Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 29, Number 29, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 16 September 1908 — Page 2

THE-SECKETSAJE /MONTE CAREOx / .yr BEINGREMINISCRVCWo/ 1 EXCITING \ / § PERSONAL EXPERIENCE So/" MONSIEUR ANTOINE \ / MARTIN. GENERAL DIRECTOR of~ the/ SURYEIIvIvANCD \ j DEPARTMENT— CHROMCLEDT'JfK the CHEVALIER WILLIAM LL QUEUX. I (Copyright, 130S, by W. G. Chapman.) [Copyright In Great Britain and the United States, by Wm. Le Queux.]

THE JOLLY ROVERS

met in quite a casual NJ JkT way. I was lounging, yV after dinner, in the read-ing-room .of the Hermitage, that very chic hotel which has of late outshined the Paris and the Metropole, as the rendezvous of the elite. It was the evening of Christmas Eve two years ago, and, as is well known, with Christmas Eve commences the season at The Sign of the Seven Sins. The hotel had only been opened a few' days, and the only other occupant of the reading-room was a solitarylooking man—a round-shouldered rather , haggard-looking old fellow about 60, with pointed grey beard and his mustaches trained upwards. He was an entire stranger to me; but his shabbiness caused me some surprise, for those who frequent the Hermitage are always smart. "Good evening!” he exclaimed goodhumoredly in English, \vhen he had thoroughly inspected me in that manoer which sometimes becomes a.habit with the elderly. "By the Way, what's the day of the month?” “The twenty-fourth," I responded—- " Christmas Eve.” "I've played here regularly for 15 years, and have never lost,” he answered, simply, looking me full in the face with his black, piercing eyes. "Never lost!” I echoed,* pricking up my ears: "Why, that's impossible with such chances against you." •; “Ah! I lee you don’t believe me,” he exclaimed, with a hard, dry laugh. "I tell you I can win every time I play. I'm open to bet you a thousand pounds upon it. If you'd like me to ■ prove what I say, come into the Ca-; sino to morrow;” and taking from his I pocket a well-worn leather wallet, he i drew from it a bundle of French banknotes, adding: "These are my usual stakes for Christmas Day—loo.ooo francs." The name “Archibald Grant” was printed upon the card he handed me, and before we parted I had accepted his invitation to go with him and witness his luck at the tables. T.he morning was sunny, balmy and cloudless. 1 ' My gray-faced friend sauntered along, paused at the last center table in the roulette room, and watched the ball fall upon the number 27, which is red, and then glancing at the revolving wheel, and noticing that the next square to that wherein the ball was lying was the number 13, black, he carelessly took from his pocket six thousand-franc notes, and bending over, with his lean claw-like hand placed them on the black. The wheel was again revolved, the croupier launched the ball, which a few minutes later .fell with a click. Black gained, and my friend won the maximum of 6,000 francs, .or 240. pounds. With the habitue's confidence he allowed his original stake to remain, and once more the invitation to play arose above all other sounds: Agatn the wheel revolved, and again he won. Next moment a dozen other notes, some gold "plaques," and a few-five-franc pieces 'were showered upon his -stakes, Mr. Ahe-.cro.wd-.of excited players witnessing his luck, were eager to ? follow his fortune. Again the wheel was spun, and the same wearied voice a moment later cried that the number 16 had won.and also the red, therefore the sum of 12,000 francs was handed to my grayfaced companion amid quite a chorus of "Oh's!” “Well," he asked, with a cynical smile, as he raised his glass, "have I .convinced you of my power of winning?" "Os course;" I responded. “But may you not lose it all again like so many others do?"' “Ah!” he smiled, "I see you are not ‘yet convinced. Well, to-night you shall have further proof.” ~ With a sudden grunt he twisted some notes together, tossed them upon the black, and won. The croupier counted them and paid out the maximum. At that moment one of the players who lost rose and offered . him a chair, which he took, and then- settled down to play, staking each time the maxi, mum. Around that table the crowd grew larger as soon as it was announced that high play was in progress, and at each, spin of the wheel my strange friend placed his notes unhesitatingly, staking the maximum always, and scarcely ever failing to gain the respectable maximum of 6,000 francs. Time after time he played, until more than an hour had passed and his winnings.grew so great that his pockets could hpld no more. The ball fell

