Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1893 — In Sheep's Clothing. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

In Sheep's Clothing.

By Capt. Ormond Steele

CHAPTER XXVl—Continued. The Bound of gnawing, whioh had stopped while the officer was present, was again resumed, and Kalph Denham was on the floor, close to the place from which the souDd came. Outside the bustle and noise of boats being lowered, and the deep, gruff orders of the sailors could be heard. Captain Fox was preparing to conceal more of his treasure on shore. Tired of his position on the floor, Captain Denham went back, and was talking in a whisper with one of his men, his eyes still bent in the direction of the partition, when he saw a light that almost seemed dazzling after the darkness.

Out from the opening, as If carried by this stream of light, came Don the cabin boy. Rushing up to Captain Denham, the only man not in a hammock, Don said eagerly: “I've loosed the plank, and you can come through. Oh, lam so glad that you know your danger, for my heart has been sore for you. ” “We came with a full understanding of the danger. We do not want to get on deck now, but when the time comes we desire you to be near to guide us, ” said Captain Denham. “How shall I know the time?” “When you hear a gun fired on board the Bea Hawk. She will be close by soon after daylight.” “I'll try. sir,” said Don, who recognized in the voice of the man addressing him a ring of command, such as he could not associate with an ordinary sailor. “But I’ll go back and close the place from the other side, and if I am pot near when the signal is given, go through and turn to the right; there will be plenty of daylight then. You will pass through the store-room and armory, where you can got arms if you’ll need them. To the left are the steps leading to the deck. ”

“God bless you, Don. We’ll And the place, and reach the deck. Now go, go!" The Captain’s voice was nervously imperative; for in the distance he could hear a vigorous knocking, accompanied by the call: “Don! Don! What the blazes are you sleeping for when the Captain wants you?” Don darted through the opening, and put out the. light. As he pushed the plank into place, he called out with admirable presence of mind, for his voice sounded like that of a sleepy boy: “Aye, aye, sir! Coming!” and the next instant the banging of a door could be heard: As Don ran out, a man shouted to him: “The Cap’n’s been a callin’ for you, youngster; you’ll be mighty luoky If you don’t get a right good lashin’ with a rope end. ” Don heard, but made no inquiry till Jie stood before Captain Fox on the deck. With a savage oath the captain demanded: “Where have you been, you dog?” “I was about to turn in, sir,” replied Don. “Did I toll you to?” “I thought you did, sir.” “You have no right to think. Next time you are not on hand, you young dog, 111 keelhaul you. Do you understand me?” “Yes. sir.” “Very well. Leap into that boat and bear a hand,” said Fox, pointing over the side, where in the darkness the dim outline of a longboat could be seen, with a number of men in it.

Don leaped into the boat and took the post of coxswain. All night long Lea and Ellen, who occupied the same stateroom, could hear the boats ooming and going. To say thfij wore frightened would but. weakly across the state of their feelings. Could they have seen their own white faces, a common sympathy would have Increased their terror. But they knew that Kalph Denham and his gallant men were on board, and they tried to cheer each other by reiterating their knowledge of this fact. Had they known Ralph Denham’s actual condition they might not have drawn so much comfort from his proximity. At length the boats took their last load to the shore, and Captain Fox, who had been superintending the concealment of the booty, came back with them. Day dawned, and the distant headlands and the island under the lea seemed to lift from the dark waters by the power of light. Two of the boats were left alongside; and now Fox and Frenauld entered the cabin and called in excited tones for their visitors to come out.

Lea and Ellen tried to obey, but they found to their horror that they were locked in. They raised their voices, but amid the din and uproar outside they could not be heard. Dootor Hedges, supposing that his daughter and Ellen Condit had preceded him, was about to descend to the boat, when an eager glance told him they were not there. Turning to Frenauld, who stood near, he asked: “Where is my daughter and Ellen Condit?" “They will follow you. Hurry up. There is not a moment to spare. Captain Kidd is in sight! ” A number of sailors on hearing this burst into a loud roar of laughter. The Dootor, now completely beside himself, wa3 seized bodily by strong hands and lowered into the boat “Pull away, my lads,” shouted Frenauld to the men in the boat. “But my daughter. Oh, heaven, my child!” cried the Doctor. Seeing Captain Fox, he continued: “Send down my child and Ellen! I can see no sign of the pirate!" “Then I will show him to you,” laughed Fox, “Look well at me, my old friend." The Doctor raised his white face and imploring eyes, and the outlaw shouted: “I am Captain Kidd, and your daughter’s in my keeping!” Again Frenauld shouted for the men to pull away. And as they did so, Doctor Hedges fell back in the boat and looked to be dead.

