false to the sun, the moon, 
 and the stars had they shown him an opportu- 
 nity, bedad. But I also knew his daughter ; she 
 
 419 
 
KATE BONNET 
 
 sailed on my ship for many days, and her pres- 
 ence blessed the very boards she trod on. She 
 is a most noble lady ; and if you will not admit, 
 sir, that her sweet spirit and pure soul have not 
 banished from this earth every taint of wicked- 
 ness left here by her father, then, sir, bedad, 
 stand wher^ you are and draw ! ' ' 
 
 THE END 
 
 420 
 
RECENT FICTION. 
 
 The Man Who Knew Better. 
 
 By T. Gallon, author of * * Tatterley, " etc. Illustrated by 
 Gordon Browne. 8vo. Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 "The best Christmas story that has appeared since the death of Charles 
 Dickens. . . . It is an admirably written story, and merits warm welcome and 
 broad recognition." — Baltimore Sun. 
 
 Under the Skylights. 
 
 By H»=''^RY B. Fuller, author of **The Chevalier of Pensieri- 
 Vani," ** The Cliff Dwellers," etc. i zmo. Deckle edge, gilt 
 top, $1.50. 
 
 The charming humor, delightful flavor, and refined quality of Mr. Fuller's 
 work impart a peculiar zest to this subtly satirical picture of the extraordinary 
 vicissitudes of arts and letters in a Western metropolis. 
 
 The Apostles of the Southeast. 
 
 By Frank T. Bullen, author of ** The Cruise of the Cachalot," 
 ** Idyls of the Sea," etc. i zmo. Cloth, ^1.50. 
 
 "Mr. Bullen writes with a sympathy and pathetic touch rare indeed. His 
 characters are living ones, his scenes full of life and realism, and there is not a 
 page in the whole book which is not brimful of deepest interest." — Phila- 
 delphia Item. 
 
 The Alien. 
 
 By F. F. MoNTREsoR, author of ** Into the Highways and 
 Hedges," etc. i zmo. Cloth, ^1.50. 
 
 " May be confidently commended to the most exacting reader as an absorb- 
 ing story, excellently told." — Kansas City Star. 
 
 While Charlie Was Away. 
 
 By Mrs. Poultney Bigelow. i6mo. Cloth, 75 cent% 
 
 Mrs. Bigelow tells a wonderfully vivid story of a woman in London *-sn._rt" 
 life whose hunger for love involves hei^ in perils, but finds a true way out in 
 the end. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
RECENT FICTION. 
 
 A Nest of Linnets. 
 
 By F. Frankfort Moore, author of *'The Jessamy Bride,'* 
 **A Gray Eye or So," etc. Illustrated, izmo. Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 "That *A Nest of Linnets ' is bright, clever, and well written follows as a 
 matter of course, considering that it was written by F. Frankfort Moore." — 
 Philadelphia Telegraph. 
 
 The Eternal City. 
 
 By Hall Caine, author of "The Christian," *' The Manx- 
 man," ** The Bondman," ** The Deemster," etc. 1 2mo. 
 Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " A powerful novel, inspired by a lofty conception, and carried out with 
 unusual force. It is the greatest thing that Hall Caine has ever attempted." — 
 Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 The Teller. 
 
 By Edward No yes Westcott, author of ** David Harum." 
 Illustrated. i2mo. Cloth, ^i.oo. 
 
 The publishers of "David Harum " have the pleasure of presenting the 
 only other story written by the lamented Edward Noyes Westcott, Mr. West- 
 cott's business life lay with practical financial matters, and in "The Teller" he 
 has drawn upon his knowledge of life in a bank. 
 
 When Love Flies Out o' the Win- 
 dow. 
 
 By Leonard Merrick, i zmo. Cloth, ^i.oo ; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 "The attention of the reader is held from start to finish, because the whole 
 plot is original, and one can not tell what is going to happen next." — Wash- 
 ington Times. 
 
 The Beleaguered Forest. 
 
 By Elia W. Peattie. i 2mo. ^Cloth, ^1.50. 
 