| and he still won, whereupon the crou- ; pier turned to the chef de partie, i after swiftly counting the money before him, and in an instant the eager crowd divined the truth. Archibald Grant had broken? the bank! | So strangely fascinating was this remarkable old • man's companionship that I felt constrained to accept his invitation, and we went down the steite together into the brightly-lit place, where many people >were stroll* ing about, and the band was still playing before the gay cafe* We did not enter his hotel as I expected, but kept on down the steep hill to La Condamlne, until I wondered where we wore to eat our meal. The moon was hidden by a bank of cloud, and as we descended the hill the great, steep fortress rock of Monaco, looming up in the darkness across the bay, was aglow with its rows of streetlamps, while in the little harbor the masthead lights of one or two yachts looked like fire-flies in the distance, 'j’he deep-toned note of the clock on the Palace of Monaco struck 11, and at last, having passed the baths, my friend stopped at the steps leading to the water, and said: "Here we are!” I glanced down in surprise, and then saw in the gloom a boat waiting, manned by four smart sailors, who saluted. Without a word I stepped in, followed by my companion, and a moment later the dip of the oars sounded, and we sped swiftly across the bay to a huge, magnificent, white-painted yacht, the only light showing being the one at the mast-head, which gleamed white like a miniature searchlight. "First, we'll see how much we’ve relieved the Maifcon de Blanc of this time,” he said, inViting me fira seat; and then taking handful after handful of thousand-franc notes from the pockets of his shabby clothes, he piled them together on the long table, afterwards counting them, an operation in which I assisted .. "Seven hundred and fifty-two. thousand francs,” he observed, when he had concluded. “Just 3,000 more than last Christmas.” "Really, my dear sir!” I cried. “You ought to consider yourself fortunate.'* • "Last Christmas I won 749,000 from the infernal tripot,” he observed, in a strange, croaking voice, and opening a box he took out some great packets of French bank-notes, adding: "And here they are!” "Then you never touch your winnings?” I exclaimed, amazed, for I had recognized that in the tiny cabin was an enormous store of wealth. “Jfever!” he answered. "You see that row of boxes, each with the date of a year upon them. All my winnings are there.” .“You spehd a good deal of your time yachting, I suppose?” 1 said. “Yes,” he answered, “I've sailed a good many seas in the Garbino. I run either into Villefranche or here into Monaco each December, cruise from the Constant to Gib through the sprjng and run up as far as the North Cape in June. But you must be hungry,” and he touched the electric button suspended over the table, whereupon (here apfeea-r-ed-the" ugi+e&t-aiHi- riKst--gigantic negro that I have ever -set eyes upon. Grant chatted affably as we fed, and when I referred to the gruesome decorations of his saloon he merely laughed saying: “It’s a whim of mine. When I bought this vessel I turned her inside out.” The cigar he had given me was uncommonly strong. Asa rule, I smoked cigarettes; but this Havana had a subtle flavor which I liked, therefore I consumed it until in the smoke clouds all seemed to become misty and indistinct, and I saw before me the strange rather grotesque-looking face of my affable friend, the millionaire, and behind him the black and silver hangings, the gruesome emblems of death. The face seemed sl'bwly to assume a hideous, repulsive expression, with its thin lips parted in a grin of satisfaction at the mysterious fascination which that pair of dark eyes exercised over me-. There was a tightness about my chest, and I held my breath, feeling that I must rouse myself. I fought against the curious, nauseating drowsiness which crept over me, and tried to announce my departure, but my jaws seemed fixed, my tongue refused to articulate, and with the sound of strange voices in -my ears a sudden blank fell upon me - and I knew no more. . JHow long I renjatned unconscious of things about me I know not I rose unsteadily, shook myself, and staggered upstairs to the deck. vessel was of larger proportions thanI had believed, trim and well-kept

the brasses shining in the sunlight, the deck freshly washed down and the ropes coiled evenly ready for use. A fresh breeze was blowing; front the yellow funnel came a huge column of black, curling smoke, which lay out behind in a long, straight line as we headed at full speed, leaving a track of white foam on the blue, sun-lit waters. I glanced round in abject surprise;'for' no land was in sight We were far out at sea. For a vessel of that size the crew, I found, was an unusually large one, and St first I could not understand what work was in progress; but very soon the startling truth was evident.

jUmlI - IMS I

t FOUGHT AGAINST TH£ CURIOUS NAUSEATING DROWSINESS WHICH CREPT OVER ME.

From below a number of quick-firing guns were being brought up and swiftly fixed in position, while the fore and aft serviceable-looking Nordenfeits fcere already mounted, their muzzles pointing out threatingly. I am not altogether a landsman, and a single glance told me that the Garbino was something more than a pleasure yacht, for on peering over the side I saw she was steel-built and armored.. "What do- you mean?” I asked a north-countryman. “Only that you'll see a bit of fun before you've done. That’s all. You've been asleep this three days a-preparin’ for it.’.’ “Three days!” I gasped. “Then where are we?” . > "At sea,” the man answered, vaguely, and then went on with his work of helping to fix a revolving gun-carriage, while I ascended to the bridge and tried .to obtain some explanation of the captain. But hq waa a Neapolitan, and answered my questions with such an ingeniously bad pronounciation of Italian that I failed to understand him.