CHAPTER XXVII. THE SEA HAWK COMES UP, AND THE SIGNAL GUN 13 FIRED. The town of Sag Harbor was excited to its center by the conduct of Captain Fox. All the families in the place were related by blood, or ‘connected by marriage, or united by those ties of friendship, equally strong, which they had in-

herited from their sturdy ancestors. The people carried off by the Wanderer were among the very best in the place, the flower of its soolety. No reason could be given for Fox’s conduct. It was evident to the most simple-minded that the act was deliberate and therefore malicious. The people gathered in excited groups, and their spirits rose for a while, when they saw the ship come about and try to beat up the harbor. But their relief from anxiety was only temporary, for again the Wanderer tacked and headed for the open water. In the midst of the excitement a coach and four, guarded by a number of horsemen, drew up before the inn, and from it, aided by a provincial officer, descended a stately lady in black. She wa3 about five and forty, and the face still retained Its nobility of form, though lines of care had seriously marred a countenance that must once have been of surpassing loveliness. The landlord came out and the young officer addressing him, said: “I desire apartments for the Countess of Pallton. ” The overpowered landlord rubbed his hands, bowed himself double and was about to lead the way into the house when the lady stopped him by asking: “Can you tell me if Lord Pal—l mean one Colonel Graham, is stopping here?” “He is, my lady,” said the landlord. “And a gentleman named Captain Ralph Denham lives here?” “Yes, my lady, but he is not here now. Ho is in New York.”

The lady looked at the landlord sharply, as if going to deny this, but, changing her mind, she motioned for him to show her the way. As the party entered the inn, old Dinah amazed the crowd by raising her hands above her head and crying aloud: “Oh, praise en bress de Lor'. She libs, my lady libs!” “What do you mean, Dinah?” asked one of the bystanders. “ Conscious that she had been hasty, the old woman soized her staff, and muttered, as she turned away: “I can’t talk en ’splain at de same time. ” The coming of the coach with Its outriders did not lessen the excitement. The arrival of the Countess, her inquiry for Kalph Denham, and the fact that she bore a striking resemblance to the young Captain, were talked about and commented on by those who forgot, for the moment, the departure of the Wanderer. It was now quite dark, and all the people in town were on the street; women wailing for their lost ones, men armed and anxious to use their weapons, and frightened children clinging to their mothers’ skirts, and wondering what it all meant. But the subjects of talk and wonder were not yet over. The boys, believing that they should do something to show their interest, had lit bonllres all along the street, and by their light the people saw what appeared to their excited imaginations to be a great army entering the town. The young people had never seen the Montauks in war drees, nor heard their war songs, but the older men reoognlzed in the sound that struck their ears one heard in their childhood, and never forgotten. The boys, in their excitement, threw morefuel on the fires, and as the flames leaped up they flashed on the noble form of CJntilla. who marched at the head of her warriors.

On her head was the plume of Wyandauch, and in her right hand the silvertipped spear of the mighty chief. With measured step, two hundred armed men came down behind her. The red paint that distinguished their fierce ancestors in battle they had discarded, owing to their higher civilization: but the stirring war song which they shouted was the same which the united Montauks and Pequots had sung when they had repelled in days past the invasion of the Narragansetts, or went in their war canoes to the homes of their ancient foes. Untilla turned neither to the right nor the left, and paid no attention to the salutations that greeted her tilj she led her warriors to the shore. While all this was going on in the town, Lieutenant Hedges and Valentino Dayton were not idle on board the Sea Hawk. They saw the W r anderer sailing away with their friends, but they were powerless to prevent an act that filled them with anxiety. The moment Fox’s ship disappeared from the harbor, Lieutenant Hedges said to Valentine: “Now, my lad, the time for hard work has come. ” “And how shall we begin?” asked Valentine, who had unlimited confidence in his uncle’s capacity and courage. “We must get these cursed pirates out of the way—l’d like to hang them at once. ” “How are we to do it?” “First, how many sets of irons have we on board?”