 "*The Beleaguered Forest' is not a novel — it is a romance j it is not a 
 romance — it is a poem." — Chicago Post. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
RECENT FICTION. 
 
 Some Women I have Known. 
 
 By Maarten Maartens, author of ** God's Fool," etc. With 
 
 Frontispiece, i zmo. Cloth, ^1.50. 
 
 " Maarten Maartens stands head and shoulders above the average novelist 
 of the day in intellectual subtlety and imaginative power." — Boston Beacon. 
 
 The Wage of Character. 
 
 By JuLiEN Gordon, author of ** Mrs. Clyde," etc. With Por- 
 trait. i2mo. Cloth, $1.25. 
 
 Julien Gordon's new novel is a story of the world of fashion and intrigue, 
 written with an insight, an epigrammatic force, and a realization of the dra- 
 matic and the pathetic as well as more superficial phases of life, that stamp the 
 book as one immediate and personal in its interest and convincing in its appeal 
 to the minds and to the sympathies of readers. 
 
 The Quiberon Touch. 
 
 A Romance of the Sea. By Cyrus Townsend Br\dy, author of 
 ** For the Freedom of the Sea," <* The Grip of Honor," etc. 
 
 With Frontispiece, i zmo. Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 *'This story has a real beauty; it breathes of the sea. Fenimore Cooper 
 would not be ashamed to own a disciple in the school of which he was master 
 in these descriptions of the tug of war as it was in the eighteenth century between 
 battle-ships under sail." — Ne%u Tork Mail and Express. 
 
 Shipmates. 
 
 A Volume of Salt -Water Fiction. By Morgan Robertson, 
 author of "Masters of Men," etc. With Frontispiece. i2mo. 
 Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 When Mr. Robertson writes of the sea, the tang of the brine and the snap 
 of the sea-breeze are felt behind his words. The adventures and mysteries of 
 sea life, the humors and strange complications possible in yachting, the inner 
 tragedies of the foks'l, the delightful adventures of Finnegan in war, and the 
 original developments in the course of true love at sea, are among the vivid 
 pictures that make up a volume so vital in its interests and dramatic in its situa- 
 tions, so delightful in its quaint humor and so vigorous and stirring throughout, 
 that it will be read by sea lovers for its full flavor of the sea, and by others as a 
 refreshing tonic. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
RECENT nCTION; 
 
 Shacklett. 
 
 A Story of American Politics. By Walter Barr. izmo. 
 
 Cloth, ^1.50. 
 
 ** As a picture of American political life and possibilities it is wonderfully 
 \ivid and truthful." — Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 Four-Leaved Clover. 
 
 By Maxwell Gray, author of *' The Silence of Dean Maitland.*' 
 l2mo. Cloth, ^i.oo; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 "An honest piece of work by a story-teller who knows her trade thor- 
 oughly. . . , It is a book which ought to be in every hammock." — Pittsburg 
 Commercial Gazette. 
 
 A Woman Alone. 
 
 Bv Mrs. W. K. Clifford, author of ** Love Letters of a Worldlv 
 Woman." i zmo. Cloth, $1.00; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 " Mrs. Clifford is an adroit writer, whose knowledge of the world and whose 
 brilliancy have not destroyed in her a simple tenderness to which every sensitive 
 reader must respond." — Chicago Tribune. 
 
 Mills of God. 
 
 By Elinor Macartney Lane. Illustrated. i zmo. Cloth, 
 $1.50. 
 
 "It is a good novel in comparison with even the best in current American 
 fiction. Its author, in this her maiden effort, easily takes her place among the 
 Churchills and the Johnstons and the Runkles." — Neiv York Herald. 
 
 The Seal of Silence. 
 
 By Arthur R. Conder. izmo. Cloth, ^i.oo ; paper, 50 
 cents. 
 
 " A novel of marked originality, of extraordinary strength. ... I recom- 
 mend this very dramatic and exciting story, with its quaint love interest and its 
 dry, quiet humor, to all lovers of a good story capitally conceived and happily 
 told." — George S. Goodwin, in Philadelphia Item. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
^