Through the vessel from end to end I went, exploring every part, but failed to obtain information from anybody. The crew were certainly the most villainousrlooking set of men I had ever encountered, and comprised darkskinned Greeks, Lascars, Turks, in fact the very scum of Mediterranean ports. Below forward wero about 39 ugly-fact>d scoundrels idling; some playing dominoes, others smoking, all keeping up a polyglot chatter, but, strangely enough, as I entered I heard one man exclaim in Cockney English: "•'Ere .conics the boss. Ain’t he a snip?" Wandering on I met a. man in officer s uniform and Inquired ' of him where the own.er was, but he only shrugged his shoulders and- replied in French that he supposed he was still in Monte Carlo. I glanced at the ship's boats, and saw that -the name upon them had been freshly painted out, and the word Cagnes substituted. In the three days of my unconsciousness the yacht had been transformed into a vessel of war, armed to the teeth with every appliance of modern warfare, and we were apparently bent on some mysterious offensive expedition. Why the affable Archibald Grant had gone ashore leaving me on board was an enigma; and my surprise was considerably increased when naif an hour later, on passing through the saloon with the funereal hangings, I came to the door of the strong room and found it ajar. Upon the floor were the tin boxes which had contained the Monte Carlo

winnings open and empty. Everything; had been removed! For two whole days we lay at anchor In a natural harbor, with a look-out vigilantly kept, and to all my requests„,to land, the captain merely shook his head, while in answer to my inquiries of Bird he laughed, saying: "This is Morocco. If you ashore here among the Riffs your life wouldn’t be worth twopence. We shall sail to morrow, or the next day.” ' So with that I awaited events, anxious and puzzled. There seemed to be a conspiracy of silence on board, for I could discover nothing. About noon on the following day, as I was eating my lunch, the propeller suddenly comioenced and rushing up I found we were slowly creeping out of the creek. It was misty, the sea a gray-blue, and as I stood on deck watching and we got clear of the coast, I suddenly saw a good-sized merchant steamer at a little distance from us. “It's the Macclesfield, Furness liner from Liverpool for Constantinople,” I

heard Bird explain to a ruffianly-look-ing companion, and almost before the words had left his mouth there was a bright flash, a report which caused the vessel to tremble; and one of our bow Nordenfeits sent a shot full at the vessel we were overhauling. Already the crew were at their posts with a precision that would have done credit to any vessel ‘n the service. There was a pause for a moment, then the liner ran up her red ensign, while we at the same time showed the Fiench tricolor. Again the gun boomed forth, and again and again. But the steamer did not slacken speed or seek to parley. She kept on her way as if contemptuous of our attack. In a quarter of an hour, however, we had drawn up at close range, and our strong-lunged skipper, In an entirely new-uniform, using a long string of foreign oaths, shouted to his crew to open fire. Next Instant the vessel shook from stem to stern as time after time our guns spat forth their fire and deadly hail upon the Inoffensive steamer, while our Maxim on the~port bow rattled out its withering rain of bullets, sweeping the deck of the liner and tearing the canvas awnings to ribbons. Suddenly one of our well-direct-ed shells carried away part of the fore-funnel of the liner, and a moment later another, entering amidships, exploded, and must have wrecked part of the machinery, for the steamer at once slowed down and stopped. "What do you mean by this?" cried the angry captain of the liner, gestic-

ujating from his bridge, when we drew up within speaking distance. - “'Consider yourself a prize, m’sleur," answered our black-bearded captain in French. “But you’re French, and we are English.* You’ll hear more of this, my fine friend, I can tell you. You blanked foreigners can’t fire on the British flag for nothing!” ”Ho\y, many days have you been out?”-. - “Six from Liverpool,” came the answer. from the liner. “Then you’ll perhaps be surprised to hear that war was declared by France against England-three days ago,” answered our captain, grimly. "Therefore you’ll Just haul your flag down; and I’ll send a prize crew aboard." . „ The captain of the liner seemed dumfounded by this- startling announcement, and no further resistance was offered, although we could see what panic we had among the passengers. Our boats were lowered, ahd after a long and excited parley