“Enough to ornament the men sent from the Wanderer, replied Valentine. “Good! Now have them called in by fours to the ward room for enrollment. Disarm them, for the dogs, as you will see, are lined with knives and pistols; then put them in irons, and place a guard over them,” said Mr. Hedges, his blue eyes blazing with anger. The Wanderer’s men on board the Sea Hawk were comforting themselves with the belief that not a shade of suspicion attached to them. They expected to be enrolled, as their names were not yet taken by the officers of the Sea Hawk; but they were somewhat astonished when Mr. Dayton prdered them into the ward room by fours. Those who went smilingly down were searched and ironed at once, and so could not communicate with their mates on desk. But even If they had been able to do so they could not have made a successful resistance, for the Sea Hawk’s men were at their posts, ready to shoot down the first man who showed a sign of insubordination. At length the fifty men, who had expected to play so important a part in the capture of the Sea Hawk, were all prisoners in the hold of the ship, with armed men to guard them. Valentine Dayton having completed this task reported the fact to his superior officer. Mr. Hedges had received Fox’s instructions just before he sailed to follow in the morning. As the understanding with Fox was that the Sea Hawk should not sail till the supply ship came, he was puzzled to know why the pirate had changed his mind. However, as he had planned with Captain Denham to follow at daylight, and begin to fight with the Wanderer the moment he came within reach. Fox’s order did not annoy him. “And how do the wretches take the situation?” asked Lieutenant Hedges, when Mr. Dayton returned. “They don’t like it; they are swearing like pirates,” replied Valentine, smiling at his unpremeditated joke. “The dogs! I am glad they can be true to themselves in something. Now, Mr. Dayton, get all the boats ready to transport Untilla and her people on board,” said Lieut. Hedges.

The Sea Hawk’s men were sn the alert; they knew just what was wanted of them, and they Were as eager as their officers to do all In their power to insure the success of the desperate venture in whioh they were embarked. The five boats were soon lowered away, and properly manned, and under the immediate direction of Mr. Dayton they pulled for the shore. Under Untilla’s lead there were 217 young men, tbe flower of the Montauk tribe; men who would have followed Uncas to the death, as they did his sister, had he shown himself worthy of leadership. Lights were hung along the bulwarks of the Sea Hawk, and the remnant of the sailors on board met their red allies in full uniform. The first person to reach the deck was Untilla, and so glad was Lieut Hedges to see her that he could have caught her in his strong arms and kissed her. The gallant sailor was even more In love than he had imagined. At length the last of the Montauks engaged in this expedition was on board the Sea Hawk, and assigned to quarters where they could be comfortable for the night. Lieut Hedges was so thoroughly acquainted with all these waters that he could sail them as safely on an ordinary night as under the full light of the sun. He was about to give the order to get under way, when a boat came alongside with Squire Condit. The squire saw the preparations going on about him and understood their objeot. He was sorely troubled about his daughter; but there was a great deal of iron in his nature, and now that a blow was to be struok at the wretch who had so violently disturbed the peace of the town and endangered those dear to him, he was not the man to force his own troubles Into prominence. To defeat Fox he was willing to risk, and, it need be, to sacrifice his own life; but he knew that his presence was not necessary on the ship while It was in the distracted town.

“I’ll only detain you a moment," said the Squire, as he held Lieutenant Hedge’s hand. “You know, old friend, how all my life and happiness are involved in the oontest. On that pirate’s ship are my adopted son and daughter; advise your men to watch for them when they shoot, and if possible to aim to one side. That’s all. ’’ The Squire shook hands with Valentino Dayton, told him to keep a brave heart, for God would preserve Ellen, and then left the ship as suddenly as he had come. “The wind and tide are in our favor," said Lieutenant Hedges, addressing Valentine, “and they may not be if we wait for light, so we’ll up anchor and drop down, and beat about till daylight shows us the pirate. ” “May I ask, sir, if you will fight at long range or close quarters?” asked Valentine. “We can’t use the Montauks at long range. No, sir; we shall run alongside, grapple, ana drop anchor. Muzzle to muizle, hand to hand, and eye to eye. We must get to our Captain, lad, and you know where he is?” “On the deck of the Wanderer,” replied Valentine, catching his unde’s spirit. Up rose the anchors, and the loosened sails came down and fluttered In the wind So well did the sailors know what was wanted that they anticipated orders before they were given. Every light on board the Sea Hawk was extinguished, and she turned in obedience to the helm and shot down the harbor, the courier of a righteous vengeance. |TO BE CONTINUED, j