Cappy Ricks Retires: But That Doesn't Keep Him from Coming Back Stronger Than Ever

e crawled painfully out of his berth and lighted a match, to discover he was a prisoner in hi

le stump of candle he kept in his desk for use when heating sealing wax, so he lighted the cand

I ever find out who was wearing them at the time there'll be a fight or a footrace.

d patched himself up after a fashion. The bullet wound in his left shoulder proved to be a flesh wound, high up, so he cleaned that and decided his left wing would be in fair fighting order within a few days. Then he undressed and said his prayers, with a special invocation for help from his patron saint, holy Saint Michael, the archangel. Evidently Saint Michael inclined a friendly ear, for it is a curious fact that no sooner had his namesake risen from his marrow bones than a curious sense of peace and comfort stole over hi

orry. I'll have every beer-drinking, sausage-making son of a seacook begging me for mercy before the week is out. I'll just lie low and rest up a bit, and by the time we're off Rio I'll drop on them like a top-mast in a typhoon. Then with the help

the drawer of my desk and a rifle in that locker;" and in the wild hope

sank groaning into the arms of Morpheus, however, even a Digger Indian would have realized that for the next two weeks the master of the Narcissus would be unable to defend himself against an old lady armed with a slipper. Nevertheless, the indomitable fellow, with the

rl von Staden was standing over him. The supercargo was clad in an im

"Upon my word, friend pirate, I had flattered mysel

ou landed," Mr. von Staden replied in tones of mingled admiration and friendliness. "And of

! And, speaking of kicks, somebody

"I was overcome with fury. You were lying on the floor of your stateroom, where M

ou in the face,"

tened my nose wit

e a man mad. But you shot me in the shoulder. By th

Do yo

d in my super-structure. Who jumpe

econd

cture. Suppose you take off your shoe, sit at the foot of my bed, put your fo

charming Oxford accent, and forthwith snapped Michael

housand dollars you gave me to sell out my owners. I don't want it. I never intended to keep it. I was suspicious of you and your confounded cablegrams, and I ha

ur attitude comple

tell me something: Was it a German agent who put the bug in my ear a

lingly. "There is an old man who presides over t

an Capp

t once the most reckless spendthrift and the most painstakin

it, Captain Peasley would never have stood

or cutting down expenses. We knew you and Reardon were new to your jobs and would be likely to consider any reasonable plan for eliminating expense in your respective departments, in the hope of pleasing your employer. So the suggestion that you ship our people was made to you and Reardon, and you accepted it with alacrity. The rest was very easy. We got in touch with your New York agents through some friends of ours in very good standing there, and they were enabled to charter the ship merely by offering an extraordinary freight rate. They purchased the cargo of

hael J. Murphy. "I always admir

ll of them in the case under discussion. Who, for instance, would conceive that you would have taken the trouble to c

the translati

ural

off the south coast of Uruguay. May I be pardoned for expressing

call me your pi

e a pirate,

t the deepest condemnation. I assure you that if we had had the faintest hope of doing business in a businesslike way with your owners, we should have been happy to pay almost any price for their s

ature with regard to Belgium," Murphy replied blandly. "

first law of human natur

w you have just cited I believe I'm entitled to breakfast. I'm starved. I figured on having supper ashore last night, but after I received that cablegram from my o

r declared, "do you know yo

It runs in the blood

give you the liberty of the ship. As it is, I crave your pardon for keep

I ask you: When you have delivered this cargo o

e Narcissus will go aboard one of our warships and thus remove themselves fro

ou get a new

admiral will welcome an opportunity to load them all aboard the empty Narcissus, for even prisoners of war must eat, and the stores aboard our fleet are more valu

th my cargo. Leave me enough of it to carry my ship to the nearest port. She

cissus is merely a deplorable national necessi

picking her up before we make

"That," he replied, "wou

this cargo you've stolen? Don't my owners get something out of this deal to help p

freight money. If they do not pay it Mr. Cappy Ricks can sue them. As for the cargo, we have not stolen it, since one cannot steal t

bear it. By the way, don't forget to take back

ide so contemptuously. Why not accept it as compensation for that broken rib, and that bullet I put through your left shoulder, the dislocated right shoulder, the loose

er a horrible grin it was, owi

ion for the way you've acted aboard my ship, I can only say that as a fortune-teller you'll never earn enough money to keep yourself in cigarettes. You say you have been trained to provide for all conceiv

ught of being hanged for a pirate. It would be a reflection on one's family. As for sudden death by violence at the hands of a

st

ommand back to you, and a man with two shoulders in the condition of yo

ck in the middle to think of crawl

m on that speaking tube and soliciting aid from Mr. Reardon, please be advised t

hink of being locked up and that man Reardon free. However, you need not have worr

thought it prudent to guard against a temporary

he skipper, "you

. "I also took the precaution to rem

nd may the Lord have mercy on your soul. Please hand me that book entitled Backwood's Surgery till I see what's good for

delightful Herr von Staden rep

behind him. He returned presently and stood beside the steward, who thrust his head

ee soft-boiled eggs and a pot

ccompanied by Mr. Schultz, the first mate. The si

, "the things I'm going to do to

hultz replie

he can lay hands on him. And you know me, Mr. Schultz. I'm a devil for etiquette aboard ship. As for you, you're only g

d libitum, a

erland-perhaps the skipper might have pardoned his mate the glance of contempt and utter disgust which the latter now bent upon him. Here was a man, Mr. Schultz told himself, who, hav

he rep

d, and leave me alo

der steward shall mayg no conversations

been to Hamburg, and naturally he had acquired th

, but with an air of finality that