The Belted Seas

e did, and he was a capable harbour master. The Transport Company thought much of hi

ewy morn; but at night he'd be found on the deck of either the Helen Mar or the Harvest Moon, playing a banjo very melancholy, and singing his verses to tunes that he got from secret

was found that he was a member of some sort of Masonic Society among the negroes in Ferdinand Street, and a British subject too, who came from Jamaica to Portate. But before that time P

uld look down past the fruit trees toward the town and the mouth of the Jiron. He was making a requiem for Pete Hillary, such as h

lary, I m

some, sad

a'nt no use

you prob'

lary, Pet

now where

to you, Pe

he harbo

up the path, and climbed the

Run! Oh, wirra! What did ye

twanged his banjo, and sang casu

earin' for the bucket o' wather he swallyed. An' 'tis the English consul up to the City Hall says he come from Ja

s: "Gi'n me a

iss, sweethe

o tears for

meet a la

uay, in

r this: 'Gi'

alf bad for

elts full of cartridges on the Harvest Moon, an' the gentlemen at the Transpor

Sad

e islands

le wavel

n high; the

a, get s

agdal

h! Get calm

s twins like that occup

gda

I se

th an or

re," sa

't they g

was s

and w

eath her o

s, and he rolled out of the hammock and went off down

on following. There was a gale from the northwest in the morning. I went

Municipal-that's the Mayor-fell into his warmest temper, and sent a company of pink soldiery of the City Guard in the morning, packed close in a tugboat. Then Sadler led them seaward, where the gale was blowing from the northwest and the seas piled past the harbour; so most of the pink soldiers were seasick, not being

he black nozzle of a hose pipe pushed forward, and shading his eyes against the glint of the water. When he saw it was me he took me abo

f him, I kicks a hole in his trousers first, and then it occurs to me, 'My sufferin' brother! This is too bad!' Why, Pete Hillary was one of the dumbdest and leatheriest, and here's the Mayor's pink sojers been fillin' me with joy and sorrow, till I laughed from eleven till twelve, and been sheddin' tears ever s

ooked gloomy, and I judged hi

ry sounded, it's cats all right. It's the same kind that light on back fences and feel sick, and express themselves by cl

, Tommy,

poetical habits and habits of banging folks don't seem to me to fit. Why," I says, "a poet he's one thing, and a scrapper he's a

use he was bigger than because he was interested in educatin' me. By-and-by I beat the shoemaker on metres and the son in the back yard, and then I left 'em, for they was no more use to me. But I never found anything else so much satisfaction as them two pursuits. But I'll go away, Tommy," he says, "I'll leave Port

way and called Irish, tel

em. She passed the Harvest Moon, then swung around and came up, on the other side. The Harve

d and lay down. Then the Juanita ploughed on, and Sadler played his hose, as she passed, through the windows of the deck house, where there were crashes and other noises, and Irish's engine kept on chug-chugging in the chest of the Harvest Moon. The Juanita went out of reach, and the soldiery poured out on deck di

e the boil off and forgot it. Now their skins'll peel. Yo

staring down, with his back turned, his boots dangling ove

rcas, a bustling, heavy-bearded man that you couldn't ho

za next morning goin

me to me. Now then. Got an idea. Suit him first-rate. You s

and looking moodily down on the Plaza, where the chain gang from the City J

efe. First he cussed, then he calmed. That's his w

eath. He was a small, stout man with a military goatee, and his temper was such as kep

x them. Course you have. Don't want to disoblige honest voters of Ferdinand Street. No. Third; you got to celebrate the majesty of laws and municipal guards. Good. Last; the Transport Company. We don't want the Kid to chew his thumbs in jail for wetting folks. Good land! No! You want to satisfy us. Complicated, ain't it? But you're equal to it. You'

e armholes of his vest,

ssist?" say

e

rce for a minute, then he

, Senor Dorcas,

w, Kid! F

of people, women talking under the stiff palms, and men sitting on wicker chair

, to escape, say, on the steamer that sails for Lima on Thursday. I'm a broken and tremblin' reed, Jefe. That's me. I shrinks, I fades away. The majestic law's too much for me. And suppose you was to fix up a Proclamation subsequent and immejiate, offerin' a reward for me. Now, as to fugitive, or as to exile, lookin' at it from my standpoint, I makes my choice. I says, fugitive. It suits me better. It's elegant and inexpensive. I ain't worthy of an Executive Edict. As a fugitive I wouldn't have to fidgit to get even with you. But take your standpoint, Excellency. There's iniquitous limits to you. For instance, you can't put up an Executive Edict by yourself. Consequence is, there's no glory in it for you. But you can put up a Proclamation, runnin' like this: 'Five hundred dollars reward for capture

he chain gang in the Plaza. The Mayor's eyes g

it for you, Excell

ed Sadler on the shoulder, a

. To be sacrificed to

xcellency," says Sadler. "You c

the Mayor in a broken

t'll be a tribute to your private respect, just betwee

y friend! Yet be fi

re he didn't appear scrupulous was going around to bid people good-bye, which seemed simple-hearted and affecting in a way, but it harrowed the Mayor's feelings. He said they were harrowed. He got nervous. For if a man agrees to be a fugitive, and to escape in a way described by himself as a shrinking and fading away, it stands to reason he oughtn't to make too much fuss about it; nor tell the British consul that the Mayor was going to assassinate him, which was the reason for "these

some who heard he was to try it, and thought to see him grabbed by the City Guard. They expect

thers of the Transport Company, people from the Hotel Republic, and Hillary, and a lot of negroes from Ferdinand Street. I heard the B

t care," says the

, it's not decent," s

steamer with his hat off, same as if h

ture and return, dead or alive, of one known as 'Kid Sadler,' a fugitive from public justice, who committed felonious and insulting assault on Pedro Hillary, the well-known and

him was remarkable

l tell you what that is, old man. That's a porous plaster.

r. It was near ten o'clock. I saw a flamingo rise from the river,

ler came over the side. He step

and sat down, and

amingo, but a man has responsibilities. It's not right for him to be a floating object that's no such thing. He's g

he says, "and lay outside for

ed you

n't like war. Gives him the fidgits. I made a 'Farewell' going out. I

d Dorcas,

a briny

y memori

t brought

cross the

Ji

e nights of

l the a

m little on

hole with

Portate, o

ato

he point of going to w

amage

totted

by the habit

got a three-master billed for San Francisco, and she sails to-morrow morning, and we're going on her." He seemed subdued, and hummed and strummed on his b

I struck

ys in ad

is here co

one a he

t no ed

r

ething I wou

I throwed

, but don'

ord that wo

raised I'll

t a

'll hold up a bet. Any sort of life is good so long as it has a good risk in it. The worth of anything depends on how much you've staked on it. Him that draws most of the potluck in this world i

ood a moment looking away

Proclamatio

ewhere about. I ju

roclamation

mp! And he'd gi'n me his word! Why, you heard him! He ought to be ashamed. I told him

the reward

a series of fits that was painful, painful." Then he moved away, muttering, "Pain