the men we sent to the •teamer rowea back with nine large iron-bound bul-•lion-cases locked and sealed. "Hravo!” cried our captain, excited* ly, when 1 he saw them. “Then there was no mistake!” The boats were at once swung up, and next moment the erectile signal rang out ting-tlng-tlng, add we moved off, leaving the disabled steamer lying helpless as a log. I stood by while the men broke open the cases on deck, and >vas. amazed to see that they were filled full of English sovereigns. “This i§ piracy!” I remarked, excitedly, to the captain. “Well, mister, you needn’t call it by that name, seein’ that you're boss o’ this bloomin' tub,” observed the blackbearded skipper, who, until then, had affected uttor* ignorance of either French or English. “I —boss of this ship! What do you mean?" I gasped. ‘‘The guv’nor sold ’er to you In Monte Carlo, didn't he? 'E told us you were a bit mad-like, and now it's quit© plain. From the time you woke up after that bust o' champagne, you've gone about like a Chinaman wot's 'ad his pigtail cut off.” “I don't understand you," I said. “You are captain of this vessel, and ought to know who your owner is.” "Why, you are, of course. You gave 50,000 quid for the boat —the receipt's in my cabin. The old 'un told me to give it to you when you woke up.” In obedience, to my demand he i brought it and handed it to me. It ! was written on a sheet of note paper head, “S. Y. Garbino," and stated that I had bought the vessel for £50,000, and was signed “Archibald Grant.” “Who is this man Grant?” I demanded, amazed at finding myself owner of this piratical craft. “'E was our boss; and a darned good boss, too,” the captain replied. "We’ve 'ad a lot of fun around Cape Juby, but the game ain't quite safe just at present, because of the Italian gunboats. The old boy must 'ave made over a million out of the stuff we took, for my share alone in a couple of years was 20,000 golden quids, and all the men 'ad a thousand a year each.”/ .

“But I haven’t given ydur owner sixpence for the boat," I declared. “There must be some extraordinary mistake:” "No mistake on his part, you bet,’ L the skipper replied. “’E showed us the newspaper in which it was said that the Macclesfield was carrying bullion consigned to the Turkish government, and explained that although you | were a bit touched you had conceived ran idea of getting hold of it by flying the French flag, giving ’em a bit-'of bounce, and stating that war had been declared." *“But I was ignorant of the whole - tiling.!-" "Well, we’ve got the money, anyhow," the man said: placing his cap at the approved naijtical angle. “What shall we do w-ith it?" “I don’t care.” I answered. "Sink the lot if you like. I'll land at the nearest port, and wash my hands of the whole thing. It's a very ugly matter/this.” Tile remainder of the day was spent in stowing away the guns and warlike appliances—some of which I discovered were merely of painted wood —and that evening Swale and myselt dined together in the saloon, when he admitted to me that the mysterious Grant, who always had marvelous luck at Monte Carlo, had sailed in that boat for several years, committing all sorts of acts of piracy, disposing of the captured merchandise in the smaller towns along the west African coast, and gaining enormous sums yearly. Next night, having bade farewell to Swale and his ruffianly gang, I was rowed ashore close to Marseilles, and on landing stood watching the green light presently move away, and stand far out to sea. The attack on the Furness liner by a supposed French gunboat w-as made the. subject of very serious tions on the part of the.; British ambassador in Paris, and the French government, unable to prove that their gunboat Canges was not in those waters on the day in question, were actually compelled to pay a very substantial indemnity. I .laving no 'desire to be mixed up in - the a-ffair-F-reterfted—to Moate. Gar-iQ—; and kept my own counsel. I made inquiries about Archibald Grant, but all. I discovered was 'to bis discredit, and went to bear but w'hat the. captain had told me. One fact was, however, certain, that he won an enormous sum at roulette before my very eyes. Some. months later I, however, read more than passing interest how, ii/ r r> dense fog off the Island of Gorgona'/oD -.the Italian coast, a North German Lloyd- liner had been in collision with i an unknown yacht, which was , sup ; posed to have sunk with all hands. There was no doubt from the fact j that a boat with the name Garbino upon it was afterwards found, that the vessel run down was Grant’s, and 1 ’ have since come to the conclusion that the reason why I was put on board and placed in the curious position of ownership, was iti ordSr that . if we were captured efuring our cruise after the bullion I might bear tha prosecution. Likewise, I have no doubt that after putting me ashore i the piratical Swale ran the boat up | the Mediterranean and picked up his employer. One further fact have I discovered. Not many weeks ago, while passing along ~the Promenades des Anglais, at Nice, I noticed an elderly man in frock coat gnd silk, on the terrace of the Cefcle de la. Mediterranee drawing on his gloves with dandified air a At the sgme instant our eyes met. His gray face, became blanched, and turning he quickly disappeared within. It was Archibald Grant—the Demon t Yachtsman.